A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to M… (2024)

Applause! Applause! Applause! This book offered one of the quickest and most exhilarating roller coaster experiences the moment I laid my hands on it. I’m still shaky, incoherent (I’ve even requested a translator to articulate my thoughts properly), my nails have seen better days, and I’m both confused and dizzy. But I’m also smiling and filled with happiness! I wholeheartedly give it a perfect five out of five mysterious shining stars!

The storytelling is exceptional, the plot keeps you hooked, the character development is fantastic, the pacing is fast and heart-pounding, and the ending is immensely satisfying. What are you waiting for, folks? This book won’t just fall from the sky into your lap. Go ahead, buy it, and send me thank-you letters for my encouraging words!

We have an incredible heroine in Pippa (don’t mistake her for Pippi Longstocking). Fitz-Amobi is a talented, smart, nerdy, funny, social, friendly, brave investigator who stands somewhere between Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars, a slightly older version of Harriet Walsh, possessing technical skills but without tattoos, leather, or chains, a more restrained version of Lisbeth Salander, and a younger version of Dana Scully without Mulder and alien conspiracies!

The blurb is tempting, intriguing, and immediately pulls you in, making it hard to let go of the book, as I found out. My dogs are even jealous of the book, barking at the moon in protest, but I couldn’t put it down, as it’s one of those books that grabs you from the very first page.

Five years ago, Andie Bell went missing, and Sal Singh, who committed suicide after confessing to her murder in a text message, was presumed responsible. Yet Andie’s body was never found. The case was closed, but Pippa is determined to reopen it for her school project. She starts by interviewing Sal’s 20-year-old brother, Ravi, who naturally becomes her partner in crime. Their project evolves into a mission to prove Sal’s innocence and find out who might have really killed Andie.

As they dig deeper, Pippa’s list of people of interest grows longer, even including her best friend’s sister.

There are numerous burning questions in your mind: Who truly killed Andie? Is Andie really dead? Did she deserve her fate? Because as we learn more about her, we discover she was a bully, a drama queen, a drug dealer, and a blackmailer. Her less-than-stellar attributes made me want to give her a piece of my mind. It’s strange because I’ve never felt the urge to confront a presumed dead person—or someone I’m not even sure is deceased! But this character is a living, breathing (or not) scoundrel!

Who framed Sal? Did Sal actually do it? His portrayal as a nice, humble, angelic guy led me to nickname him Castiel, like the angel from ‘Supernatural.’ But we can sense he’s been hiding something. His friends changed their testimonies regarding his whereabouts and the time he left their gathering, refusing to be his alibis. So where was he at the time of the murder?

Who was sending threatening messages to Pippa, trying to stop her investigation?

I devoured this book, and my detective skills failed me completely until the final pages. The author always stayed ten steps ahead of me! I feel blessed to be outsmarted by her brilliant writing. I can already picture this as an amazing YA mystery movie or a limited Netflix series (anything to replace the third season of ‘13 Reasons Why,’ which might as well be titled ‘13 Reasons Why Did You Even Make a Third Season?’).

It was an emotional, enjoyable, nail-biting, mind-bending, thrilling, and ultimately satisfying read. I savored every page, every clue, and every heart-pounding moment of this book. I highly recommend it! It’s even better than ‘One of Us Is Lying.’

And the best news is there are three more sequels to look forward to! I’ve already started my excitement dance, which is a blend of Beyoncé’s ‘All the Single Ladies’ moves and John Travolta’s ‘Staying Alive’ grooves. Yay!

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You heard it here first, folks. I have found a new favorite YA Thriller. I am stoked by how much I loved this!!

For her Senior Capstone Project, Pippa Fitz-Amboi, an extraordinarily-focused high school girl, decides to solve a murder.

Andie Bell, disappeared five years ago from Pippa's hometown; foul play was suspected.

The police, and thus everyone else, believe Andie was murdered by her boyfriend at the time, Sal Singh, who subsequently disposed of the body.

Their biggest piece of evidence, a purported confession Sal texted his parents, days after Andie disappeared. This confession was sent just prior to Sal's death, an apparent suicide.

In spite of this, Pippa does not believe in Sal's guilt. Andie's body was never recovered and there is no real physical evidence linking him to her disappearance.

Pippa is such a great character. She's an overachiever, who works tirelessly towards achieving her goals.

You can tell, once she sets her sights on something, she will not give up and that's exactly how she tackles her Senior project.

I think one of the things that connected me so much to this story was Pippa. I found her super relatable and loved reading from her perspective.

She ends up befriending Sal's younger brother, Ravi. That additional commitment to him, and clearing Sal's name, makes Pippa even more steadfast; in spite of very real danger.

Additionally, the format of this was creative and engaging. The use of mixed media sources, including the transcripts for the interviews from Pippa's investigation, and a present day narrative, made me feel like I was a part of the action.

