The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Show vs. Books: The Biggest Differences

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder made an impression upon its Netflix debut — but how does the TV adaptation compare to the original book series?

The six-part adaptation is based on the novel of the same title by Holly Jackson. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder centers around a teenager named Pip (Emma Myers) who takes it upon herself to solve the case in which a local schoolgirl has apparently been murdered by her boyfriend before he commits suicide. Pip’s interest in true crime drives her—as does the brother of the alleged killer.

While the TV series closely follows the storyline presented in the books, there are a few changes that range from subtle to very noticeable.

Social media played a huge role, with Facebook swapped for Instagram on screen. Pip’s dog, Barnie, changed from a golden retriever to a white English sheepdog in the series, and the nicknames Pip’s stepfather calls her changed from “Pickle” and “Pipsicle” in the book to “Chicken” in the series.

Scroll down to see the main differences that Netflix has made A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder compared to the book series:

The Depth of Pip’s Investigation

Telling a puzzle on paper has the advantage that you spend more time making mistakes and searching for the answer in more depth. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Pip continues to come to the same conclusions on screen, but you can sometimes see certain answers come to her by accident.

In the first book, however, Pip interviewed people more than once before piecing the details together. The goal is ultimately the same, but the journey on screen looked very different to those familiar with A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Pip’s Closer Connection to Andie

A key change in the series was Pip’s greater involvement in Andie’s affairs (India Lillie Davies) disappearance because their paths had crossed in the past. When Pip was younger, she saw Andie in despair before her disappearance and was even asked to keep the missing girl’s whereabouts a secret. Pip, however, told Sal (Rahul Pattni) immediately went where Andie went, which made her feel guilty and even more determined to clear Sal’s name.

In the book it is presented more simply, presenting Pip as an innocent person to Sal because he was very nice to her.

We offer a broader insight into Andie and Sal’s story

In the book, Jackson didn’t explore Andie and Sal’s relationship in much detail, but the TV series used flashback scenes to make viewers care more about their relationship.

Blink-and-you’ll-miss-it change

Fans of the books will remember that Elliot Ward (Mathew Baynton) was a history teacher, so the change to an English professor seemingly came out of nowhere. Some viewers have noted that the switch may have been a way to acknowledge Baynton’s character in Ghosts, who is a poet.

The dynamics of friendship

In the book, Ant Lowe was among Pip’s closest friends, while in the series he was simply introduced as Lauren’s friend (Jali Topol Margalith) new boyfriend — for now. Andie was close to Emma (Georgia Arron) and Chloe in the book, but in the series it was decided to have Nat (Jessica Webber) one of her best friends instead. The shake-up seems to be a strategic move that makes Andie’s betrayal of Nat hurt even more, which later leads to Nat becoming a suspect in Andie’s disappearance.

Making updates

Although in the book the disaster parties were a key location for an important discovery, in the TV version A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Instead, illegal parties were held in underground caves in the forest.

Final battle

Last warning regarding A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder spoilers. The big reveal that Andie’s sister, Becca (Carla Woodcock) is responsible for her death is included on both the page and screen. However, Becca confesses to Pip in the book before he drugs her. Pip then runs away, but Becca catches up with her and tries to strangle her before she changes her mind. Pip’s father and Ravi (Zain Iqbal) finally show up and help with the aftermath.

The Netflix version has most of the same beats, but Becca offers to take Pip to where she hid Andie’s body (in a cesspool located in an underground tunnel). Becca tries to get rid of Pip in the same way, but is scared off by Ravi and Cara (Asha Banks) tracking them down.