Recent Reads: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Series: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #1
Publisher: Ember
Publication Date:  May 2, 2019 

 

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

Trigger Warnings: This book contains references to self-harm, date rape/ spiking drinks, suicide, violence, and drug use.

Review: 

This book was not on my TBR for this month but when I saw it at the bookstore it called to me, and I had to pick it up. I have not heard much about it but the clerk told me I was going to LOVE it, so I was immediately more skeptical, but she was right! The story follows a bookish, smart, overachieving teen who decides that for her independent project she is going to dig deeper into a crime that happened in her town five years ago. She is given some guidelines, which she immediately ignores, but she also stumbles upon a lot of very interesting information that the town and the cops failed to discover when they reviewed the case. 

Pippa resonated a lot with me, she is smart, determined, stubborn, and knows what she wants, but she is also scared about who she is and who she wants to be in the future. She was a very self-aware and I really appreciate that. Other characters where great as well, Ravi as a sidekick/motivator/a great source of dialogue and witty back and forth. Pippa's family was also wonderful, diverse but also so loving and fun. I adored the dad and his jokes and the dynamic with the kids, it was so good. I wish more books had this great family dynamic. 

The plot was super engaging and stimulating, I was so excited to keep flipping the pages and see what Pippa found out next. It was a little hard to believe that the cops for the original case did so badly finding out anything, but then again, they believed that the original killer committed suicide, so they didn't think they had to work real hard I guess... 

The was that the book built up pieces to the case through the eyes of these teens was very interesting. Pippa was able to really dig deep into the case and formulate new theories. I should note that this book is written in a really fascinating way, Pippa has to keep a log for her project to the book has the log entries and her thought process but then is broken up by chapters told in the third person POV. It was done really well, and I loved reading her process and the next steps. It even included a map, emails, text chains, and idea board pages which were great adds to the dynamic of this story. I felt really immersed. 

Overall, this book would be a great read for anyone that enjoys crime, thrillers, and mysteries. It also showcases a strong female lead character who is smart and able and a diverse cast of characters.