Cover Image: As Good As Dead

As Good As Dead

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Member Reviews

This was such an incredible read! I love Pip and Ravi so much and I am so excited for the next book!

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When I first started reading AGGGTM, I had no idea this is how it would end - but WOW. This is a masterclass in suspense and a celebration of the nerd. Only Pippa could get away with murder like this. HERE FOR IT.

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Holly Jackson brings this trilogy to a bittersweet end with this final installment, I'm so sad the series is over but definitely looking forward to what else this author will bring out in the future! I felt that As Good As Dead was a lot darker than the two previous books, and we got to delve deeper into questions of morality and character (though the plotting was also as twisty as ever!) Overall, this book was really gripping, and a fantastic end to the series.

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There isn't much to say about this book except that it is just as good a story as the previous 2 in the series. There is a sense of danger and anticipation, it is suspenseful, intriguing and thrilling, and the characters just seem to leap from the page.
Definitely worth a read or 2

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I have to confess that I found this final chapter in Pip's story quite disappointing and it took me absolutely ages to finish. I was able to appreciate how lots of loose ends were tied up by the time I got to the end but I found it poorly structured and unconvincing.

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Wow. What a ride.

The Good Girl's Guide to Murder Series by Holly Jackson has been an edge of the seat page turner from the very first book. We have followed crime solver and enthusiast Pip Fitz-Amobi as she uncovers crime after crime and somehow manages to get herself involved in the drama putting herself and the ones she loves in danger.

In this gripping final installment we see just how good a detective Pip is - and to be fair just how brilliant a writer Holly Jackson. Jackson has led you to believe from book one that some of her red herrings are just that - clues that lead to nowhere but oh no. Jackson was setting up plot points for book three As Good As Dead. When this happened in the story I physically had to lower the book and just shook my head in disbelief at how cleverly this series has been written. I mean wow.

If crime is your thing then As Good as Dead along with the other books in this series are the books for you.

As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson is available now.

For more information regarding Holly Jackson (@HoJay92) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Electric Monkey (@EMTeenFiction) please visit their Twitter page.

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I enjoyed this book as the end to a series but it fell a little flat in that I felt the actions of pip were a little out of character. Nonetheless, I enjoyed and will Miss Pip, Ravi and the rest of the cast

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Another book where Pip makes me want to be best friends with her!! She’s brilliant, and so well thought of, it’s like she’s real. In this book Pip is dealing with PTSD, which was done in a sensitive and realistic way.

Overall it was a brilliant end to the trilogy. I’m sad it’s finished, but does finish it nicely.

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The 3rd and final book in the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Pip should be looking forward to going off to Cambridge university soon but she is suffering from severe trauma and PTSD from what happened in the 2nd book. She's struggling to sleep, isn't herself and is about to potentially be sued. She starts getting death threats online and soon starts to notice small strange things like dead birds and chalk drawings outside her house. As Pip starts digging, she finds a connection to these occurrences and a local serial killer who's supposedly behind bars. Pip begins to think the wrong man was convicted, can she uncover the truth before those death threats become a reality?

This book is a change in the series, for one it is a lot darker than the other two books, especially as Pip is struggling so much. The book follows a similar format for the first half of Pip investigating and then vastly changes. I found it slow at first and personally wasn't a fan of the shift in format. At times this was wildly unbelievable but I think you need to lean into this and accept it to enjoy it. I liked Pip and Ravi's relationship, they are a good team. The book does a good job at tying everything together from books 1 and 2 which was nicely done. Overall, even though this wasn't my favourite of the series, the series as a whole is very good and highly entertaining!

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A peculiar one. It felt a lot of the time as if the character of Pip had done a 360! This is the final book in a trilogy and while it all ended neatly, and did provoke a lot of thoughts about the nature of justice, punishment and crime, I found it quite jarring.

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Having read the previous books in this series, I was looking forward to As Good As Dead. We're greeted with a different Pip - she's been severely affected by the events in the previous book which gives the narrative a darker slant. The first half of the book follows the pattern of the others, but halfway through, the most unexpected event occurs and the book takes a turn I didn't see coming. I can't say more as it would spoil the book. It was an entertaining read but unbelievable.

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A Good Girls Guide to Murder has risen to the top of my thriller faves, and it was so skilfully followed up with Good Girl, Bad Blood last year so I’ve been so eager awaiting the third and final instalment, and I was so blown away by how expertly Jackson concluded the series.

