This was such a fun book that lead into the first Good girls guide to murder! I loved that we got this introduction into the characters in such a creative way! I definitely would have enjoyed reading this before reading the rest of the series! I also really liked the murder mystery aspect!

I love Holly Jackson's writing, and this is a quick, fun read. Ultimately, I didn't enjoy it as much as the trilogy, and the main reason was that there was the knowledge that it was all a part of a game. Still, I'm glad that I read it and will continue to read anything Jackson writes!

This is another cute, fun Holly Jackson read. I don't feel like it's as good as the trilogy, but this is a novella and a prequel, so the expectations are not the same. It was a quick, fun read and I enjoyed it, although there was nothing "real" in the story. The game and the players were enough to keep my interest. I would recommend it to someone who has already read and enjoyed the trilogy to get a little more of the story and the characters.

I really enjoyed this prequel novella to the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. I was a big fan of book 1 but felt that the other two books were not nearly as good or as interesting. I honestly felt that it could have been a standalone. However, this novella was definitely a sold and enjoyable read. We are following Pip and her friends as they go to their friends Connor's house for a murder mystery night. The whole evening is planned and everyone is a given a new name and backstory to help it be more enjoyable. Naturally, Pip wants to solve the case and sets out to do just that. I enjoyed getting more of the characters and seeing hints along the way of what was to come in the bigger story. In fact in almost made me want to reread book 1 so that I could remember and see everything again as it fell. If you are interested in this one I definitely I recommend and also think that it should be read before book 1


I received a copy of the book from NetGalley.. The opinions expressed are my own

This book is the perfect book recommendation for a reluctant teen reader. Quick and fast paced, it would be a great intro to the series.

Reading Between the Wines book review #40/115 for 2023:
Rating: 2 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: Kill Joy
Author: Holly Jackson
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers | Teens & YA
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: I did not realize when I requested to read this book that it was going to be so short and only a prequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. After starting it did, I realize it said a novella. It was interesting because I do love murder mystery dinners in real life but I did not like how no real murder happened in this story.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @RandomHouseChildren’s for an advanced copy of @KillJoy.

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this was cute!! a short little story about pip before she became the pip we all know & love. it was fun to see the group again & experience a young pip before it all

This was an absolute joy to read. I felt like I was there with them in the house playing along. Just the right amount of creepy. Devoured it. Couldn’t put it down.

A really excellent novella. Spend a couple of hours in Joy and you'll find yourself looking for more titles by Holly Jackson.

AGGGTM is the best and this fun prequel delivers! I loved getting a glimpse into the beginnings of Pippa Fitz-Amobi and reconnecting with her friends. Employing a murder mystery party is a very clever setting for this “reunion” and I was thrilled to be on the edge of my seat with Pippa again.

Let me start by saying I loved the premise of this book, I've read the other books in this series and really enjoyed them.

A murder mystery game with Pippa and her group of friends is bound to have some ups and downs, but as she went through the case putting together clues and figuring out who killed our victim she realizes she has a knack for this.

The mystery itself was insightful and entertaining... which seems odd to say about a murder but all is fair in love and games so I'm going with it.

It had moments that were very Agatha Christie and I loved it, the 1920s are one of my favorite periods for books so this was right up my alley, the clothes, the language, all of it is just fun, especially when you have a group of teenagers trying to pull it off.

If you loved watching Pippa solve Andie Bells' murder this is a quick read that puts a lot into perspective... I would say more but I don't want to give anything away to anyone that hasn't read the other books in this series.


This is a 3.5-star book for me only because it dragged a tiny bit at times but that can be forgiven so I'm rounding up to four stars for review purposes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for an advance copy of this E-Book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kill Joy is a fantastic prequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Pip and her friends meet at the Reynolds’s house to participate in a murder-mystery dinner that at times feels a little too real. Pip’s reaction to the emotions solving the “crime” elicit in her help Pip to pick her Senior Capstone Project, which is the basis for AGGGTM.

Kill Joy is a prequel and to me it wasn’t necessary. You don’t need to read this to enjoy A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. The murder mystery dinner theme just didn’t interest me. But the idea of a murder mystery dinner doesn’t interest me at all. So, maybe it’s me.

✨ Kill Joy ✨⁣
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⁣I adored A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and was excited to get this novella- which is actually a prequel. Pip gathers with her friends for a 1920s murder mystery game! It’s quick, entertaining and gave some backstory as to why Pip chose to investigate the Andie Bell case! ⁣
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⁣Do I think this is a necessary read of fans of the series? Nope. It was fine, but nothing happened other than this little murder mystery game. Plus, I read AGGGTM about four years and hundreds of books ago, so it was tough remembering many details from the series. ⁣
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⁣Three stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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⁣Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of Kill Joy in return for my honest opinion.

Pippa Fitz-Amobi returns in this prequel to the series A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

She's been invited to a murder mystery night with all her friends. Dressed as her character, she's not that into the whole thing until she gets there. True to her character, Pip soon finds herself immersed in the game. It was great to be back with Pippa in this novella, and to see her clever brain in action. It's a fun, quick read, nothing too heavy or too serious. And I loved the ending.

I highly enjoyed this novella. It was entertaining, quick and lighthearted. It feels like a spin-off episode on a tv series, not as serious or pertinent to the story line. The book is about a murder solving game, it doesn’t add much to the characters or story but it’s a fun easy read.

This book is a prequel and I loved reading about how Pippa solved the mystery game . Loved the murder mystery party ! Great story !

As someone who loved the good girls guide to murder series of course I had read this and I absolutely loved it, and loud the mystery game setting that made it so much more fun to read.

It felt slow at the start, but was soon gripping and fun, the same way A Good Girl's Guide to Murder was.

The prequel to AGGGTM!
Pip, 17, attends a murder mystery dinner party in her hometown of Fairview, Connecticut along with her friends. As she’s playing her part, she discovers how invested she becomes even though it’s a fake mystery. She has an elaborate theory involving most of the players and their characters and is disappointed when the packaged murder mystery only declares the murderer and nothing else about the shenanigans involving the others. This party takes place before Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. It helps Pip decide on her Capstone Project topic, solving Andie Bell’s murder.

Likes/dislikes: This novella is a quick read. I like that it’s a prequel and a precursor to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. I enjoyed the interesting murder mystery dinner party idea.
Mature Content: G for none.
Language: R for 17 swears and 10 f-bombs.
Violence: PG for a fake bloody death.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mixed with Pip being White.