A perfect prequel novella to AGGGTM telling us the story of how Pip got her start on her senior capstone project leading her to even bigger things! A murder mystery party? Just where Pip didn’t want to be- she wanted to be home preparing for her next big project at school but she couldn’t say no to her friends. Whodunnit? Will Pip solve it or will someone else? The whole crew is on edge with the Andie and Sal deaths fresh on their minds in their city when they hear creepy noises all night. Is it just their imagination or is there another killer out there?

Quick & easy novella! I loved this prequel to the AGGGTM trilogy and getting to see Pip and crew at a murder mystery party where she begins to fall in love with true crime and basically realize she's a genius!

As a huge fan of A Hood Girls Guide to Murder, I was very excited to get to read this prequel novella. I will always find reading about Pip and her group of friends fun, and I loved the references to other things from the trilogy. I know this book was kind of a fun little throwaway, so I’m trying not to judge it on the same level as the trilogy, but I just found it to be a little flat and boring. The stakes were so low, and although it kind of explained why Pip wanted to solve the mystery that she did for her senior capstone project, I was hoping it would delve a little deeper into how it is that she specifically is able to find all these clues and figure things out. I guess my main question is what is the point of this novella — it doesn’t really present us with anything new.

That being said, it was fun and a good way to cure my withdrawal from Pip and the AGGTM series as a whole.

3.5 stars rounded down

This was unexpected. And welcomed. Pip is a cool character we've met as readers for the Good Girl's trilogy and now Jackson has created a novella (bring these back HARD!) before the whole series takes place as a fun murder mystery that Pip attends with friends.

I adore, adore, adore the writing, the organization, and the (re)introduction to Pip that we came to know and love. The thrill is mixed with the humor and it's oh so teen. I'm glad they'll publish this one so I can give it to my teens.

This was a fun novella to get to know Pip and her friends before they were affected by the craziness of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder with a low-stakes "murder" mystery. After reading the thrilling trilogy, the fact that this was actually a fictional murder mystery party was a little anti-climatic, but it was still fun to see Pip and the gang as normal teens.

A cute novella that gives us a glimpse into an innocent Pip and her knack for figuring things out. I really liked how we see into Pip's brain in this one, how she goes from a person who just sees things as they're presented to someone who analyzes things a little too deep sometimes and can be blinded by their incorrect judgements.

<Spoilers!!>

As someone who greatly enjoyed reading "The Good Girl's Guide to Murder" trilogy, I was very excited to read this prequel. It demonstrated how obsessive Pip can become with a case as well as how complexly she can dissect facts to discover the truth.

I especially loved how in the end her guess in the murder mystery game was wrong. It was Bobby, the most obvious suspect, and it drove Pip crazy that she was wrong. Prompting her at the end of the story to reflect upon her small town's murder, that was also wrapped up to easily, which perfectly launches into "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder." I also loved the little hints throughout the story that fans of trilogy would recognize. From things as small as mentioning the ghosts of Sal Singh and Andie Bell during the game to Mr. Ward breaking his car because he thought Ravi was Sal. Overall, it felt like a nice final wrap-up to this series.

I can't wait to see what Holly Jackson writes next!

Kill Joy is the prequel to Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, and is a quick novella. Kill Joy includes the same characters as Good Girl's Guide and beyond, and it refers to the old murder case that is central to GGG. Kill Joy features the characters going to a murder mystery dinner party. GGG readers will recognize the friendships and interactions that we have come to love in the other GGG books, but just in rewind, as Kill Joy takes place before Pip begins her senior year capstone project. In fact, the murder mystery dinner party is what sparks Pip's interest in solving crimes.

I recommend reading the GGG books in the order they were released, meaning, save Kill Joy for last. Even though it is a prequel, Kill Joy makes much more sense if the reader already knows the progression of the characters and their stories through the original GGG to Murder (book 1). As with any novella, there is not much time to really flesh out the characters in Kill Joy, which is another reason I would recommend reading Kill Joy after the other books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

Good short mystery. The characters are engaging and connect able. The story is easy to follow. You can't h3lp but get engrossed in the plot and can't wait yo see who done it.

