3.5 rounded up to 4.

Thank you NetGalley & Gallery/Scout Press for the gifted eARC.

I was interested in this book because the plot sounded interesting and I just love books set in academic settings. Hannah tells her side of what happened the night her Oxford roommate, April, died from the POV of before April’s death and after, and I really enjoy this form of storytelling—it was done wonderfully. This book was also very character driven which I enjoy.

However, this book was just a little too long. A lot of Hannah’s internal dialogue could’ve been cut, as it seemed like she pondered the same points over and over.

In the end, I kind of saw the twist coming, but the why I didn’t, which I enjoyed very much! It’s hard to get twist endings right and this was done very well!

Excited for thriller lovers to get their hands on this one come July 12th!

Disclaimer: I received a free digital ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ARC editions can have differences from final copies and are not meant for quotation.

In The It Girl, a young, promising, and wealthy girl is murdered in her own suit at Oxford University, and her roommate and best friend Hannah is left to pick up the pieces of her life after the tragedy.

Description

Hannah Jones is in the prime of her life. She's pregnant with her first child, and her marriage to her college crush Will is better than ever. She enjoys her job, and her life is fulfilling... until she gets a phone call that changes everything and transports her back to her first year as an Oxford student. The year that her best friend and roommate, April Coutts-Cliveden was murdered in their dorm suite by one of the building's porters Jon Neville.

April was a popular and wealthy girl who was getting the most out of her ivy education at Oxford. She had it all: beauty, money, and a brain. Jon Neville was a creepy old man who had a couple of bad encounters with Hannah, who was scared of ever being near the man.

On the night of April's murder, Hannah was walking back to her suite when she saw Jon Neville leaving the building using the only staircase that had direct access to the room. Two minutes later, Hannah found April's limp body lying in the living room. And then her nightmare started. Hannah's testimony was key to putting Neville behind bars, but he kept proclaiming his innocence for the past 10 years. Now, Neville has died and a journalist doing investigative work is saying that he has found evidence that proves Neville's innocence. 

Hanna begins to dig deeper into what actually happened that night. While reconnecting with old friends, she begins to suspect that one of them is not telling the truth, and her marriage and future could be in danger.

Review

Ruth Ware has become one of my favorite thriller authors, and this book was the type of work I've come to expect from her. I truly loved this story, and the plot was engaging and kept me engrossed from beginning to end.

In this story, Ware crafts a great mystery story with Hannah Jones as an unexpected detective trying to figure out what really happened the night that April was murdered. The story switches from Hannah's POV a decade earlier and the present time. In the flashbacks, Hannah introduces her friends at Oxford, including April, Grant, Ryan, Emily, and her now-husband Will. April was Hannah's roommate, and they become best friends on the first day they spent together. Eventually, April and Will start dating, and the flashbacks explore their relationship as well as Hannah's and the rest of the group of friends. Bonded by tragedy, Will and Hannah end up getting married, but it is clear from the flashbacks that their chemistry had started before April was murdered.

The plot and the pace of the book flow nicely, and it is a quick read. The story is divided into two main storylines. The first one is focused on April and her relationships with the group of friends from Hannah's point of view. The other one focuses on Hannah's current life and her actions when she starts to come to terms with the fact that her testimony sent an innocent man to prison. It also explores Hanna's own relationships with the group of friends, including her husband Will. As Hannah becomes an unlikely detective digging deeper into what happened that night, she also discovers secrets that put her and her future with Will in danger. And then, a final twist in the story changes everything. I was split 50/50 about how the book would go when the twist was introduced so I was still surprised when it happened.

Ware is an expert in character development and tying loose ends at the end of a novel, and The It Girl does a great job on both ends. All of the main characters are multi-dimensional and have flaws and strengths that make them relatable. Even rich girl April comes up as approachable when one of her main attributes is her wicked sense of humor and her talent to pull pranks on her friends. Hannah is also likable, even if extremely anxious and insecure. Hannah lives with some guilt because of ending up living the life she thought April deserved with Will. As she ingrains herself in the past, she comes to terms with the true nature of her relationship with April. Once she starts to suspect that someone in their group of friends is hiding something, she lets go of the guilt and becomes a fighter for the truth. Hannah is loyal and wants to find out what happened to April not only to ease her own guilt but to honor their friendship that meant so much to her. Even the secondary characters have layers to them, and as Hannah reconnects with each one of them, more secrets are revealed that keep the story interesting. 

