i wanted to love this so much because i loved the first book and i actually thought "a good girl's guide to murder" was an amazing thriller / detective book. and i did love it. up to a certain point.

i feel like my main problem is that it's so obvious holly jackson didn't mean for this to be a series. the first book was perfectly crafted, in my opinion, and it gave hints to who the killers were from the very beginning (i mean, i figured it out on page 50, for fuck's sake). and i was actually so excited to see who the culprit in this one was, as i've read so much of it up until that point and i had no idea how it all connected still. but about 80% in, when the reader was finally given an ACTUAL hint like 3 pages before the reveal it felt... flat.

like, the thing that makes a thriller enjoyable, at least to me, is the possibility to figure out the killer if only you thought harder about certain "insignificant" clues. and that's what made the first one great; it made sense. but in this one, it didn't feel like it.

the ending was basically what i hate about most thrillers: a reveal that makes no sense, pulled out of the author's ass for shock value. and i hate that, because i actually loved the majority of this book.

i understand why people would like it, i suppose. i just personally didn't. i'm gonna have lower hopes for the third one now, i fear.