As Pippa is evaluating what she has learned along the way, she recaps things, as you actually would if you were working on this type of project; including a running list of current suspects tracked on her murder-board.

The stakes were high and there were times Pippa was legitimately in very real danger. Through it all, she stayed true to herself and fought for justice for Andie and Sal.

I loved this so much, as I said. I could go on for many more paragraphs of all the positive attributes of this story, but don't just take my word for it, PICK THIS UP!!!

If you love it even half as much as I did, you're in for a good time! Well done by Holly Jackson. I am so excited to get more mysteries from her!!!

"Who do you think I am, an amateur?"

Pip never truly believed what all of Fairview has accepted: that Sal Singh murdered his beautiful and popular girlfriend Andie Bell and then killed himself. Five years later, Pip is a senior in high school, and decides for her final project that she's going to find out once and for all what really happened that night.

I'm always in the mood for a good whodunnit. Give me a small group of suspects, everyone hiding secrets, more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, and red herrings galore, and I'm in heaven. I loved putting on my detective cap and puzzling out the clues alongside Pip as she investigates and solves this mystery.

For me, in order for a mystery to be successful, it has to be so riveting that there is no room for me to think. Once my mind gets going, it has this annoying habit of supplying me with random unsolicited guesses, some of which inevitably turn out to be right, and ruining the surprises. So it's best if I'm so taken with the story that I'm only surfacing to turn the pages as fast as I can. And this story was exactly that.

I grew up on Nancy Drew, and have been looking for an older version of that for as long as I've outgrown it. And how wonderful that this story turned out to be all that I've been looking for and more. Pip is clever, spunky, and fearless, the perfect teen detective staring down secrets and murderers. And the fact that this is a series means I won't have to say goodbye to her just yet.

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See also, my thoughts on:
#2. Good Girl, Bad Blood
#3. As Good As Dead
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This was good but just good.

I think I'm getting too old to suspend my disbelief. The MC puts herself in so much danger by meeting up potential murderers, known drug dealers, etc. Everyone tells her so much personal information just like that... not for me.

Won't be continuing the series but the ending was good!

From the moment she said “holy pepperoni”, I realised i was too old to be reading this book

HOLY sh*t I STAYED UP TILL 6AM READING THIS BECAUSE I JUST NEEDED ANSWERS!!

I made a goodreads account just so I could give this book one star.

can i sit at the cool kids table?

i enjoyed a popular book. i think i'm well past due my invite at this point.

this is a fun book that is sometimes really repetitive and sometimes really boring and only has half of a satisfying ending, and yet it's still a quick read.

that is literally all i expect or desire from a popular YA mystery.

bottom line: i'm going to read every book in this series until i ruin it for myself <3

Surprise! I was asked to write the recommendation for this story on the Book of the Month website, and I'm thrilled to finally be able to share it with you as it's live on the site. If you'd like to go directly to the page, you can click HERE, just keep scrolling below if you are outside of the US and not a subscriber.

As a reader who developed her book obsession by devouring every Nancy Drew installment in elementary school, I've been an avid enthusiast of YA crime fiction for most of my life. I cannot resist a good mystery, and am always on the hunt for the next "it" book in the genre. I'm a busy mom of two, so it is rare for me to find a book so special that I can finish it in two sittings, but that's exactly what I found with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a true crime loving teen who aspires to become a top-notch journalist one day. So naturally, she decides to focus her senior capstone project on her small town's most buzz-worthy, unsolved crime: the murder of Andie Bell. What begins as a simple proposal quickly turns into an in-depth investigation full of unexpected twists and turns. After teaming up with the alleged murderer's brother, the pair spiral into a web of danger and obsession, and quickly wonder if they've gotten themselves in too deep.

This debut reads as if you are investigating alongside the main characters, and fans of true crime podcasts will rejoice in the multimedia formatting that so wittily engages the reader from beginning to end. If you enjoy a grounded, engaging mystery that features a diverse cast, discussions surrounding racial injustice, and the importance of found family, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Whether you are aged 13 or 102, this book is for you!

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

Rating: 1 star.

Genuinely asking myself why I read this. This book had it all - bad writing, a completely unrealistic plot, white savior trope, "I'm not like other girls", and probably the most annoying main character I have ever read about.
For some reason, this teenager is allowed to start a massive murder investigation, where every possible witness tells her everything without her having to work for it, and - of course - she ends up doing what the police couldn't. The whole premise was just so unrealistic and unbelievable that I was annoyed from the very first page.
The mystery itself was also barely a mystery at all, the pacing was off, things made no sense and everything was terribly convenient. Pip kept making random decisions and suspect basically everyone until she finally guessed the right person. At that point in the book, I was just counting down how many pages I still had to suffer through.
Pip had no personality traits aside from her constant need to save everyone because she was such a good person and better than everyone else, which the reader was reminded of every second page. It's never explained why any of these people talk to Pip and basically tell her their entire life stories, or even why she cares enough to launch this entire investigation. Her character has no development and at the end of the novel, she's still exactly as annoying as she was on the very first page.
I wish I hadn't read this, it clearly wasn't for me and a massive waste of time.

