April Clarke-Cliveden was the first friend Hannah Jones had at Oxford University. They shared a sitting room and then shared much of their lives. April was beautiful, wealthy, magnetic. She seemed to move through life effortlessly. Then she was murdered, right in their living space at the university, before the end of the school year.

A decade later, Hannah is married to Will, one of the members of their tight-knit group from that year, and they’re expecting their first child. She lives a pretty low-key life, working at a bookstore and being there for Will in the early stages of his career at an accounting firm. Hannah has locked away the memories of that shocking crime. But then news comes that the man who had been convicted of the murder has died in prison, insisting on his innocence until the very end. And a journalist who had been talking to him gives Hannah evidence that the system may have locked up the wrong person.

Even as Will and other friends from before tell her she has to leave it alone, Hannah can’t stop worrying about it. She starts looking into the facts again, asking around to find out what she may have missed, and what she had forgotten. And she realizes that each of her friends could have had motive to kill April. Her husband worries particularly about her health and their baby as the stress takes a toll on her, but what’s far worse is she could be putting herself in danger from the real killer.

The It Girl is a compelling mystery. I admit that I guessed early on who the killer was; I just didn’t know how or why the killer did what they did, so those reveals were interesting. The last bit was pretty heart-pounding. Still not my favorite Ruth Ware book (I personally liked The Death of Mrs. Westaway, which isn’t a straight mystery like her others), but a very good one.

Y’all @ruthwarewriter has written another masterpiece 💛 This novel will have you constantly guessing who murdered “IT Girl” April during her freshman year at Oxford. April is not really a likable character, so there is no shortage of people who would have had motive! I did not figure out who the killer is and I loved the dual timelines.

As with all of Ruth Ware’s books, I highly recommend reading this one!

Thank you @netgalley and @scoutpressbooks for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

Ruth Ware is back with another twisty murder mystery. April Clark-Clivedon is beautiful, smart, talented and popular. But not so popular she wasn't targeted for murder. Hannah Jones is her best friend who gave evidence that locked away her April's murderer. She has been hounded to the point of moving away from England, leaving Oxford and trying to quietly live w/ her husband, Will and expecting their first child. But did John Neville, convicted of April's murder, actually do it? New evidence seems to rock Hannah and has her second-guessing everything she thought she knew. Told in parts Before (the murder) and After, The It Girl will leave you guessing until the very end.

*Special thanks to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for an e-arc of this novel.*

This one didn't grab me the same as other Ruth Ware novels. It took me almost 2 months to read this, which should have been more like a week or two. The general concept was great, but the plot just kind of dragged. Better luck next time!

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Ruth Ware is one of my favorite authors and The It Girl is one of my most anticipated reads not only this month, but this summer. And let me just say…it totally delivers! I had the opportunity to read an early galley of it back in May with a bunch of bookstagrammers world-wide and it was such a treat!

Give me all the dark academia books and add in a locked-room mystery and I am one happy girl! This one might give off In My Dreams I Hold a Knife vibes, which incidentally is one of my favorite books, but it definitely stands on its own. It’s so atmospheric, and it totally gets under your skin. I loved the way it moves back and forth, using a before and after format, allowing you to really get to know the characters. As we get further into the book, it becomes evident that just about everyone has reason for wanting to harm April, but who actually did it? I loved learning about all their relationships both in the past and in the present.

This is such a brilliantly plotted book, and the structure really lends itself to quite nicely to the perfect buildup of suspense and tension…so much so that you find yourself unable to walk away from the book until you get to the final resolution. And with the mini-cliffhangers at the end of the chapters…you just cannot read fast enough!

I admit, it does start off a bit slow, but I think that was necessary in order to really help set the scene and help us get in the right mindset for all that was to come. Because once that is done, things start taking off and it becomes a much faster, more action-packed read.

This is definitely a book you don’t want to miss and I’m telling you, it’s completely binge-able despite its length. It’s a story full of complex characters, where everyone is hiding something, and as long as you love a mystery that takes its time building the layers, you will love this one. I have loved all of Ruth Ware’s books but this just might be my new favorite!

This is my very first Ruth Ware book. I was really excited to get an early copy as I’ve heard good things about her novels. The beginning of this book holds promise and it all kind of reminded me of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife as the characters are investigating a college friend who was killed. I actually ended up enjoying In My Dreams I Hold A Knife much much more than this one. I found the whole plot of The It Girl very slow moving and repetitive. I thought the whole novel lacked character development and it was difficult to connect to any of them. The conclusion was decent, but not overly exciting. Overall, I think there are more thrilling books out there to devote your time to. ♥️

Ten years after her college roommate is murdered, Hannah discovers the man she helped put behind bars has died. As old memories begin to resurface, and new reports of the convicted man’s alleged innocence surface, Hannah can’t help but revisit the night it all happened and everything that led them to that night. But when the trail leads her to places she didn’t even think of before, she begins to question everything, and everyone, around her.

