I actually really liked this book for the most part. I liked Pip and Ravi a lot. And I think their investigation was really interesting. I think their interaction was great and nuanced and fun. The way the whole case played out was really well written and plotted. But I think the ending fell apart. There were too many twists. It needed a tighter, less melodramatic storyline to match the perfect plotting leading up to end.

I'm a sucker for anything in the way of true crime and thriller and this one didn't disappoint. It's a snappy read where nothing really goes as you're expecting it to and I really enjoyed it. Jackson's stories are full of heart-racing moments, witty characters, and a sense of authenticity that can make your forget you're reading a story.

In a deeply interesting and fast-paced story, Holly Jackson takes us on a wild ride of whodunnit with Pippa trying to uncover the real story behind a missing 17-year-old girl and the death of her boyfriend. There was a lot to love about this book. I meant it when I said this was fast-paced, but not only that, it's addicting and you'll find yourself 70 percent of the way through in a blink of an eye. Pippa is a high school senior using her capstone as an excuse to dig deeper into her town's biggest mystery, what happened to Andie Bell? She doesn't believe that Sal Singh, Andie's boyfriend, actually killed her, and following her gut and a series of luck, she finds herself on the path to the truth of what happened five years ago. I was with Pippa the whole time, eagerly awaiting each new piece of information. I think that there were a few moments of convenience, though nothing that couldn't also be explained away by the police taking the easy way out, and while I did piece together the story before Pippa, I still had a fun time getting to the full story. I'm definitely interested in the next story in this series (I have no clue what it could be about so that's exciting) and I'm glad to have another fun mystery series to follow along with now that Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson is finished.

I loved this book! From the very first page, I was hooked, and knew that it was going to be highly rated by me.

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a straight A student and a senior in high school when she decides to turn her final year project for school into a way to investigate a 5 year old murder. For everyone else in their small, Connecticut town, this case is closed. Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh. But Pippa has never believed that, and she intends to find out the real truth. The only problem is that Pippa is digging into things that someone in town desperately wants to keep hidden, and the further she delves into the mystery, the more her own life, and those around her, are in danger.

I thought that the way this story was told was ingenious. I loved the aspect of the school project, and that half the chapters were told through her data entries. I liked the pacing of this book, and felt that within every single chapter you were peeling back layers of the mystery that really helped propel this book forward. I really felt that Holly Jackson did an amazing job keeping the reader on their toes. There were a couple of reveals that I saw coming, but ultimately the last plot twist (or should I say two), were definitely not what I expected, and I enjoyed them.

The only minor critiques I have for this book would be that I felt that some of the characters didn't really act their age. For example, to me, Pippa did not seem like your typical 17 or 18 year old highschooler. While I understand that she was determined to reveal the truth, and was digging into the murder investigation for a school project, it didn't seem feasible that she would still be willing to truly risk her life when things started to get dicey. Also (without revealing too much) I didn't agree with some of the decisions that Pippa made after revealing some of the truths behind Andie Bell and Sal Singh. If she was truly interested in finding the truth and upholding justice, she needed to turn over ALL the information she discovered.

All in all, I felt like this is a must-read if you enjoy YA thrillers, and I definitely plan to pick up anything else that Holly Jackson puts out!

TW: racism, suicide, rape, drug use, mention of self-harm, death of a pet, and kidnapping

Summary
For Pip's senior project, she plans to solve her town's famous cold case - the murder of Andie Bell. Andie was a beautiful, popular high school senior who was supposedly killed by her boyfriend Sal. And when Sal's body turned up in the woods with a confession, the case was closed. But Pip doesn't think that's what happened. And she's determined to prove it - even when she starts receiving scary, anonymous threats.

Overview
➸ POV: 3rd Person from Pip's POV

➸ Pip Fitz-Amobi: High school senior - 5 years after the death of Andie, Intelligent, Driven, Applying to Colombia, Looked up to Sal, Examining cold case for senior project

➸ Content Warnings: Murder, Suicide, Racism, Animal harm/death, Bullying, Rape, Stalking, Drug/Alchohol abuse, Psychological & Emotional abuse

My Thoughts
I completely regret not reading this sooner! I've had an ARC copy of this mid January and for one reason or another never picked it up. But holy cow did this book take me by surprise! I was completely blown away by this story.

First - if you have the chance/ability, I highly recommend picking up the audiobook for this! It has a full cast for all the interviews/multimedia portions and I was blown away by the production quality. Hands down of the best audiobooks I've ever listed to. The audio enhances the story and brings each character and interview to life.

What I loved most about this book was how layered and engaging the story was. This book weaved so much into a seemingly simple mystery novel. There was commentary on bullying, abuse, racism, and so much more. But it's inclusion was so seamless yet impactful. Holly Jackson is an incredible writer and I plan to read absolutely everything the release.

From page one, this story gripped me. I was pulled in not only by the plot and mystery but by the intricate and vast array of characters as well. Every character in here was extremely flawed but so realistic. You know people like each person in here. The plot was always moving and every sentence, scene, and interview was important. I flew through this, desperate to discover the conclusion!

One of the signs of an amazing mystery/thriller to me isn't my inability to guess the twist, but my never once contemplating theories. I was so invested and engaged with this story I never had a moment to sit back and guess whodunit. I was in the story, anxiously watching it all unfold.

Overall this story blew me away. I'm so glad the author wrote more in this world because I'm desperate to be back with these characters! Holly Jackson is definitely an author I plan to watch in the future, I could very well see them being a new all-time favorite author of mine. Read this book! You will not be disappointed.

The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson: Karen McManus and Serial fans, take note! You will want to read this true crime-like novel!