4.5 stars*
love a good small town murder mystery and this was so good!!

trigger warnings: rape, drug use, death of a pet, kidnapping

(3.5) I enjoyed this more than I was expecting to! Albeit it is filled with cliches, but the author manages to make it a thrilling story with lots of tension and excellent pacing. I'll definitely be picking up the next books in the series!

WHAT THE….???!!

Hell no.
Did I even read the same book as everyone else??

Apparently TF not!! The way I pulled an all nighter finishing this I—

Full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rCh3...

1.5 STARS

“But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile. Those lies were allowed.”

I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH 🫶

I had the sudden urge to reread this series after reading a different murder mystery book and realizing that I am so good at reading those types of books quickly, so I was hoping and praying that they would get me out of my terrible reading slump, and since I just reread this entire series, I'm really hoping it worked 😭🤞

This is also such a good series to reread if you first read it a long time ago, because going into this I remembered nothing except for the basics and who the murderer was, but it was almost like reading it for the first time all over again which is such a good experience.

∘◦ ✂ ————–✂ ◦∘
The Plot

All of Holly Jackson's books have wild plots 😭 even in this reread I was gasping and feeling so confused and then almost crying.

Murder mysteries always have a way of making me super stressed or tense or nervous but this trilogy is something else when it comes to that, there's just this certain undertone to them that make me so wrapped into the story-line that I forget about the real world and literally everything spooks me 😭

I love that this book isn't super predictable. During my first read I was so confused, but I had so many guesses as to who the murderer was, or who any other suspects for any of the other small plot-lines were, but I never guessed who it was, which is always a good feeling. Though I get a good feeling when I get it right too, so either way, it'd have been great 🤪

Still never getting past a certain event in this book. That scene has always stuck with me 😒

“Pip wished she was strong enough, but she’d learned that she wasn’t invincible; she too could break.”

∘◦ ✂ ————–✂ ◦∘
The Characters

I know that we only really begin to see it in this book but Pip is an actual like psychotic genius or something. She is so smart and such a good detective, and she can solve mysteries in the amount of time that it would take for me to even start collecting the clues. Excluding that, she is also just such a relatable character, like if you disregard the fact that she solves murders and stuff then she's just a normal, relatable teenage girl! 🤷‍♀🤷‍♀ way better than me though, I wish I was more like Pip (only in this one though) she's also like crazy brave, I would not be able to do ANY of the things she did.

Ravi is my KING. I've always loved him, he's just so adorable and friendly and EVERYTHING. He's so loyal and seeing him try so hard to prove his brother's innocence is just so amazing, just showcasing his determination and passion. I also ADORE the fact that he's not afraid to show his emotions; like I've read a lot of books about stone-cold guys who don't show emotions, like their grumpy and blah blah blah but Ravi is definitely not the grumpy one, I'd say Pip is more of the grumpy one if that's the case, but Ravi tries hard to be sunshine and rainbows and I love it 👑🫅

f*ck MAX HASTINGS

I love Pip's friends (except for two people), they're just so fun and have a wide range of personalities 😃

Yeah I didn't really care for them much, except I did really love Cara.

“They were each other’s crutch to lean on when life got too much to carry alone.”

∘◦ ✂ ————–✂ ◦∘
The Relationships

Now, there wasn't really much of a romance but it's kinda quite obvious where one "friendship" is headed, so you've been warned if you don't wanna see.

I loved Pip's relationship with her family, it felt real and authentic, and they were all so cute, as well as her friendships, they were all just so loyal.

All of those are insignificant in comparison to Team Pip and Ravi, my dream team. They mesh so well together that it's actually insane. They are the ONLY romance I have ever accepted in murder mysteries, which is saying a lot because I actually despise despise despise romances in murder mysteries, so these two are waaay up on a pedestal that even I can't reach right now.

Also, the nickname Sarge is the cutest thing ever.

“We’re a team, remember. You and me.”

AH

∘◦ ✂ ————–✂ ◦∘
Overall, this was probably the last time I can ever read this book "for the first time" because I usually remember everything after the second read, which is unfortunate, but whatever

I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH

5 stars

(note: and if this stupid show isn't available in the US I'm gonna scream my head off.)

“Maybe laughter was one of the very first things you lost after something like that.”

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reread

either Pip is some sort of genius or the cops in that town are actual idiots. i think it's both

anyways i'm on a roll, two books in one week is great for someone who hasn't read since december AND i read this in 2 days

rtc 😜

<><><><><><><>
Y'ALL I HEARD THEY'RE MAKING A SHOW OUT OF THIS, THIS BETTER NOT BE A JOKE AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I NEED PIP AND RAVI HELP

<><><><><><><>
Holy cow, I did not expect that ending. I definitely did not guess the murderer, nor did I guess literally anything in this book. I really enjoyed the plot and the murder mystery aspects of it. Great book, and I cannot wait till I get my hands on the next books in this series!

this was an exceptionally good mystery, YA or otherwise. action packed, clues on every page. fun characters to root for. good red herrings. deserving of the hype and imo far better than other similar books (*cough, Truly Devious*)

The dad wouldn’t allow boys in the bedroom but was fully OK with Pip going on unsupervised co-ed sleepovers…….

