Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series #2
(2020) 417 pages
Final Rating: 10/10

Blurb:
Pip 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, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

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?

Review:
Although some people might not agree with me, I thought this book was better than A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. It was a spectacular sequel, with another mystery, higher stakes, and most of all, pain and depression.

I loved the depictions of trauma Pip had from her last case, and how her popularity with the podcast made her extremely loved and extremely hated. The characters in this story either proved how loyal or how fake and horrible they were (Ant and Lauren. No spoilers, but they were such a pain in the ass during this book. Every time they opened their mouth I felt like punching something) as they joined Pip on her new case.

The first half of this book was good, but not amazing. I was dead set on rating this book a four in the first half, but as I continued reading, I found myself unable to peel my eyes off the pages as I watched Pip struggle more and more as the world continued to go against her. This book made me want to cry. I sympathized with Pip so much because of how real her struggles were. Sometimes, people really suck, and they will judge you before reflecting on themselves, and would rather cause pain than focus on bringing happiness to this world. The fact that so many people would rather send death threats and aggressive comments to people they haven’t even met in real life than just focus on their own lives astounds me. I wonder how many people spend their time attacking people on the internet instead of touching grass and focusing on how to prevent poverty, famine, diseases, discrimination, pollution and so many more worldwide issues that plague us today. Sometimes, people only listen to what they want to hear.

“But justice doesn’t exist, and the truth doesn’t matter, not in the real world.”

There were so many characters to love and so many to hate that my heart just couldn’t keep up. Ravi Singh is the best, as always. But I also loved the new depth Pip is taking as the main character and as a high school girl. Conner, Arthur, and Joanna were also great in this book, and it was wonderful to get to know them better and understand their family.

“No, I’m sorry.’ Joanna’s voice cracked. ‘I should know these things about him. Why don’t I know these things? He needs me and I’m no help to him.”

I loved how so many other characters from the first book also developed for better (and for worse. Again, Ant and Lauren. I cannot stress their names enough).

SPOILERS BELOW:

And Stanley! I couldn’t imagine he’d be so important and well-developed in this book when I was reading A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. I loved his apology, and I loved how he protected Pip until the very end, even when being threatened with his life.

“I know it’s not an excuse, but I haven’t grown up in the best places, around the best people. I learned everything from them, but I’m trying to unlearn all those things: those views, those ideas. Trying to be a better person. Because the worst thing I could be is anything like my dad. But people think I’m exactly like him, and I’ve always been terrified that they’re right.”

Stanley was plagued by his past, and by the people who believed he could be nothing more than a monster simply because his father was. He did not deserve that ending. And I’m even more sorry that Pip had to watch his death.

Overall, this book was pain and I couldn’t look away.