This book is a true who-done-it mystery. April and Hannah are roommates and best friends in a dorm in Oxford. The group they hang out with are Will, April's boyfriend, Ryan, Emily and Hugh. They call get on well until one evening April is found dead in her room. A porter from the school is charged and sent to prison, where he later dies, always claiming his innocence.
Years later Hannah is married to Will and expecting their first child. When they hear of the porter's death, the group start to question whether he really was as innocent as he claimed and then they start to question each other.
I love this author's books and this one certainly didn't disappoint.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware takes into the lives of a close knit group of friends at Oxford during their first year of college and then a decade later. Hannah and April become fast friends due to sharing a common room between their bedrooms. April comes from money and knows some of the guys who had gone to a boarding school near hers. Hannah went to public schools and worked her butt off to get to Oxford. In other words, two girls who probably would not have become friends if they hadn't lived together. The group spends almost all their time together until he end of 2nd semester when April is killed.

Ten years later, when Hannah is expecting her first child with Will, who just happened to be dating April when she died, Hannah is stunned by the death of the man convicted of April's murder. Everyone tells her she should be relieved that he died in prison and that it's now really over, but a reporter visits her with what he claims is proof that the wrong man was convicted.

Hannah starts her own investigation and learns that she didn't really know her friends all that well; they all ghad secrets. And, one of them may have been a murderer.

The suspense and the way the story came together were well orchestrated, I just had a hard time connecting with Hannah. She does a lot to put her own life and the life of her unborn child in jeopardy and I didn't completely understand her motivation. Maybe it's just because I'm a wimp! I have always enjoyed a Ruth Ware mystery and The It Girl did not disappoint.

Ruth Ware's novel The It Girl is edgy and brilliant. Although it is a deeply disturbing murder mystery, it is the ripple effects after the murder that keeps the reader turning pages. With multiple layers of guilt and anxiety, Ruth Ware plays on her fans fear of the unknown. One gets a false sense of having figured out the plot when in reality you aren't even close.

Synopsis:
After meeting at Oxford College, Hannah and April quickly became best friends. The two girls come from different backgrounds, but enjoy socializing with their friends. The shocking murder of April in their dorm leaves Hannah traumatized and unable to complete college. Years later Hannah struggles to cope when she finds out that her testimony may have put the wrong person in prison. Hannah is determined to find the truth. Who killed April?

The It Girl is emotional and gripping. Ruth Ware brings intense realism and magic to the book. As a respected master of words, Ware's writing visually transports you into the story. This is one of the most intriguing psychological thrillers I've read this year.

The It Girl is available on July 12th. Don't miss this 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ novel!

Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books, for allowing me to review this mind-bending book. I love every page of it!

Ruth Ware is a master writer and this book is no exception. With brilliant storylines and compelling characters, this story drew me in from the first page. The group of students feels so relatable and you’ll be questioning “who dunnit” at every turn. I loved this book!

Ruth Ware is always a win, and this book was no exception. I felt it was a tad long, but she came through with excellent character development for that reason. I did feel there were some unfinished plot gaps I would have like to have filled in, but they were not critical to the story.

If this had been 150 pages shorter, I probably would have given it 4 stars. But ugh, it took way too long to get into the story. I found myself skimming in multiple parts waiting for things to finally pick up.

There’s some good twists and turns and it’s a fun premise for a thriller, but just way too long.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received this ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion about this book.

Though this wasn’t the spooky type of story that I love of Ruth Ware’s, it still had a mystery, and a good one at that!

This story follows Hannah back and forth between a pivotal time in her life: the death of her best friend. Switching between her and her group of friends’ time before the death and a decade after her death. The story of her friend’s death begins to fall apart as a journalist brings new evidence that leads Hannah to wonder if the man who died in prison for the death of her friend was truly innocent as he claimed.

This story had a few twists that kept me guessing at whodunit, and every time I thought I had it figured out, something else would come up that changed my mind. I really enjoyed this book and it deserves the 5 stars!

"The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the "claustrophobic spine-tingler" (People) One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends - Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily - during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April's death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.

"The Agatha Christie of our generation" (David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author) proves once again that she is "as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime" (The Washington Post) with this propulsive murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat."

The IT beach read of the summer is here!

I love Ruth Ware’s books and this one was no exception. It totally had me guessing until the very end. This story was told from the point of view of present day and the past. Because of that, it made it impossible to put down.

My most anticipated release of the year.. and it was a slow burn. A story about the death of the IT Girl. the one everyone wants to be, everyone wants to be with, and somehow amazingly is amazing at everything. Years later, Hannah is still living with the grief for the loss of her roomate. Finding her dead and the helping to put the killer behind the bars, Hannah keeps reliving the past. Especially when the journalists keep haunding her for interviews, etc. Now, the killer dies in prison, still professing he is innocent. Hannah's doubts about that night keep nagging her. She decides to question all the friends involved to see if she does remember the things the same as everyone else.

