Modern Day Veronica Mars? A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Cassie <3
May 17, 2023
3 min read

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

This is a reread for me and I must say, I love it EVEN MORE the second time around.

The premise for this book is a Veronica Mars CW reboot waiting to happen: The little town of Fairview goes through an intense tragedy when popular high school senior Andie Bell is murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh who commits suicide soon after. But 5 years later, Pippa Fitz-Amobi is not so sure and decides to begin an investigation for her senior capstone project and conveniently gets to work with Sal's cute younger brother....

The book moves so fast with lots of twists and turns.

Every character has at least one red flag about them and combined with all the high school friendships and small town connections, you'll definitely end up creating tons of theories yourself and changing your mind every chapter.

Unlike some YA mysteries, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder pulls all the clues together and only leaves loose ends for the purpose of its sequel. The ending makes total sense, yet is still close to impossible to guess.

Pip is such a likable character who is here to SOLVE ! A ! MURDER ! She doesn't force any wokeness down your throat or get on your nerves with her pretentious ivy league dreams, like most YA protagonists. Her determination overlooks all high school drama and pettiness. And I loved her flirtationship with Ravi. WHAT AN ADORBS LITTLE GUY.

Pip's attitude, the way she undergoes her investigations, and her narration all makes me think so much of Veronica Mars!!! Even the social circles and douchey rich kids in Fairview give heavy Neptune High vibes.

Something super fun about this book is also the pictures!! I know we're grown and not supposed to enjoy picture books anymore but getting to actually see the clues, maps, and interviews laid out for me was sooo satisfying and immersive.

In conclusion: This is the one BookTok book that lives up to the hype. I totally recommend this book for fans of Veronica Mars/true crime/Clue or anyone who just wants a fun, simple mystery that's still unpredictable. #PipAndRavi4Ever

[ FANCASTING ]

I don't always do this (and I definitely won't for every book) but I know EXACTLY who Pip and Ravi remind me of. OG Degrassi fans will get it.

AM I RIGHT?!

Omg yes I can totally see that!!
Umm no???
Idk I didn't watch Degrassi lol

CLEARLY Pip and Ravi are the better couple but it's the same vibe!! Over achieving white girl and smart but laid back Indian boy. It's pretty spot on.

Synopsis:

Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

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.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

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.