The best audiobook of the year! Not only is this the best mystery of the year, the audiobook had a full cast. When Pip interviewed suspects or witnesses, it sounded like an old-time tape recorder.

Secrets abound in this novel! A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is page-turning and riveting. This book reminds me of back in the day when Riley Sager wrote great novels.

The ending was fully satisfying and one that I did not expect.

Do you ever wish you could read a book again for the first time? Yep. That's me and this book.

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Well, it appears, I've been reading YA mysteries all wrong these past years. Evidently, I should not expect plausibility, believability, character development or strong motivations in these books, like I do when reading adult mysteries. No wonder there is only ONE teen mystery that I think is good, and actual teens don't even like reading it, from what I hear. (It's Sadie in case you were wondering).

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder starts off as a Serial rip-off, with upstanding Pippa swooping in Sarah Koenig-like to clear the name of a poor brown guy accused of the murder of a popular girl whose body remains missing. You see, it's only Pippa who believes in Sal's innocence, and she will save the day, because she is a GOOD GIRL and Sal was once nice to her years ago! I was already annoyed at that point.

However, from there this story devolves into a sleuthing adventure where Pippa manages to have every Tom, Dick and Harry confess all their misdoings to her, because PIPPA IS WRITING A SCHOOL PAPER ABOUT THE MURDER. She catphishes people, breaks into houses, blackmails drug dealers, discovers 5-year old evidence in plain view, because she is just so much better than the police at everything. I can understand why police wouldn't care to pursue a case of a Who Drew The D!cks or The Turd Bulrglar variety, but a suicide and a presumed murder? And the victim is still missing and nobody but Pippa cares? Have you heard of Natalie Halloway? She disappeared 15 years ago, and she is still on TV. The whole investigation was one giant eyeroll for me.

Anyway, to put it short, this book has nothing that I look for in a mystery. I am not reading any more YA mysteries if suspending disbelief entirely is the main requirement to get through them. I am just going to stick with Courtney Summers from now on. Thankfully she has another one coming out next year, and it's about cults!

3.5 stars
Was it enjoyable? Yes
Is it binge worthy? Yep
Was I amazed? No, not really
Now now, before anyone gets triggered.. Here me out I got my reasons 🫣

So I had a lot of fun reading it, the mystery surrounding Angie and Sal was really awesome. Pip and Ravi are likable characters and with intriguing personalities. The amount of work Pip put in to unravel the mystery was commendable and it's all for a school project 😅

It's a well written and extremely well thought out book, no doubt, so kudos to the author there. Also the way she exposed racism via characters like Stanley is something I really liked. Let's be honest, people like him still exist. That was the only part in the book where the author was realistic...

Cmon you expect me to believe a school girl solved this murder case when the big guys police, detectives can't do sh*t. I get there can be some sort of corruption involved in cases but no way a school kid is solving a murder that complicated without the consistent assistance of someone with experience. I don't care how intelligent Pip was, it's just extremely unrealistic.
Also, it was kind of a bummer that Ravi didn't get that much of time in the book. I wanted to see him involved more often.

Don't even get me started on the dog. The last 100 pages were really wild. So much happened, so many exposed and new questions arising. Am keen on starting with the next book already.

It's definitely worth checking out but it's not anything special. Maybe the expectations got to me but I would suggest to anyone who reads this for the first time- go in with lowered expectations. I personally believe that Five Survive was the better book.

~•~•~
Y'all.. Am gonna do it🤞 Really hope it's worth the hype

time to reread, maybe? we'll see.

4.75 stars.

“Pip wished she was strong enough, but she’d learned that she wasn’t invincible; she too could break.”

tw: mention of rape, death of an animal, kidnapping, death, drugs.

Notes.
1. If you haven't read the book and don't want to spoil yourself, I recommend that you don't read any further.
2. The spoilers section, and possible random spoilers, will be signposted to avoid any misunderstandings.

I must admit that this is my first thriller book, so I'm not very familiar with the genre, and now I want to read more. And it's also one of the first I've read entirely in English, and as you know that Spanish is my native language, I assume you'll know that it was a bit complex. Although, I'm adapting a bit more to reading in English. Wish me luck, folks.

In A Good Girl's Guide to Murder we follow Pippa Fitz-Amobi, a 17-year-old student whose final year project is the case of Andie Bell, who was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh and taken for granted by the police. But Pippa knows Sal is innocent, so she decides to find out what happened five years ago and who really killed Andie Bell.

