A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is a thrilling murder mystery that had a chokehold on me for a whole twenty-four hours. 

AGGGTM explores Fareview, Connecticut, five years after a high school senior is murdered, supposedly by her boyfriend. The witty but relatable protagonist, Pip, joins forces with the brother of the “murderer” in hopes of restoring his honor and also catching the true killer.

 Jackson blends the typical small-town murder with dark secrets and unknown truths. When the cloudy story of a closed case begins to be unveiled, a more sinister and complicated certainty reveals itself through the rich details 

Reading AGGGTM kept me on edge, and with this book at hand at all times. Jackson uses the little details to carefully weave a deep and nuanced plot. The unexpected twists and turns as Pip goes further and further into her investigation enthralled me. Pip, as a character, is complex and well thought-out, far more interesting than the typical “Nancy Drew” female sleuth. 

However, there were parts of the investigation that I thought were unrealistic. As a high school senior, getting some of the information she did without repercussions or faults in her case seemed illogical. I also wished there was more about her family life and friends. As a YA novel, I believe that a major part of the book is some of the sillier, more trivial, and humorous moments of it to provide relief from the ever-expanding complexity of the plot.

Overall, I would rate this book 8.5/10.

I would recommend this book to fans of One of Us is Lying, The Naturals, and Truly Devious.