I really enjoyed my first Ruth Ware book!
I love dark academia books since reading In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead.
This started fairly typically- a murder at school, and the friends and classmates are moving on with their lives until something gets in the way- usually journalists trying to get to the bottom of it!
I loved the majority of this book- the plot and characters but felt like a more ruthless editing was needed. Characters' constant thoughts really slowed the pace down at times, and particularly when I wanted to feel the suspense.
I will definitely read Ruth's next offering after this!

2 stars

Ruth Ware's books are a hit or miss for me. Sometimes I love them and sometimes I dislike them. The It Girl was one of those misses for me. I put this book off for awhile, I was never in the mood to read it. So I picked up the audio book and I have to say, I hated the narrator. The narrator did a great job on every character except April. April's accent was like nails on a chalkboard. I had to quit listening around 20% because I just couldn't do it anymore. Switching to the ebook was definitely better, but I still wasn't as emotionally invested into this story.

The plot was okay, it wasn't super great. The entire plot revolved around April's death, who did it and why. But I honestly did not care. April was unlikeable. I mean she wasn't a terrible person but she wasn't great either. I felt like the author wanted to me like April but I just didn't. And Hannah was just straight up annoying. 5 months pregnant an solving a murder isn't smart. But the amount of times she ended up at the doctor/hospital was ridiculous. And not to mention, how does she still have a job when every time she was a work, she left early. It just didn't make any sense. And Will was just always gone. Never home, hardly answered his phone. It just seemed weird. I am getting into spoilers at this point and it's turning more into a rant. But this book just irritated me to no end. If you are going to write about people normal everyday mundane people at least make it realistic?

Not my favorite Ruth Ware book. Perhaps even my last.

I didn’t love this one. Very slow moving and not really suspense-driven. It wasn’t a bad book, but didn’t give me anything new. Many undeveloped characters and just overall underwhelming.

Classic Ruth Ware! What more could I ask for. So happy to be reading a Ruth Ware novel again and loved being able to read early!

I love Ware's books. This one was just a miss for me. The timeline hops were frustrating, and I felt like the mystery wasn't really all that mysterious. Maybe because it felt really long and drawn out? I just didn't devour this one like I have her previous books. I set this down for months at a time. I only kept going because it was Ruth Ware! I am totally in the minority though, so I think many other people will enjoy this immensely!

I've read ALL of Ruth Ware's books so I am an honest FANGIRL!! The It Girl has been my least favorite of all her books but not for reasons that are within her control. It's mainly because my one and only girl is graduating and going to live in the dorms next year at college. I could totally see her as either of the female characters so I often had to put the book down due to stress and anxiety over her future. Anyway, I will always be a Ruth Ware fan and can't wait to read her next one!!

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is an unputdownable thriller set at Oxford and written in two parts - Before and After.

In the Before sections we are introduced to Hannah and her new roommate April, along with Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily as they are beginning their first year at Oxford. April and Hannah seem like they are opposites but they get along IMMEDIATELY. And April is the IT GIRL. Other girls want to be her and the guys want to be with her. She's rich, beautiful, and can talk her way into and out of any situation. It seems like April has it all, but things take a surprising twist when April is found dead in the dorm room late one night near the end of the year. Hannah was the one to find April and her eye-witness testimony puts the creepy school porter, Neville, at the scene just before she discovered Aprils dead body.

The After sections take place ten years later and we find Hannah, pregnant with her first child and married to Will. We learn that Neville has just died in prison but Hannah is contacted by a reporter that seems to have evidence that Neville might have been wrongly accused. Hannah begins to spiral, believing that her testimony had put an innocent man behind bars and that the actual murderer was still out there.

As Hannah begins to investigate on her own, she reconnects with each of the members of the friend group and realizes that they each have their own reasons to hate April and their alibies for that night might not be as secure as they made Hannah believe all those years ago.

What a ride! Ruth Ware certainly doesn't disappoint. Just when I think I know what's going on, she throws something else in. Loved this book!!

I've recently fallen in love with Ruth Ware and with good reason. The It Girl was another 5 star read for me. It focuses on flashbacks of a group of friends in college when one of their friend members dies. In present day, the man who was arrested for killing her has just died in prison. So it should be time to move on, right? Wrong. A new reporter shows up in town and starts planting ideas that maybe that man was actually innocent after all. Can we trust those around us at all times? What about our memories? Can we trust them? I really enjoyed the e-book overall It's nice to not know where you're at in case something comes up. I look forward to her next book.

