A Good Girl's Guide To Murder Is A Disappointing Adaptation

Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers) is a brilliant school girl who is haunted by the murder of fellow classmate Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies). Andie was allegedly killed by her lover Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni) five years ago. For a school project, Pip teams up with Sal’s brother Ravi (Zain Iqbal) in an attempt to uncover the truth and clear Sal’s name as she doesn’t believe he is the perpetrator.

A Good Girl's Guide To Murder is based on the first book of the series of the same name written by Holly Jackson. Fans of Wednesday star Emma Myers may be surprised to hear her speaking with a British accent in this murder mystery series.

While this is a young adult series, I had high hopes for the much anticipated adaptation. The books were incredibly compelling and all of the characters felt well-developed. The short structure of the 6 episodes left the show feeling rushed and very surface level. Emma Myers’ fake British accent doesn’t land perfectly, taking you out of scenes.

From the first episode, there isn’t a ton of intrigue as to why all of a sudden this young student wants to solve a five year old murder. The motivation for Pip feels lackluster, making her entire journey feel self-beneficial instead of helping those who ask for it. She imposes upon hurt families, makes poor decisions, and starts becoming a disruptive student and friend. As a leading character, she lacks a level of likability needed to pull off a story such as this one.

Emma Myers’ fanbase and younger audiences may find enjoyment in it, but broadly speaking it misses the mark. There are so many characters that the story gets convoluted and the rushed structure leaves little to no tension. Each character only gets a few minutes of screen time making them feel very flat and one dimensional. The story would’ve been better served in an eight episode structure, allowing for tension building and character development.

A Good Girl's Guide To Murder is an easy and quick watch, but, as a murder mystery, it lacks tension and suspense that normally keeps audiences coming back for more.

A Good Girl's Guide To Murder is streaming on Netflix.