3.5 stars

Ruth Ware is an author that has become an auto read for me, but I have a love / hate relationship with her books: I loved The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Death of Mrs. Westaway; I liked The Turn of the Key; I didn't love In a Dark, Dark Wood and One by One, but could understand if readers do; and I hated The Lying Game. I would say that Ruth Ware's THE IT GIRL is appropriately stuck right in the middle at 3.5 stars. If I had to rank, I'd put it in the "didn't love" category before In a Dark, Dark Wood. Anyways, onto the story!

This book has a whole academia vibe where the main character, Hannah relives her past trauma after finding out that her roommate's murderer has just died in prison. However, Hannah's life drastically takes a turn when a journalist provides her new evidence stating that her roommate's killer may have actually been innocent. Hannah is happily married to her college sweetheart and has a kid on the way, and she doesn't need this to affect her love bubble. However, sometimes the past has a way of rising back to the top. I definitely got vibes from Ashley Winstead's IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE, so if you like that book, you should give THE IT GIRL a try!

THE IT GIRL did not feel like a Ruth Ware novel to me as it was very slow and not really suspense-driven. I did enjoy the mystery and our protagonist, and I did not expect how the story was going to end at all. For real, I think this was my first Ruth Ware novel that I was stumped. It was just a tad too long for me, especially with a very fast wrap up, even though I read it in 24 hours, so maybe I'm just a complainer. However, THE IT GIRL does not follow the typical rhetoric that bugged me with One By One, so I think Ruth Ware fans will enjoy that this story is drastically different than what you may expect. I definitely think that if you're a fan of the author, you should give THE IT GIRL a chance. I'm curious to see where readers will align with ratings as this book was good, but a bit disappointing after a two year hiatus.

I enjoy a good Ruth Ware novel and this one was no exception. It has some slower parts but overall a great dark academia thriller. I didn’t expect the ending at all and enjoyed the twist.

Another classic Ruth Ware winner. Truly, she's a master of her craft. I was partial to this novel, largely because it's set in Oxford at the same time that I studied there - at the dawn of the Instagram era and everything that came with the innocuous little photo-sharing app. A delightfully twisty murder mystery, meticulously plotted and with a twist that actually caught me off guard.

he It Girl was a slog for me to read - it felt very repetitive, and the poor girl finding rich, gorgeous best friend at exclusive British school trope is getting tiresome for me. I did not feel the plot line of Hannah changing her whole life because of a murder of her college roommate that she knew for less than a year was believable. I also did not understand her obsessive quest to find justice for a man that totally creeped her out in college, and her willingness to jeopardize her relationship with her husband and her yet to be born child. The ending was way over the top as well. Although I have enjoyed her previous works, this one did not do much for me. I will say that your milage may vary because I've read a lot of mystery thrillers and could be a bit jaded at this point. Thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced reader copy.

I'm a sucker for a college murder mystery (something I didn't truly know about myself until I read <i>In My Dreams I Hold a Knife</i>). The description of <i> The It Girl </i> sounded so similar that I knew I had to read it.

While I ultimately didn't think it was as good as Dreams, I still found myself drawn into the romantic, Oxford landscape of Hannah's past. I agree with other reviewers that it was pretty slow-paced (at least in the present-day narrative), but I really loved the Oxford flashbacks—that's what made the book for me. Would recommend for those in search of some nostalgic, autumn mystery vibes (without being too creepy/scary).

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a psychological thriller set against the backdrop of college life at Oxford University, a murder, and the woman who may have been responsible for the conviction of the wrong man for the crime.
Hannah Jones is an academically hardworking student who finds herself feeling like a fish out of water when she arrives at Oxford University. This feeling is made worse upon meeting her rich roomate April Coutts-Clivedon, the girl everyone wants to be friends with. Quickly becoming best friends, Hannah's life becomes everything she could hope for at Oxford until that life is turned upside down upon discovering April murdered in their dorm room.
Hannah becomes convinced that the murderer could only be the Oxford porter John Neville.
Fast forward ten years and soon-to-be mother Hannah learns that John Neville has died in prison. What should have been a relief soon becomes a nightmare when a reporter reaches out claiming John may not be the murderer.
Told from past and present perspectives, Ruth Ware manages to create tension and atmosphere but lacks an orginal storyline. As a reader of this genre the book takes on a recycled feel in both characters and story. While not Ruth Ware's strongest story to date, readers will still want to give it a go and will find the drive to finish for that "gotcha" moment in the who-dun-it read.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware was absolutely brilliant. It had everything I was looking for in a locked-room mystery—intrigue, clues, red herrings, and a nice amount of glitz and glam.