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙸𝚝 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚋𝚢 𝚁𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚎
@𝚁𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚆𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛


Ruth Ware is a favorite author and I love her writing style. The way she creates a perfectly tense atmosphere with such well-wrought characters is like cat nip to my little kitty soul. And, on top of this, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘵 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭 primarily takes place in one of my favorite places, an academia setting, in this case Oxford University and it has the twistiest of twisty plots.

This is cleverly told in a dual timeline by Hannah, college bestie to the “𝘐𝘵 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭” April who was brutally murdered in their shared dorm room. Now, ten years later, traumatized and scarred by the death of April, Hannah is married to Will and is currently pregnant with their baby. When the accused murderer dies in prison, after years of proclaiming his innocence, it sets Hannah off on a quest for answers. The more she digs, the more danger she puts both herself and her baby in.

I enjoyed this one so much and I am really grateful to @ScoutPress for this gifted copy and to author Ruth Ware for writing it!

Like so many others, I’m a long-time @ruthwarewriter fan.  I have yet to read a book by her that I didn’t love, and she’s at the top of my auto buy author list. 
 
Since 2015, she’s been pumping out bestsellers year after year after year – so I was going into withdrawals in 2021 when we didn’t see a new Ruth Ware title. But who among us didn’t need a break after the dumpster fire that was 2020?! 🤷🏻‍♀️
 
When it was announced that her latest was coming this summer, I was over the moon excited – and even more so when I was able to snag an advance copy.  And let me just say: IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!  I loved it. 
 
✨What I Loved✨
 
🖤The dark academia setting at Oxford was atmospheric and perfect for the storyline.
🖤The alternating timelines amped up the suspense and kept me guessing and eagerly turning the pages.
🖤The whodunit mystery and the sharp character development were classic Ruth Ware.
 
This is an easy recommendation for me, and it deserves all five stars. 
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My thanks to @gallerybooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before its publication date.

This book felt a little long, but I loved all the action and twists at the end. Ware did a fantastic job of making everyone seem guilty. I definitely didn't guess who the killer was! I also thought there was going to be a different explanation at the end, and was wrong. However there is one thing that was not explained at all that bothered me... SPOILER BELOW



Will acts like a total psycho and that's why Hannah runs away from him. But it is never explained why he acted like that if he wasn't the killer?

Ruth Ware hits her latest psychological thriller, The It Girl right out of the park. This is an engrossing story that you will not want to put down. Told in a before and after point of views, this one will keep you reading. It is a bit long but I still enjoyed her writing style. This is an exciting murder mystery filled with twist and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat…….especially when you get to that totally surprised ending! I did not see that one coming! This suspenseful story makes a great book club or beach read. If you are a Ruth Ware fan you are going to want to read this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books/Scout Press and Ruth Ware for an advanced copy of this intriguing novel in exchange for my honest review.
#netgalley #gallerybooks/scoutpress #theitgirl #ruthware #arc

I reallly enjoyed this novel but I do think it’s was entirely too long. The middle dragged with unnecessary details and circling around and around to fill the pages. It started off strong enough to keep you hooked even while dragging you around. I love the classic British feel of the novel. Set in Oxford, five friends lives are destroyed when is murdered. 10 years later, Hannah, at the forefront of the investigation, is pulled back in when evidence comes to light that all might not exactly as thought. The last 1/3 of the boom was action packed and really kept you on the edge of your seat. If you like British dramas and that dark academia feel, this is for you.

Intricate psychological thriller!

