User reviews

If I hadn't read the books I probably would have loved this. But I did read the books - several times. Sadly, this series feels like the people who made it didn't read the books at all. More like they had the plot told to them and then they pieces it together from memory and got a vague resemblance to the books.

I'm so sad, because I was genuinely so excited. It sucks because I think the actors did a good job, even if they didn't look like what I pictured them. There was such a lack of depth, and where in the books the readers were along with Pip as she did the work, and dug into the dark corners of the case, this just felt like she accidentally stumbled into the answers without really asking any questions. And Ravi wasn't even really part of the solving the way he was in the books. And where was Stanley? Too many important factors missing, and it's so sad, because this could have been so good, and I think if the actors had been given something closer to the source material it could have been really satisfying for everyone.

I guess I'll try to see it as its own thing, if it gets renewed.

The whole point of the book that made it so famous was that you solve this case alongside Pip, which the series decided not to do, losing the whole point of the story.

Important and interesting scenes from the book were lost and e.g. 5 scenes were merged into 1 with simple dialogue without any connection to the actors.

The information of the murder is thrown away pointlessly without any suspense, since the series starts essentialistically from the end of the book. Unfortunately it didn't come out the way the book deserved.

As for the actors, I don't think they did a bad job, they just had to deal with a bad script that didn't let the audience to get involved enough in actor's lives and get involved in the story.

Maybe it's a good work for those who haven't read the book, but I think for anyone who has read it the differences and missteps were annoying.

It was entertaining enough, but the main character was making a lot of questionable decisions, even for a teenager, so treat the show for what it is going in.

I find that shows that make the main characters very smart and the villains just as smart tend to be way better. They could have definitely figured out other ways to make some scenes suspenseful, without making her flat out simple ( I just know most girls her age would have never put themselves in some of the situations that she did) Also prepare for some silliness. There was absolutely nothing special about this girl when it came to investigation skills, it just so happens that adults just told her everything, things the police couldn't even get from them, she got without any effort.

If you treat this show for what it is ( not a great young adult drama) then you'll enjoy it.

Just finished watching the show on Netflix.

A few things, apparently this series is based on a book, and I really wanna read it to know more about the details of the story/plot.

The story wasn't predictable which is good but I felt like it felt very unrealistic at times.

Since I am not a teenager in 2024, it's hard to relate to the environment the characters are in.

The actors did a good job, especially "Sal" the few minutes he's on screen, I really felt his presence. His face and emotions were perfect for the scenes.

If you enjoy "true crime" you will like this refreshing series. Kinda like Nancy Drew but in the modern times.

From the start had a feeling this wasn't for me but I was intrigued to know what happened and because it was only 6 episodes I persisted until the end.

I'm not sure how this has been rated a 10 by some, but each to their own.

The acting was not the greatest and most of the main characters lacked chemistry.

The main character, Pip continually put herself in dangerous situations with characters she believed were the killer/s, which was highly unlikely for someone who was supposedly so smart and such a goodie goodie.

The overall storyline wasn't bad however the plot was simplistic and at times dialogue and situations unbelievable.

I can see why this could appeal to teenagers though.

I have read the books years ago and thought it did well at adapting to it closely, and it was very exciting and pulls you in to watch it, but the acting of the main character Pip and also her friends & Ravi was something that felt patchy at points - it was certainly good in some places but in others felt very forced and unrealistic. Emma Myers' (Pip) accent was also very inconsistent - you could tell she's american with a lot of phrases she said. Overall though, it was enjoyable and did stick to the books well, and I loved Pip's parents (the adult casting was maybe the best bit of the show, they were all brilliant)

I was really looking forward to this as I loved the book. In general it was a good adaptation, but I don't think the acting was the best. Sadly multiple actors lacked depth and sincerity in their parts. Don't get me wrong, I think there was a lot of good acting (e.g. Cara and Naomi) but the two leads (Pip and Ravi) weren't particularly convincing. Emma's accent also falters often. There were details missed from the book which I suppose is necessary for a series, but the book felt more rich in detail and storyline quality. However, it is bingeworthy as the story is similar to the book, I just think it could have been (much) better.

Like just about everything on BBC these days I was sceptical, but found it easy to watch.

Notwithstanding all the comments about the book etc, I am only taking it on face value.

I am in my seventies and could not fathom out the age demographic this was aimed at. At one point I thought it may have been a childrens book, but the profanities suggested otherwise. As usual these were totally unnecessary throughout.

It aired, I believe, at 22:30, which is anything but prime time.

So, a lot of people may have missed this unless they spotted it on "catch up".

Essentially it is a young cast and there is some unconvincing acting, Emma Myers aside.

Even the adults are pretty wooden and sound like they are acting.

Anyway, I still enjoyed how it unfolded and it has to be said this is mainly due to the performance of Emma Myers.

The ending was disappointing. The main perpetrator was uncovered but forgot about what happened to Andi. It sort of felt like it was tacked on and not very believable.

The main question unanswered at the end is what on earth had the police been doing?