We follow a girl named Hannah Jones in her first year at Oxford. Hannah is a bit of a loner, and when she's paired with April Cloutts-Cliveden, a wealthy young woman who seems to have it all, her life takes a turn for the better—or so she thinks.

When April dies tragically, and Hannah witnesses a porter lurking outside their room, she testifies that the porter must have committed the crime—because there was no other way into the room besides the stairwell he came out of, after all.

But as with all locked-room mysteries, this one has a clever twist up its sleeve. Ten years later, Hannah is settled into life working in a bookstore, and pregnant with her first child. She doesn't want to drudge up the past. But when the accused porter suddenly dies in prison, and a journalist comes around looking for the truth, Hannah can't help but wonder—could she have been wrong all those years ago? Could she have accidentally sent the wrong man to prison?

Bravo and five stars for Ruth Ware, as this one is as good as it gets.

The It Girl was a fantastic read and just what I needed to get out of my psychological thriller slump.

Alternating between before and after, The It Girl follows Hannah before and after the murder of her best friend at Oxford, April. Hannah’s testimony has sent the creepy porter John Neville to prison for April’s murder, but after his death, Hannah is increasingly worried she pointed fingers at the wrong guy.

It took me a little while to get into it, but the second half was fast-paced and I couldn’t put it down. You can’t go wrong with Ruth Ware!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

When I get a new Ruth Ware book, I get myself all settled in and know I'm going to enjoy myself. This book was no exception. The setting was as cozy and British as ever, the characters a mix of upper class and lower class, and a murder that shakes the surface. I thought I had this one figured out early on but I was wrong. Ware surprised me yet again.

Ruth Ware, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the "claustrophobic spine-tingler" (People Magazine) of One by One, makes an amazing return with this unputdownable mystery that follows a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend's murder. Captivating and page-turning, 5 enthusiastic stars!

Thoroughly enjoyed this! A great who done it. Just when you think you have it figured out, the author throws another character side story that makes you rethink everything. Poor Hannah and her group of college buddies. Not all friendships will survive.

Familiar Plot and Characters

"She was the prefect friend--until she wasn't."

The It Girl is a psychological thriller about a murder at Oxford and the woman who may have been responsible for the conviction of the wrong man for the crime.

Before: Hannah Jones experiences imposter syndrome when she arrives at Oxford University to study literature. Her sparkly, rich roommate, April, has all in her thrall, but when April is murdered, Hannah’s newly crafted life implodes.

After: Hannah, now pregnant and married living in Edinburgh, receives news that the man she testified against in April’s murder has died in jail. She begins questioning whether or not she was responsible for convicting an innocent man.

The narrative alternates between “before” and “after” the crime, but both are told from Hannah’s point of view. I found both narrative threads boring, especially in the beginning. It took me a bit to warm up to Hannah. Her voice is dull, and I didn’t really care what happened to her until the end. I found the side characters much more interesting.

The plot is one I have read before. Hannah even feels like other characters I have met before. I was hoping for more of an original storyline or at least a twist to make it a little more interesting. On the plus side, it is well-written; Ware 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 hated Ware’s last book, One By One, and the good news is that I liked this one much more! Even though I was bored, I was invested enough in the plot to keep turning the pages--my inner armchair detective was piqued by all of the red herrings. I thought this book would never end, and even though it was a drag getting there, the ending finally adds some excitement.

Overall, The It Girl is a solid thriller but loses stars for lack of originality.

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

I've read many books by Ruth Ware and have enjoyed them all. This one was no different. Her books are faced pace and easy to read. Great characters that are easy to root for. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The It Girl by Ruth Ware.
The premise of this book, a murder in a college dorm, nothing new. The characters were flat and hard to rally behind. The setting was perfect for the mystery, but the story lacked pizzazz. It was too predictable and lacked the essence of Ruth Ware's other novels.

