Hello everyone! I hope you are all safe and well. ♡
In this blog post, I will be reviewing the book, 'A Guide Girl's Guide to Murder' by Holly Jackson.
General Information
Page Length: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder has roughly 433 pages. (Depending on your edition)
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult.
Themes: There are mature themes in this book including: murder, rape, drugs, relationships and swearing.
Age recommendation: I recommend this book to mature audiences, 15+
Synopsis
Straight A-student Pippa (Pip) decides to do an Extented Project Qualification (EPQ) to help earn a qualification to achieve high grades. The EPQ can be done on anything, Pip's friend chooses to do her EPQ on mouldy bread. But Pip however, she decides to do her EPQ on something a lot more serious; a research investigation on the murder of schoolgirl, Andie Bell, five years ago in 2012. Everyone in the town Little Kilton believes and has their mind set that the murderer was Andie Bell's boyfriend, Sal Singh as he committed suicide because of his guilt. Pip is not so sure that's the case. Throughout the school year, Pip is determined to find out the truth and answer the question, "Who really did kill Andie Bell?" Along the way, Pip undiscovers secrets that have been kept hidden, demands for truths and the people whom she trusts and the people she meets may not be so trustworthy anymore. Pip teams up with Sal's brother, Ravi and together, they desperately try to solve the mystery that has haunted Little Kilton for years.
I think I start off every review with "Wow!" but once again this book really did "wow" me. The amount of thought put into this book is outstanding, with small hints of foreshadowing placed throughout the book, the answer to the mystery was definitely suprising but also a bit disappointing in a way. I want to start off by saying, as a debut novel, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder has been written fantastically. Holly Jackson, you have done an amazing job!! If any bookish businesses are reading this, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK AND MAKE MERHANDISE! The quotes in this book were amazing and made me smile and laugh everytime. (I would include them here, but it spoils the joy and you probably will not understand until you read, plus there are SO MANY!)
The book was actually quite fast-paced, I consider myself a slow reader but all of a sudden I was around 200+ pages in and I thought to myself, "Wow I am already so far ahead!"
I really liked the way the book was set out. The chapters were in third person, however at the end of most of the chapters it would include Pip's Production Log which would track her progress , show evidence she found, transcripts of any interviews as well as explaining the details. It was more engaging to read that way and to understand the story better.
I love, love, loooveee the teamwork of Ravi and Pip. They both helped each other a lot when they needed each other most. However, at times they had conflict, but then it was instantly resolved, I found that a bit unrealistic. I did find Pip demanding when trying to hunt out answers, but I loved the thrill vibes that this book gave off. There were many twists and significant events that happened which was so intriguing to read.
Also, for Pip's EPQ, at the very beginning of the book, the instructor told Pip not to make any contact with the families involved. Since Pip is a straight-A student, you would assume she follows the rules. Well, no. She broke them straight away and I was confused because it was not mentioned for the enitre book until the very end that 'yes I have broke the rules so you need to disqualify me.' In the end, Pip was more focused on actually solving the case that she did not think much about her "schoolwork" any more and university application. However, I liked how Pip presents the case, it was a nice aspect in the book. :)
Okay, now for my point leading up to the ending ... I am going to start by saying that I watched a review on YouTube for this book and read reviews before I finished and they all mentioned to expect the unexpected. I am going to add that phrase onto my own review: expect the unexpected.
I thought about that phrase and I did that, I guessed someone in the book who I thought would be the killer that was completely going to be unexpected but yet, I was wrong. So to add: "Expect the unexpected but then expect it even more."
However, when the 'real truth' was found, I was sort of disappointed in a way. Yes, it is unexpected but it seemed slightly unrealistic. Yes it is fiction but it was written in a way that sounded real. One part of the ending was really good and was a massive and great twist, the other part of the ending was an 'oh' feeling.
One more point I need to add! Romance .... so Ravi and Pip teamed up and were doing the project together (even though it was against the rules of the EPQ) and their friendship was awesome. The quotes I mentioned before, almost all of them came from Ravi. Normally I am not a major fan of romance, however .. when I was reading, I just keep on waiting and waiting eagerly for when the romance was going to happen and *SPOILER ALERT* when it did happen I screamed. Well, almost screamed, I was reading at the kitchen table with my family and I wanted to scream with joy so bad because I was so happy and excited! I wish there was just a tiny, tiny bit more romance a little bit earlier. But honestly, it was good in a way that it was not too much otherwise it probably would have wrecked the book.
But wait, there's more ... THERE IS A SEQUEL!! Yep that's right! There are more books coming to the series and cannot wait to read them too! Hopefully you
To conclude this review, I want to say ... "Yes Pip! You did it! You solved the case!"
Star Rating
My star rating for 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' is...
⭐⭐⭐⭐ AND A HALF STARS
"Fans of One Of Us Is Lying look out, there is a new book to become your favourite. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is an amazing thriller book which demonstrates the phrase: expect the unexpected. Laughter, shock and suprise as well as worry will come your way when reading. However, don't be fooled, A Good Girl's to Murder is a fantastic read." Book Reviews By Sophie McC
Thank you guys so much for taking the time to read this review! Comment below your thoughts! Hope this review helped.