The story's ending is packed with action, and while I wouldn't say that the motives for April's murder were shocking, I found it believable. The story nicely comes together to the end, and I was satisfied with the end. A great book with a great story.

I couldn’t wait to read the latest book from Ruth Ware and The It Girl did not disappoint.

When Hannah Jones arrives at Oxford, she’s pleasantly surprised to find herself instantly clicking with a new friend. Her roommate is the pretty, popular, fun and sometimes brutal, April. They quickly form a fast and intense friendship while bringing new friends Will, Hugh, Neville and Emily into their clique. As the semester progresses relationships develop, academic struggles arise and jealousy starts to grow. April is the life of the party but can also play brutal practical jokes that no one thinks are funny. As the first semester comes to an end, April ends up murdered in their dorm room. Now ten years later, the convicted murderer dies in prison. But instead of ending the saga, his death brings up more questions.

Written between flashbacks of the college days at Oxford and the present, Ruth Ware weaves a murder mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat. This title was a bit slow at the beginning but the descriptions of Oxford college life and the many twists and turns kept me reading. An unpredictable ending ensures another best seller for this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this title before its release in return for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah Jones is excited to start the rest of her life at Oxford. And it seems like she's well on her way when her suitemate is the sparkly, wealthy, and enchanting April. But things fall apart before the end of her first year when April is murdered in her room. Hannah's testimony puts the murderer behind bars....or so she things. Now, she's pregnant and living with her husband in Edinburgh. She is trying to move on from that awful night, but when the accused murderer dies in prison and a journalist begins asking questions, Hannah starts to wonder if she put the wrong man behind bars.

Told with flashbacks between the time at Oxford and now, Hannah must grapple with the past and her role in it. Ruth Ware spins a charming whodunnit that will keep readers turning pages late into the night.

A twisty who done it. One of this author's better stories. A little slow at times, but decent overall. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

THIS book right here is one of the reasons why I love Ruth Ware and her thrillers! It was a mystery that kept me entertained from the very beginning.

While THE IT GIRL was a little more slow-burn that I typically like, it still had me sucked in from the beginning chapters. The last 75% of the book was fast-paced and full of the twists and turns that I love. I did not see the end coming at all.

Ruth Ware does it again! She really has quickly become one of my fave authors--she's thoughtful and clever in her plotline and characterization. I learn something everytime in addition to being highly entertained. There's a reason she is widely considered to be a modern Agatha Christie! The plot will keep you guessing and you will be devastated by the characters that you feel like are part of your own friend ground. I loved the setting in Oxford and learned a bit about how university life there differs from our own American university system. I highly recommend this and any of her work!

I love when a new Ruth Ware book is published because I know it’s going to be a great read and The It Girl didn’t disappoint!

Ruth Ware at her best! I was kept guessing until the end.

April Clark-Clivedon and Hannah Jones were roommates at Oxford. But by the end of the year, April was dead. The Oxford porter, John Neville, killed her. Ten years later, Hannah and Will are married and expecting a child. John Neville has died in prison. A young journalist has brought forth new evidence that John Neville may be innocent. Is one of her friends guilty of murder? I really enjoyed this book. The characters were so life-like and the plot was fast-paced. There were plenty of twists and lots of red herrings. By the end of the book, I had changed my mind three times. Ruth Ware is surely clever and the book is unputdownable. I would like to thank NetGalley and Galley/Scout Press for a copy for an honest review.

I've read and enjoyed books by this author previously and was ready to dive into another, but not very far along it seems to be a novel about a man with a social or intellectual impairment who was scapegoated for a student's murder. That's a hard no for me. I can't find enjoyment in that kind of storyline, so I'm setting it aside and moving along.

A twisty mystery from popular author Ruth Ware, The It Girl takes readers to Edinburgh where former Oxford student, Hannah, is faced with the news that her best friends' killer has died in prison. With the pressure from journalists and her own mind, she sets out to discover whether her friend really was murdered by the man convicted, or whether it was someone else.

I am a big Ruth Ware fan, but since I had recently read a book by Lucy Foley that had a similar set of friends and a murder mystery at the core, it just felt a little stale.

