Loved it! 4.5 stars. Super quick, suspenseful read. I enjoyed the dual timeline and the cast of characters. I didn't know "whodunnit" until the reveal - just when I would think I had it figured out, things would shift and I'd suspect someone else. My favorite thrillers are the ones that keep me guessing right up until the end, and this one checked that box. I also thoroughly enjoyed the settings of Oxford and Edinburgh - 2 of my favorite cities. Strongly recommend for fans of Ruth Ware's previous writing, or suspense / murder mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ruth Ware, and the Publisher for the advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

THE IT GIRL is classic page-turning mystery/thriller set against the pressures, intensity and nuances of academia. I loved this book from the get-go, the social dynamics of a group of college age friends and all the ways we mold and stifle ourselves and envy others. As the book jumps from adulthood to the days before April's murder, the reader is trying to figure out who is to blame for the death of the wealthy IG sensation, and all the suspicions surround Hannah and Will, since they are now a couple and Will was April's boyfriend at the time of her death.
Ruth Ware delivers high intensity tensions and lots of fun, twisty surprises from start to finish.

I’m really not sure why I never read a book by this author before. Having spent time with The It Girl, I will now always be looking for her new releases. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy psychological thrillers.

The It Girl could be described with words that are used too often for thrillers, words like compelling, page turner, claustrophic (at times) and suspenseful. All would be true. What the author also does is create settings that live and become a part of the story, be it the the impressive Oxford colleges or neighborhoods in Scotland. Ms. Ware, in addition, brings characters to fully, sometimes scary, realized life.

This is a dual time line novel. The early time period centers on the student days of a group of friends. These include the wealthy, privately educated April and the girl who isn’t sure she really belongs at Oxford, Hannah. There are also one other woman, Emily, and the men who include Hugh, Will and Ryan. All come together as term begins when they play a rather tense game of strip poker.

One of these students, the It Girl, is murdered. Another testifies at the trial of the man accused of the crime. BUT…what if there was a miscarriage of justice? How will looking into this impact the lives of those who remain?

In the present time line, there have been couplings, a pregnancy, careers, attempts to move on in life and more. How will it be when a group that was once so close is in contact again? What if one of them is guilty?

The suspense is truly intense, enough to almost make me want to put the novel down at times. Publishers Weekly stars this one and I can really see why. Make it part of your summer reading.

Many thanks to NetGallery and Gallery Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book definitely had a Secret History vibe which kept me turning the pages relentlessly! I loved the prep school setting and all the academic trimmings that brought the story to full color. I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters. Sometimes I have a hard time with an ensemble cast, but each character in this book was so vividly drawn that they stuck in my mind from chapter to chapter. The ending featured a really clever use of a smartphone --which ends up saving the day. The ending was a little bit predictable -- I kept waiting for a twist to come out of nowhere, and it just didn't -- but all in all, this was a fantastic read with a great ending. Thank you very much for the opportunity to read and review this thriller!

I jumped over all the other books on my TBR pile to get to review The It Girl. Because...Ruth Ware, ya'll!!

This is decidedly a departure from her earlier books, which had a more gothic, more locked room, Agatha Christie feel, so I had to check a couple of times that I was actually reading Ruth Ware. But with her skill for encompassing the time and atmosphere of a place, the author takes a sophisticated leap in the genre of psychological suspense. This is the tale of a young woman, Hannah, who feels out of her element but accepted by her peers at Oxford's Pelham campus, mostly because her roommate April has taken her under her wing. But there's an ick factor in a porter John Neville, who seems to always be lurking and saying inappropriate things. So, when April is killed, and Hannah is called as a witness, it's her testimony that sends Neville to jail.

Ten years later, Neville has died in prison. Instead of feeling closure, Hannah is having doubts. And more than halfway through a pregnancy with April's former boyfriend Will, Hannah decides to investigate, a move that will send her spiraling, placing her unborn baby at risk.

The characters are richly drawn, with all the nuances their personalities are built on. They all come from either a posh background, or from less well-off families, and feel the pressure to succeed. We see April's vibrancy, and we mourn her loss along with Hannah and Will. We feel the toll her death has had on everyone in her circle of influence long after she's gone, because she was the "It Girl," the one who made everyone feel joy in her presence, even if they had been a recipient of one of her infamous pranks. Ware takes us on a wild ride, and masterfully brings us to the startling conclusion.

I am so glad that NetGalley and Gallery Books/Scout Press made my wishes come true with an advanced reader's copy!

