I love all things Ruth Ware. Her writing style, the twists and turns she constantly has- that keeps my reading on my toes. She has quickly become my go-to author. And I can't wait to see what other books are headed my way.

A dark academia thriller that takes place in Oxford? Written by Ruth Ware? Sign me up, please!

The protagonist of the novel, Hannah, is excited about starting at Oxford, but is still doesn’t always feel like she belongs. Her confident, rich, and exciting roommate, April, quickly befriends Hannah. Despite the tension due to their different personalities, the new college students become best friends. April is frequently upsetting someone in their circle of friends, but the wrongs are usually righted quickly. Unfortunately, the year comes to a dramatic end when April is found dead in their dorm room.

The It Girl captured my attention quickly and had me second guessing my predictions at every turn. Ruth Ware did what does best in this novel - she created a captivating, exciting, and fast moving mystery that is sure to stump even the most avid readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is, by far, the best mystery/thriller I’ve read in a very long time. Ruth Ware` does not displaying in this long, twisty, story.
The formula is a classic, a charismatic rich girl is murdered. Her best friend and college roommate is left to deal with the aftermath of finding out who and why.
I’m not kidding when I say there were twists down to the last second. I was all over the place scrambling to figure out who the killer was. Ware wrote this story in a way that anyone and everyone looks guilty.
Remember last year when everyone was so excited to read The Maidens but it turned out to be a big ole disappointment? The It Girl is like if The Maidens had been done correctly..
This book was so long and I dragged it out even longer because I didn’t want it to end. Do yourself a favor and preorder this one. I’d give it 100 stars if I could!

Hannah begins her freshman year at Oxford and is settling into her new life. Her roommate, April, comes from a very wealthy background, and is the self-designated leader of their friend group. But everything changes when one member of the group doesn’t survive that freshman year.

Ten years later, the man responsible for the death of her friend has died and he always claimed his innocence. Hannah's testimony helped seal his fate and she now begins to question if he was truly guilty.

I have read all of Ruth Ware's previous works, and she is pretty hit or miss for me, and the vast majority are big misses for me, but this is easily my favorite of hers! This is quite slow overall, not much thriller, but slow burn mystery, and a bit snoozy to start. I did struggle getting into it, but once the twists are revealed, it does pick up quite a bit. I love the college campus setting and this is a very atmospheric book. I could picture the exact layout of their building, the fence surrounding the school, and Hannah and April's room itself. The story is told in the past and present day, from Hannah's perspective. I have worked on college campuses and there were a few plot holes that really did not make sense to me. I thought I had this one figured out, and was correct on the who, but couldn't figure out how or why and I loved how this one unfolded those pieces.

5 stars for The It Girl by Ruth Ware. The It Girl is a thriller about a murder that takes place at a college. The story alternates between college days and present time (10 years later) and kept me guessing the whole time! I enjoyed the college life stories as well as catching up with where the characters are now in their lives. I also appreciated the redeeming qualities that each character has as well as their flaws. This was a fantastic book, and I would recommend it to anyone that likes thrillers especially those with alternating storylines. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

What would you do if you thought your husband had murdered your best friend while in college? There was a lot of hype about this book, and it being her best one yet. I did enjoy the book. I thought it was going to be a typical story, but there were definitely some twists and turns that you might not have seen coming. The characters come to life in the pages, and you can feel yourself in their shoes. You will root for some characters, and in the end the outcome is somewhat predictable.

Hannah was just a freshman when her roommate and best friend April was killed and Hannah was the star witness whose testimony put April’s killer away. But Hannah continues to wonder, what if she was wrong? Could she have been wrong?
I really felt like I read this book before- kind of predictable, familiar plot. Slow moving and not really likable characters.
This was just average to me- a little less actually.

A fun thriller set at Oxford. Lots of twists and turns. I loved reading and imagining the life of students at Oxford.

“The It Girl”
by Ruth Ware

The Perfect Girl, Perfectly Pranked

Vivacious, glamorous, intelligent, and frequently incorrigible, April is every guy’s dream and most girl’s envy as first-term housemates at Oxford settle into budding groups and teaming friendships in “The It Girl,” Ruth Ware’s latest tangled tale of love, lust, loathing, and lies.

A cruel trickster, April’s humor isn’t always funny. Those she pranks typically don't laugh afterward because they've been egregiously humiliated, slandered, or intimidated. April’s talents carry over to the stage because she’s a terrific actress. However, following an Oxford theater performance, April is murdered. Many people have motives, yet most have alibis.