We were left with Pip dealing with the aftermath of previous ordeals and Jackson opens up so vulnerably when it comes to the discussion of PTSD and the mental impact of the horrific events of previous books - something I feel is often lacking from YA thrillers, when characters simply move on from their lives and no sequel is explored.

I was completely in awe of how well plotted As Good As Dead was. It could easily have fallen into the realms of ridiculous beyond belief, but meticulous plotting and explanation kept the story grounded. Jackson had absolutely no fear in how far she’s willing to take the story, and that made this book and incredibly exciting addition to the YA thriller genre.

If you’ve not picked up this series yet, I implore you. It’s fast become one of my favourites of all time, it’s so clever and I’m so so excited to see what Holly gets up to next! The whole trilogy is available now, and it’s the perfect series to binge this summer 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

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At 560 pages on my ebook, this is a real chunkster of a novel, super long and boy did it feel like it too. I'm afraid it didn't wow me as much as the first in the series. So much could have been edited out, there weren't any twisty edge of your seat moments. I guessed the main storyline. The only tense bit was a scene in the police station about three quarters of the way through. I didn't like the ending either, it dragged and, similarly to the rest of the book, Pip was making weird, rash incorrect decisions. Oh dear! A disappointing end to a great series.

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I mean, wow. How do you end a series of pulse-pounding thrillers that have been international hits? Just like this.

It's another addictive read, and choosing to read a book about a stalker in a park in broad daylight was a very good choice. There are some really unsettling elements, particularly how the stalker uses tricks Pip had used to solve previous mysteries against her.

It's so impressive how Holly Jackson has managed to link the three mysteries together. The second book fits into a tiny gap left during edits on the first book (a gap deliberately made in case there was another book!) and now this one ties back to the first case too. It makes it even more personal and unnerving, asking more questions about what happened six years ago in Little Kilton.

Pip is suffering with PTSD from the shooting at the end of the second book, and struggling also with the ambiguous nature of right and wrong, and personal and institutional justice. After everything she's been through, to then be tangling with her own mind while trying to find the truth - when people are discounting her thoughts because of the PTSD - it made me root for her even more. I wanted her to be able to stop and heal, to have the time and space, so I needed her to solve the case (particularly as it was her life in danger) so she could do that.

The midpoint completely turns the book around, taking it in a very different direction. There's so much I want to say about it, but it would be spoil EVERYTHING. But it's tense and challenges you to think about right and wrong - to decide which actions cross the line and whether the outcome is correct or not. For a series that has played so much with who is the real villain here (beyond the outright awful ones), it's the perfect way to end it.

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I have loved this series of crime thrillers from the beginning, so I was sad to see that As Good As Dead was going to be the last. However, what a way to go out! This book was completely unexpected (in the very best way) and offered twists I couldn't have imagined. Written with the usual focus on detail, you can't stop concentrating for a second or you'll miss a vital clue!

I did feel there was a little bit too much detail at times, which made it feel a bit longer than it needed to be. That was minor though, and certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book overall! I will definitely miss Pip.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Someone please tell me how in the heck I am meant to review this. No, seriously - how am I meant to review this? It feels impossible to speak about this book without it just being incomprehensible yelling because WHAT HECK JUST HAPPENED?

If there's one bad side I don't want to be on, it's Holly Jackson's. She knows things, friends. This book? Evil, brilliant, emotionally turbulent. You go look at my FitBit heart rate chart for when I was reading this. IT WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE! Did I flatline at some point? Maybe.

Honestly, I had 0% clue where this book was going - just how I wanted it. I wanted to feel every twist and turn of this story as it came and well . . . didn't I just. I feel like I should have prepared for this, but is there any preparing? No. I beg of you, please read this book without spoiling yourself. Part of the fun of it is not seeing it coming.

So, after the end of Good Girl, Bad Blood, Pip was left traumatised, literally and figuratively because of the blood on her hands. The lines between what is justice, good and bad were all blurred for her, leaving her in a confused, anxious state, while also dealing with the trauma of the death she had born witness too. This trauma was ever-present in the beginning of As Good As Dead, we find Pip turning to certain places and things to help her deal with her PTSD that aren't exactly the healthiest (understatement). And this PTSD, her guilt, her anger, maintained itself all throughout the novel, and I found it was very well written. We see how it impacts Pip, the relationships with the people around her, and her decision making.