Let me say, this is a total character study. We're very much in Hannah's head, seeing and reliving her experience with her roommate April. Seeing the privelege that April lives with, the ease she charms everyone, the men that keep going after her.. Hannah feels like she is in the shadows of her friend. And then going on this amateur sleuth adventure to figure out if the killer is the one she pointed her finger at. It was slow, too slow for me. And the fact that I guessed who the culprit is right off the bat, this made just an OK read for me. I didnt feel the tension or the atmosphere that I loved in the author's previous books.

What I did like was the setting, and I wish I could go visit the campus and surrounding areas. Or drink champagne with April. Cheers to her. Will still read the next book from this author, because the writing is impeccable.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.

I'm probably going to be going against the trend here, but I wasn't very impressed with my first novel by Ruth Ware. After watching the highly enthusiastic reactions to her previous book I had expected more of....everything. Since the hyped up blurb said the book was "unputdownable" it was disappointing to find I could easily put the book aside and read three others before picking this one up again. For me the problem was that I was almost 100% sure I had figured the plot out much too early and I lost interest. Sure enough, I was right. I admit that I didn't figure out the "why" but even that proved to be unexceptional.

There isn't anything new in this novel; I've read it all before and often crafted better. I became irritated with the alternating time chapters and especially the gimmick used to let me know when I was back in the present. Ten years isn't very long when it comes to exploring a "past" so something had to be done to differentiate between the time periods. This was pretty much just an average read for me, certainly nothing to get excited about or to make me go on a book buying spree.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books, Gallery/Scout Press for an e-galley of this novel.

This novel did not disappoint! I have always felt that Ruth Ware novels move fairly slowly and I lose interest at times, but this book held me the whole time. I really enjoyed Hannah's story and was hooked from the beginning. I did not see the plot twist coming at all! Highly recommend this novel.

The book felt about 100 pages too long, and there were definitely pages in the foundational chapters that could have been trimmed a bit, but OMG was it worth it for the killer (pun intended) ending! As always, Ware manages to keep you guessing and never really gives any solid clues about the whodunnit. I thought I knew the answer so many times, but even up to the epilogue, she was keeping secrets. I haven't read a bad Ruth Ware book, but this one was especially un-put-down-able!

I have read every single Ruth Ware book and they get better and better. Ruth Ware has an amazing ability to build up tension and suspense until you are on the edge of your seat. I thought I had this figured out and I was so wrong. I will read everything Ruth ware comes out with and I’d love to hear her speak in Person 1 day.

A passable thriller, very readable. I guessed at the killer’s identity but not the how or why of it. Would recommend!

If I had to sum up Ruth Ware's latest work The It Girl in one word, it would be meh.
Truthfully it felt very generic, been there, done that. The characters weren't particularly likeable or intriguing and the pacing was a little slow.
If dark academia, psychological thrillers are something you only reach for occasionally, and Ruth Ware is an author you generally enjoy, you may like this book better than someone for whom this is a go-to genre.
Overall this was just a middle of the road book to me... the kind of book you pick up at an airport kiosk for a long flight maybe, and then don't feel bad for leaving it behind at your destination.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy. The views expressed are entirely my own.

Hannah begins her first year at Oxford with a roommate who is her total opposite. April is the "it" girl that knows everyone and has everything. April brings Hannah on her adventures and opens her eyes to the fun of life. Then the worst happens and Hannah finds April dead in their room. One person is convicted but, after a reporter comes to her with questions, Hannah feels like the police missed something.

This is only the second Ruth Ware book I have read, but I enjoy her writing tremendously. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat and had me continually guessing "who dun it" until the very end. There was a point that I felt like I was losing focus and just wanted to know what was going to happen, but then the pace picked up again. I was convinced I knew what was going to happen and then she shocked me. If you are a fan of mystery/suspense, this is for you!

I love Ruth Ware books. The beginning on this one seemed a bit slow but once it got going, there were so many twists and turns. Highly recommended.

This was a good read!!! The gripping story, the mystery, the huge pool of suspects! The possibilities we're endless. I spent the majority of the book thinking I knew who did it until the plot twist in the end that took my by complete surprise! I did think it was a bit longer than it needed to be and my copy had a few grammar errors. Some inserted words that weren't supposed to be there. Also, it being written in British English made it a bit harder to understand some of the slang at times. But all in all, a great triller!!

Whew! After the last book I read by Ruth Ware, The Woman in Cabin 10, I was afraid my admiration of her was over. This book, The It Girl, has definitely brought me back into the Ware fan club. Tightly woven, likable as well as unlikable characters, on-point backdrop and intense climactic events all made for a top level reading experience. Exactly how I want to kick off my summer of thrillers. With a before/after time travel trope in place, the reader is given access to all of the information. If I were one who tries to "figure out" the plot (which I am not) all the information is given to you. Everything is there... which is really fun to realize as you turn the final digital page... thank you Gallery/Scout Press/ Netgalley for the ARC of this. I now highly anticipate Ruth's (we're on a first name basis after so many books) next novel!