Kill Joy Review: Cute, low-stakes & inconsequential
I'm always a big fan of authors returning to their worlds with a cute spin-off, short story, or novella. So, as a fan of Holly Jackson's trilogy, Kill Joy was bound to be a delight... right? Following Pip as she attends a friend's 1920s murder-mystery party, it opens our eyes to her life before the tragedies of the main series, revealing her motive for choosing her fateful senior project in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.
So, did this prequel satiate me as a fun return to Pip's world? That's what I, Brighton Nelson, will be discussing in today's review. Thanks for joining me today, and I hope you enjoy!
Starting with the positives, it was a blast to see these characters again—especially before their status quo was completely upended. It was a cute, whimsical story packed with the snappy banter and charming dynamics Holly Jackson excels at. I also loved how the narrative kept using goofy fake-out events to startle Pip, playing on dramatic irony since we as an audience know no real danger will befall anyone at this party.
Watching Pip’s gradual realization that mystery games aren't as superficial as she thought was a great character beat. Furthermore, her eventual attempt to explain away her initial assumptions—and how that frustration directly becomes the inciting incident for her investigation in book one—was a really clever piece of connective tissue.
However, while Kill Joy is charming and gives a bit more insight into Pip, it ends up falling into the "cute-but-unnecessary" prequel category rather than the "cute-and-enlightening" one. I never found myself actively wondering why Pip picked her senior project topic, so answering that question feels like solving a problem that never existed.
While you could argue that spin-offs or fiction in general are technically "unnecessary," Kill Joy is still a tough book to strongly recommend. Because of the nature of the murder-mystery party setting, the core mystery carries essentially zero real stakes outside of its minor impact on Pip's ego.
The Brighton's Bookshelf Verdict
Brighton's Bookshelf Score: 5/10
Letter Score: C
Kill Joy is mediocre in the exact same way Solo: A Star Wars Story is: I'm ultimately happy it exists, and I don't have any massive grievances with it, but it remains rather forgettable and strictly intended for Pip's biggest fans. Because it's narratively forced to keep the stakes low and can't push Pip's character arc forward, it simply can't stand alongside the mainline books in the series.
Interested in checking out some of my other Holly Jackson book reviews? Or other mystery, YA, thriller, and crime novels? Check them out below!
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