Also, nothing was explained about the the whys and wherefores regarding Isla Jordan.

Having binge read the book and enjoyed its great pacing and delivery of evidence the series unfortunately falls flat to the high expectations created.

Let's start by the characters. The book itself doesn't dive very deep into the relationships and the development of the people involved. However the series is even more uninterested in highlighting the emotional depth and challenges of the characters. Even main ones like Ravi's and Pip's, their emotional moments feel forced and not very analysed. The others involved, friends family and suspects all feel like fillers for the episodes to reach the time limit, not actual people like in the books.

The acting is not bad but definitely not brilliant either. At times too Disney Channel-y which makes sense bc of the ya vibe of the book but still unable to connect with the viewers at high impactful moments.

Picture is interesting at times, convincing enough for a small town scenery, but the colouring seems a bit off. The saturation feels a little bit much like you're watching descendants on Disney+ and not a teenage murder mystery. All of this to say, we dont need another Riverdale or Winx Saga but at times it took from the broodiness and darkness of the story.

Now the plot, having read the book I was about to scream at whoever write the f script because so much important information (hints about the end) were not revealed until the very end. Six episodes were short for that amount of information and pacing was weird as it felt like we were stuck for about 2 episodes of nothing happening.

Characters were basically assassinated for the sake of the episode's length which created patchy and awkward pauses in the story.

All in all, I expected much more from the story. I think so much was lost because of the writing to be honest. Directorial choices were weird. I feel like a voice-over or even segments that showed the evidence a little bit like the book would help understand Pip's progress in the mystery and help engage with the viewers.

So sad bc this could have been an easy win. Next time consoder asking the readers and stick to the book more .

Actually shocked at how poor this was. I saw the trailer and decided to buy the book. Isupport in a school library, this is one of our most popular books and I make an attempt to read as many as I can. I decided to read the book before watching the series. The book I loved, finished it within a few days and have ordered the second.

But the TV series... omg what a huge disappointment! Did not follow the story line, missing loads of details and literally the characters had no depth. You get so involved in the book with a huge affinity for Pip etc... But in this series.. No your typical 'yawn' teenagers. They didn't need to try to make the 'cool'. The whole thing is trying to hard to be cool.

Couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with the actress who played Pip, but as someone said in a previous review I later realised that she was actually American and I believe that she was focusing more on her (dodgy) accent than the role. Are we lacking British talent? I doubt it. Lazy casting. Surprised Holly Jackson gave her permission tbf.

An interesting but uneven mystery drama that never quite manages to firmly find its feet. There's lots to enjoy in this series from the lovely shooting locations, the very good lead performances to the actual mystery itself and the almost cold case style investigation which follows. I haven't read the book so can't comment on how accurate it is. The series sometimes starts onto territory that feels familiar and a couple of bits feel slightly shoehorned in, including a I Know What You Did Last Summer style accident.

A certain tall blonde young woman will also appear exactly when our protagonist needs her to in order to help. The friends at times get some development at other times feel superfluous. You start to realise soon all the white men in the series are bad in some often vile and criminal way, ethnic men though are mostly kind hearted and caring, imagine if the BBC did the opposite. It's become almost weakness and trope now you actually start to roll your eyes at. The casting is mostly quite good though one actor playing a pressured 17 years looks not a day over 40. Smart phones get used a lot in the series but usually to advance the plot along. Our main character gets to give lots of self-righteous rants at different point meanwhile her Watson friend somehow seems to be entirely void of anything approaching a realistic life, often just appearing by a lake with his hands in his pockets in order for our protagonist to talk with him, how longs he been stood staring at that tree?

We get a fair bit of drugs in the series, a slightly unsettling list of professions you think you can trust like teachers and policemen who are very much not trustworthy to say the least. Plot holes are simply gigantic, a certain accident involving an animal makes no sense, nor the motives of people really. Some bits are also unclear but for the most part I could follow it. Its all very idealised at times the perfect cottage england homes, the traffic free streets, the dog that never barks or gets too excited, or causes any mess or problems. The parents who exchange witty banter, it's all a bit tv land. I do like a good mystery though, the thing moves along nicely, it's fairly well done technically and so I give it a 6 overall. Despite its slightly funny character overall its not a comedy touching on some interesting themes relevant to young people about racism, parenting, friendship, drugs, consent and intergrity.

I've read the books and I didn't feel the characters in the book with the actors. Emma doesn't have the accent for it. I don't understand why they couldn't hire a British actress. There's plenty out there like okay.

Also, a lot of things were changed which didn't make sense to me and the chemistry kind of lacked in places between friends. I thought the main ship had chemistry.

The scenery, the cinematography was incredible, though. Honestly IMHO if you're adapting a book. Do it by the book. Stop tweaking details. It's annoying and I don't like how white boys/men are depicted nowadays like stop.

