Check out my review for the first book: A Good Girls’ Guide to Murder

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Goodreads: Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #2)
Publisher: Electric Monkey
Published: 30 April 2020
Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller

Panda Rating:

_{(5 pandas)}

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?

TL;DR: Ding-ding-ding! We finally have a 5-star read and this title couldn’t be more deserving of the rating! W-O-W. I really enjoyed AGGGTM but I absolutely loved Good Girl, Bad Blood. Pippa is an amazing and complex character and I am in awe of her! This was such a binge-able read and I finished it in two sittings cos I could not put it down once the ball got rolling—and it really got rolling! This YA thriller series has fast become a favourite and I can’t wait to dive straight into the third book after this.

“[…] the justice system is supposed to be this purveyor of right and wrong, good and bad. But sometimes, I think it gets it wrong almost as much as it gets it right […] What do you do when the things that are supposed to protect you, fail you like that?”

If you love mixed media formats, then you’ll love this even more because in addition to text messages, emails, maps and interviews, we also get episodes of Pip’s famous true-crime podcast! It definitely makes for a more engaging and easy read. GGBB was a well-paced mystery that kept me hanging on to the edge of my seat as I sped through the pages eager to find out just what happened to Jamie. Y’know, I was so chuffed with myself at one point because I was 100% sure I had guessed whodunit but, alas, I led myself astray because it was not who and what I expected at all. Although there are definitely fewer red herrings compared to the first book, this had some delightful twists and turns to keep you guessing! Also, at this point, should I even be surprised that the police force is absolutely useless? It was so frustrating that they continued to do absolutely nothing when Pippa was basically doing their job for them, and the poor girl really suffers the consequences in the end.

“I bet everyone dreads the day they get at the door from Pip Fitz-Amobi”

Pip is just as doggedly determined when it came to solving this mystery as she was in AGGGTM but things feel a little more personal here as the missing young man, Jamie, is one of her best friend’s brothers. Pip evolves in such an interesting way, and not necessarily in the healthiest or most positive ways, but I loved her, though I can definitely see why people would find her frustrating and might hate her character. She tries her hardest to be the “good girl” and to not spiral while investigating Jamie’s disappearance, but she struggles to be the person she was before she uncovered and experienced first-hand the horrors of Little Kilton’s dirty little town secrets. She does push peoples buttons trying to get to the truth and she also does some damaging things towards the end as she slowly loses control but her grit, determination and sheer inability to give up (even if it puts her in dangerous situations) was something I really admired about her character. Yes, I wanted to shake her at times but I also wanted to give her high-fives along the way and, by the end, to give her the biggest panda hug and never let go. I really appreciated how Jackson show’s the reality of what taking on such a tremendous role as Pippa does can do to a person. Yes, Pippa is an amazing sleuth and but there’s really only so much a person can take, right? By the end, Pip is teetering on a knife’s edge and we’re not sure just which way she’ll fall. It’s not all roses, folks.

“‘Breakfast of kings, that is,’ said Ravi, ‘nice and softened by my arse-heat.'”

Aside from Pippa, we see a lot of familiar faces in this book like Ravi, Cara, Connor, Naomi, Nat and Daniel da Silva and of course, Pip’s family. Although I was a bit sad that we didn’t get scenes with Pip’s amazing family (especially her dad!), Ravi, Connor and Cara continue to play great supporting roles. Ravi and Pip have such a great relationship and their banter really had me cracking up at certain points—he’s so cheeky and I loved how he brought levity to Pip’s life (as cheesy as that sounds).

Overall, I laughed a lot and I (very surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly) shed a couple tears by the end. It’s safe to say that I’m pretty invested in this series and the characters! I hope Pippa is gonna be okay and I can’t wait to read on and find out for myself (soon). I’d highly recommend this series if you enjoy YA mysteries/thrillers!

Have you read Good Girl, Bad Blood or is it on your TBR?

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