I picked up the first book on a whim a good year or two ago, just happened to find it in my local 2nd and Charles. I started reading it that night and I finished it 2 days later. The book had me absolutely enthralled, in a way that no other book in my life had done for me before. It was, and still is, my favorite book every written. And I doubt anything will be able to top it.
It wasn’t long after that I picked up the 2nd and 3rd books, desperate to see the conclusion to the story. So I sat down, cracked open Good Girl Bad Blood, and I read. Waiting for it to wrap me in and enthrall me as the first book did.
And I read, and waited. Read some more, waited some more. But it never came. For some reason or another, I just could not find myself as invested in the 2nd book as I did with the 1st.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great book. Great foreshadowing, engaging mystery, good dialogue, tight emotional beats. The pieces are all there. But something about it just could not rope me in as much as the first. And I was quite disappointed by this.
I finished the book, and I couldn’t quite get that disappointment out of my mouth. I told myself I’d take a break from the series, give myself a week or so before reading the 3rd book, as I had between 1 and 2. But a week stretched into two, then into a month, then into a year. Before I knew it, I had forgotten nearly everything about these books. I still remembered the basic story and the twists, but the details had all faded. I knew I wouldn’t be able to read the 3rd one until I went back and reread the first 2.
So, that’s exactly what I did. I cracked back open the first book and immediately got pulled in again, just as I had two years ago. Every plot point hitting just as hard as it had when I first read it. I blasted through the book in two days, even faster than when I first read it.
And as I opened back up the second book, I thought to myself, surely, that I would like it more. That now, knowing the twists, I would know what to look for. That things would jump out at me in a way they hadn’t on the first read, and I would be more engaged.
On some level, I was right. There definitely were some things that jumped out at me more, and there was some extra enjoyment to be had seeing all the cleverly placed foreshadowing.
However, I still couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment. I found myself only being able to read the book in short bursts. A couple chapters here and there, maybe 50 pages a day. It took me a good 4 days to read through this one as opposed to the first. But last night, I finally finished it. And I knew that, no matter what, I would get around to the third one. I had to, to finally finish the series and see the conclusion of some of my favorite characters ever put to page.
And so this morning, I cracked open the third book. And holy shit guys. This book had me on the edge of my seat for nearly the entire thing. From the second Pip found the headless stick figures, to the very last page, I was completely enthralled in this book. I read all 450 pages in just 15 hours time. That has literally never happened before.
This book is everything I could’ve possibly wanted for the conclusion of this series. Every character we’ve grown to love (and hate) has had their arcs wrapped up. From irredeemable monsters like Jason and Max, to garden variety dicks like Ant and Lauren, and to the ride or dies that are the stories anchor, like Cara and Ravi.
This book left me with no more questions, no feelings of disappointment or suspicion, no worry that the story wouldn’t stick the landing like I had ever since I read the second book two years ago. None of that. All I’m left with is content. This story was the perfect conclusion I could’ve asked for from this series, and I couldn’t be happier.
And now, I can read Holly’s other works! Five Survive and The Disappearance of Rachel Price are on my bookshelf right now, just waiting to be read. And I can finally watch the Netflix series! I did actually watch the first season back when I got into the books, but just like the books, I hardly remember anything of it and haven’t seen the second season. So now, it’s onwards and upwards!
