In honor of the Netflix series for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder at dahil favorite ko ang books ni Holly Jackson, here are my top rankings based on my personal preference and how much I enjoyed each book.
Super nag eenjoy talaga ako pag nagbabasa ako ng mga murder mystery books ni Holly Jackson. It’s such a fun experience, lalo na kung stressed ka sa buhay and you just want to relax.
Baka magustuhan niyo din yung mga books nya if fan kayo nina Agatha Christie, Karen McManus, Tana French, Alex Michaelides, or other authors in the mystery space.
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (AGGM Trilogy #1)
- It may not come as a surprise, but in my opinion this book definitely lives up to the hype. Isa sya sa mga pinaka sikat na libro ni Holly Jackson based sa Goodreads rankings.
- Pangalawa na sya sa mga books ni Holly Jackson na nabasa ko, pero dito talaga ako pinaka nagandahan at nag enjoy.
- Lovable yung mga characters nya, tinatackle nya din yung themes of family, friendship, and humanity’s relentless search for the truth.
- Plot: Tungkol sya kay Pip, isang student na gumagawa ng school project at ang napili niyang topic para dito ay yung previous murder case sa town nila. Meron nang suspect yung police dati, pero namatay na sya bago pa magkaroon ng trial. Iimbestigahan ulit ito ni Pip para sa project nya, kasi feeling nya may something more pa talaga na hindi nila nalalaman.
- Five Survive (Standalone)
- This is my FIRST Holly Jackson book (nabasa ko na to way before I read AGGM) and I was intrigued with the premise before I knew who Holly Jackson was.
- Literally binge-read this in one night. Not kidding at all, I stayed up until 4am reading this kasi di ko matigilan hangga’t malaman ko yung totoong reason behind the mystery.
- It tackles themes of friendship, trauma, and the impact of secrets to the people we love.
- Plot: What if 6 kayong friends na nastuck sa isang RV habang nasa biyahe, tapos may sniper sa labas na tinatarget kayo isa isa hangga’t walang umaamin sa kasalanan na hindi niyo naman alam?
- Kill Joy (AGGM Prequel #0.5)
- Spinoff / prequel sya ng AGGM, para syang filler episode habang wala pa yung 2nd book.
- Nakaka enjoy tong book na to, light lang sya and hindi sya kasing seryoso nung ibang books (it’s also shorter).
- Sobrang good vibes nya din kasi habang naglalaro sila ng board game, parang kasali na din tayo sa kanila habang finifigure out nila kung sino yung may totoong role na ‘killer’.
- Plot: Si Pip tsaka yung group of friends nya meron silang Murder Mystery Party (parang Clue na board game if familiar kayo). Dito natin mas makikita yung friendship dynamics nila, anong klaseng tao si Pip before sya mainvolve dun sa magiging school project nya, pati na din mga easter egg premonitions ng mga mangyayari sa books 1 and 2 ng AGGM series.
- Good Girl, Bad Blood (AGGM Trilogy #2)
- Surprisingly, nagustuhan ko tong sequel na to. I know mixed reviews sya sa Goodreads, pero as a fan of psychological thriller nagustuhan ko yung moments na bigla nagiging dark yung dialogue.
- Dito na nagstart mag iba yung tone nung series, pero tinuloy nya yung karamihan sa mga plotholes ng first book.
- Nung umpisa, the AGGM series might have been presented as a good-vibe mystery novel pero dito sa book na to, mas nag deep dive yung story kung gaano ka serious talaga ang impact ng murder cases sa mga taong involved and also to the people around them.
- Plot: What if sinabi mo na titigilan mo na yung pakikialam sa investigations, pero isa sa mga taong kaclose mo ay nag disappear? Paano kung meron pang ibang meaning dun sa bagay na akala mo concluded na? Handa ka bang harapin yung mga unsolved matters na muntik nang maka damage sayo last time? Yan ang mga tanong na sasagutin ni Pip sa novel na to.
- As Good As Dead (AGGM Trilogy #3)
- This is the last book of the AGGM series, and for me it was fine.
- For some reason I read a lot of negative reviews on Goodreads but for me, it really was okay?????
- Medyo mas bitin lang sya ng konti kesa dun sa second book, pero action-packed naman sya.
- I think kasi sobrang ganda nung AGGM first book so parang naset na yung expectations, pero for me this book was alright. It wrapped the series up in a way I couldn’t predict.
- Plot: After ng lahat ng investigations na nagawa ni Pip, akala nya tapos na yun at makapapag start fresh na sya bago pumunta sa college. However, may mga pagbabanta syang natanggap kung saan tinatanong sya paulit ulit ng “Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?”. Unti unting nararamdaman ni Pip na papalapit na sa kanya yung danger, kaya kailangan nyang malaman kung sino ito bago pa sya mapahamak.
- The Reappearance of Rachel Price (Standalone)
- Ito yung pinaka recent book nya as of 2024, and the one I was most excited to read. I love the cover so much coz it’s so pretty.
- I enjoyed the time I spent reading this book, pero for me nasa 5th place sya dahil sa main character na si Bel – di ko sya masyadong nagustuhan tulad ng pagkaka gusto ko kay Pip(AGGM) or even Red(Five Survive).
- This book gives an interesting perspective on family, motherhood, and the relevance of media portrayal in our everyday lives.
- Plot: Bel has always been known as the daughter of the missing lady named Rachel. Simula nung bata palang sya, halos buong buhay nya ay nashape around the fact that her mother disappeared years ago and she is so sick of it. Isang araw, habang ginagawan ng documentary/tv show ang pagkawala ng nanay nya, bigla nalang nagpakita si Rachel sa harap ng bahay nila. Paano mo iaapproach ang taong nawala ng sobrang tagal tapos bigla bigla nalang sasabihin na sya ang mama mo?
Want more insights? Check out our book reviews and let’s explore the wonderful world of books together!
