TV Show Review - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Drama/ Mystery
Number of episodes: 6
Year: 2024
Starring: Emma Myers, Asha Banks, Zain Iqbal, Anna Maxwell-Martin, Yali Topal Margalith, Raiko Gohara, Jude Morgan-Collie, Yasmin Al-Kudhairi, Mathew Baynton, Gary Beadle, Henry Ashton, Jackson Bews, Kamari Loyd, Carla Woodcock, India Lillie Davies, Rahul Pattni

Description: Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers) is unsure whether schoolgirl Andie bell was killed by her boyfriend Sal Singh five years ago. How far will they go to protect Pip from learning the truth if Sal turns out not to be the murderer?

Review: As a fan of the book (its entire series) it’s extra exciting to see all the characters come to life and see the story played out on the screen. But it’s also a bit scary, because you want it to be good. And even though I really like what they did, it does have its flaws.

When I read this series, I immediately fell in love with Pip. She is one of my favorite female leads in a book series ever. Emma Myers had big shoes to fill. And I think she did a great job. Pip looked different then I pictured her while reading, but Myers understood the task and delivered a great performance. She is a good choice for Pip.

For the most part, the series stays true to the book, but there are a lot of things very different. And this is always the case with book to film/ series adaptations. You can’t simply use everything.

I loved the town. Little Kilton looked amazing and I really enjoyed the setting. It had the same feels as the book. And, like stated before, Emma Myers was a good choice. Her friend group doesn’t get that much attention though. Aside from Cara, we don’t really get to know them. Ravi, played by Zain Iqbal, was also a good choice. Love his portrayal of Ravi. And he worked well together with Myers. I also think the choice of Henry Ashton to play Max Hastings was perfect. Although, I don’t like how they executed this storyline. It was much more satisfying in the book.

One plot point that wasn’t in the book, involving Pip’s stepdad, didn’t really need to be in the series either. It was unnecessary and didn’t fit. They could have left that part out. And the biggest change, that I did not like, was part of the ending. And I need to get into spoilers, to further explain this.

WARNING!!! SPOILERS COMING UP!!!

When Pip thinks Elliot Ward is hiding Andie in his old house, she finds another girl that Elliot has been holding captive. Elliot has an affair with Andie and when he pushed her, Andie hits her head. She walks away injured, but wasn’t killed by Elliot. This is both in the book and the show. But here is where it’s different. In the book, Elliot goes looking for her and he finds a girl wandering the street. It’s not Andie but Elliot convinces himself it is and he keeps her locked up in the attic. The girl also eventually believes her name is Andie. In the series, Elliot knows it’s not Andie and so does the girl. Which makes it strange.

END OF SPOILERS!!!

I did enjoy the series, with some minor issues here and there I liked the viewing experience. And I do hope the will make more seasons, including the other books (also the prequel please) in the series. If you haven’t read the books and aren’t attached to the story and characters yet, it’s a super enjoyable murder mystery set in a small town, just the way I like it.