A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Review: Low Stakes YA Drama Has Its Moments

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Review | Leisurebyte

Director: Dolly Wells, Tom Vaughan

Date Created: 2024-08-01 12:30

Editor's Rating:
3

In Netflix’s newest young adult mystery crime series adapted from Holly Jackson’s 2019 novel of the same name, Pip Fitz-Amobi, a seventeen-year-old true crime enthusiast, gets embroiled in a 5-year-old murder case in which a young woman’s mysterious death resulted in her boyfriend of being accused who eventually took his own life. Pip is convinced of Sal’s (the boyfriend) innocence and, under the guise of a school project, decides to dig up the past to exonerate him.

Written by Poppy Cogan, Ruby Thomas, Zia Ahmed and Ajoke Ibironke, the series is created by Poppy Cogan.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Review

Taking place in the fictional town of Little Kilton, Buckinghamshire, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder follows a young girl trying to get to the bottom of a mystery that she has been obsessed with and one that comes with a lot of heartbreak for most people in her small town. The series, with 6 45-minute-long episodes, follows teen angst and shocking findings as this 17-year-old is able to find out things that apparently the police weren’t able to.

The series is captivating because of actor Emma Myers who plays Pipa with a sincerity that feels hard to make up. Pipa, as an outsider looking in, feels like a selfish and headstrong character who refuses to back down even though those closest to her are caught in the crossfire, as they usually are. As a YA detective series, it’s a fun, sometimes annoying, ride that keeps you invested. Pipa isn’t great at being empathetic and usually meddles a bit too much which can get on viewers’ nerves but Myers nails her character’s negatives and positives with an innocence that gets to you.

However, regardless of my grievances concerning Pip’s flagrant disrespect and disregard for anyone other than herself, I can respect her hustle and her determination to see the mystery through. The bite-sized, quick and easy-going vibes of the series make it very easy to rush through the runtime with ease. Plus, the emotional undertones of Pip going through the upheavals of a terrible and heavy crime are brought out well, leaving us feeling for our protagonist who constantly proves to us that underneath her tough persona, she is still a child. Thus, her quick judgements and annoying misinterpretation of different information are just part of being her age.

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The stakes are quite low for this YA mystery series, with viewers knowing exactly what’s about to happen and where this is going for the most part. It’s fast-paced, much like how Pipa’s mind races from one thing to another. Thanks to the pacing though, you won’t have time to think too deeply for too long but some of the rather stupid decisions that Pipa makes are so incredibly mind-numbing that it’s difficult to take the series or the characters seriously. I guess it makes sense that a teenager doesn’t know the ins and outs of solving a case but considering how serious the subject matter is, everything feels a bit too childish and surface-level thanks to the way everything is solved.

Final Thoughts

In the end, the YA influence is clear in this series and that’s okay – you get what you are promised. However, the series is quite easy-going and surface-level, without much depth. Pipa’s personal issues are interesting and emotional but she tends to get on your nerves a bit. All in all, a fun time regardless.

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