This one was a slow burn, but I enjoyed it. I like the dark academia books- takes me back my college days perhaps? I also connected with the main character because she's pregnant and I recently had a baby, so that may have helped me get engaged in the book early on. I don't want to give much away, because I hate when reviews accidentally spoil something in the story, but read it. It's good!

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is my first Ruth Ware novel and, unfortunately, it didn't really work for me. The premise was intriguing and I had high hopes for where it would go. However, the execution sort of dragged on, which (in my opinion) took away from the impact of the "big twist."

It's been years since Hannah has gone on the record and testified against John Neville, the man convicted for murdering her best friend and roommate, April. However, until his death, Neville swore his innocence, insisting they'd gotten the wrong man. When reporters start digging into the case again, Hannah, herself, begins to reconsider what she once believed to be the truth. The story is split into two narratives -- "Before" (which comprises the events leading up to April's death) and "After" (present day in the text, where we find a pregnant Hannah married to April's former boyfriend, Will). And while I enjoyed the alternating chapters -- and how they eventually collided -- this book was just so drawn out. It was much longer than it needed to be and repetitive in a number of places. I found that there were entire sections of it that really didn't contribute much to the story.

While I think the author did a great job offering up red herrings -- giving probable cause/motive to a number of different characters -- the lead-up to all of it was a little bit exhausting. I know that Ware's other work has been received well, so I'm not opposed to reading something by her again. However, this one just didn't feel worth the effort.

Ruth Ware is one of those authors where when her new book is released I am on board. In most of her books, it is her vivid imageries, intriguing characterizations and compelling mysteries that draws the readers in. This new novel, "The It Girl" did not follow Ware's usual writing style. The central focus is on the characters and the atmospheric setting is taken into a back seat. 

Hannah Jones arrives at Oxford, a prestigious college filled with wealth and knowledge. She shares her room with the very 'it girl' April Clarke-Cliveden. April is the epitome of an 'it girl': beautiful, popular, wealthy and intelligent. Hannah is accepted into April's glittering world with inseparable friends Hugh, Will, Ryan and Emily. Hannah lives a well-balanced life socially and in her studies until April ends up dead. A decade later, Hannah's world is turned upside down again when a journalist reaches out to her bringing in new evidence in regards to April's death. Hannah is forced to reconnect with old friends and follows new trails into April's death to uncover the mystery once and for all. 

I will admit this isn't my favorite Ruth Ware's book, however I was still engrossed with the mystery surrounding April's death which kept me reading until the end. This novel is written in alternating "before" and "after" chapters. The narrative is paralleled between Hannah's time in Oxford with Hannah's life decades later. These alternating chapters unfold leading up to April's death. Ware concocted engaging characters with a disquieting ambiance brewing underneath the surface. The pacing of the story is fairly quiet and more on the slower side. The usual Ware's sense of urgency and the immersive atmosphere tends to be missing in this novel. However, I, myself, still enjoyed this story in its own way. It was still very well-crafted, compelling characterizations with a riveting "whodunnit" mystery. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another Ruth Ware mid novel for me. I'm tired of finding thrillers that aren't so much thrilling as they are mysterious. I've read a lot of dark academia and I think this one was a little too long for my taste.

I have read all of Ruth Ware's books, and this one is my favorite. I loved the character building, I loved the storybuilding, and I really enjoyed the plot. There was a lot of action, lots of Red Herrings, and lots of things to think about and figure out. These are my favorite kind of thrillers. I will definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy a twisty story. Loved it!

This is a story about the kind of friendships that mean you don’t need any enemies.

I liked, but didn’t love this one. I think the characters were well written & the suspense really built up towards the end! But the constant mention of the protagonist pregnancy was distracting. We get it, she has a baby bump- it’s apparent, bumps into things, is impacting her health etc.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Gallery/Scout Press for the eArc!