Pippa discovers that Andie had many secrets, that she was not the beautiful and tragic victim that the people of Little Kilton martyred and idolised, branding Sal Singh a murderer and a monster, treating his family very badly for it. In addition, Little Kilton holds even more secrets that intrigue Pip and make her want to keep digging to solve the mystery.

Writing.
I don't think I remember reading a book like this, with diary-like entries speaking in first person and then in third person. It was a bit strange, if I'm honest, and it took me a bit longer to adjust. However, it was an easy read in some respects. And, I don't know if it's because of the difference between British and American English, but there were phrases that I had to look up because I didn't understand them, lmao.

Plot.
The plot kept me glued in my seat, not wanting to put my phone down, wanting to know what would happen next. I mention that I was late with this book because college is eating me alive, though I made time to keep reading because I was consumed with thoughts of not knowing what would happen, who the killer would be and if Pip was going to find out. There are a lot of plot twists that I wasn't expecting and a lot of things that made my brain almost melt from thinking about it so much.

Pacing.
It was a quick and light read, and I take back that I was late because of college: I would have finished it sooner if it weren't for homework. It's not that complicated to understand and the pages turn very quickly.

Characters.
Pip is a good girl, addicted to homework and determined to solve the Andie Bell case and prove that Sal Singh is innocent at all costs. So eager is she to find out what really happened, that she finds herself lying to others so that they won't worry about her and try to stop her from abandoning her project.

Ravi is the younger brother of Sal Singh. He has been the target of criticism, and is known as the brother of Andie Bell's killer. Ravi knows his brother is innocent, and when Pip shows up at his door asking him a few questions, he thinks it's a joke. And soon, Ravi becomes Pip's partner in crime, both looking for answers about his brother's sudden death and his innocence in the case. Ravi is a beautiful little baby, don't touch him I want to take care of him.

Also, Ravi: marry me.

Andie was a bitch and it doesn't surprise me much that bad things happened to her. Everyone held her in such high regard, believing she was a good girl whose boyfriend murdered her. Andie ruined several people's lives, and although I thought I would feel bad that she had died, I didn't really. When you find out the truth about Andie Bell, what she did and didn't do, you don't feel any empathy for her.

Cara is Pip's best friend, her older sister is Naomi, who was in turn Sal's best friend and who also keeps a big secret that makes Pip dig very closely into her and her life, including her family.
(Bonus and unnecessary fact: Cara translates from Spanish to English as: 'face' and 'expensive'. Unnecessary examples: Su cara es hermosa= her face is beautiful. La camisa es cara= the shirt is expensive.) Follow me for more unnecessary Spanish classes, they are free of charge.

Pip's family is ok. They're the typical caring and normal family. Tho I loved Vic's jokes, jsjsjs he laughing at his own jokes (just as Ravi) is totally me.

Max Hastings can die and I wouldn't care for him. He deserves the sh*t going on in his life. He's a dick and you can easily see it. Please, go f*ck yourself, you f*cking bastard. 🥰🥰🥰

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️oK, PEOPLE, SPOILER SECTION. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

Tho I loved this book, I really enjoyed and liked it a lot, there were many ??? things that left me with a bitter taste on my mouth.

First of all, Pip felt a little bit dry and typical. She's a good girl who starts to lie for her project and she doesn't feel the same anymore. I mean, idk, I can't put it into words, I just hope she felt more real and not flat.

Second, how quick all of the possible suspects told Pip the truth, when they lied to the police or omitted information. I found it quite unbelievable and a little bit ilogic. Also, Mr. Ward confessed really quick and it felt dry... I don't quite know how to explain it, but I was expecting more. Becca Bell also confessed really quick, and spilled her secrets out as she were talking about the weather, which also felt a little bit bitter.

aND THE FINAL STRAW: BARNEY. NO. NO. NO. NOT MY BABY BARNEY. HE WAS AN ANGEL AND I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM WITH LOVE. LEANNE CRYING OVER THE CHRISTMAS' VIDEO OF BARNEY GIVING EVERYONE A SHOE BROKE ME DOWN. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THIS!!!

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ End of the spoiler section⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

In summary, I really liked this book, was a quick reading and many plots got me hanging of the cliff. This is a "you must read" book.

My mood during the last chapters:

Hoy tengo ganas de escribir en GR, así que daré mi breve opinión de este libro.

¡La verdad es que me gustó bastante! Ustedes saben que llevo tiempo interesada en leer thrillers y este me lo habían recomendado un montón, luego vi las reseñas y terminé por convencerme, ¡no me arrepiento!

Pippa, la protagonista, es un ser fácil de querer, jajaja. Sí siento que a veces era demasiado impulsiva y no medía las consecuencias de sus actos, pero aún así solo quería que todo le saliera bien. No sé, como protagonista me pareció dinámica y divertida y carismática, en ningún momento me cansé de seguirla en su investigación :). DIGO, sí llegué a pensar que estaba llevando las cosas muy lejos, pero se me hizo un personaje tan bien construido, que sus acciones tenían sentido (tipo de: "¡eso es tan Pippa!").

