Holly Jackson is the author of #1 New York Times bestselling novel A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. She started writing stories at a young age, completing her first (poor) attempt at a novel when she was fifteen. She graduated from the University of Nottingham, where she studied literary linguistics and creative writing, with a master's degree in English. She enjoys playing video games and watching true-crime documentaries so she can pretend to be a detective. She lives in London. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @HoJay92. You can find more of my reviews of her work here.
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town. Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.
I was a little misled by the title, somehow thinking the titular "good girl" would be the one who committed the murder—but it was so much better than that. High-achieving student Pip decides for her senior capstone to do research into a closed-case that doesn't sit right with her, a case that happened right in her own town. Through Pip's exploration, we learn about the secrets around the town, the lies that other characters told, and Jackson expertly plots a web of mystery that keeps us all tangled up right until the end.
Pip was a great narrator. Reliable for her good behavior, curious because she knew Sal didn't have a bad bone in his body, and driven to do the right thing, she was instantly likable, and the best person to be the eyes into the story. Jackson chooses to narrate from Pip's point of views in two ways, which I found to be highly effective. The first is through a first person narration of Pip's own writing (journaling, really) of the case as she experiences it. For her project, Pip records all her interviews, theories, and thoughts regarding her progress. This is interspersed with third person narration of the rest of Pip's life: her school days, her worries with her friends, her relationships with her family and Ravi, Sal's brother. The combination of points of view shows us just how deep Pip dives into the case until it takes over both narrations, and builds Pip as a complete character, with motivations relating and not relating to the case.
What I especially loved about the book is how it challenged "goodness." Andie Bell is painted as a victim who could do no wrong, while Sal Singh is the boy who murdered her and committed suicide. But who is truly the "bad guy" in the situation? As facts come to light, Jackson not only complicates the plot and complicates Pip's search, but also complicates the people involved. As more and more characters come into the light, we see that everyone has secrets, and everyone has motivations to do bad, even "good girl" Andie Bell herself. At the end of the day, no one is truly good, except for the truly innocent. I really loved how there was a lot of complication in not just the plot, but the characterization. It made for a much more compelling and realistic read to me.
Holly Jackson's writing is addictive, and I think I will be looking into more of her writing in the future! Until then, you can find her on Instagram and Twitter @HoJay92.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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