This was a good book by a good author. This story goes back and forth to tell the story before the main character Hannah's best friend April is murdered, and after her murder.
The story takes place at one of the locations for Oxford University. In the beginning of the story we are first introduced to Hannah, and then we slowly meet each other character from there starting with April, Hannah's roommate and eventual best friend. Then from there she meets Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. Each with their own unique back story, goals and personalities. Eventually, and maybe even from the beginning, we can see that it is evident that Aprilis the "It Girl." She has money, power, privilege and beauty. She has it all, and uses it to her advantage. That can cause a lot of jealousy and envy, which can lead to murder. Maybe it was that or something much more personal. Hannah feels it is up to her to make sure that the person responsible pays for what they did; not just a random creeper who was already convicted of the murder due to Hannah's testimony.
This was a good book. I thought she did a great job with character development. Overall a decent read.

I think I am the only person who doesn't appreciate this author. This is the 3rd book I have read and not impressed with any, although I know several who love her writing.

Her books just keep getting better and better. Just the kind of book I like, and will surely recommend to bookclubs and customers. Thank you.

Absolutely riveting!!! No one writes a mystery like Ruth Ware. Even when you think you've figured it out she takes a left when you take a right. I guessed the right killer more than once but she kept giving reasons why I should consider someone else. Expertly done. After all the twist and turns, when the resolution was given it was so perfectly explained you have to wonder why you didn't see what was right in front of your face. That is real talent.! I suggest giving the Audiobook a try, the narrator pulls you in so completely your heart begins to race
Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

April and Hannah meet on their first day of Oxford. April was posh and sophisticated, but also manipulative with a mean streak. April, at the end of their first year, winds up dead in her and Hannah’s rooms and Hannah’s testimony puts the porter, John Nevill, behind bars for her murder. Almost a decade later, Hannah is married and pregnant when she gets notification that not only has Neville died in prison, but there is doubt of his guilt. Hannah cannot let go of the fact that she may have put an innocent man in prison and thus sends Hannah down a rabbit hole of lies, mysteries and murder. Told in alternating viewpoints - Before and After.

A compulsive read with a slow start - the reader is drawn into both April and Hannah’s world. Following multiple theories and leads, Hannah has no idea who of the friends she and April made at Oxford she can trust, and thus the reader doesn’t either. I was left questioning everything up until the very end.

This is a pretty classic murder mystery with the perfect number of potential suspects. I loved the dual timelines. The twist was not super predictable but also not too unbelievable. Was a relatively fast read.

Thank you NetGalley for the free eArc!

I really enjoyed getting to know this group of college friends, which included the 'it' girl. At this prestigious university, small town girl, Hannah, ends up with a trust fund very wealthy dorm mate, April. They each have their own bedroom but they couldn't be more different. There's so much drama, when Hannah falls for April's boyfriend, strip poker with a group of friends, and of course, a death of one of the teenagers. Imogen Church narrates the audiobook, so you can't go wrong listening to this one either! The story unfolds years later through flashbacks to the group's college years, was the wrong person jailed for the murder? I totally enjoyed finding out!

Ruth Ware got me with this one!

I truly thought I had the twist figured out, but then that ending came about, and boy, was I wrong!

Hannah and April were college roommates, and while Hannah was trying to get by (like most of us), April was undeniably the "It Girl." Whatever "it" was, she had it. The looks, the brains... the practical jokes.

When Hannah finds April's dead body, and sees John Neville, a porter for their university, exiting their building, she is certain, based on past interactions, he is the one to blame for April's death.

But what if she's wrong?

Loved this one and highly recommend it to any mystery lovers!

While Ware's novels can be a hit or miss for me, this was definitely a HIT. Probably my new favorite Ware. We've all known the "It" girl - the one who was annoying and entitled and yet you could never say no to her. It was a love/hate relationship that you knew would blow up one day but she was a magnet and everyone knew it.

Hannah considered April her best friend and was the key witness of her murderer being sent to jail. But when said murdered dies in prison, the media vultures start coming back out to feed and you start to question what you might have actually witnessed those many years ago.

Ware fed me so many red herrings that I don't think I'll need to eat for months. Just when I was all "A-HA! I knew it?!", it was "Oh, ok... erm, maybe not... (flips pages)". Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Haha - I was having so much freaking fun with it and I think Ware does an amazing job of keeping you on your very tippy toes. You know those movies where the last couple of minutes is just a flashback of scenes that explain the why and how of what happened? Yeah, that's what I got here.

