Hello my bookish friends and fellow detectives too! A first for a Saturday post that’s for sure. Today Pip is once again taking over my blog for Part 2 of the Good Girl, Bad Blood blog tour. All week I’ve been reading this very book and today I finally put into words how amazing this book is… I have been giving subtle hints all week as well.
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson Published by Egmont Books on April 30, 2020
Genres: Murder, Mystery, Thriller, UKYA
Goodreads
The highly-anticipated and brilliantly crafted crime-thriller sequel to the no.1 debut of 2019, A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER
Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective anymore. With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her. But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared but the police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time EVERYONE is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?
Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, Eva Dolan, C L Taylor, We Were Liars and Riverdale
My Review
“Mysteries always seem to find their way to you, don’t they?”
I’ve hinted all week but whilst both books are 5 stars, Good Girl, Bad Blood is even better than the first. There’s something about it that makes it more addictive, but also the added chill factor to this book that your hairs stand on end.
So Pip is famous, she solved to murder mysteries, that the police failed to do and started a A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder podcast of true crime. Every single viewer hanging off each word of her words wanting more. But she does do any more detective work after the danger it put her and her love ones through. Some people love her in town whilst others are cautious of her, she has a reputation for finding the truth. But can you really keep from being curious, from finding clues or helping people that the police of Little Kilton can’t seem to do. So when a friend of hers, Connor, thinks his brother Jaime has gone missing he asks for her services. Pip misses it, but she has Ravi, her family and Cara at her side. Can she say no to another mystery of the town?!
If you read my previous post with Holly Jackson (which you can find here) AGGGTM was meant to be standalone, and which same whisperings, nine months later a sequel was born, completely intact I might like to add. What I didn’t expect was how seamless book 1 became a background storyline with the genius idea of creating it into a podcast. The podcast is a very modern day Casebook, just Sherlock Holmes. I loved that! In AGGGTM, we had physical evidence for her EPQ and I loved how Holly continued and updated that style of her book, with podcast, snippets, interviews and photos. It’s honestly makes a difference having this visual, to be part of this mystery yourself. You are collecting the clues as much as Pip is.
You would think that after her fame of solving 2 cases, Pip would be this flawless character. But she isn’t and that’s refreshing. If anything she cautious, distracted, it’s made her more reserved but then she can’t help from being her nosy, inquisitive self, sucked into her guilty pleasure of local mysteries. That’s what Ravi loves about her and me too. I really enjoyed this development in her character, I think she’s learnt a lot in such a short amount of time in AGGGTM, her emotions as well as those around her. Whilst she works solely on her own in this case, we still see her wonderful boyfriend, Ravi, who I adore and I think there is some utter cuteness to break up the serious mystery. The secret hellos, and how reflect off each other is adorable and just so them. They could be the new Sherlock (Pip) and Watson (Ravi).
Good Girls, Bad Blood has this added creepy element to the storyline. Whilst it sent shivers down my spine, it really added to the storyline. Holly touches upon catfishing and there was this one bit where I went ‘Holy S**t’ and it left me a bit speechless if I’m honest. It must be scary to go through that, and it really does make you think about how dark social media can really be. I really enjoyed Holly creates the most intricately woven mystery storylines, (plural there) impossible to untangle until the very end. I admit, I had no clue who was guilty. The thing with mysteries, there are so many guilty parties it could be anyone, and it will be the one you least expect it. Also it’s almost as if you can’t get enough of this book either, turning page after page, wanting more. It’s addiction mystery novel and I love it. Isn’t that a skill of a truly exceptional author. I think so.
It’s no surprise that A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a bestseller and an award winner across the UK and the US. So I’ll tell you something which I think you might already know. Come closer…
a little closer…
Good Girl, Bad Blood is chilling, thrilling and spine-tingling YA mystery that you all have to pick up! So grab your laptop, microphones and your recorder, the tools of the detective trade and join Pip in this gripping 5 star (and more) series!
