The perfect whodunnit in my eyes! And a dark academia setting to boot!!

I thought I figured it out and ended up being totally wrong. I was engaged the entire time. This is probably the fastest I’ve read a book in months!

Hannah's life is defined by its worst moment- the murder of her college roommate / best friend. Despite being haunted for many years by the events of that night, Hannah is comforted by the fact that she put away the killer. Or did she? When a podcaster begins questioning some of the pieces of the case that lingered in the back of Hannah's mind all these years, she has to learn the truth.

Unlike many of Ruth's other books, this one was definitely a slow burn. April's character was mesmerizing- complex, yet dynamic. Multiple red herrings kept me engaged throughout the 400+ pages. Must read for any Ruth Ware fan.

Hannah found her roommate, April, dead in their dorm during her first year at Oxford. She provided testimony that helped to convict a porter at Oxford, but now ten years later, she is questioning whether he actually committed the crime. Th story alternates between what happened before April's death and what happened after. The mystery was intriguing and Ruth Ware's writing is atmospheric. A compelling read.

This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I love all of Ware's previous books, and this one was definitely a good read as well. \

Hannah and April, who meet while away at school and quickly become two peas in a pod, until one day when April is found murdered. After April's murder, Hannah's world is turned upside down.

Flash forward years later, Hannah is married and trying to move on with her life, trying her best to put the past behind her, and keep it that way. Then April's convicted murderer ends up dying while serving his time in prison for the crime, a devoted journalist to the case ends up finding Hannah and questioning her. The journalist is hoping to clear the convicted killers name, and to find the real person who he believes really committed the murder, with the help of Hannah. Hannah wants to keep the past in the past, but somehow, the past always has a way to come back and haunt you.

There have been a lot of great academic thrillers out there, and this one is definitely one of them. I loved the setting as well as the characters. The writing (as always with Ware) was superb, and I found myself to be completely immersed in the world within this book. The book was just the right pace, with just the right amount of suspense and tension to keep my interest. I enjoyed how the book weaved from the present to the past. There were a lot of people within the friend group, and characters close to the group of friends that I suspected, but turns out I was wrong. This is one of those books where you think you know the "who dun it" only to be wrong and have to check that person off of your list and move on to the next suspect.

The only negative thing I can say about this one is that the ending was pretty predictable and that the book was drawn out and could have been shortened a lot. Overall, it was a fun read! If you are a fan of IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE by Ashley Winstead then I think you will enjoy this one!

The It Girl by Ruth Ware
#fortyfirstbookof2022 #arc

CW: Murder, assault, death, guns, mean practical jokes, pregnancy injury

Like many thriller lovers, I’ve read all of Ruth Ware’s books. After finishing The It Girl, I’m placing this one pretty high in the ranking of her novels.

I am a sucker for a dual timeline structure wherein the main character is remembering a previous time trying to make sense of it all and trying to solve a mystery that she may have gotten wrong the first time. I did not see the ending coming, but after finishing I was able to think back to hints that were laid out that, if I were paying attention, might have led me to suspect what happened. But I’m glad I wasn’t able to guess. I would much rather be surprised by an ending that makes sense upon later refection.

Either way, I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful, and kept me guessing. I didn’t dislike any of the characters—usually there’s at least one that I don’t care for, although I guess it might have been the titular It Girl. I’m not convinced we were supposed to like her at all, but I did get the idea of her charisma and appeal that drew the others to her orbit.

This is a solid addition to Ruth Ware’s catalog and absolutely worth the read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for the advanced copy. (Pub date 07/12/22)

This book is more of a 3.5. I went back and forth debating on if I thought enough had been done to round up to a four but in the end, it didn't feel authentic to give it that.

I don't normally enjoy a dual-time novel, but this one didn't bother me too much. I really enjoyed a lot of the BEFORE sections, as we got to learn about the characters through those flashbacks. I felt that they were all pretty well established, but you can definitely tell Ware took time to shape April, our main It Girl. She felt the most fleshed out to me, especially when a lot of her personality was established through her actions and the way she treated the others.

Hannah is our lead protagonist and the story is told entirely through her eyes. She was an alright character. She made some choices that I shook my head at, because they didn't seem honest to who she was.

HOWEVER, while a whodunnit mystery, this is really a book about how to move on from the past when it won't let you. When your choices altered the paths of so many others. And if the thing you always believed to be the truth was suddenly questioned, how it reshapes your reality and in essence, you. This is the journey we see Hannah take. So while I questioned a lot of her choices, I also understood them in that concept.

"The It Girl" also gives an honest look at how we as a society are obsessed with true crime, and especially this idea of seeing perfect, beautiful people stripped down to nothing. It was a pretty easy read, nothing was overly complicated, and the mystery of it all is resolved well-enough at the end.