AWWW, además no me esperaba al interés amoroso y, aunque la historia no se centra para nada en el romance, se me hizo una parejita súper bonita AND I WAS ROOTING FOR THEM.

El elemento principal de la historia es el misterio y está súper bien llevado. El libro te atrapa desde el primer momento y es imposible de soltar. Además, a mí me pareció poco predecible. Teníamos a varios sospechosos y TODOS PODÍAN SER CULPABLES. Todos tenían sus razones muy fuertes. ¿Y adivinen qué? Obviamente no le atiné, jajajaja.

Eso sí, no sé si continuar con la trilogía porque creo que este libro terminó muy bien así. Pero quién sabe, no estoy cerrada a las posibilidades.

OMG QUÉ WHAT WOW.

Tenía ganas de leer este libro desde hacía tiempo. No es que hubiera leído muchas reseñas positivas ni nada por el estilo, pero me daba esa sensación misteriosa que algunos libros te dan y sabes que necesitas leerlo y que te va a gustar. Sabéis a lo que me refiero, ¿no?

En Asesinato para principiantes tenemos una trama que sinceramente me ha sorprendido muy positivamente. Los thrillers juveniles de este estilo, a lo Natasha Preston o incluso Sara Shepard, suelen quedarse a veces un poco en la superficie de todo. Bueno, quizá no es la superficie, pero sí que me suele faltar un poco que me construyan mejor todo. Y es que Holly Jackson no escatima en detalles.

A ver, el libro te agarra desde el primer momento. Yo normalmente leo el primer capítulo de un libro para decidir si va a ser mi próxima lectura o no, y en este caso es que llevaba página y media y dije pOR DIOS, SÍ, ESTO TIENE QUE SER MÍO. El estilo de la autora hace que te introduzcas de lleno en la historia, y lo mejor de todo, es que no es solo un thriller.

Para que un libro de estas características funcione, o por lo menos para mí es esencial, tiene que tener una buena protagonista con la que conecte, entienda y quiera luchar por ella. Pip es así. La construcción del personaje no es algo accesorio, al contrario. Holly Jackson se centra bastante en tener una protagonista muy definida, conociendo detalles de su vida privada, relaciones con amigos y demás. No hace que el ritmo del libro baje y no hace tampoco que te impacientes para descubrir qué está pasando en el pueblo. La manera en la que Jackson maneja el espacio entre escenas me ha gustado mucho.

No es muy normal para mí ponerle 5 estrellas a un libro de este género. No sé por qué, la verdad, pero puedo recordar pocas ocasiones donde un thriller me haya volado la cabeza tantísimo. Pero es que en Asesinato para principiantes tenemos una historia que está perfectamente hilada, que se desarrolla lentamente pero con decenas de giros, y que te atrapa cada vez más porque se va convirtiendo en una locura cada vez más increíble.

De hecho, le han visto el increíble potencial que tiene y los derechos audiovisuales han sido comprados. Esperemos que la cosa fluya y tengamos a Pippa y Ravi en la gran (o pequeña) pantalla, porque de verdad, este libro es increíble.

Tenemos toda la trama de misterio, sobre qué pasó con Addie Bell y Sal Singh, cuyas averiguaciones van poniéndote los pelos de punta cada vez más. Los métodos para descubrir mentiras o verdades a medias de Pip son de aplaudir, porque es una chica muy inteligente y que no le tiene miedo a nada: tan solo persigue la verdad y la justicia.

Una de mis cosas favoritas del libro es lo woke que es la autora. Pippa tiene un padrastro -al que llama padre- de origen nigeriano, su nuevo mejor amigo es indio y una de sus amigas es lesbiana. Y dirás: “¡pero la protagonista sigue siendo blanca! ¡Es una privilegiada!” Y así es. Y, de hecho, es tan así que hasta ella misma lo dice. Hay situaciones de racismo en el libro en las que Pippa habla sobre tener privilegios por ser blanca, sobre cómo puede tener actitudes racistas pese a haberse criado con un padre negro… Me ha encantado que en un libro de misterio aparentemente solo de eso, se debatan o comenten este tipo de temas sociales. También se habla de machismo, abusos sexuales… En general, es un libro con temas de actualidad, y quizá la excusa para tratarlos es el misterio. (Aunque tampoco es que la crítica sea una pieza central, no nos confundamos.)

Sin embargo, con lo que más me quedo de Asesinato para principiantes es con la pedazo de trama de Holly Jackson y cómo está organizada. Os prometo que es increíble la cantidad de capas que tiene la historia, la cantidad de personajes relacionados… Es que sigo sin palabras. Qué maravilla. Ahora solo queda esperar a ver si traen el segundo pronto a España, porque si no… Amazon, is that you?

