A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder Season 2 Review: Emma Myers Breaks Bad In A Bland Mystery That Doesn’t Deserve Her

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In season 2 of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, the character Pip Fitz-Amobi (played by Emma Myers) keeps receiving the unsettling message, “Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?” Sadly, the same question could be asked about the season itself. Unless you’re already a fan of the books, it’s likely to be quickly forgotten.

The second season of the Netflix show, based on Holly Jackson’s popular young adult novels, continues the story from Good Girl, Bad Blood. Emma Myers is back as Pip, who initially gained attention for investigating a murder in season one and sharing her findings on a true-crime podcast. While Pip wants to move on from detective work, she’s pulled back in when Jamie Reynolds, the brother of her friend Connor, disappears, forcing her to resume her role as an amateur sleuth.

Okay, so I’m totally freaked out about Jamie going missing, especially now! It’s so weirdly timed because he was supposed to testify against Max Hastings – you know, the guy on trial for what he did to Becca and Woman A. Remember at the end of season one of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder when Pip finally got Max to admit something happened with Becca? Well, it turns out bringing down guys like that isn’t as simple as it looks, and season two is really showing how hard it is to actually get justice.

Pip has Ravi Singh’s steadfast support, but repeatedly risking her safety is starting to affect her, revealing a darker side that threatens both the investigation and her mental state. The show offers a compelling look at Pip’s character, with a strong performance by Myers. However, the weak and predictable mystery, along with uninteresting supporting characters, doesn’t do her talent justice.

Max Hastings’ Trial Gets An Upgrade From The Books As It Overshadows Season 2’s Forgettable Central Mystery

The fact that I frequently had to remind myself about Jamie Reynolds – who he is, that he’s missing, and why his disappearance is important – doesn’t suggest good things for season 2 of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. It’s not really about whether Jamie is safe, but rather that the prosecution needs his statement to keep their case against Max Hastings from falling apart.

I was really captivated by Max’s trial in Good Girl, Bad Blood, but honestly, the show spends most of its time focused on the search for Jamie. Season two feels different, though – it tries to balance both storylines, which is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, the trial scenes are incredibly powerful and realistically portray the difficulties sexual assault survivors face when seeking justice. But on the other, it’s clear the original story just doesn’t have enough depth to sustain a whole season on its own, which is a little disappointing.

I enjoyed reading Good Girl, Bad Blood, but it struck me as odd that a really important scene between Pip and Jamie was completely left out of the book. This scene was meant to show their connection and make me feel sorry for Jamie, raising the emotional stakes. What’s even stranger is that the setting for this conversation actually came from another book in the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series! Without it, Jamie’s storyline felt even less impactful than it was, and honestly, I almost forgot about the search for him.

As a huge fan, I noticed something really interesting: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who co-created the Netflix series, actually wrote half of season two’s episodes. And she made a deliberate choice to show way more of Max’s trial than she did in the book! She handled it beautifully, honestly. But what really stood out was how she developed Max’s mom, Rosie – Annabel Mullion is fantastic. It was such a smart move, and honestly, it almost made me want the whole show to be about her! I was a little bummed when Rosie’s storyline wound down towards the end, though.

Although Jamie’s part of the story wasn’t as interesting as Max’s, the show still had some good surprises. The cliffhanger at the end of episode 3, where someone was pretending to be another person online, definitely made me want to watch more. But the show is ultimately about murder, not just finding missing people, and focusing on the latter keeps the tension from building – making this season feel a bit disappointing overall.

A Phenomenal Emma Myers Makes Up For A (Mostly) Weak Supporting Cast

Even if the central mystery of Jamie’s disappearance isn’t the most compelling reason to watch season 2 of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Emma Myers’ performance is definitely worth it. While she’s known for playing the cheerful Enid Sinclair in Wednesday, Myers truly shines as the lead in this series. Season 2 sees Pip as an 18-year-old, and Myers perfectly portrays the anxieties of early adulthood, especially as Pip navigates increasingly dangerous circumstances.

In season two, Pip leans into her flawed side while remaining someone viewers can connect with. She’s seen a lot of the world’s cruelty for someone her age, so it’s easy to understand why she’s frustrated with always doing the right thing while people like Max Hastings avoid consequences. This frustration explains her more impulsive behavior this season, even if I sometimes found myself wanting her to make different decisions.

Iqbal returns as Ravi Singh, now Pip’s boyfriend, taking on a role similar to Watson in a Sherlock Holmes story. While you can sense the actors working to recreate the classic dynamic, Ravi is a great role model for younger viewers, showing what a supportive partner looks like. However, he sometimes dismisses Pip’s small offenses too easily, making him seem a bit weak and missing opportunities for compelling conflict.

While A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder excels in its central mystery, the supporting characters feel underdeveloped. Both Cara and Lauren have reasons to be upset with Pip – Cara blames her for her father’s imprisonment, and Lauren is hurt by Pip’s disapproval of her boyfriend’s cousin, Robin. These conflicts are typical for young adult stories, but Cara and Lauren lack distinct personalities beyond their grievances, making them feel flat.

Connor is, unfortunately, stuck playing the comedic relief character again, and it doesn’t work well, especially this season. With his brother missing and so much at stake, his jokes feel out of place and even awkward. While his humor didn’t quite land in season one, here it’s a real missed chance to give Connor – and the show itself – more emotional depth.

One frustrating aspect from the first season continues: the show uses overly dramatic pop songs with lyrics that are far too obvious. While young adult stories often emphasize emotion, and I could overlook the jarring music if the characters were well-developed, the songs feel forced because so many of the characters are underdeveloped and rely on the music to convey feeling.

To really drive home how unpleasant Max Hastings is, the show used the intense music cue, “PREDATOR,” during his first scene in season two. It’s one of the season’s most effective uses of music – Max’s creepy smile directed at Pip is truly unsettling.

Ashton delivers a fantastic performance as the season’s main villain. Playing Max Hastings as an over-the-top, stereotypical bad guy would have been easy, but the actor avoids that trap. In what is likely the highlight of the second season of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, a tense showdown between Max and Rosie reveals that he’s not a ruthless criminal. He’s a scared young man who fears losing his mother’s approval just as much as he fears going to prison.

Despite its imperfections, the second season of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder doesn’t offer a completely resolved ending. It intentionally leaves some questions unanswered, which will likely encourage viewers who have followed the series to seek out more. Since there’s a third book in the original series, a third season of the show is definitely possible. Hopefully, if it happens, the next installment will be as strong as the acting by Myers and Ashton and will address some of the issues present in season two.

The second season of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will be available on Netflix starting Wednesday, May 27, 2026, with all six episodes released at once.

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2026-05-27 12:26