A review by sadgirlautumn
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The first time I read this novel it got me through a really rough period of my life and I read it slowly to savor it which I think is the best way to read it. It was so easy to get caught up in Pip's head and her logic. A lot of this book felt inevitable and to quote Pip herself, full circle. I loved how it tied up some not so obvious loose ends from the first book and the series itself was wrapped up perfectly. My only complaint is that the pacing was a little weird, the first half of the book seemed to fly by whereas the ending was much slower in order to tie everything up. 

I can't review this book and not mention the two main opinions I've read about it that I strongly disagree with. Firstly, a lot of people try to argue that Pip was acting out of character in this novel and how she was supposed to be this strong protagonist that never lets anything get to her but I was so glad that Holly Jackson let her act the way she did in this novel. I'm glad that she let her break down and that she was visibly changed because of the trauma she had experienced. What she did in this novel I can't blame her for it because it made complete and total sense from her point of view. Secondly, I saw a lot of people complain about the ending, specifically the last page and to that I have to say you either get it or you don't. The author does not need to expand on that ending. If you don't know where that end leads then you have not gotten to know Pip and Ravi very well over the course of the series and particularly this last book.