The It Girl
My thanks to #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks and #ScoutPress for the advance copy eBook of #TheItGirl in exchange for an honest review. #RuthWare brings us April, the consummate It Girl, the girl everyone wants to be near, everyone wants to have in their orbit – and the one who winds up dead. Ten years after her death, April’s best friend, Hannah, is riddled with thoughts about the killer who recently died in jail. Was he really the killer? Did her testimony send an innocent man to prison? Hannah digs up her painful past looking for answers. This is a thrilling psychological thriller that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. It’s got beautiful details that put the reader right into Oxford – the descriptions are so vivid and detailed, it’s easy to picture the university in all it’s storied glory. It’s a thrilling mystery filled with lots of twists and turns. Not to be missed!

Thank you so much Netgalley for the opportunity to read these one! I absolutely loved it. I have read all of Ruth Ware’s books and this one is by far my favorite. I loved how fast-paced the story is and it was so gripping- I read it in two days and had a hard time putting it down. I didn’t fully predict the ending and there were a good amount of surprise turns as well. I really liked the characters and the story. A really good thriller!

I was very excited for this book. I had studied abroad in Oxford and am currently pregnant, so I felt like I would connect with this main character. However, I feel like the story dragged on quite a bit. Throughout, the main character, Hannah, seemed overly hysterical. The mentions of her pregnancy were also very overdone - talking about the baby’s movements or some exaggerated pregnancy symptom in what feels like every paragraph.

As for the positives… I thought I had the end figured out, but did end up surprised. The book definitely picked up in the last 25% as she got closer into solving the case.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙩 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡
Ruth Ware
Psychological Thriller
432 Pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

April seems to have it all: money, looks, talent, and personality. Hannah becomes part of her life when they become college roommates bringing a small group of friends together.

April is murdered, and ten years later, Hannah is still struggling after the man responsible because of her testimony dies, claiming innocence. Will her sleuthing put an end to her concern or cause her more problems?

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

Psychological thrillers are my favorite genre, and The It Girl fits the bill. So many red herrings that I changed my mind repeatedly trying to figure out who murdered April.

The group of friends made for an interesting lot. There was always more going on in the background with each of them, which made it easy to falter in figuring out the killer.

I liked characters at times and disliked them at other times. They were all flawed, which made them more believable.

Ruth Ware sends Hannah on a twisty road to discovering who killed her best friend. Did I mention her husband was April’s boyfriend at the time of the murder? Or that Hannah is pregnant while trying to figure this mess out?

The It Girl takes a college friendship on a slippery slope of death and denial. Ruth Ware’s writing style always takes me for a wild ride.

Definitely grab The It Girl. Its pub date is July 22, 2022, but you can preorder it. I suggest you do!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review. 💕

April Clarke-Cliveden is the first student Hannah Jones meets when she moved into her room at Oxford. April is gorgeous, vivacious, smart and a typical It Girl. Hannah is anything but. However, April befriends her and together they develop a group of friends who are very tight-knit.

By the end of the second semester, April is dead. A porter at the school, John Neville, is convicted of her murder, with the testimony of Hannah helping to seal his fate. He always protested his innocence, but he dies in jail and the friends hope they can put the murder behind them. Hannah is expecting a baby with Will, one of their close friends. One day, she gets a visit from a journalist who says he has evidence that Neville was innocent. Hannah revisits old friends and realizes that everyone seems to be hiding something. I didn't guess until 3/4 through the book who the murderer was. An entertaining read.

April Clarke-Cliveden had been described as an “It Girl” because she had everything-looks, money, and brains. By the end of her first year at Pelham College, Oxford, she was dead. John Neville, a porter at the college, was convicted of strangling her to death based on the testimony of Hannah Jones, April’s roommate. Some 10 years later Neville is dead, and Hannah is contacted by a journalist who says newly found evidence could prove Neville was innocent. Could Hannah have been wrong, could someone else have murdered April? Could it have been a friend or April’s former boyfriend and now Hannah’s husband Will? The more Hannah digs to discover the truth about April’s death, the more she places herself and her unborn baby in danger.
The It Girl is told in alternating chapters before and after April’s death. Although the story is very character-driven, it is also very atmospheric with its settings in Oxford and Edinburgh.
The It Girl reminded me of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. It is very suspenseful with lots of twists. I would highly recommend it. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader’s copy of this book.