This book is just OK at best. Which is a shame because I was really enjoying it in the beginning. The audiobook really enhanced the experience so if you do want to read it I recommend listening. There was a clear turning point for my enjoyment where I feel like the main character started to make bad decisions. And it just went slowly down hill from there. Not the worst mystery I've ever read but not enjoyable or engaging either

For her high school senior "capstone project," Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to investigate a murder/suicide that happened in her Connecticut town five years before. Her investigation, shown through the book in traditional storytelling combined with interview transcripts and log entries, ends up turning her small town upside-down. I really enjoyed this YA book, flying through it in a few days. Pippa and Ravi are great characters, and the book is carefully plotted. If I figured some things out before our main character, that's OK. After all, I've read a lot of mysteries. ;)

4.5
I totally did not see that coming. I really enjoyed this book a lot and had me guessing ALL the way up to end. It gave me I Know What you Did Last Summer and Pretty Little Liar vibes and I was all for it. I listened to the audio book, which was very enjoyable. It had a full cast and sound effects and made it the story come alive.

Opinions: I had a falling out with mystery over the years, but Jackson's wondrous novel made me rejoin the fandom. This was a thought-provoking, maniacal, and tear-jerking read with so many twists I couldn't decide who to trust and who to not only watch out for, but who to love to hate (with all of my guts). Besides the occasional change in prime suspect, Jackson also created a viable police case that will leave teenagers and adults in awe. All of the alibis, parties, background stories, characters, mental illnesses, school projects, drug dealers, and more gave the book depth and credibility. There's no doubt Pip's love for scheming and murder-boarding came from Holly Jackson's detailed planning of the book! Not only was A Good Girl's Guide to Murder a thought-out and entertaining read, it also brought up many raw emotions for readers and helped us learn how to cope, stand up for what we believe in, and be respectful to others. Death, suicide, rape, drug abuse, and other unfortunate events are discussed in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but instead of turning them into an entertainment-based book, Jackson sat us down and helped us empathize with the reality citizens of our world are facing. Don't get me wrong, the book is definitely exciting and fast-paced, but if you want to look further, there is definitely a lesson to take away. I cannot wait to read the sequel to this incredible book!

My Favourite Thing: Without spoiling anything, I loved the ending! Despite all of the fear, sadness, anticipation, and excitement readers felt with Ravi and Pip throughout the book, it was lovely to have a final conclusion (whether it was what you were anticipating or not - again, no spoilers!). Jackson wrapped up all of the plot-holes excellently with one final scene and left readers in a state of peace. Although I do love my cliffhangers, I can't imagine how upset I would be if we never came to such a reasonable conclusion! I appreciate Jackson's awareness for her reader's needs and active response of amazing endings.

My Least Favourite Thing: Without spoiling MUCH... I cried when a certain personage died... who had lots of fur... and liked to play fetch... and perhaps ate out of a bowl on the ground... but no spoilers! I totally cried when you-know-who died, though.

Total Rating: PG-13+
Language: PG-13
Adult Content: PG-13+
Violence: PG-13+

Recommended For and Similar Reads: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is an eye-opening, exciting, never-ending story for teenagers who love plot twists, cliffhangers, and unsolved mysteries! If you have read One of Us is Lying by Karen M McManus, All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban, Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M McManus, or This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher, you will adore A Good Girl's Guide to Murder! I strongly recommend this book to any teen or adult looking for an intriguing story with a reasonable conclusion and a few lessons to leave you thinking. Make sure you check out the sequel: Good Girl, Bad Blood!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a YA title, but don't let that stop you from reading if you are an adult. I thought this was a page turner. There were so many twists and turns that it kept me interested. While some of it seemed a little far-fetched, I don't think it took away from the story.

This was a fast paced and fun mystery with likable characters and plot twists. I would recommend this to people who don’t generally read mystery or are looking to get into it because it’s an easy read and keeps the reader intrigued throughout.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

WHAT A FANTASTIC DEBUT! I loved all of the plot twists and turns and am so excited for the next book in the series. Holly Jackson just became an autobuy author for me!

I posted about this on my blog ... details provided to the publisher on the next round of this review process.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Rounding up from 3 1/2 stars, I liked this book but I didn't love it. I enjoyed the mystery and the different avenues Pip takes to solve the murder. I also liked that the victim [wasn't very likable (hide spoiler)] but there were also quite a few things that kept me from enjoying this fully. I honestly thought the characters were a bit bland and needed some personality. Maybe it is just me but I feel like the podcast thing in books is just getting really old. I also thought the big reveal was far to convoluted and just kept adding pieces to make it more "shocking". Overall, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder was enjoyable but not a book that will stick in my mind.

I'm 25 years old, and this was the first time I read a YA book since I was in high school. Boy, I'm so very glad that I did! A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is probably my favorite book right now! Pippa/Pip, the main character, tries to solve the murder of Andie, a former student at her high school. She ends up bringing in the brother of the suspected killer to help her solve the case. This book kept me entertained throughout trying to guess who actually did it and why!

High school senior, Pip, is investigating a murder that happened five years ago as apart of her senior project. She doesn't believe that Sal, someone who helped her when she was being bullied in middle school, murdered his girlfriend, Andie. Sal's younger brother, Ravi, helps her along the way as they try to figure out what really happened.

This was a great read. When reading YA mysteries, I usually find myself guessing what will happen early on, but with this one I wasn't sure what was really the truth. Pip is a great main character. She's smart and sneaky, and figures out that Andie wasn't who everyone thought she was. There's more to the book than just who killed (if she's even dead? Andie. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series!

I loved this! It was twisty turny the entire book and I was still surprised at the end. There was one part for me that was triggering which is why I am knocking off a star

I can't believe this is a YA thriller. It exceeded my expectations and I want to read more from this author.