Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

“What do you do when the things that are suppose to protect you, fail you like that?”

The more I read young adult fiction, the more I realize it has come SO SO far from where it was when I was a young adult. I remember reading YA and while it wasn’t horrible, it wasn’t near as intelligent as what’s being put out now. I listen to an awesome podcast that has really put into perspective how lacking older YA books are. The podcast is all about reading popular books from the past ,children and YA specifically, and seeing how they hold up in the lens of current times. I say all that to say, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series is one of the best mystery series in young adult fiction nowadays. Yup, I’m bestowing that heavy title upon this series because it’s just that deserving of it. I read a good amount of YA and a lot of those mysteries are just not for adults. As a adult reader, I actually am very picky about what young adult mysteries deserve my time. Holly Jackson ALWAYS gets me because I know she doesn’t come to play!

Pip is not a detective anymore. With the assistance of Ravi Singh, she released a true crime podcast about the murder case they helped solve last year. The podcast is a huge hit, but Pip insist her investigative days are done. But when someone she knows goes missing, she knows she must break that promise. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared on the night the town hosted the six year memorial service for Andie Bell and Sal Singh. The police are refusing to do anything about it and Pip knows she must do something about it. Pip starts uncovering even more buried secrets about her town and someone would rather they stay buried. Will Pip be able to find Jamie before it’s too late?

So first let me say, yes this is a sequel! But you don’t have to read the first book to be able to jump into this one. This is a completely separate mystery and it doesn’t depend on the first book to understand it. The first mystery is amazing, so I would definitely encourage everyone to go back and read the first one! Pip is forever my girl and she is a character to root for! She has a strong sense of right and wrong, which can tend to get her into a little trouble. Something I love about this book is how it really touches on how justice looks different for people of color. How we aren’t given the same amount of chances to make simple mistakes and how we are seen guilty before proven innocent. Pip is very aware of how both cases she worked dealt with men of color and how easily they were thrown to the side or assumed guilty based off racism.

I finished this book in 1 day, yes you read that right. I needed to know where in the world was Jamie and what had happened! The more I read, the more I couldn’t put it down. A good book is such a dangerous thing when you have things to do! I got nothing done, so thanks a lot Holly! But seriously, this mystery has so much to offer and it is intertwined with the podcast Pip does! I love the mixing of a book with a podcast because we all know true crime podcast have taken over the world. I don’t really want to say too much because the less you know, the more fun the book is. By the end, my mind was blown?! The endings of these books are always so good but they never seem too tightly wrapped up. That wouldn’t be too realistic but the ending is always satisfying.

4.5 out of 5 stars for me! I loved this book just as much as I loved the first book in the series. I was a little worried this book wouldn’t hold a candle to the first one. But I do enjoy being wrong sometimes. This book is perfect for anyone who wants a mystery they can’t solve easily, anyone who loves a book full of twist, or someone who doesn’t even normally read young adult fiction. I recommend this to anyone and everyone. Plus if you can please read the first novel in the series, it’s a great start to getting to know Pip and Ravi!