Pippa Fitz-Amobi is like most high school girls – she and her friends hang out, go to parties, and are studying hard to get into college. But when her senior capstone project has Pip investigating the deaths of two students a few years older than her, Pip finds herself alone and unsure who she can trust. Will Pip find anything new on this closed case, or will she find herself another victim of the killer?
London author Holly Jackson released her debut novel A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder in 2019, followed by two additional novels in the series and a handful of other Young Adult thriller books in the years since. This debut release because a GoodReads Choice Award nominee in 2020 and winner of both the British Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year in 2020 and the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for 9-12 in 2022. This is a story about the danger of community bias and peer pressure, but also the power of the truth.
I give A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder 4 out of 5 stars. I tend to be a fan of books that challenge societal bias like this one – the town had turned against a family simply because of an assumed guilt, but the truth sets them free. I did take exception to the fact that these high school students were allowed to run out to parties their parents knew were filled with alcohol and drugs – their parents even encouraged it! I understand this book was written about a town in another country that might have different societal expectations, but this still felt far-fetched. I really enjoyed these characters and the realistic way their friendships and disputes developed throughout the book. I can’t wait to spend more time with these characters in the next book!
If you grew up reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books like I did, you will love this book! With themes of drug and alcohol use, sexual assault, and physical violence, this book would be best directed to audiences over the age of 16. I would also caution this book to readers who may be sensitive to the death of a child or sibling. I think this would make a fantastic thriller or mystery book club pick as well!
I chose A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge prompt “debut release”. When the Netflix series by the same name was released last year, I put this book series on my TBR list and am excited to finally have a chance to read it! I have read many debut releases over the past few years, but few have felt as polished and well thought out like this one. Have you read it yet? I’m interested to hear your thoughts, too!
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