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a fantastic novel that should be added to everyone’s to read list. The plot revolves around a mysterious death at a prestigious college in England. Ten years have gone by and it is now up for debate as to whether the person who was found guilty of this crime has been falsely convicted. The twists and turns in this novel leaves the reader guessing as to why exactly happened. The character development is excellent and you feeling as if you actually know the various characters as they struggle to come to terms with their past and present lives. What exactly happened at this college and who is to blame? The subplots of economic disparity and how people are treated based on their socioeconomic status are also explored. This novel will leave the reader guessing right until the very last page, I spent an entire day reading the It Girl. It is that kind of novel. You cannot put it down. Thank you to Ruth Ware, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this novel.

Ruth Ware is a go-to author for me, and this book is a prime example why! I saved it to read on a recent vacation, knowing it would be exactly what I needed. A fast-paced thriller with building questions and clues. The alternating timelines were written so well, and it was a book I wanted to cancel plans for!

Ooh, this one was GOOD. Like, really good.

Switching back and forth between the past and the present, the structure of this book is clean and adds to the suspense as it builds up around the unsolved mystery at the core of the story. It focuses on a group of school friends who attended Oxford together, and whose world is shattered when one of their friends is brutally murdered. The obvious suspect is convicted and put in jail for the crime, but years later, questions arise again, and our main protagonist takes it upon herself to finally find the truth.

It's a wild ride with an exciting climax, and one of Ware's best works yet.

Ruth Ware is a writer who doesn't pigeonhole herself. Her books are a box of chocolates -- you never know quite what you'll get. In "The It Girl," we get a slowly unspooling psychological thriller, taking place largely in the head of Hannah, a young woman whose Oxford roommate -- the "it" girl of the title -- was murdered.. Suddenly convinced her testimony may have convicted the wrong man, Hannah works herself into a near-breakdown, while in flashbacks we learn what led up to that terrible night. Ware is a master at building claustrophobic tension in books like "The Woman in Cabin 10," and "The It Girl" does a masterly job of that. Fans probably won't complain that it seems maybe 50-1p0 pages too long. (Reviewed in print and online for the Sat. Louis Post-Dispatch.)

TITLE: THE IT GIRL
AUTHOR: Ruth Ware
AUDIO: @simon.audio
NARRATOR: Imogen Church
LENGTH: 17h 8m
PUB DATE: 07.12.2022 Now Available

Read
This
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I really love reading a Ruth Ware book!

When I first received this early copy, I felt an intense giddiness, as if a child early on Christmas morning,. The book cover is truly stunning and eye catching. I read the book in a course of two days enjoying every exciting page.

In THE IT GIRL, the story was about an enigmatic young woman named April - the penultimate It Girl, who was murdered by the end of her first year at Oxford. Set into two timelines as before, where friends start their lives at Oxford, and then the after a decade later. Hannah’s testimony puts the school porter John Neville in prison, and up to the time of his death, claims innocence. A journalist revisits the case and some evidence may just point to one of their circle of friends.

I loved the unpredictability, tension, and suspense that made this novel unputdownable for me. I loved eliminating the suspects and paying attention to the breadcrumbs in the story. One of my favorite Ruth Ware novels.

AUDIO REVIEW: Imogen Church narrated THE IT GIRL flawlessly. I loved and enjoyed the distinct way she narrates each of the characters giving each one their true essence. Fantastic!

10/5⭐️s!! This is my 5th Ruth Ware book and favorite so far! (They are all 5⭐️ reads for me.)

April Clarke-Cliveden is the supreme It Girl. She’s got style, charisma, beauty, and money. Hannah is just happy to be pulled into her orbit when they are roomed together on their first day at Oxford. The duo develop a tight-knit group of friends. Then, April is killed.

Since finding her body a decade ago, Hannah has been haunted by April’s murder. Hannah is now pregnant and married to April’s ex-boyfriend, Will. When April’s killer dies in prison and new information is brought to light, Hannah knows she must uncover the truth about her best friend’s murder. Even if it means taking down those closest to her.

Every time I thought I had the killer pegged, Ware threw in another twist. The last quarter was peak suspense and had me gasping on every page. I never could have guessed the ending!