Ruth Ware has done it again. The way she writes her characters is so wonderful. They are real fleshed-out people who you can't help but get wrapped up in. I devoured this novel and couldn't put it down. The twists and turns are amazing. Just when I thought I had a handle on things I get thrown back into the deep end. But it's never completely out of left field. That is something that I appreciate. It twists and turns but looking back the answer was there.Ware does a great job bringing her college campus and its inhabitants to life. HIghly recommend this book.

The It Girl is a great suspenseful novel by Ruth Ware. It has the perfect amount of mystery elements coupled with a nice twist.

This book is centered on Hannah, who has a roommate named April in University. Hannah is a serious student and is not wealthy or entitled like April. April is basically the rich and popular It girl.

They have a group of friends consisting of Emily, Will, Hugh and Ryan.

One night April is strangled to death in the dorm room. John Neville, the creepy porter is considered the murderer and is sent to prison. He keeps saying that he’s innocent until the day he dies in prison.

Ten years later, Hannah is married to Will who used to be April’s boyfriend. Hannah was the main witness who saw Neville near the murder scene but now she’s quite conflicted and not so sure that he was the murderer, especially when a reporter contacts her saying that the police got the wrong guy according to new evidence that is found.

Hannah wants to get to the truth of the matter and find out who really murdered April.

The novel switches between the past and the present. This is quite interesting as it gives the reader a lot of information about how everything was before the murder happened.

The characters are all quite fleshed out. Hannah comes across as quite a naive person and April is a larger than life character, though not a very nice person.

The plot was intriguing, and kept my attention, although the pace was a little slow in the middle. However it picked up again towards the end.

All in all, a great mystery which I would definitely recommend to all the mystery & thriller genre lovers.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy for an honest review.

This was so unbelievably similar to Ashley Winstead’s In My Dreams I Hold A Knife that I didn’t enjoy it. It was like reading that book all over again. Not original at all and nothing that I found compelling in a thriller. I wouldn’t recommend this to seasoned thriller readers.

For a Ruth Ware book, this was a major disappointment.

Ten years ago, Hannah's roommate April was the type of person that people were gravitated to but also hated. One night, Hannah comes home to find April dead. She thinks she sees the murderer run from the crime scene and her testimony puts the man in jail. When he dies from a heart attack in jail, all of her doubts that she was wrong resurfaces and she investigates if he was the true killer.

Usually, Ruth Ware is very good with build up. This time the build up was so boring. The characters were flat and stereotypical. Hannah was boring and stupid. She kept saying how they were best friends in college but it was very clear that she didn't like April. For a woman who kept bringing up her pregnancy, she was blasé about putting herself into danger and having high blood pressure.

This review is based on an advanced copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

As usual, Ruth Ware never misses! The It Girl has a refreshing, dark-academia themed narrative to it, while still feeling like Ware’s voice and thrills we’ve all come to love. Hannah Jones is an excellent final girl, whose love for her best friend April–murdered during their first year at Oxford–has never waivered in the ten years since losing her. And when the possibility of April’s murderer still being out there arises, she is determined to uncover the real truth. That real truth will be staring back at you through these pages, but you will be unable to take off your rose-colored glasses until it’s much, much too late. An absolute hit, I finished it in less than 48 hours!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

April and Hannah are roommates at Oxford. While very different people, they become best friends and have tight group of friends. Hannah has a crush on April’s boyfriend Will. Hannah finds April dead in their room.

Ten years later, Hannah and Will are married and expecting a baby. The person found guilty of killing April died in prison after always saying he was innocent. Hannah starts digging into what happened.

The book goes back and forth from their freshman year to current day as Hannah tries to solve the mystery. Well done novel with a very satisfying ending.

This was my first book by Ruth Ware, and I will be reading her others. Good mystery with a nice twist at the end even though it wasn't completely unexpected.

I love this author, she never disappoints. This book was full of twists and turns that kept me interested and made me want to pick back up and read it more. I've been in a reading slump and I'd happily recommend this one if you have been too.

The It Girl is another treat for fans of Ruth Ware. The twisty plot, intertwined timelines, and intriguing setting all make for a great read. The book will also appeal to readers who haven't yet encountered Ware's work but who liked titles like Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella, The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz, or The Secret Place by Tana French, all thrillers set in an intense academic atmosphere.