In Review: Good Girl, Bad Blood
Mysteries are the cornerstone of autumn. The falling leaves, paired with falling dead bodies, fill the air with some creepy magic. To gruesome? I’m sorry. I’m still feeling the remnants of Halloween. The A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series isn’t weird or scary – at least from what I’ve seen so far. If you are new to this series, hi! Welcome! This is a review for the second book, so be careful since there will be spoilers below. And may I interest you in the review of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder? It’s a fun time, and you should read it. However, if you are here because you are unsure if you want to continue with Good Girl, Bad Blood or looking for reviews to make sense of what you just read, then join me. We are in the same boat.
Title: Good Girl, Bad Blood Author: Holly Jackson Series: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #2 Publication year: 2020 Length: 10 hours 48 minutes Genre: YA, Mystery Pace: Medium Story focus: Plot & Character
In the aftermath of Andy Bell’s investigation, Pip has to deal with all the harm to her family, friends, and even herself that came with her obsessive investigation. She has decided to leave that life behind. But that’s until her best friend Connor asks her to help find his missing older brother. At first, she’s reluctant. But then, realising the police aren’t doing anything, she’s afraid the longer they wait, the less likely it will be for Connor to see his brother alive again.
I read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder about 2 years ago. It has been a long time since I was in this series, and I could see that. While the first book was my favourite of the year and still holds a special place in my heart, watching the Netflix adaptation showed me I don’t remember much. While watching the episodes, I thought the original story was changed. Like the death of her dog and her almost assault at a calamity party, to name a couple. There were a lot of details that I don’t remember. And I could swear they were never in the story. But when I started reading Good Girl Bad Blood, they all happened. I just forgot.
The more I read, the more I saw this book wasn’t what I expected. AGGGTM is a classic whodunit. A mystery formulated to be solved by the reader. And that’s what I loved the most about it. I followed along with Pip’s investigation, found the same clues and puzzled it all together. I could solve the murder of Andy Bell on my own. And I almost did. I knew it was related to the assaults at the calamity parties before it was even mentioned. Those clues were all on the page. I just had to find them. So, I expected the rest of the series to have a similar formula. To my disheartening, this was not a whodunit.
Jacob is missing. And after weeks of abnormal behaviour, his family is convinced he didn’t just run away. The more Pip investigated, the clearer it became Jacob stumbled upon something. Some information, we don’t know yet, that led to his disappearance. Watch enough mysteries, and you’ll start to learn some of the formulas. At this point, it became clear I couldn’t solve this mystery. We don’t know what crime happened if any did happen. And so, there’s no way to solve anything. I know some people prefer this type of mystery, where they tag along with the character instead of being armchair detectives. I usually have more fun if I can do the digging myself. But this is just a personal preference.
Due to this type of mystery, the story develops very slowly. Pip is still processing her emotions. She’s dealing with her newfound fame with the Bell’s case turned into a successful podcast. And watching Max Hastings’ trial for sexual assault. All of it is happening alongside her investigation of Jacob’s disappearance. And to have room to explore everything, the investigation slows down. At times, it felt like the story was stalling because it didn’t want to reveal too much too soon. And so, my enjoyment of the mystery wasn’t the best.
The use of mixed media is still a fun part. Although, it took on a different role. In the first book, it was a look at Pip’s annotations about the case. Meanwhile, in this book, it’s mostly about the interviews she uses for her new podcast. Not the podcast itself, but instead the raw interviews before any editing. I really liked it. It was spaced well enough to give some breading to any description-heavy part of the book. It’s a quick and easy way to get new information without much effort for the reader.
I also noticed Pip’s relationships were sort of ignored. The book focuses a lot on Pip’s conflicting feelings. Investigating the Andy Bell case put her and her family in harm’s way while also destroying her best friend’s family. Luckily, Pip and Cara ended on good terms. So, Pip is present and supportive of her friend in this very complicated moment. However, when she goes back to detective mode, she abandons Cara. And nothing comes from it. Pip is back to the same habits, and everyone is okay with it. Her relationships stagnate while the focus is on Pip, Pip and Pip. Her feelings. Her emotions. Her.
After finishing Good Girl Bad Blood, I can see this isn’t a series of a modern Sherlock Holmes. The focus isn’t on the crimes, but instead on Pip. How the Andy Bell case affected her. How fixated with uncovering the truth she can get. How selfish she can be in the name of an investigation. How she sees herself. Who she sees in herself. And who she wants to be. For a teenager to get to investigate a 5-year-old double-homicide, it has to have some impact on the character. And that’s what this book is about. Pip is not the same. She’s changing, and she’s accepting that. It comes with a lot of emotional turmoil, that later passed on to me.
The changes in Pip’s personality caught me off guard. This wasn’t the Pip I remembered. Although I understood where she was coming from. And probably where she’s going. There’s this big debate about truth and justice, and how they are the cornerstones of Pip. And as a reader, I like MCs that fight for justice. In such an unfair world, this is what brings order and peace of mind. And that’s why I like Pip so much. But in this book, no matter how hard Pip fought, the injustice still won.
That made me feel just like Pip, bottled up with emotions. The revolt. The disgust. The anger. I just wanted Pip to go on a murder spree and kill all those characters. I was so upset by the end, that I have to applaud the author. It’s not every time a book can stir these feelings inside of us and not be targeted at the book. I love how invested I am with these characters. Although, at the same time, I hate them. I don’t like to feel this way. I don’t read to feel this way. And I know only the third and final book will put this conflict at rest. Whatever comes out of As Good As Dead will dictate the whole series. While AGGGTM has a satisfying conclusion, GGBB doesn’t. It’s left open to whatever is coming next.
That’s why I have been on the fence about this book. Doesn’t matter how long I sit with it, I don’t know where I stand. I like it, and I don’t like it. Most of it’s due to my expectations, but also how the story is transforming into something else. And maybe only after reading the third and final book, will I know where I stand. If this was the beginning of the end of the change of my dreams. One thing is for sure. I have a completely new approach to As Good As Dead, and if things are just going to get worse for Pip, I think that’s when they will look good for me. As twisted as that might sound.
No Comments