Holly Jackson – Headlinerz

Holly Jackson’s ‘Five Survive’: Review

Eva Machek — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 13:30:49 +0000

Writer: Holly Jackson // Release: 2022

My rating:

Holly Jackson is on a roll! After her immense success with the ‘A good girl’s guide to murder’ series, she has written another thriller. Plot twists, shock and suspense are all wrapped up in this well written 389 page book. When I saw this book in a bookstore, I knew I had to get it. Obviously because I love Holly Jackson, but also the logline!:

“Eight hours, six friends, one sniper.”

Tell me that doesn’t make you super curious about this story. Holly Jackson managed to write 8 hours into 389 pages on basically one location and I’ve never once felt bored. The pacing is surprisingly fast. You know from the start how this book will end: five survive. But every chapter something comes to light that leaves you guessing who will be the one that dies, and when? and why?

Summary

“Red Kenny is on a road trip with five friends when their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. This is no accident. Someone is out there – and someone wants one of them dead. With eight hours until dawn, the six friends must escape or work out which one of them is the target. Buried secrets will be forced to light and not everyone will survive the night.”

Characters

Let’s start with the characters. Protagonist Red Kenny was a very interesting character to follow. She’s not exactly likable per se. During this book, we are mostly seeing inside of Red’s mind, and that mind of hers is very jambled and a little messed up, mostly because of trauma I assume. I love the way Holly Jackson writes out these weird thought processes like you’re following exactly what happens in the brain of a character. Red is kind of an unreliable protagonist. From the start, you know that we’re not getting the full picture, even from our lead. I like these kinds of protagonists that keep you on your toes.

Another character I’ll highlight is Oliver Lavoy. Maddie’s older brother. Even in this span of 8 hours, this character goes through so much development. At the beginning of the book he is the confident and reliable leader of the group, but as time passes and certain secrets come to light, the only thing Oliver cares about anymore is getting out of there alive himself, no matter what he’d have to sacrifice. There’s danger outside of the bus in the form of a sniper, but the danger inside of the bus is Oliver. He’s so incredibly unlikable and selfish it’s terrifying.

Maddie and Arthur were also two really interesting characters. With Maddie, there were hints from the start of the book that she had a secret, and man was the wait worth it. Arthur took some less expected twists though. That’s what I love about Holly Jackson: you think you know where it’s going, and then you’re kind of right, and then there’s four more layers to the story and a weird twist you could have never have imagined.

Reyna wasn’t really outstanding to me. She started out nice and caring but after her attempted sob story I just couldn’t take her seriously anymore, without spoiling anything, I just don’t like those kinds of people if you know what I mean.

Simon was very clearly intended as a comic relief and succeeded in that. I must admit he was funny, and made some smart suggestions. But I honestly still didn’t care for him that much. I think that’s the remarkable thing about this book: none of the characters are truly likable people and the dynamics between all those different personalities is what’s so interesting to read.

Writing style + story

This book was written in third person pov and contains a lot of dialogue, which makes it easy to read. It’s a very binge-able book, especially since cliffhangers at the end of chapters make you want to read ‘just one more page’ every single time. There is a constant tense energy that Holly Jackson always seems to nail in her books. I’ve had a few of those moments where you just have to close the book for a second and stare forward in shock.

Although I mostly liked the pacing of the book, the ending felt a little rushed to me. The whole book we were given tiny pieces of information and then at the end, all the answers were thrown at us in a matter of a few pages. I liked the ending story wise, but pacing wise I think we could have gotten a little more time to process what was happening.

In conclusion...

Overall I think this book is a perfect quick read for anyone that is in the mood for a mix between a whodunit and a locked room mystery vibe. Don’t go in expecting AGGGTM, because it’s not, but I really enjoyed this fresh story that’s just as thrilling, but so different from the trilogy. 4 stars from me!

I will now forever be curious about the freaking curtain pattern Red couldn’t figure out, thank you very much Holly Jackson.

Have you read this book already? Let me know what you thought about it! If you haven’t read it yet, but i’ve made you interested, press below to get your own copy and find out all of the mystery for yourself!

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A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder: full trilogy review + Kill Joy

Eva Machek — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:37:46 +0000

Writer: Holly Jackson // Release: 2019-2021

My ratings:

AGGGTM

GGBB.5

AGAD

Kill Joy

Starting my first review off strong with this mystery thriller series that I read earlier this year. These books have gained quite the attention on social media. As always, I was influenced and decided to give them a go. With the promise of a great story and strong female protagonist, how could I withstand the temptation? Let me share my SPOILER FREE opinions and thoughts on ‘A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder’ by Holly Jackson. And stick around for my final verdict: Are these books worth your time?

“ The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth … ?”

One thing that will make you fall in love with this series is the protagonist. Pippa Fitz-Amobi’s character starts off as a strong, determined student, always pushing for the best: the good girl. The more Pippa’s story twists and turns though, the more she starts questioning if there is such a thing as ‘good’ and whether she is as good as she thought. By the end of book 3: ‘As Good As Dead’ she’s gone through so much that her character has developed into something not as easily definable as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

I read the whole series in 2.5 months. Which, for me, for 4 books (if we’re counting kill joy), is quite fast. This was for the most part because this is the kind of books you get sucked into and just can’t put down once the story starts to unravel. The plot twists in these books are so well written. Holly Jackson succeeded in shocking me quite a few times with her unexpected twists and reveals. What I admire most is that every step Pippa took and all her thoughts felt logical, and looking back, the endings make sense, only you’d have never expected it when starting the books.

Furthermore on Holly Jackson’s writing: the way she is able to create so much suspense with words is crazy. Especially during the third book I was sitting on the edge of my seat and slowly turning pages a few times. The pure anxiety you feel for Pippa while reading some parts is memorable.

One quick observation I had is that although there is a relationship budding in the book, there is never an emphasis on romance, which really keeps the focus on the mystery. That’s just something I love. Not every story has to be a love story.

Now for one of the best parts about this series: MIXED MEDIA. Mixed. Media. This just makes the story so much more fun to read. Sometimes it doesn’t even add that much story-wise, like pictures of audio files, but most of the time it’s integrated so well. This way you get information through interview transcripts, text messages, courtroom drawings, documents and pictures.

Personally I loved the first and third book in the series the most. They both get 5 stars. The second book for me didn’t really hit as hard. The story took quite long to really get me interested and it felt a bit smaller in a way, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I get that we had to spend some time learning about what the events of the first book mentally did to Pippa. I have to say though, that the end of the second book is so well-written. Holly is able to really let emotions like fear bleed through the pages. All-in-all, I rated the second book 4.5 stars.

Now ‘Kill Joy’, the prequel to the trilogy, set right before ‘A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder’. I enjoyed it. It was a nice good-bye to the characters and universe. It’s mostly entertaining because you already have a bond with the characters and want to know what their lives were like before things went down. Even in this less seriously themed short story, the mystery is detailed and there are moments of suspense. I rated ‘Kill Joy’ 4 stars.

Ok, so here is the final verdict: If you like a good mystery and are ready to learn about all the secrets of this small town, this series is definitely worth your time. Once you’ve started, be prepared to let curiosity take the best of you. You’ll have finished this series before you know it. I can’t wait to see this book be turned into the series adaptation and talk about that more!

Check out this boxset that contains all 3 books in the trilogy!

I hope you enjoyed this first review on my blog. I definitely loved writing it! Don’t hesitate to share your opinions on the books or my post.

*This post contains affiliate links. Whenever you buy a product through one of these links, I earn a small commission. This does not affect the price for the buyer!*