AHHH. DECISION MAKING. GOSH I WILL NOT SPOIL BUT AHHH.

Okay, back to calm. I love how this book tied everything together from book 1! It really brought the mystery back full circle, re-opening old cases, finding new clues to another mystery...Just so well detailed and plotted. (And to think that A Good Girl's Guide to Murder was meant to be a standalone?!)

As I briefly mentioned above, Pip - just like in the previous installment - begins to question what is 'justice', and whether 'evil' and 'good' aren't as black and white as they mean to be. This is a really interesting discourse, which again, I believe is handled sensitively - take the stuff with Becca Bell. Pip knows what she did was wrong, but does that make Becca evil? Now that is a trickier line for her.

Also, I just need you all to know, I love Ravi. He is so precious and the most heartbreaking moment of this book was when he cried. Holly, we fight at dawn. Also Pip's friends? Get me some of those. Friends who ***** ** * ****** ******** stay together! Although, in their defence, they didn't quite know what they were doing . . . just that they would do whatever for Pip.

Overall, I really liked this novel. Is 'entertaining' the wrong word to use? Heart racing, for sure. Some part of me wished it had taken a different direction than it did a the 50% mark (walk away Pip!) but that's more out of self-preservation for my stress levels and wanting Pip to live a happy life without that burden. But the decision to do that? BOLD. Jackson really went out there with this one & she pulled it off.

Thank you to Netgalley and Electric Monkey for this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review

(But pls can I now have a novella of Pip and Ravi just being happy and living in bliss. I need it to heal).

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I love this series and although at times you have to suspend reality for some of this book - I loved it. Maybe it’s the character building that Holly Jackson manages but I have been invested in Pip and Ravi throughout!

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The third book in this Holly Jackson series gives the reader the perfect way to end a trilogy. It connects dots; old and new, it explores a new narrative approach and, most importantly, it goes where many authors only dream of going.
There's an important exploration of the impact trauma can have on someone, and those around them. It's subtle and free from those words that may cut some people off. Instead, as a reader, you are witness to the symptoms rather than the diagnosis.
The writing is as gripping as always. Although, I must admit, I did feel the loss of the transcripts and evidence collection from the previous novels. Not at the time. I was glued to the page and building up my own suspect list to really notice. However, once I'd finished there was this fleeting pang of loss. I must say though, this is move for the evolution of Jackson's storytelling. To provide a narrative that was not a replication of everything that preceded it, things have to change.

Holly Jackson has, with this third outing, cemented herself as an author I will purchase the books of without reading the blurb. She will forever follow in the footsteps of Holly's that have gone before her (Bourne/ Smale) and I look forward to celebrating her 10th anniversary of Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

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I was absolutely blown away by the first two books in this series so was super excited for the third. However, this one disappointed me a little. The first half was good, as Pip deals with the ramifications of everything that she has been through. Then someone starts stalking her - and the details are the same as a serial killer who is supposed to be in prison. Again at this point I was enjoying the mystery as Pip tries to work out what's going on in time to save herself. However, there is then a twist which sends the rest of the book off in a very different direction and this I was not such a fan of. It suddenly seemed a bit too unrealistic, and while I do absolutely love Pip and Ravi, the whole thing seemed a bit out of character and I have no idea why Ravi would just go along with what Pip does. That being said, I did read to the end and wanted to find out what happened, and I would certainly continue to read about these characters or anything else Holly Jackson writes. This particular book in the series just didn't live up to the first two in my opinion.

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**thank you so much to Electric Monkey Books for approving me for an eARC of this book. This in no way influences my review**

I think this might just be my favourite instalment in the AGGGTM series.
I read this book in one afternoon, it was so gripping and compelling and I absolutely could not put it down. I was tearing through the pages so quickly, absolutely desperate to know what happened next!

There were so many twists and turns in this book that I did not see coming and it kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. It was creepy, suspenseful and oh so fast-paced. I also loved how this book tied together all the events from the previous books in the series.

I also loved the character relationships in this book, Pip's relationship with Ravi was one of my favourite things and I loved seeing her interact with both her family and her larger group of friends. Pip is definitely one of my favourite protagonists, I absolutely love the journey her character has taken throughout this series.

I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to give away anything that happens in this book, but if you have loved the previous books in this series, please read this one - it will not disappoint!

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