3.5/5

Hannah and April are college roommates at Pelham College. They,along with the rest of their friends Will (April's boyfriend), Ryan, Emily, and High navigate the pitfalls of academic life and parties, until one night, Hannah discovers April's body in their dorm room. The obvious suspect I'd John Neville, who was seen leaving the building shortly before Hannah made the discovery.

With this evidence, Neville is convicted and some ten years later he dies in prison from a heart attack. When a journalist talks with Hannah about his fears that Neville was wrongfully convicted, Hannah sets out to investigate if her testimony sent the wrong person to prison in this dual timeline novel.

Honestly, this book is a bit of a slog. Nothing much really happens until about 70% or so of the way in. Its mainly just the characters' mundane daily lives and I feel there was way too much of it. I also had a very difficult time with finding Hannah to be likable. The characters are all fully fleshed out and some of the secondary characters were much more enjoyable. The dual timelines were not a problem as each chapter is labeled either before or after. There are plenty of red herrings, which saves this book as I wanted to see who did it and I suspected each of the secondary characters at one point or another.

My thanks to Gallery Books, Scout Press, author Ruth Ware, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I've been enjoying all of Ruth Ware's books. Her books are fantastic. This one did not disappoint. If you are looking for twisty turny reading, read Ruth Ware.

A good not great mystery. Lots of red herrings, two of my favorite settings (Oxford & Edinburgh) but too much of a lackluster main character for me to be completely invested.

I really enjoyed reading The It Girl. I was surprised and caught off guard multiple times, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, the book twist caught me off guard again. I switched between reading and listening to the audio and the entire time I was at the edge of my seat waiting for what was next.

I liked this book. Maybe not my favorite by Ruth Ware, but still solid. I would share this book with others.

Now when accused mureder of a Oxford student dies and still not addmiting a guilt Hannah started qurstioning herself as a main vitness to Aprils murder. All Hannahs friend from college dealt with murder and finished school but onlyshe could not. Are her friends privliged kids who think they can get away with a murder or are they true carring friends. Can Hannah find a truth or is she going to be ignorant ?

"The It Girl" by Ruth Ware is an exhilarating and suspenseful novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. This book tells the story of a young woman named Anna who is invited to work at a luxury hotel on a remote Scottish island. Anna is thrilled at the opportunity and excited to start her new job, but things quickly take a dark turn when she discovers that the hotel has a sinister history and the other staff members have secrets of their own.

One of the strengths of this book is the well-crafted plot. The story is expertly paced and full of twists and turns that will leave readers guessing until the very end. The characters are also well-developed, with each one having their own unique motivations and secrets that add to the complexity of the story. Anna is a particularly likable protagonist, and readers will find themselves rooting for her throughout the book.

Another standout feature of "The It Girl" is the vivid and atmospheric setting. The remote Scottish island is beautifully described, with Ware's prose bringing the rugged coastline and wild weather to life. The hotel itself is also expertly rendered, with its faded glamour and creepy atmosphere contributing to the sense of unease that pervades the book.

Overall, "The It Girl" is a fantastic read that will appeal to fans of suspenseful, character-driven thrillers. Ruth Ware has once again demonstrated her skill at crafting engrossing and entertaining stories that keep readers hooked until the very last page. Highly recommended.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a fan of Ware, so I was excited to read this oneZ I think it might be my favorite of hers so far. Lots of twists, great characters, a fast-paced story.

I felt it did go on a little bit longer than it had to at the end, but was still a good read.

Not my favorite Ruth Ware story but I will read whatever she writes. I love how phycological her character development is, it immerses you into the characters mind.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I so enjoy Ruth Ware!! She has a talent for casting doubt on all characters. I was suspicious of all at one point or another, and this element kept me turning the pages. I believe the book was a little longer than it needed to be. However, I can still remember parts of it 6 months later. I usually forget most of the book a month after I finished it.

April, the It Girl, is found murdered at Oxford. Her roommate Hannah is sure it was the Porter, John Neville. When John dies in prison ten years later, Hannah finds herself doubting her memory of the night April died.