Ruth Ware is the Mystery Maven and Thriller Queen🖤. I loved this book. Thank you to Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The It Girl - Ruth Ware
10/5⭐️ (ok ok, 5/5 🙃)

I was excited when I saw that Ruth Ware had written a new book. There was a lot of publicity for The It Girl and everything I read about it made me want to read it even more. For me, The It Girl lived up to my expectations. It was a riveting and suspenseful psychological thriller as well as a murder mystery. Once again, Ruth Ware was able to invent engaging characters and place them in setting that could be reminiscent for most. The chapters alternated between “before” and “after”. It was fast paced and hard to put down once I began reading it.

When Hannah Jones met April Clarke-Clivedin for the first time at Oxford and realized that they were to be roommates, Hannah knew they were completely different from each other. Despite all their differences, though, Hannah and April became best friends. They had a tight group of friends that consisted of Will, Emily, Ryan and Hugh. At the end of their second year at Oxford, the most unthinkable thing happened. April had just given her last performance in the play she was cast in and Hannah and the others had arranged a surprise celebration for April and her fellow cast members. Near the end of the celebration, April returned to the suite she shared with Hannah to change her clothes and remove her stage makeup. Shortly after April’s departure, Hugh had been nice enough to walk Hannah back to the dorm. As Hugh and Hannah approached the dorm, Hannah spotted John Neville, one of the university’s porters, exiting the staircase that led to her and April’s suite. Why was John Neville there at that time of the night? When Hannah got up to her and April’s rooms, she discovered that April was lying on the floor of her bedroom and appeared as if she was dead. Hannah’s screams were piercing. Hugh ran up to see why Hannah was screaming. Hugh being a pre-med student bent over April’s body and felt for a pulse. He sent Hannah to go get help. Hannah was convinced that John Neville, the creepy porter, had done this to her best friend. He was put on trial for murder. John Neville was charged with the murder of April and he was placed in prison. Hannah was so shaken by April’s death that she never came back to complete her education.

Ten years later, Hannah had married Will, they were expecting their first child and they lived and worked in Edinburgh. It had just been reported that John Neville had died. Hannah should have felt elated but she didn’t. A work colleague of Ryan’s had contacted Hannah and told her that he believed John Neville had been wrongly accused of killing April. Could Hannah had been wrong and made an innocent man go to prison for a crime he did not commit? Hannah began jostling her memory to remember the details of that fateful night. New memories began to surface. Long buried secrets that her close group of friends held close began to surface. Hannah was now tasked with trying to unravel the secrets her university friends had hidden for more than ten years. Could Hannah discover who really strangled April, make sure the killer was punished and finally put her nightmare to rest?

The It Girl by Ruth Ware was a very clever and engaging psychological thriller. I thought I had the mystery figured out a few times only to be thrown another twist in the plot. The ending was unexpected but satisfying. I truly enjoyed The It Girl and recommend it very highly. Thank you to Gallery Books for allowing me to read The It Girl through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The It Girl is a story that uses two time periods. As the chapters alternate, the reader learns that Hannah was a first-year student at Oxford, where she was a roommate with April Clarke-Cliveden who is wealthy, beautiful, and glamorous. April is everything Hannah isn’t, although becoming friends with her expands Hannah’s world almost immediately. But, when April is murdered and one of the porter’s is charged and convicted of the crime, Hannah’s world changes yet again. Told from Hannah’s point of view, the story alternates from that fateful first year at Oxford to a time ten years later, when Hannah begins to question whether or not the porter was actually guilty of April’s murder.

The writing is well-done and the plot line well-conceived. However, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly appealing, the story was quite slow in places, and, while there were parts that held my attention, it seemed as though the story progressed in fits and starts. For me, I would have enjoyed more descriptions of Oxford and Edinburgh, rather than continually revisiting Hannah’s worries and insecurities. For me The It Girl wasn’t a thriller, but instead a mystery and a very slow and long burn at that.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This one was enjoyable. I love a spooky academic mystery. It did a good job of creating both real and vivid characters and a setting so descriptive you swear you were there. The plot did a good job of subverting typical mystery/thriller tropes. Highly recommend you pick this up now but it would also be a perfect Fall read!

I have read most of Ruth Ware's books, and she always knows how to tell a good suspenseful story. The It Girl definitely had moments that captured my interest and intrigue, but it also dragged on in parts and ultimately I felt it was a bit too long.

The story is about a woman named Hannah who is starting to question and doubt what happened when her friend was murdered 10 years earlier while they were at Oxford College together. Hannah thought that she ID'ed the murder and put the right guy behind bars, but new evidence is brought to light that makes her questions everything and everyone.