Nowadays it's so hard to actually see a good book adaptation. But this adaptation made by the BBC surprised me in a positive way. It is not easy to adapt with excellence, But this series is perfect. I hope they adapt the other books. Emma Myers is here as a perfect protagonist. She managed to deliver an incredible and fresh performance. I don't get attached to the accent because for me the important thing is the performance in general, and that's what she perfectly. I also want to highlight her dynamic with Asha Banks (a great Cara Ward). In fact, the group chosen was great. They fit. Watch it.

I've never read the books, but I don't think you need to have prior knowledge of the story to know that this is a terrible adaptation.

The script is poor, rushed, with huge plot holes and an inhuman amount of cliché.

The protagonist Pippa is described in the books as an extremely intelligent and good girl. However, her adaptation does not represent any of these qualities.

She is careless, impulsive and constantly puts herself in illogical and false super dangerous situations unnecessarily.

According to what I read, in the books Pip stands out for having solved the whole case through her investigation together with Ravi, when in the adaptation this never really happens, since almost all the information is obtained through random stories from Mcgoffin characters.

The cast, eh, I don't have much to highlight. Most of them don't even speak and seem like they just came out of acting school.

The plot development is slow and very boring. The ending is incredibly predictable and convenient, and from what I understand it is not faithful to the books.

Starring actress is what saves the show, Emma Myers did a good job overall. It's a short series, if you don't mind spending 6 hours it's okay.

Here's my unsolicited review of the show I enjoyed the show, but it didn't quite measure up to the book. While it wasn't terrible, it also wasn't exceptional. It was a decent show, worth spending six hours on, but probably not something you'd want to rewatch. It is often unrealistic to expect a live adaptation of a beloved book series to be as great as the original. I understand that some changes are necessary in adaptations, but some of the alterations made were nonsensical. Pip's character felt completely different, and the way she discovered most of her information made her seem far less intelligent than she is in the book. Instead of piecing things together, she was spoon-fed everything and stumbled into revelations. The main problems with the show appeared to come from weak direction and writing, as well as the frequent issue of changing key aspects of the plot. So, is the show worth watching? The show might be entertaining to watch if you enjoy young adult- mystery dramas. However, if you prefer adaptations to stay true to their source material, you might find it less satisfying.

The murder of popular student Andie has haunted a small community for some years. Inquisitive and intelligent student Pip decides to look into the case, and establish whether or not Andie's boyfriend Sal was guilty or not.

It's a very unusual series, it doesn't follow any of the rules, aimed at a teenage audience, but has something to offer older viewers, just know what you're getting.

The best way I could describe it, CBBC does I know what you did last summer, at times it very much feels like a drama for young teens, at times, such as in the last two episodes, it goes into a much darker place.

It does go on a bit, and it is slow in parts, but overall there's enough to keep you interested. There's enough to have made me order the book.

It's nicely acted, Emma Myers and Anna Maxwell Martin both do a fine job, Maxwell definitely showing her experience and class.

7/10.

Really enjoyed this having not read the books. Was very surprised by the ending and it kept me guessing the whole way. Emma Myers was a perfect choice to play the lead, such a captivating performance and she easily carried the show. The supporting cast were all serviceable to really great. The adult cast were all excellent but I also really enjoyed the actors who played Cara, Andie, Naomi, Max and Sal. Really made themselves known in a scene. I wasn't super impressed with the love interest but he was fine and their story was sweet enough, it just felt a little forced in and wasn't as interesting as Sal and Andie or Pip's friendship with Cara. But I really can't fault this for an enjoyable summer watch.

I'm guessing that some of the happier reviewers were from fans of the book. I have not read it, but this a decent mystery filled with various twists and turns.

The acting and the lack of chemistry between the family and the young friends is horrible though. The lead actress was unconvincing to say the least, so it was hard to stick with it, but the story was OK enough to push through to the end. It makes me wish that I had just read the book and be done with it. Possibly the worst series and acting I've seen on the BBC for a while.

The supposed drug dealer was particularly funny for the wrong reasons.

I read the novel so I was mildly interested in the adaptation. I say mildly because the book was just okay. There was nothing wow about it and it meandered without any real twists, too many red herrings (Pip suspects everyone) until the very end.

This adaptation was just as pedestrian at six episodes. Why? The novel wasn't that gripping, and this isn't either with the heroine essentially being handed all the clues and 'cracking' the witness like she was interviewing them for a job.

A movie would have benefitted the source material by quickening the pace which would've heightened the suspense. And like the book, there are no crumbs or Easter eggs leading to the actual suspect, which makes both meh.

They always say that when you read the book, you can't like the series that comes out of it, because you are glued to the plot. And it's not always true, there were a few times when I liked a series based on a book, but in this series I was divided.

On the one hand - they kept the continuous line of the plot and made sure to show the end, but on the other hand - I didn't see much investigation. I felt that Pip didn't investigate as deeply as in the book, I felt that everything came towards her and her without really understanding the meanings, Pip is thoughtful and smart in the book and in the series she kind of goes with the flow and doesn't have the dominance that characterized her.

In terms of the series itself: an excellent series, in terms of basing it on a book: not a good job.