Good Girl, Bad Blood

Solid audiobook and a fun YA whodunit

“What do you do when the things that are supposed to protect you, fail you like that”

4.25 ⭐

Phew these books are an exhilarating read, I've found the first two books so hard to put down and I am thoroughly enjoying this series. I don't read a lot of a crime/thrillers and the mystery I read is usually of the fantasy kind, so I think these have been the perfect introduction for me to the world of realistic crime. You can definitely tell these are YA and sometimes I find myself cringing a bit while I read them, but I think that also adds to the atmosphere of the story - it's really harrowing to think that when the police don't or can't do anything that it takes a bunch of teenagers to solve the crimes. Plus, we've all seen in the news a crime story where the police have not done enough quick enough and ended in tragedy, I've even experienced this myself with a close friend who was being stalked, so this story really hit home. Both books in this series cover serious topics but in a really approachable way, it's still important to always check trigger warnings, but this book especially highlighted some things that struck true to me.

The main things I thought were really well done here was the slow unravelling of Pip's sanity, the court of public opinion and the vigilante feeling that was present in so many of the characters. In the first book, one of the things that frustrated me a bit was Pip's lack of care about safety, she would often run headlong into dangerous situations without worrying about how it might affect the people she loves, and honestly nothing much changed in this book in that regard BUT I do think there was some really good character development here and I think it was handled well. There's no denying I still find Pip's character relatively annoying, but in Good Girl, Bad Blood she really starts to question her motivations, and where she struggled so much to still be seen as "good" in the first book, I liked that her recklessness is now paired with a lack of caring about her "good" image, it gives her more of a rough around the edges feel. There is one scene I thought was so brilliantly feminine rage coded, I was honestly cheering for her the entire time even though the lines between good and bad and right and wrong were definitely blurred there.

I thought the pacing of this book did lack a bit of oomph I was hoping for, the start felt a bit like it was dragging its heels, and I can see why it was done that way, because Pip was so reluctant to fall back into obsessing over a crime like she did with Sal and Andie's case, but it did take me a while to get back into it again. I also think the fact that Jamie was a new character in this story, at least I don't remember him in the first book, made it hard for me to feel the full effect of his disappearance. I felt really bad for Connor but I just didn't feel as attached to his character either, and it really didn't hit me in the feels like it did with Ravi when it was his brother. The storyline was good though, I worked out who a few people were quite early on but I was still shocked with the convoluted intricacies that lead to us getting to the revelation, and when that happened the story went off with a bang. The style of Holly Jackson's writing when she depicts shock and trauma is so jarring and it perfectly fits what is happening in the story, my heart was beating so hard right alongside Pip's.

Overall, this was a great read - I think I just slightly preferred the first one more than this, but honestly only a quarter of a star rating in it for me, and I am very keen to pick up the third book ASAP. I am excited to see if the third book will focus in more on the public involvement and interaction with Pip's podcast and touch on some of the anger she expressed towards close friends who were questioning her validity along the way, and I am a little bit scared to see who the next person in Little Kilton has something terrible happen to them, maybe it will be Pip herself this time...

bawled my eyes out😔 he indeed was better

I just finished it and oh I am crying!

It was so heartbreaking

I feel like a lot was handed to Pip this book instead of investigating herself. I missed Pip’s happy personality and her humour, but her behaviour is logical. If she was happy it would have been weird.

It was a bit predictable.

pippa fitz-amobi MY woman !!

Holly Jackson's work had me guessing the entire time, trying to piece together evidence while reading. I truly feel like I’m investigating with Pippa and Ravi the whole time they trying to put the evidence into one story. I like the style of writing & since I’m not much of a thriller/mystery girlie I do throughly enjoy this series, I’m hoping the Netflix adaptation of this book series is just as good! On to the third book! 

it's rare to find a sequel of a really good first book that is equally good or even better than it and Good Girl, Bad Blood is one of them. this is so good i couldn't put it down. screaming, crying, throwing up is very much applicable.

This was everything I wanted it to be, and more. Especially considering it’s the second book in a trilogy. This did NOT have second book syndrome. Loved the writing. LOVED listening on audiobook. This is one I’d really recommend listening to — the podcast + interview elements really brought the story to life. Excited to see where this story goes in the next one…

3.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this, but not as much as I enjoyed the thrill on the first one. I don't know how to put it, but I can say that it has a great storyline but became dragging towards the end. Pip needs to seek a professional to help her heal from the trauma. Obviously, everything is getting the best of her. She's changing, and I don't think it will be for the better if she continues living that way. Maybe I'll still read the third book, but I have to read other books before going back to the AGGGTM series.

LOVVVVEEDDD IT

That took QUITE A TURN. someone check up on my girl pippa.

3.5

love the added visuals in this book!! also the way the vibes escalated from pll to criminal minds

** spoiler alert ** Suuuper slow start took me awhile to get into it but whew it really picked up at the end! RIP Stanley :(

So I feel like a broken record at this point, but why did I wait so long to read this series?! This was so freakin good! The plot, the characters, the overall progression of the storyline leading into the third book. Also want to note that the audiobook for this series is phenomenal and is only adding to my reading experience! So if you are like me—which few are—immediately grab this series and read it because they are just so good!

** spoiler alert ** Wtf I never really had much of an opinion on Stanley but I feel like that was unnecessary. His dad was obviously a psychopath so ofc Stanley was scared and was gonna do whatever his dad told him to. Who wouldn't when a serial killer tells you what to do?

Very intense listen! Can’t wait to read the next book. Very emotional towards the end , I felt you could really feel what pip was feeling!

freaking love this one