Good Girl, Bad Blood
*If you did not finish the book yet, only read the summary (major spoiler alert for other sections)
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Genre: Fiction & mystery
Author: Holly Jackson
Favorite quotes: “‘Which name did you like the best?’ ‘Stanley.’ He smiled weakly. ‘Silly name, and he wasn’t much, he wasn’t always good, but he was the best of them. He was trying.’ (Jackson 370)”
Summary: Good Girl, Bad Blood stems off of the previous book in the trio series, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Pip, our thrill seeking, vigilante, main character is coming off of her amazing discovery in the Andie Bell murder. However, her fire begins to dim out in the realization of all that was lost through her relentless obsession of mystery. But of course, she can’t retire from her detective duties until the case is brought to its true end, the conviction of Max Hastings. Pip starts a podcast with her former partner in crime (and boyfriend), Ravi Singh, to update listeners on the trial and new discoveries. Alas, the universe wouldn’t let her off so easily. On the day of a town-planned memorial for Andie and Sal, a new mystery unfolds involving the disappearance of Jamie Reynolds (the brother of Pip's good friend Connor). Pip tries to solve this truly jawing case without falling into the trap of her own compulsion. Not again.
*Major Spoilers
My thoughts: Since being introduced to the series, I was confronted with nothing but positive reviews. Especially towards the first book of the trilogy: A Good Girl's Guide To Murder, which was truly the start of a life changing legacy. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, I found myself absolutely shocked at how much I loved the second. Good Girl, Bad blood is the beginning of my blossomed enthusiasm for mystery novels. The plot twist after plot twist with never ending discoveries being made had me excited to read whenever there was a minute to spare. Holly Jackson's writing style is simple, yet enjoyable, and easily understandable, making it an amazing read for young adults. I always look for books with messages and themes that translate to personal development. There were two things that I learned from this novel. Number 1 being that people can change more than you think. Stanley Forbes had been an unlikeable character from the start, that is unquestionable. But the true shift in perspective as we develop understanding of his childhood trauma and the life-long persistence to become someone undefined by just his past was emotional. Still, with every part of his being working to write wrongs (do you get the pun?), the sorrowful truth was that it would never be enough. All because of a scarred someone with no understanding of the development he underwent. Number 2, we should try to grasp the value of life even without a revelatory experience. At the end of the book, Jamie says, “Can you promise me you’ll live a good life? A full life, a happy one. Live well, and do it for him, because he can’t anymore (Jackson 394).” As beautiful as this shared moment was, they could have been spending prior years truly living to the full extent. It took them a death and disappearance case to reestablish the ability to be happy in their own right.