This story jumps back and forth between two time periods from Hannah's perspective-- their time in college and the present, which is 10 years later. For the most part, I thought this structure worked to build suspense and give the reader clues and details as more was revealed. Ware does a good job writing suspicious characters, and it would have been easy to believe that ANY of these characters could have been the murdered.

But the book is long, and there comes a point where not a lot happens and everything drags to a crawl. I was impatient to keep reading and just get to the end! I was a little disappointed that the story didn't keep my attention throughout the whole thing, but I did find it interesting at the end.

Thank you so much @netgalley @gallerybooks and @scoutpress for my gifted e-copy!

This was my first Ruth Ware book, and I had such high expectations after seeing some people rave about it, but it didn’t quiet live up to the full hype.

▪️I loved the academia setting, and the first half of the book reminded me of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife (which I loved). It had the past and present dual timelines that I’m always a fan of.

▪️ I enjoyed the characters and their friend group. Hannah’s obsession with April did get to be a bit much for me in the present timeline.

▪️It’s LONG and a slow burn. The second half dragged on for me, and I just wanted it to end. At over 400 pages, it could have been a lot shorter.

▪️I did not guess the ending, but by the time I got there, I didn’t really care anymore 😬 there weren’t any real twists or turns a long the way which would have helped.

It’s definitely more mystery than thriller, so if that’s your jam, you should give this one a chance!

Formulaic mystery. Spineless female narrator has girl crush on glamorous roommate with unpleasant habit of playing pranks on friends. Roommate is murdered and obvious suspect is convicted on testimony of narrator. Ten years later possibility raised that they got the wrong guy. Sticking to the formula, the reader quickly dismisses all suspicious possibilities for the actual murderer and settles on the.most unlikely. Case closed. Don’t dwell on logic and you might enjoy the setting in Oxford and Edinburgh.

Like all of Ruth Ware's novels this one has great characters, a well paced plot, and totally unexpected twists. This fast paced thriller was difficult to put down... I kept reading late into the night. Highly Recommended

*Thank you to Gallery Books, Ruth Ware, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/the-it-girl/

“She was the perfect friend—until she wasn’t.”

The It Girl is Ruth Ware’s latest novel about a murder at Oxford and the woman who may have been responsible for the conviction of the wrong man for the crime.

When Hannah Jones started at Oxford college 10 years ago, she was worried she wouldn’t fit in because of her working class background. But luckily, April Coutts-Cliveden, the poshest of the posh and an IT girl on Instagram, is her roommate. Even luckier, April immediately takes Hannah under her wing and introduces her to the mates she knows from school. They become the best of friends, but April has a proclivity for mean pranks and making her friends angry, so when she is found strangled in their suite, it could be many people who killed her. But Hannah and Hugh see John Neville, a 50-year-old porter, leaving the dormitory. John has been stalking Hannah since her term began at Oxford; showing up in her room, tackling her on a walk home late at night and appearing in places she is at frequently. So when they see him leaving, she determines he must have been after her. Neville is convicted and 10 years later, he dies in prison, still proclaiming his innocence.

Hannah is now married to Will, April’s ex-boyfriend, and is pregnant with her first child. They have both spent years fending off the press regarding April’s murder, and now, after the death of John Neville, journalists are eager to hear their side of the story. Feeling guilty for providing the testimony that prompted the jury to convict him, she wants to make it right and determine if he was truly April’s murderer, or is the actual killer still out there?

Another masterpiece from Ruth Ware! This novel is told in dual timelines; before and after. The before follows Hannah, April and their group of friends navigating their first year at Oxford, and the present as Hannah tries to find out if her testimony convicted the wrong man. The IT girl has it all; suspense, interesting characters, red herrings everywhere, and what may or may not be an unreliable narrator. All the characters are suspect in one way or another, which adds excitement, as the reader looks deep into each character.

I have only read two of Ware’s books; One by One and In a Dark Dark Wood, both of which are a touch shorter than her latest. I felt invested in the storyline and it was definitely a page turner. The ending is exciting and fast-paced. I know some reviewers found the plot “un-original” but I have never read a book like this, and am definitely a fan of dark academia. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

I have read quite a few of Ware's books, and have enjoyed them. This one was wonderful, and had me guessing throughout.

I enjoyed the characters, and the protagonist especially grew on me. The pacing and plot development were well done.

I thought it was a well done mystery, and told my sister-in-law, that it was a brilliant set-up when I reached the end.