Sophie x. ♥️
Follow me on Instagram for updates! @bookreviewsbysophiemcc
Email me! bookreviewsbysophiemcc@gmail.com
To subscribe, message me on Instagram or send me an email if you are interested!
To learn more about the author, Holly Jackson and her books, you can click on the links below!
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18229614.Holly_Jackson
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2159079/holly-jackson
(Photos from Goodreads).
In this blog post, I will be reviewing the book, 'A Guide Girl's Guide to Murder' by Holly Jackson.
General Information
Page Length: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder has roughly 433 pages. (Depending on your edition)
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult.
Themes: There are mature themes in this book including: murder, rape, drugs, relationships and swearing.
Age recommendation: I recommend this book to mature audiences, 15+
Synopsis
Straight A-student Pippa (Pip) decides to do an Extented Project Qualification (EPQ) to help earn a qualification to achieve high grades. The EPQ can be done on anything, Pip's friend chooses to do her EPQ on mouldy bread. But Pip however, she decides to do her EPQ on something a lot more serious; a research investigation on the murder of schoolgirl, Andie Bell, five years ago in 2012. Everyone in the town Little Kilton believes and has their mind set that the murderer was Andie Bell's boyfriend, Sal Singh as he committed suicide because of his guilt. Pip is not so sure that's the case. Throughout the school year, Pip is determined to find out the truth and answer the question, "Who really did kill Andie Bell?" Along the way, Pip undiscovers secrets that have been kept hidden, demands for truths and the people whom she trusts and the people she meets may not be so trustworthy anymore. Pip teams up with Sal's brother, Ravi and together, they desperately try to solve the mystery that has haunted Little Kilton for years.
My Review
The book was actually quite fast-paced, I consider myself a slow reader but all of a sudden I was around 200+ pages in and I thought to myself, "Wow I am already so far ahead!"
I really liked the way the book was set out. The chapters were in third person, however at the end of most of the chapters it would include Pip's Production Log which would track her progress , show evidence she found, transcripts of any interviews as well as explaining the details. It was more engaging to read that way and to understand the story better.
I love, love, loooveee the teamwork of Ravi and Pip. They both helped each other a lot when they needed each other most. However, at times they had conflict, but then it was instantly resolved, I found that a bit unrealistic. I did find Pip demanding when trying to hunt out answers, but I loved the thrill vibes that this book gave off. There were many twists and significant events that happened which was so intriguing to read.
Also, for Pip's EPQ, at the very beginning of the book, the instructor told Pip not to make any contact with the families involved. Since Pip is a straight-A student, you would assume she follows the rules. Well, no. She broke them straight away and I was confused because it was not mentioned for the enitre book until the very end that 'yes I have broke the rules so you need to disqualify me.' In the end, Pip was more focused on actually solving the case that she did not think much about her "schoolwork" any more and university application. However, I liked how Pip presents the case, it was a nice aspect in the book. :)
Okay, now for my point leading up to the ending ... I am going to start by saying that I watched a review on YouTube for this book and read reviews before I finished and they all mentioned to expect the unexpected. I am going to add that phrase onto my own review: expect the unexpected.
I thought about that phrase and I did that, I guessed someone in the book who I thought would be the killer that was completely going to be unexpected but yet, I was wrong. So to add: "Expect the unexpected but then expect it even more."
However, when the 'real truth' was found, I was sort of disappointed in a way. Yes, it is unexpected but it seemed slightly unrealistic. Yes it is fiction but it was written in a way that sounded real. One part of the ending was really good and was a massive and great twist, the other part of the ending was an 'oh' feeling.
 |
| Sequel/Second book in series! |
But wait, there's more ... THERE IS A SEQUEL!! Yep that's right! There are more books coming to the series and cannot wait to read them too! Hopefully you
To conclude this review, I want to say ... "Yes Pip! You did it! You solved the case!"
Star Rating
My star rating for 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' is...
⭐⭐⭐⭐ AND A HALF STARS
"Fans of One Of Us Is Lying look out, there is a new book to become your favourite. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is an amazing thriller book which demonstrates the phrase: expect the unexpected. Laughter, shock and suprise as well as worry will come your way when reading. However, don't be fooled, A Good Girl's to Murder is a fantastic read." Book Reviews By Sophie McC
Thank you guys so much for taking the time to read this review! Comment below your thoughts! Hope this review helped.
Sophie x. ♥️
|
| Holly Jackson - Author |
Follow me on Instagram for updates! @bookreviewsbysophiemcc
Email me! bookreviewsbysophiemcc@gmail.com
To subscribe, message me on Instagram or send me an email if you are interested!
To learn more about the author, Holly Jackson and her books, you can click on the links below!
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18229614.Holly_Jackson
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2159079/holly-jackson
(Photos from Goodreads).
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