Book Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Title: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Author: Holly Jackson
Genre: YA Mystery / Thriller
Publication Date: February 4th, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press

“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? ” (Goodreads)

Honestly, I have no idea why it has taken me so long to read this book. I remember seeing it on NetGalley last year and then realizing it was for the UK so off to Book Depository I went to buy that copy, ha! I have had it sitting on my shelf for a year and in that time it has come out in the US. Dang. Clearly I have a “book buying but not reading them” problem.

Anyways, this was such an exciting and thrilling ride! So thrilling that I got scared reading from different parts and even though it was past my bedtime I still stayed up to finish it because how was I going to fall asleep anyways?

One cool thing about this book is the format. The main character Pippa is doing a school project based on this murder that happened five years ago. Since it’s a project, every chapter has interview styled pages, notebook pages, and diagrams. These really added to the whole project thing and took the book to a whole new level. It reminded me of Sadie in that way.

I like reading mystery/thrillers because it’s more about the plot than the characters. I don’t have to feel a connection towards them and it’s fine. I did feel bad for certain characters though because some of the things they went through were rough.

The plot was everything I wanted and more! I really wasn’t sure how this would play out but the plot twists were so intriguing that when I would reach one it would make the book too hard to put down. There are so many things going on and so many connections between the characters that it’s hard to ever pin point the murderer. I had no idea who it was/how it happened and was very surprised when the truth came out. Looking back on it now I should have known, ha!

Overall, this was a really good book. I have been looking for a new YA Mystery / Thriller author and I will most definitely be checking out her other books that will be part of a series with this one. I already ordered the second book on Book Depository! Ha.

 

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