(También os digo, que me da mucha rabia hacer la reseña sin spoilers. Se me queda corta comparada con todo lo que quiero hablar, pero no quiero joderos la experiencia. Confiad en mí cuando os digo que os va a flipar este libro.)

Tw: tramas sobre suicidio, asesinatos, violaciones, abusos sexuales, pedofilia, muerte de animales, consumo de drogas y alcoholismo.

this story is giving off such strong ‘serial’ vibes that i can only imagine how amazing listening to the audiobook version would have been.

a re-investigation of a cold case, including detailed diagrams and evidence files, with a really interesting mystery and suspects - what more could you want? this is every true crime enthusiasts dream story.

the one thing preventing me from giving this five stars is the same thing i tend to find obnoxious about most YA mystery/thrillers - the need to include every crime imaginable. this murder revolves around drugs, rape, pedophilia, underaged drinking, cyberbullying, child abuse, vehicular assault, and a lot more. by the end of the story, its just too farfetched to be realistically believable. such a shame.

but overall, this story is solidly entertaining, one that i would have absolutely no problem recommending to people. now excuse me while i go redownload the entire first season of ‘serial’ to listen to again.

↠ 4 stars

This is a teenage detective novel with Nancy Drew vibes and an exciting plot that will be the best way to help you break a reading slump.

Holly Jackson rose up to the expectations and managed to pull out a thriller that is exciting to read.

Police found out that schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh five years ago, and the case is closed now. But Pippa Fitz-Amobi thinks that Sal is not the killer. She chooses this case as the topic for her final year, Senior Capstone Project. She is trying to find the mystery behind Andie Bell's case. Was Sal the real killer? If not, is Pippa's life in danger? Will the killer try to hurt Pippa so that she won't be able to solve the case? Holly Jackson will answer all these questions through this book.

What I learned from this book
1) What is hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia?
This is an interesting new word I learned from this book. Its meaning is fear of long words.

“Pip knew a great many things; she knew that hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia was the technical term for the fear of long words.”

2) What happens to all the missing people?
The author shares some interesting statistics related to the missing people in this book. This will help us to know what actually happens to the missing people.

“I found these statistics: 80% of missing people are found in the first twenty-four hours. 97% are found in the first week, and 99% of cases are resolved in the first year. That leaves just 1%. 1% of people who disappear are never found. And just 0.25% of all missing persons cases have a fatal outcome."

3) What is toxic productivity, and how can it hurt our life?
Few of my friends and patients are obsessed with watching productivity videos on YouTube. Productivity is always good in our life. But when it reaches such a level that we always try to be productive in all areas of life, it might reach toxic levels. Are the online productivity gurus hurting people's lives instead of helping them? This serious question can only be answered after more profound research and understanding.

The author indirectly mentions toxic productivity in a couple of areas in this book.

“What's wrong with me? ... I might seem like the ideal student: homework always in early, every extra credit and extracurricular I can get my hands on, the good girl and the high achiever. But I realized something just now: it's not ambition, not entirely. It's fear. Because I don't know who I am when I'm not working, when I'm not focused on or totally consumed by a task. Who am I between the projects and the assignments, when there's nothing to do? I haven't found her yet and it scares me."

“Your efficiency offends me.”

My favourite three lines from this book

“Half less of a bad thing meant there was room for half good.”

“The people you love weren’t algebra: to be calculated, subtracted, or held at arm’s length across a decimal point.”

"But sometimes remembering isn't for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile. Those lies were allowed."

What could have been better?
If you are someone who attended Med School, you will know how some patients try to avoid Med School students saying that they are not Doctors even after knowing they will be Doctors in a couple of years.

If we look at the world from the angle of the people I mentioned above, it will be difficult to believe that a teenager is going for an important murder investigation like this, and almost every person connected to it treating her like a real grown-up police officer/ detective and fully cooperating with her and telling her everything they know. It, in fact, looks totally unrealistic from any practical human being's point of view.

Rating
3.5/5 This is a real page-turner with many twists that will satisfy most of the readers.

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Not really a guide tbh, more of a WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU'RE INVESTIGATING A MURDER 🤭

Review in next YT vid

I found out that the dog died and decided that I didn’t need to finish this book.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・‘𝓦𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓫𝓮 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓪𝓼 𝓭𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓪𝓼 𝓶𝓮𝓷.’・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

➸ 4.75 stars
~💫Spoiler-free review💫~

This was the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump🤸🏻‍♀️🕳 I was hooked from the start till the end, always on the edge to know what happens next. The twist upon twist and the ending was OH MY GOD, IT BLEW MY MIND OFF🤯 Also it is the first time where I forgot to do updates for the last half of the book, because I was so invested in the plot🤭 Although one of my first theories did come true at the end which I disregarded after halfway through the book, still it made MY JAW DROP😲 Now don't come at me for what I'm going to say next- this series was in my tbr long before I came to GR for 3 straight years😶

‘Homework is far more rewarding than boys.’