I don't know if this was the right Ruth Ware book to begin with, having never read anything by the author before, but I think it was an enjoyable enough novel that I will definitely read some of her other works.

This is a fun, quick psychological thriller about a college murder and the eye witness testimony that put the killer away. But, after the convicted man dies in prison, having always claimed his innocence, some details start to emerge that could overturn his conviction. Who can be trusted?

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC.

Hannah first meets April as she is moving into their shared dorm room at Oxford University. April is outgoing, assertive, and pushes Hannah outside her box - she is the college's "It Girl". They have a fast friendship and are quickly in a small group of friends. But by the end of their Freshman year, April is dead.

Jumping between the past and the present, we slowly learn about what exactly occurred 10 years ago. The suspense was killing me, and I was thoroughly surprised at the end. Loved it.

Just Finished The It Girl and Ruth Ware has done it again....

The Story is told by Hannah, whose best friend, April (the "It Girl") was murdered while they were students at Oxford. Hannah was the one who found April's body, and also witnessed the creepy porter John Neville, leaving the scene right before she found her.

The story bops back and forth between present day and before, where you are able to see a ton of backstory between April, Hannah and their friend group leading up to the day that continues to haunt them an entire decade later.

Hannah ends up marrying April's boyfriend from those days, Will, and they are living a peaceful life, preparing to have their first child, when Hannah's world comes to a halt when once John Neville, who always claimed innocence, dies before he could try for another appeal. From there, a reporter reaches out to Hannah to discuss some disparities of the case that lead Hannah down a wild goose chase for the truth about what happened that dark night many. many years ago.

I have to say, the backstory on this one dragged on a little bit more than I think it had to, but also.... the twists and turns had me guessing and re-guessing where this was going and how it would end up. Although I had a few scenarios in my mind about what could have happened, how it actually ended was not even on my radar. Brilliant! Highly recommend!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Press for the ARC.

Our story is in the present and the past. Hannah in the present is pregnant while the story picks up in the past as Hannah is starting at Pelham College at the prestigious Oxford University.
In the present, Hannah is expecting a baby, and living with her husband. They are both connected to a crushing death from her past. She found her suite mate’s body and was the witness that helped put away the murderer. Her husband Will also happened to be April’s boyfriend. The death of the murderer in jail sets Hannah on a path that forever changes her life. The doubts she has carried about what she saw and the pain from the loss are still ever present in her life! Did she help them convict an innocent man? The questions she starts to ask will shake her relationships and her send her on a path that could lead in heartbreak!
I don’t always love when stories are taking place in the past and present, but Ruth Ware is a master storyteller. She builds an amazing mystery from the first page! You will be in a frenzy to keep reading until the past and present come together for an ending you won’t see coming! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this amazing book!

After reading several mediocre and highly disappointing books in a row, I picked up The It Girl by Ruth Ware, who is an auto-buy author for me and one of my favorites, expecting it to wow me; after all, I've been anticipating this book ever since I knew it was coming out. Thank God she didn't let me down! I LOVED this book--5 stars all the way!

Ware immediately drew me in from the first chapter where we meet Hannah Jones, whose POV the novel is based, and her roommate at Oxford, April Clarke-Cliveden. April is the epitome of an It girl with her beauty, confidence, poise, style, sex appeal, and charisma. Everyone wants to either be like April or be with her: that is except for the person who strangled her one night. Hannah is the one who found April's body and it is Hannah's testimony that sent John Neville, a porter at Oxford, to prison. Yet a decade later, Hannah is still haunted by April's murder and when Neville dies in prison still protesting his innocence, she becomes even more haunted by the thoughts that she might have caused an innocent man to die in prison--and that April's killer is still free.

Ware tells the story in two parts, Before and After. Before takes place at Oxford and you get to see the friendship dynamics between April, Hannah, Will (now Hannah's husband and father of their unborn child but back then, April's boyfriend), Ryan, Emily, and Hugh. After is present-day when Hannah is married to Will, pregnant, and trying to determine if she was right 10 years ago with what she saw the night April died.

The novel is less a thriller than some of Ware's other novels and more of a suspenseful mystery, if you will. That's not to say that it's not without its moments--it's full of tension and there's a looming sense of danger the more Hannah looks into April's death and begins to remember that night. I loved the dark academia atmosphere and how sinister and foreboding she made Oxford at times.

I did guess the reveal but thought for sure I would be wrong then was thrilled I had been right (yay me!) but I loved how Ware put it all together. It was so clever and brilliantly done and masterful writing from start to finish! I loved this one so much that I just pre-ordered a hardback copy to display on my shelf with her other books (as I read a digital ARC). Make sure to grab a copy when it comes out on July 12th!

Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an ARC copy to read in exchange for my fair and honest review.

-review posted to Goodreads and Twitter on 6/28/22 and posted on Amazon and B&N at publication

Have you every been haunted by a decision you have made? Ten years later a man you accused of murder has died in prison, but new information emerges that cause you to question you testimony. A g
Journey into the past reveals the true killer. No one would have guessed.

This book is dark, haunting, and unputdownable in the best way possible. It's full of suspense with well-developed characters and gripping past-and-present alternating chapters. The It Girl is a slow burn, building up suspense as you read further. Ruth Ware has produced another great thriller!

I've read a few of Ruth Ware's books, and they absolutely never disappoint. This particular story follows a woman through her college career and her best friend's murder, to the present day where her murderer dies in jail, claiming his innocence. It goes back and forth to give you the whole story, and there was a twist at the end that made the red herring all the more worth it. I look forward to more of Ware's books.

For a fast paced ride from a Queen of Crime, be sure to get a copy of Ruth Ware's latest novel, The It Girl. Ten years after Hannah's college roommate, April is murdered in their dorm room at Oxford, the porter convicted of the crime, John Neville, dies in prison.

Neville always proclaimed his innocence and it was Hannah's testimony that led the jury to convict him. His death prompts Hannah to question his guilt and she is determined to get to the truth. If John Neville didn’t kill April, then who murdered April?

What Ware does beautifully is seamlessly move from alternating perspectives of before and after as she leads the reader on a spine tingling journey to the big reveal. While the plot and twists and turns kept me turning the pages, there were times the plot felt a little slow.
Not my favorite book by Ruth Ware, but still a great book!
Definitely worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Galley/Scout Press for the e-arc.

The It Girl is positively irresistable! Mostly a murder mystery, The It Girl also touches on peer pressure, social and economic disparities, friendship, and love. But it's the death of "It Girl" April-pretty, popular, and privileged-the "must have's" to be an It Girl-that is the heart of the novel. April is a mere college freshman at Oxford University when she is found strangled in her dorm. Suspicion immediately falls on college porter John Neville. He's had creepy and disturbing interactions with April's roomate Hannah, and is seen coming out of their dorm immediately before April's body is found. Neville is charged with the crime and spends 10 years in prison before his death. When Hannah learns there's potential evidence John Neville may not have committed the murder, her world is turned upside down. Hannah is married to April's ex boyfriend Will, further complicating the situation. Unable to live with possibly sending an innocent man to jail (and the thought the actual murderer is roaming free), Hannah is determined to find out what really happened to April, despite Will's pleas to leave the past behind and focus on their married life and impending parenthood.The It Girl flips back and forth in time between April and Hannah's first year at Oxford, and Will and Hannah's life ten years later. The dual narratives are crisp and smooth, with easy flow between the timelines. The It Girl does lag at times-and with a minimal list of suspects you'll accept and reject each one until the last pages. The ending is a head turning "I never saw that coming" moment that feels both brilliant and implausible at the same time. The It Girl is a quick read that is perfect for the beach. Enjoy!

The It Girl, Ruth Ware’s new psychological thriller, is my favorite of her books so far. Hannah and April are roommates at Oxford but couldn’t be more different. When April ends up murdered at the end of their first year, Hannah testifies that she saw John Neville, a campus porter leaving their stairwell moments before the body was discovered. On her testimony , Neville is found guilty and sent to prison. Neville proclaims his innocence until his death. Could Hannah have gotten in wrong?

The story follows two time lines, before and after. “Before” is where you learn about the characters and follow them through that first year at Oxford. “After” is ten years later and Neville has just died in prison. It is at this time that Hannah begins to question exactly what she saw that night and what really happened to April. As she begins to dig deeper , everyone comes into question.

Even with all the twists and turns, it is an easy read that will keep you turning the pages to see who really killed April and what will happen next. Fans of psychological thrillers and especially Ruth Ware will not want to miss this one.

A great mystery thriller from Ruth Ware. I really liked the setting and the characters. The mystery kept me guessing right to the end. The Before and After dual timelines is always a favorite of mine. I love getting to see the characters 10 yrs before while in college and after in the present. This is a great summer read!

This was a fun thriller from Ruth Ware that kept me guessing. Told in two interchanging parts, Before and After, it tells the story of Hannah, her “It Girl” college roommate, and the tragedy that changed her life forever. Twisty but not too complex.

I never miss a chance to read one of Ruth Ware's books and this one is definitely my favorite of hers to date! I love when I'm half way through the book and an unexpected twist turns everything upside down. This one was suspenseful right up until the very end. I gave it 4 stars here, but it is really more 4.5 stars for me! A perfect beach read!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book. This in no way affects my review, all opinions are my own.

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