Ruth Ware does it again! This book was a rollercoaster, including loving and hating the main character, Hannah, along the way. Around 70% of the book I thought the plot was revealed, and was confused by how much of the book I had left to go. Of course, there was a twist, and then another, which is what you want in a mystery! With a setting of a decade old murder taking place at a university, the reader must be able to separate the main character's own biases and perspectives from reality.

The It Girl is a great mystery, with enough twists and character development to keep the reader engaged and invested in the outcome of "whodunnit" many years after the murder was committed. None of the characters were necessarily "loveable" which gives it a sense or reality but also makes it more exciting for the reader to make their own assumptions and guesses on who could have committed the crime.

The only downfall was the middle felt slow and almost made the reader, at least myself, feel as though the end was clear in sight. Once you get past the realization that you are dead wrong, the book picks off again.

Ruth Ware's latest thriller The It Girl, set on the campus of Oxford University, had me hooked from the very first page. I love books with academic settings anyway, but add a locked door mystery to it, and it's like catnip for me.

The It Girl follows Hannah Jones, a new student at Oxford. Hannah was expecting to live alone when she arrived at the school, but instead finds she has been paired up with April Coutts-Cliveden, the "It Girl" on campus. April's eyes dance with mischief and her personality is magnetic. Many envy her, but she has a few haters. Hannah is fascinated by April, who is so different from herself, and the two become fast friends. They also quickly cultivate a close knit group of friends as they all navigate the ups and downs of their first term at university.

Their lives get turned upside down, however, when April is murdered and Hannah finds her body in their shared room. It is Hannah who is able to provide enough evidence for school porter John Neville to be arrested, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. Is Neville really guilty though? He maintains he's innocent for years and dies in prison, still proclaiming his innocence. If he didn't do it, who did? And why?

Ware unravels this mystery through the use of dual timelines and I was fully invested in both of them. The first timeline follows Hannah and April while they are at Oxford, letting the details that led to April's murder slowly unfold, while the second follows Hannah ten years later. Wracked with guilt that she may have sent an innocent man to prison, Hannah is now determined to find out the truth about April's murder.

Ware is a master of unexpected twists and turns, and this is very much true of The It Girl. Every time I thought I had figured out who was responsible for April's death, the story would take me in a completely unexpected direction and leave me scratching my head. The fact that April wasn't the nicest person and that she did have her share of haters really added to the puzzle as well because it really did seem like pretty much any of the other characters in the book could easily be her killer.

If you're in the mood for a thriller that is dark, intense, riveting, and filled with twists and turns galore, be sure the add The It Girl to your reading list. In a Dark, Dark Wood is still my favorite Ware novel, but The It Girl is a close second!

Ruth Ware is the Queen of mystery thrillers. She has a propensity for creating psychological thrillers that fully immerse the reader into the story and keep them there. And while this book is a bit of a departure with two timelines, before and after, the setting, characters and scenerio is one that kept me engaged and committed to discovering who-done-it.

April was the first person Hannah met at Oxford and even though they came from entirely different worlds, they were best friends. Their life on campus was complete with late night parties, last minute study sessions and a close knit group of friends. Life became a nightmare the day Hannah discovered April's dead body in the dorm. She dropped out of school, testified in court that she saw John Neville, creepy school porter, leaving her hallway minutes before she discovered April.

Ten years later, never admitting guilt, Neville dies and interest is once again brought to the case. Reporters believe Neville wasnt given a good defense and might not have done it. Hannah has always had missing memories so when Neville dies, she starts asking questions of those around her to uncover the truth of what happened to April.

Ware titles her chapters "before" - when we learn of life at Pelham College and meet the potential suspects and "after" when Hannah is married to Will and expecting their first child. For me April, was the least developed character in this book. While popular, entitled and a daddys girl, we dont really get to know her. And what we do learn doesnt make her likeable. Hannah, Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily's characters are much more developed although it doesnt seem like any one them truly liked her either.

Wares writing is good. Its slow getting to know the characters and about 70% in things start heating up. I am grateful my first guess very early on was wrong. With red herrings and twists, we are kept guessing who killed April. And when we learn, we are still asking why. Ware gives us that tidbit as well.

The "It Girl" is a book about love and loss. It's about the lingering effects of trauma and survivors guilt. I would also say its about not judging a book by its cover (even though this one is fantastic).

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Ruth Ware for a clever psychological twisty tale, one filled with interesting characters and their secrets.

While I enjoyed The It Girl, there was so much talk and anticipation of this book, that I almost feel it ruined it for some people. My only complaint tho is that it was way too long.. honestly the story would've been just as good with 100 less pages! Other than that I did enjoy the mystery of who killed April and that the story was told in two timelines, the "before" and the "after" of her murder. The character development was just ok, we didn't really get to know any of the other players besides Hannah. This was a good solid story.

The It Girl draws you in and never stops. It is a mystery that you want to solve. Who killed April? Was it John Neville, Will, Ryan, Emily, Hugh or an obscure character. Each time you think you have it solved there’s another twist.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and unfortunately it did not live up to the hype. This was way too long and just so boring. I was expecting a suspenseful thriller with some twists that kept you guessing. This was not that. It did hold my interest enough to want to know how it ended, but that was it.