She takes it upon herself to investigate a murder case in the name of a school project that was closed long ago by the police. She's talented, clever, smart, and a little too obsessed with crime podcasts, and the definition of "no one can stop me from what I want to do."😌 The whole time while reading this book, I was sitting with a murder board/notebook whenever Pip found a clue, and I found myself racing with her, hungry for more clues🚶🏻‍♀️💀🔪👀

‘Real men wear floral when trespassing.’

That quote was what made me add this series to my tbr 3 years ago🙈
If Pippa was the power, Ravi would be the electrolyte. He's charming, respectful, protective, so sweet, and a thorough gentleman😩💘

PippaRavi were literally everything in this book🥹🫶🏻 If they don't end up together towards the end of this series, I'm going to cry fr😭😭😭

❥𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓿 𝓶𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓟𝓲𝓹𝓹𝓪𝓡𝓪𝓿𝓲 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴💌:

‘Ravi?’
‘Yes, Sarge.’

‘As long as you’re a cookie dough kinda gal. Quote, Ravi Singh, a thesis on the best ice-cream flavour, Pip’s car, Septemb–’
‘Shut up.’
‘OK.’

‘You know, I’ve never said this to a girl before, but … I’m glad you came knocking on my door out of the blue.’

‘Can’t wait. Maybe then I can add blackmail as a special skill to my CV.’
‘You know you use humour as a defence mechanism when you’re rattled?’
‘Yeah, and you get bossy and posh.’

‘we’re partners in crime after all. That means partners no matter what.’

‘Aha, student becomes master. You may be the sarge, Sarge, but I am chief inspector.’
‘Zip it, Singh.’

‘I’m hard to get rid of, and this isn’t over.’

‘Who do you think I am, some Reckless Ruth?’
‘Oh no, Sarge. I know you’re a Cautious Carol. So are you saying yes or should I have brought some bribery muffins too?’

‘Oh, and, don’t tell them the only reason you started this project was because you fancied me. You know, think of a more noble reason.’
‘Get out of here.’
‘Don’t feel bad. You couldn’t help yourself, I’m ravishing, get it? Ravi-shing. Ravi Singh.’

‘I wasn’t expecting this, but it’s not every day a girl throws away a guaranteed A star for you.’

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

📌01/27/24
HOLY MOLLY FREAKING PEPPERONI!!🤯🤯 RTC soon. I was soo invested in reading this book, that I even forgot to do the updates😩

📌01/24/24
Starting this now because your girl is in her thriller era😙💅🏻

SMART GIRLS RULE!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a smart YA mystery/thriller about a 17-year-old girl who investigates a murder that rocked her small town 5 years ago.

Pippa “Pip” Fitz- Amobbi to conduct her Senior Capstone project on the disappearance of Andie Bell, a high school senior who was presumed to be murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh. Shortly after Andie went missing, Sal killed himself and confessed to her murder. But Andie’s body was never found. Convicted by the town and the press, Sal’s name is permanently marred and his family is viewed as the town pariahs. To determine if Sal really was guilty, Pip uses her intelligence and quick wit, to examine multiple angles and threads that were overlooked by the police. This is not a conventional class project, and while it seems a little over the top in the beginning, Pip’s character approaches it in a way that makes sense.

“If a villain can be made, then he can be unmade.”

Pip makes for a great heroine. She is intelligent and strong and has the knack for seeing things that others ignore. A self-identified nerd, you can’t help but root for her. She also is very much 17 years old and a little naive to the ways of the world. I would compare her to a softer version of Veronica Mars.

I was a little apprehensive from the start because I am not a huge fan of Young Adult novels, but this one worked for me. In the beginning, I was constantly thinking “what’s a 17 year old going to find that the police did not.” However, once it became clear that there were gaps in the police investigation that Pip was able to see, I was sold. Also, Pip’s approach to solving the case and getting people to talk about Andie and Sal, etc. helped solidify that this book was the real deal and not just about a kid who happens to luck into solving a crime. Jackson takes a multimodal approach to share Pip’s investigation; the narrative switches from the third person to interview recordings to pages in a diary to email exchanges, which kept it interesting and added an element of realism.

While I was a little hesitant to read this, I was so glad I did. I quickly became immersed in the narrative, wound up loving Pip’s character, and enjoyed the plot--I figured out the murderer very early on, but there were a few twists that threw me for a loop. I look forward to seeing where Pip’s crime-solving skills lead her in the next book in the series!

I’m very concerned for this author, it appears they have never once met a real human being in their life…..

➳ 3.5⋆

OH MY f*ckING GOD. THIS BOOK. AAAAAAA

THE PLOTTWISTS, THE CHARACTERS, THE GASPS I LET OUT. MY JAW WAS ON THE f*ckING FLOOR. WHAT THE ACTUAL f*ck.

dear pip, ily but i’m stealing ravi from you

(𝐛𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐢𝐭 <3)