This one just hit me right in the happy. Thanks, Ruth.

Ruth Ware’s slow-burn style of writing psychological thrillers continues to impress. This Dark Academia murder mystery focuses on the murder of April, an It Girl at Oxford. #partner

Her accused murderer has recently died in prison, causing her best friend, Hannah to question if she wrongfully put the wrong person in prison. As Hannah reevaluates the murder a decade later, new information comes to light that has her questioning everything she knew about that time in her own life and April’s.

It’s a long book and a slow burn, but I didn’t see the ending coming! I thought I figured out the murderer early on and was dead wrong.

Going into this novel, I was a little overwhelmed by the fact that the audio was SEVENTEEN hours long. In my opinion, most books have no business being 400 pages or longer, and while this one is no exception, it was really well done and super entertaining.

Hannah wasn't a particularly likeable character for me. She felt meek and naive, her decision-making was lacking, and it frustrated me how careless she was with her pregnancy. Part of my distaste for Hannah was likely with the narrator as well. I've done other audiobooks with Imogen Clark and strongly disliked them, due in large part to the narration. While ultimately I thought the narration was pretty good for It Girl, it was a little overacted at times and often a bit grating.

By 70% into this novel, I think I had suspected every single character as April's murderer. I had a hunch early on that I kept second guessing and I am pleased to report that I was wrong (always love when a mystery can surprise!!).

Much of the novel includes flashbacks to before April was murdered and I always love a good acidemia setting. I felt like there were some flaws with the setting, for example, why would a wealthy student like April be placed with a roommate when most of the on campus housing was singles? That aside, I loved the college location and enjoyed reminiscing about my own times back in university playing games in friend's dorm rooms and venturing out to the local pubs instead of going to the library.

I have to say, Ware is an expert at the reveal. I absolutely love that she didn't do an information dump on us during the last chapter. It's one of my biggest pet peeves when the killer is revealed and then they go on a chapter long monologue tying up all the loose ends. The reveal in this novel was uniquely done and worked so well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I'm not sure it'll particularly stick with me and it definitely could've been 100 pages shorter, however, it held my interest and I love that I was surprised.

Thank you to Gallery and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

I have read a few of Ruth Ware's books, this was one of the better ones for me. I enjoyed the Oxford setting and the group of friends. Hannah's roommate, April is murdered. Hannah thinks she knows who did it, but 10 years later she's having doubts about whether or not her testimony sent the wrong man to prison. Could one of her friends be responsible? Or even her husband? The story keeps us guessing until the end with a few good twists along the way. No one is who Hannah thought they were, even her best friend April had secrets. The story switches back and forth from the present to the time leading up to the murder. I didn't know who did it until the very end, and then it was a surprise. I did have a little trouble working out how the exact details of the murder made sense. But overall a good, compelling read.

I liked the before/after story line. I thought it was a nice change from the Mutliple POV storylines we have been seeing a lot of lately. The dynamic of the group was really spot on for what I envision a group like that at college would be like. I also think the character of April was really well written and a very believable character

I've been trying to think about how to write this review and share my thoughts for a little while and what it comes to is that it disappointed me with this story. It had its positives and all, but overall, it was a letdown. This was a very hyped-up book and I'm not sure why.
This story is about Hannah and Will, who are married and expecting their first baby. They have had to build a life and recover from 10 years earlier when Hannah found her friend/roommate murdered one night and this story is told from two different timelines. One timeline is from a decade ago when Hannah was living the events that lead up to finding April, her roommate, strangled, and the other is the present timeline. Hannah finds herself lead to uncover the answers to what really happened and who killed April 10 years ago and in the process finds out secrets being kept by others around her and puts herself, her baby, her husband, her marriage all in danger as she pushes to find and uncover the truth.
As I mentioned previously, this was an extremely hyped-up book and I felt that it didn't live. up to that hype. The first half or so of this book was a bit long, slow moving and hard for me to get through to get to the good part and finish the story.
If you like Ruth Ware or can push through the slow parts then you'll probably enjoy this one more than I did. This one, I think, was just not for me.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books/Gallery/Scout Press for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.