✨ Hannah met April her first year at Oxford. A year later, April is found dead.

💥The premise of dark academia is one that I love to read. This book is full of twists, clues, and red herrings. The pace is fast and while you pop between before and after the big incident, there is no shortage of things to piece together. Nonetheless, the ending is super intense.

My face at the end: 🤓

🍪 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to @Netgalley and Gallery Scout Press for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney). I will give you a list of reasons to read! Or listen to our podcast, Elated Geek, wherever you subscribe.

Well this one took me FOREVER to read. It was my back up read/kindle book to read when I didn’t have a physical book with me. But that beginning half was so freaking boring I wasn’t into it at all but at the same time I hate not finishing books. Finally about 70% through it picked up. The ending was good, everything made sense and was well explained. I did get annoyed throughout the book with Hannah and some of her thoughts. It’s definitely not my favorite Ruth Ware. I’d have to give it only 3/5 stars.

I ended up liking this book when it got going, but it was really a struggle for me for the first half of the book.

This book deals with Hannah's roommate April's death while at Oxford. After John Neville's death in prison 10 years after April's murder, Hannah gets pulled back in when more information slowly comes to the surface. The beginning of the book takes a long time building the backstory and showing all of the characteristics now in the present as well.

This book does a good job at trying to misdirect the reader to other culprits, but I did have my suspicion of the correct person. What I didn't figure out until explained, was the how everything went down and why.

Overall I liked the cast of characters. April wasn't overly likeable and that made me not connect with her as much as the victim. She seemed like a typical snob that wasn't always that nice. Since the characters were fairly interesting, they ultimately got me past the really slow book start

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book for my honest review.

What a fantastic read! Ruth Ware never dissapoints. I could not put this book down. It was full of twists and turns. It will leave you hanging on the edge to the very end!!

Thanks to Simon and Scuhuster for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After back to back disappointments with 2019's "The Turn of the Key" and 2020's "One by One", Ruth Ware is back in top form with her latest release, "The It Girl."

Hannah Jones found the dead body of her best friend April Clarke-Cliveden in the room they shared twenty years ago while they attended Oxford University. April was known as ""The It Girl" on campus because of her beauty, brains, and talent. April's status caused her murder to make headlines. Hannah as April's best friend and roomates found herself unwillingly in the spotlight especially after she accused porter John Neville of April's murder.

Twenty years later, John is found dead in prison. Renewed interest in the case causes a now married and pregnant Hannah to be contacted by various media outlets. Hannah has blanked on what happened after she saw Neville leaving her campus. She realizes that Neville may have not been April's murderer, but it could have been someone in her inner circle while she was attending Oxford. She reopens her own investigation and unravels the truth not only about April's murder, but members of her former clique had their own motives for murder as well.

Ware takes a different approach with her latest by dividing the first half of the book with flashbacks and the present then the second half with the present investigation. This approach is perfect because Hannah and the suspects are developed so well that any of them could be April's killer. I thought I called the killer out twice, but was wrong which gives the book bonus points. Ware also takes a slower pace then she usually does, but I never got bored as I read.

"The It Girl" is indeed a welcome return of Ruth Ware. I already am looking forward to her next book with the same anticipation as when I read the ARC of her 2016 breakout bestseller, "The Woman in Cabin 10."

I really love the escapism of reading Ruth Ware's books, and this book was a fun, quick read. I'd say the two hooks are the Oxford setting, and the tension of a slightly claustrophobic friendship between the protagonist and her often provocative, unreliable, "IT girl" flatmate, April. Having spent a year at Oxford, I already had a picture in my mind of the setting, but I was nonetheless still into the insular world the novel paints. April was a familiar character type, but a familiar type that was necessary to the plot's propulsion. The final twist was a proper Ruth Ware twist and generally satisfying.

I think the one thing I will say about this book is that it was different from many of Ruth Ware's other novels in that there wasn't as much spooky, imminent danger. In her other books, the protagonist is usually stuck somewhere in a contained environment (in the woods, on a cruise chip, in a "smart house," in a snowed-in ski chalet, etc, etc) with the potential (yet unknown) killer. So, my advice to readers would be: If you haven't read Ruth Ware and you want to be creeped out and a little scared for the protagonist, start with one of her other books. If you like mysteries but DON'T like that full-on horror/suspense movie feeling, then this is a more cerebral whodunnit, free of those creepy chills. (Personally, I liked this book but I was missing the chills).

I'm actually surprised that I liked a Ruth Ware? I gave up awhile back, but I kept hearing buzz recently about the newer ones so I figured what the hey. This was pretty twisty and the right levels of fun.

