Betrayal. Lies. Murder. Released in early August, the novel A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson can finally be brought to justice with its very own Netflix series. As someone who is a fan of the trilogy, I had fun watching the adaptation, but thought it could have been truer to the books. Here, I will explore some of the positives and negatives of the TV series compared to the novel. An important warning: this does contain spoilers for the TV show and the book series. DO NOT READ ahead if you are planning on enjoying either in the future!
A Summary
The plot follows Pippa (Emma Myers), an inquisitive high school senior who decides to take on a rather hefty personal project: reopening an old murder case in her hometown to prove the innocence of Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni), who she believes was wrongfully framed for the murder of Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies). Along the way, she makes both new friends and enemies. The story comes together in an unexpected finale, bringing justice to both Andie and Sal.
The Controversy
Like any TV adaptation, though, there comes the question: was the book better?
“I’m proud of the show that we’ve made but ultimately I wasn’t the one writing it,” Holly Jackson said in an interview with Variety. Even with a respectable 80% viewer rating, there are some faults.
Character Cuts
With only 6 episodes, the show made some changes to the original storyline. Most obvious were the character cuts: both Stanley Forbes, a local journalist, and Chloe, one of Andie Bell’s former best friends, were not included in the show. While these characters might not have contributed much to Pippa’s investigation in the first novel, their absence can be jarring for fans of the trilogy. “I was sad to see that Stanley Forbes wasn’t in the show. I thought his character brought a lot into [the novels],” junior Sasha Bevacqua said.
Although Stanley Forbes does not have such an important role in the first novel in the series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, he increasingly appears in the last book, titled Good Girl, Bad Blood, as the long-elusive Child Brunswick who (spoiler alert!!) is sought after and eventually murdered by a vengeful Charlie Green, a character introduced in the final novel. Not only does this cut mean the loss of the iconic journalistic rivalry between Stanley and Pippa, but it could also present some problems if the show aims to produce further seasons, as his presence in the first volume makes the final reveal have much more shock value.
Additional Differences
Another difference between the TV series and the book was how Pippa put together information relating to the case—specifically, her suspect list. She has a slightly different list in the show and the novel; for example, she suspects Daniel da Silva (played by Jackson Bews) in the novel whereas she suspects Victor (played by Gary Beadle), her stepfather, in the show. This change does not skip out on major plot points, but it does lose some of the positive father-daughter relationship that the novel has. This loss definitely dampened the spirited atmosphere I imagined Pippa’s home life to have in the book.
Book vs Show Likeness Rating
For the most part, I noticed the on-screen adaptation made some changes to the characters. Here are some of my ratings for the main character’s likeness to the books, where 1 is not similar at all and 5 is exactly the same as in the books:
Pippa: 3 stars. Compared to the books, she seemed less mature and confident.
Ravi: 5 stars. His character stayed true to the books—the TV show did well with his portrayal.
Elliot Ward: 2 stars. He seemed like such a shallow character compared to the books, and his motive didn’t feel as justified as what is revealed in the novel.
Similarities
Although the TV series made some significant changes from the original plot of the novel, the choices were not all bad. Similar to the novel, the friendly banter between the two main characters is evident, which makes it easier to root for them throughout their adventures. The chemistry between Ravi and Pippa made their on-screen moments more engaging and fun, also contributing to the budding romance between the partners. “Their Sherlock and Watson banter still shines through as a highlight of the show,” a writer for Boise State’s Arbiter said.
The casting and character development were both things viewers enjoyed about the show. Casting-wise, the actors bore a convincing resemblance to the physical descriptions of their characters, and for character development, Pippa’s journey from an insensitive teen to an empathetic journalist was much clearer in the TV show than in the novel.
In conclusion…
Overall, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has elements that are lost in its TV show adaptation—although these losses were almost made up for with the mostly clear storyline, character development, and good casting. The show would be an entertaining watch on its own, with its compelling plot and clever characters, for people who have not read the book and wouldn’t notice the changes.
In any case, for fans of the series, the show did keep in some of the highly-anticipated moments; one that I enjoyed seeing was the way Ravi and Pippa confirmed Sal’s innocence—the anticipation of tracing back Sal’s steps and the relief both characters feel afterward was great to see in the adaptation.
“I would love to see the entire trilogy pan out…. Hopefully we get to do another season,” Emma Myers said in an interview with Teen Vogue. Although Netflix has not yet approved the series for another season, both viewers and actors anticipate a successful future for the show.
