GOOD GIRL, BAD BLOOD BY HOLLY JACKSON // spoiler-free book review: what YA mystery thriller twisty goodness is this??? this series has me by the throat

Say hi to my fashionably late review of a book I read and LOVED last year aka Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson , the sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder which quickly became a new favourite series of mine. Click below for my review of book one, if you dare *wink wink*

This book was absolutely excellent so I shall go forth and rave about it, however this is a sequel so MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD. I don’t talk specific events or anything, so do with this information what you will. Let’s get into it!

Title: Good Girl, Bad Blood
Series: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder book #2
Author: Holly Jackson
Page count: 417
Date published: 30 April 2020
Genre: Young Adult mystery

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Synopsis:

Pip is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way… and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it’s too late?

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Big thanks to Penguin Random House SA for the review copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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STAR RATING: (5 out of 5 stars)

Disclaimer: there will be far too many exclamation points in this review. You’ve been warned!!!!!!!

I,,, wow,,, words,,, are,,, hard,,,,

My mind is still absolutely REELING and I’m chilled to the bone, and nobody else is doing it like Holly Jackson!!!

I listened to this book mostly on audiobook, which is just absolutely spectacular. It has all these sound effects and it’s got a full cast. But I also had to read along at some parts because there are images and other cool multi-media pages. WHAT A COOL BOOK OMG!!!! Cool isn’t even a good enough word but please bear with me.

 

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I think my absolute favourite thing about this book is just being in this world with these characters. I’m fully invested in their lives and relationships and wow it’s been a while since I’ve found a series like that. Little Kilton honestly feels real to me. Like I BELIEVE these cases are real and have actually happened in real life. Yes, I am crazy but I’m okay with that.

Let’s chat writing because I absolutely noticed how Ms Jackson’s got even better in this book!! Her writing gives me chills and makes me absolutely petrified, even though my logical brain tells me that Person X is not dead because there’s no reason for them to be. Or any other logical explanation. But nope, I’m thinking there’s someone outside my bedroom door or hiding under the bed. My anxiety LOVES this book, as you can tell. Anyways, the writing creates these vivid images and it’s so well-done and I have so much admiration for this author’s talent.

In terms of plot, I have a very complicated explanation. Because on the one hand, whilst I want to say the stakes aren’t as high as they were in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I also think it couldn’t have been done any other way. Here’s the thing, with book one I think there were just more leads, there was more to work with. But with book two, we were dealing with a missing person’s case and Pip knew absolutely nothing, whereas previously, she had a bigger expanse of people to talk to etc?? Idk am I making sense?? I do agree that the plot is maybe not as strong, but everything else made up for it in my opinion so a slower plot didn’t bother me much.

Also, Pip obviously has this podcast and I absolutely loved how she could use that to her advantage and use her following to attract more support. Get that clout amirite

Please kick me off the internet.

Speaking of dear Pippa, she is just lowkey the BESTEST main character. Though I wanted to throttle her a lot more in this book, I still thought she was a fantastic narrator for this story. I’m so so excited to see what happens in book three because we are definitely left with a different Pip by the end of this book. ASPIRE TO HAVE PIPPA FITZ-AMOBI’S BRAIN WOWEEEE!!!!!

We also cannot forget my darling Ravi Singh, the absolute sunshine star that he is, bless his soul. I’m absolutely obsessed with this romance and I would DO ANYTHING for these two. I adore them to bits and Ravi is the bestest. Ugh, just love him so so so much!!!!

Before I stop yelling about how obsessed am I with this, I guess I should tell you whether or not I am still a murder mystery genius (not that this is a murder mystery, I shall not tell a thing. lips = sealed). And I… will say I had a suspicion, but I honestly had absolutely no idea how it would end and no real guesses, nor did I guess the genius ending, so mayhaps my badge has been revoked. I shall proceed to cry for days.

Overall, if you’re looking for 1) a new series to be obsessed with, 2) mind-blowing small-town mysteries and 3) books to keep you up at night, you definitely need to pick up this series, so we can be scaredy-cats together. Seriously, read them THEY’RE SO GOOD. Now go forth and have nightmares!!

 

“And, finally, to all the girls who’ve ever been doubted or not believed. I know how that feels. These books are for all of you.”

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“But sometimes my mouth starts saying words without checking with my brain first.”

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“What do you do when the things that are supposed to protect you, fail you like that”

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“Oh, justice exists,” Charlie said, looking up at the rain. “Maybe not the kind that happens in police stations and courtrooms, but it does exist. And when you really think about it, those words – good and bad, right and wrong – they don’t really matter in the real world. Who gets to decide what they mean: those people who just got it wrong and let Max walk free? No,” he shook his head. “I think we all get to decide what good and bad and right and wrong mean to us, not what we’re told to accept. You did nothing wrong. Don’t beat yourself up for other people’s mistakes.”

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“Some people are pretty good at hiding who they really are.”

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“Are we squad goals?” Ravi whispered to Pip. Cara heard and snorted.”

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“A quietness settled over the room, a quietness that wasn’t the absence of sound, it was its own living thing, stifling in the spaces between them.”

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“His fingers stalled. ‘I’m –’ ‘Please.’ Her throat clenched like it did before she cried, breaking her voice into a million little pieces. ‘Don’t make me do this again. Please. I can’t do this again.”

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“Outside, Pip stopped in the middle of the parking lot and looked up into the sky, clouds hiding the stars from her, hoarding them for themselves.”

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“Fuck likeable. You know who’s likeable? People like Max Hastings who walk into a courtroom with fake glasses and charm their way out. I don’t want to be like that.”

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HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? OR MAYBE JUST BOOK ONE? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? DO YOU LOVE AS MUCH AS I DO? WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER? I’D LOVE TO KNOW!