Hannah Jones is happily married with a baby on the way, but harbors a dark past that has been troubling her. Her college roommate, the rich privileged April, was murdered by the college porter, and Hannah was the witness whose testimony sent him to jail. Now the murderer has died, and the question has arisen as to whether he was actually innocent and wrongly convicted and sent to prison for the murder. This is a familiar storyline with familiar characters - the "It Girl" of the novel, April, seems mean and unlikeable, and the main character, Hannah, is dull and seems naive. The story is slow at first and picks up a bit at the end with a good twist, but it takes a bit too long to get there for my taste. I do like Ruth Ware and will look forward to her next book, but this one wasn't my favorite. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I have known a few It Girl characters in real life, so I can see how April drew people into her orbit and they were happy to be in it, even if she wasn't treating them the best. What I couldn't understand is why Hannah didn't seem to have her sleuthing hat on until the day John Neville died. I'd like to say I guessed the ending, but it would only be because I suspected just about everyone, including Hannah's mom. No joke. Ruth Ware eeked out every morsel of my interest in getting to the bottom of this Scooby Doo mystery. As with most books of this nature, the details were repeated over and over.

April, the "It" girl that everyone wants to be friends with is found dead on the floor of her dorm room at a college campus in Oxford. Ten years later, roommate Hannah is still struggling to come to terms with her death knowing her eyewitness put a, possibly innocent, man behind bars. As Hannah uncovers decade old evidence, she struggles to keep up with all she has going on, confronts old relationships, and ends up pursued by the killer.

I can see that some people would like this book quite a lot, especially if you love books set on college campuses. I found the book to be tedious, slow, and repetitive. It took me months to finish it. I could not connect to Hannah, and I had the killer pegged by the first 25% of the book. I wanted to like it but this one wasn't for me.

Ruth Ware is an auto-buy author for me. I absolutely love her writing and her stories! So, of course, I grabbed The It Girl as soon as I could!

So, this story follows Hannah as her past is brought back into her present. In college, Hannah's roommate, April, was murdered, and Hannah was the one to find her😱, and identify the killer.

As Hannah navigates her first pregnancy and celebrates with her husband Will, who also used to be friends with April, Hannah gets news that April's killer has died, but there are now questions around whether he really was the killer.

This kickstarts a dual timeline story that gives the reader insight into what happened leading up to the murder, and what investigations Hannah is doing in the present day. I really enjoyed both timelines, and I thought the pacing was well done.

The mystery of this one had me thinking I knew, but I was wrong 😂 like always. So, for me, it had a nice surprise at the end. Even if you are one who can guess what's coming, I still think this one would be a worthwhile thriller!

If you're a huge Ruth Ware Fan, this one ranks in the top three reads for me, so here's my top 4 to give you context.
1. The Turn of the Key
2. One by One
3. The It Girl
4. The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Many years ago, IT Girl April was murdered in her college dorm room. Her supposed murderer recently died in prison, which makes April's old roomie and best friend, Hannah, revisit the case. Was the man who went to prison really responsible for killing April, or was it one of Hannah's dear college friends?

This was my first Ruth Ware book, and I liked it! Honestly, I think I would've liked it more as an HBO miniseries. For some reason, Ware chose to focus on Hannah, who was so boring as a character. I found the story enthralling at times, but literally every other character (except for maybe Will) was more interesting. Hannah just let stuff happen to her and yeah, did she read as first year college student? Absolutely. But not an interesting one. So it took me a long time to get into the book, and then my interest was kind of waning by the end because I really didn't care what happened to Hannah once the murderer was revealed. The mystery itself was good and I was a little off about who done it, which I always find fun. 3 stars - I liked it.

Ruth Ware’s latest novel is as enjoyable and as fast paced a ride as all of her previous. Told in the present with past flashbacks, it tells the story of Hannah Brown, who’s entire adult life has been determined by her tragic relationship with April Clarke-Cliveden. April was her roommate at Oxford and the first person Hannah met there. April was rich, bold, and impulsive, whereas Hannah was poor, studious and shy. April was spoiled yet generous and dragged Hannah along on various adventures, and the two became fast friends. But one horrible night, April was brutally murdered, and Hannah’s eyewitness accounts put the murderer away. Fast forward ten years and Hannah is still coping with the horror of that night, but is now pregnant and happily married to Will, April’s former boyfriend. When April’s convicted murderer dies in prison, Hannah begins to wonder again what really happened the night April was murdered. Could she have made a mistake and sent the wrong man to prison? Flashing between the present and the past, Ware skillfully paints a picture of an all too human April and the possibility that there were several people who may have wished her harm, including Will. There is lots of suspense and creepy suspects, lurking suspicions, and revealing of characters. Good, juicy fun.

When "it girl" April Cliveden-Clark's murderer dies in prison 10 years after her death, her college roommate, Hannah, begins to grapple with the idea he might have been innocent. Long, slow burn, with dark academia vibes, and where everyone's a suspect.

I love Ruth Ware, but this one didn't land for me. I wasn't particularly invested in Hannah or April as characters, and didn't fully understand Hannah's motivations for many of the choices she made. Though Ware constructed backstories for characters, they didn't always feel consistent with the ways the characters were presented and impacted suspension of disbelief. Though Ware does a good job of making everyone a suspect, some directions were more believable than others. I think if this book had been about 100 pages shorter, the pacing and level of detail given would have been better matched.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book to review.