At times the tension in “It Girl” is high to the point of breathlessness. Hannah Jones is beyond devastated over her friend April Clarke-Clivedon’s brutal murder. Anguished because this was her friend, anguished because it was Hannah’s evidence that had college porter John Neville had been imprisoned for life. Anguished that Neville maintains his innocence, anguished because of the ‘what if’s” if Hannah was wrong about Neville. And dare I say on another plane entirely the fact that she’s married to her dead best friend’s boyfriend.
The story moves between the time a group of young things from various walks of life first meet at Pelham College Oxford University to the current times, some ten years later. We know there’s more to come. Hannah has retreated away from Oxford, from being a top student, to living and working in Edinburgh away from the spotlight, suffering severe anxiety and depression. Married to Will she maintains a fragile stability but every time The Pelham Strangler murder is revisited in the headlines she’s thrown. Now a revisiting and a plea from one of their youthful cohort to talk with a journalist about the events of that time has thrown her. Pregnant and anxious, with Will disapproving of any discussion, where the past and present are about to collide, the outcome is anyone’s guess. But make no doubt, collision is unavoidable.
Ware’s writing is tight although at times I wanted less of the slow buildup. At times I just wasn’t wasn sympatico with Hannah, and one had to wonder if April was simply a troubled rich kid or super devious. And then there’s April’s ex-boyfriend Will, now Hannah’s husband. Hmm!
The technical transition between the ‘past’ and the ‘now’ is clear and precise and not at all bothersome.
Another complex mystery from Ware. The breadcrumbs as always are scattered to the four winds, but the hunt is intriguing!

A Gallery Books ARC via NetGalley. Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Ruth Ware has written another engaging mystery, and I was swept up in the story. Hannah Jones is roommates and best friends with April, who ends up being murdered in their dorm room at Oxford. Based on Hannah’s testimony someone was put behind bars, but years later Hannah is starting to doubt her own word and is looking for new evidence. The book switches between the past and the present to weave the storyline, and has a reveal that I didn’t see coming. I did find it slow in parts, which is why this ended up being 4 stars. Murder mystery and avid Ruth Ware fans will definitely enjoy this one!

I loved The Woman In Cabin 10,by Ruth Ware, a suspenseful and twisted mystery. Well not to be out done, The It Girl had me turning pages long after bedtime, as I tried to guess who killed April, a beautiful socialite, attending her first semester at Oxford. The old clustered buildings and pathways are the perfect setting for a killer to retreat into the shadows, creating uneasiness and fear into others.
Hannah, a girl from a small village, living with her school teacher mother, arrives at Oxford on a scholarship and is paired with an incompatible roommate, but they become fast friends. April has a group that she went to school with and they accept Hannah, because April likes her. But, Hannah experiences some awkwardness, when she realizes there is an attraction between her and April’s boyfriend Will. Then one night, April’s found strangled in their room, devastating the friends and Hannah, returning home due to her heartbreak. A local man is convicted, largely because of Hannah’s testimony.
Fast forward 10 years and the convicted killer dies in prison, still proclaiming his innocence. A journalist takes interest and starts asking questions, upending Hannah’s life and causing her to doubt her own story. But if not tge school Porter, who did kill April?
This is a well written mystery novel, with an interesting cast of characters. I suspected virtually everyone, and still didn’t get it right. If you like a gripping mystery story, you’ll love this one.
My thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster for the ARC. It’s definitely a five star effort.

Dang. I had high hopes for this one but it missed the mark a bit for me. The first 2/3 weren't bad, but I did find it incredibly slow. We were much more focused on the domestic than the mystery/thriller. In the last 1/3 the mystery/thriller really picked up, but unfortunately at the sake of logic. I didn't buy who the killer was or why. It all just seemed to be tossed in at the end with too many red herrings to make much sense.

The plot felt like something I’ve read before. Old friends each wondering if the other could have done the terrible thing that binds them together. Parts felt like they were repeated over and over which dragged the story out. The ending was rushed along.

As an American, I found myself googling info about Oxford simply because its so different than American college, but I love books that make me want to know more. The characters in this novel felt familiar, especially April. In some ways the relationship between. Her and Hannah reminded me of my own college roommate and myself, sans the murder of course. Another solid thriller from Ware.

I am a big Ruth Ware fan and this book does not disappoint. It’s full of great, dark slow burning suspense as well as twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end.

The It Girl ,Ruth Ware's new novel, it is even more captivating then Ware's previous bestsellers. Ware's plot revolves around it girl April Clarke-Cliveden and her ordinary Oxford roommate Hannah Jones. The novel is Hannah's story and Ware tells it with before and after chapters that are connected by a shocking event. Hannah quickly becomes swept up in April's life. Although Hannah enjoys socializing with April and her friends, she is a much more grounded person than April. April has unlimited family funds and she can be very generous, but she has a mean streak and enjoys playing elaborate practical jokes on her friends. Ten years after leaving Oxford Hannah is confronted with serious doubts about the event that changed her life forever when she was a student. Now married and pregnant, Hannah decides she must risk everything to get the answers she seeks. Ware expertly crafts a suspenseful page turner and this entertaining thriller is a must read.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this novel.