I looooved this bingeable novella! You felt like you're playing the murder mystery game right alongside Pip. I loved the ending which provided some insight into how Pip chose her senior capstone project, which is what A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is about.

Short, quick novella set before A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. It was interesting to read the inspiration for Pip’s Capstone project that set the whole trilogy into motion. As someone who liked the first two books and hated the last, this does serve as a reminder of who Pip was, highlighting just how disjointed the series became. I like how true to the original characters this was, and the suspense and mystery that was built up so well in such a short amount of time.

It was so nice to visit with some of my favorite characters again! I really enjoyed that everyone seemingly made some type of appearance and loved the idea of a group of teens playing a murder mystery dinner party game! I was wrong about "whodunnit", but it was so enjoyable!

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is one of my all-time favorite series. This is coming from someone who doesn't enjoy much YA anymore. While Kill Joy was a short, fun time, I had a hard time really getting into it and I think I know why.

After three amazing books that majorly developed Pip's character after so many things had happened to her, going back to the beginning before any of it even happened felt disjointed for me. I had a hard time feeling like it was PIP that I was reading from and not just any random group of people that had been given the same names as characters from the series.

I would personally recommend reading this before the series and not at the end, but it was still a fun little 'murder mystery'. Just not one that I will return to like I will the rest of the series.

This was a fun novella that gives you more background on Pippa. I loved the murder mystery element but the book was pretty slow moving at times.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to this book, I now need to go to a murder mystery party.

This is a fantastic prequel to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. It is a little slow, but it is short and enjoyable. I don't know if reading the prequel before any of the other books would encourage me to actually read the series because it is slow. However, I loved seeing how Pip choose her capstone project which is the entire plot of the first book in the series. The ending of the prequel is a treat for those who have already read the novel.

Pip is back! This was a great novella by Holly Jackson. It was captivating and nice to see where Pips detective history came from. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC

Whenever I see a Holly Jackson title on NetGalley, I immediately click request. The “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” series truly changed the YA mystery/thriller and crime genre and this novella was a sweet treat to bring me back into Pippa’s world. This is a prequel to “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” with Pippa and her friends participating in a murder mystery party. Who is the killer?!

I’ve never participated in a murder mystery party (I would fail immediately due to lack of a poker face and lying skills) but after reading this, it sounds like so much fun! Holly did an incredible job setting up the scenario, the characters, and their motivations. I enjoyed the clue visuals and this truly gave “Knives Out” vibes. The story move quickly so this is definitely a one-sitting and a quick enjoyable read! Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson is an engrossing and well-crafted mystery that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The book is the third installment in the author's popular A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series and follows protagonist Pip as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding a suspicious death in her small English town.

Jackson's writing is sharp and suspenseful, with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very end. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the relationships between them add an extra layer of complexity to the story.

One of the strengths of Kill Joy, and the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series as a whole, is its focus on realistic police work and investigation. Jackson deftly balances the demands of the mystery genre with a nuanced portrayal of the challenges and limitations faced by law enforcement in small towns.

Overall, Kill Joy is a gripping and satisfying mystery that will appeal to fans of the genre as well as readers who enjoy well-written, character-driven stories. With its blend of suspense, realism, and heart, this book is a worthy addition to the series and a testament to Holly Jackson's talent as a writer.

A fun little novella that gives us a little more insight into Pip, her overall mindset/thought process, and her relationship with her friends. The book is entirely centered around the gang playing what is essentially a rebranded version of Clue. Pip, of course, comes in with the mindset that she has far better things to do than play a silly game. After all, she has her senior capstone project to think about - on a topic she has yet to decide. But the detective in her quickly gets overly invested and it all spirals from there.

As always, Ant is my least favorite one 🙄 irritating little bugger

Holly Jackson's novella Kill Joy continues the fun from her Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. Pip and her friends share a spooky good time at a murder mystery party organized by Connor. Jackson is great at revving up the thrills that keep the reader on the edge of her seat. For readers who haven't read the original series, not too much is lost. Since it's a prequel to the series, readers who haven't learned anything about Pip Fitz-Amobi and her world will lured into reading the whole trilogy. It also works well as a stand-alone.