Ten years later, the man convicted of April’s murder died in prison. The media reexamine the case. Was an innocent man charged with the crime? Could the real strangler still be on the loose? Hannah, April’s former Oxford roommate, now married and pregnant, was a key witness for the prosecution at the murder trial. Did her testimony condemn the wrong person? Could her husband, or one of their close Oxford friends, be the killer?

Ruth Ware is one of my favorite contemporary mystery/thriller authors, and I eagerly seek out each of her novels. “The It Girl” is another engaging page-turner that captivated me from beginning to end. Each character had reasons to retaliate against April, so pondering upon possible killers was delightfully fun..

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: “The It Girl”
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: | General Fiction | Mysteries & Thrillers
Publication Date: 11 July 2022
Publisher: Gallery Books


My sincere thanks and appreciation go to NetGalley, Author Ruth Ware, and Publisher Gallery Books for this Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) for review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Gallery Books for an advanced copy of this new twisty thriller.

College is a time that many people use to find out who they are, are who they might pretend to be. Away from home, you can shed that persona that everyone in town knew you by, becoming more or what ever you want to be. If you are lucky you can find someone that can help you be all you want to be, just by being a star in the sky that you will follow to success. Hannah Jones was that lucky girl, the first day she met April Clarke- Cliveden at Oxford. Soon Hannah had friends, a positive influence in rich, pretty secure April, and things were going great. Until April died. Ruth Ware tells a complicated tale of murder, identity and trust in her book The It Girl.

Ten years after the death of April, Hannah is married to April's boyfriend, and preparing for their first child together. The man suspected of killing April has died in prison, but instead of relief, Hannah is shocked to find that a journalist has evidence that may exonerate him. However that leaves Hannah who accused the man of murder, and has married April's boyfriend. And those close college friendships, might not be as close or as friendly as Hannah has always thought, as what happens to April becomes more complicated and close to home.

The story is good with a strong plot and characters that change as the story progresses. There are a lot of twists and turns, and the plot holds together well. The switching of narrative from events leading up to the murder, to events ten years later is a bit played out, but Ruth Ware still uses it well to keep everything together, and the reader won't get lost following along.

Another probable bestseller as this is the perfect beach read, a interesting mystery with characters who are well developed and hide a lot of secrets. Fans of Paula Hawkins, Megan Miranda, Diane Chamberlain will enjoy this book quite a bit.

I am a fan of Ruth Ware. Her suspense thrillers always impress, and usually have a beyond-unexpected twist. The It Girl is no exception.
Told in a nebulous time frame, the plot unfolds in alternating “Before” and “After” chapters. You can read the overall plot in the blurbs, but a nutshell re-telling is popular girl meets tragic end and best friend/roommate still has to deal with the emotional fallout a decade later.
Except the story is so much more than these basics.
It’s about how we must live with our conscience, even as we are positive about our actions.
And how easily it is to be manipulated into questioning those actions.
Trust is also a big issue in this book. Can the characters trust their individual versions of the events that occurred or are there extenuating circumstances that keep their versions just shy of the truth?
Fortunately, the author takes the entire book – literally until the very last pages – to fully answer those questions.
Hannah is a thoroughly sympathetic character. The author wisely establishes her as someone who never quite feels like she belongs, like she is fortunate to be in the presence of her classmates at Oxford.

That self-doubt, and utter lack of self-confidence compared to others, is the perfect fodder for her character arcs in both the past and the present.
As much as Hannah has doubts about her actions and who to trust, the reader is right there with her. Why did the close friends fall out of contact? Were there other issues that Hannah was oblivious to? Did her personal experiences cloud her judgment?
And was she manipulated?
Obviously, you need to read the book to find out. But it is mystery as much as it is thriller. Hannah starts to doubt her own memory and determines to uncover the truth so she can put the past to bed.
The facts she reveals allow her to put the pieces together, but in a painstaking and very un-obvious manner. Seriously, pay attention when you read because there are several easily missed clues along the way.
The only thing that I didn’t think was completely fleshed out was the focus on Instagram and of April as an “It Girl.” I know that seems like a big thing, because it’s the title, but she came across more as the popular girl than the one who everybody wanted to be.
A little bit more of that would have helped the reveal along as well.
But that’s minor. The It Girl is still an excellent, well-paced, thriller. Ruth Ware has done it again.

Ruth Ware strikes again! I've come to rely on this author as my go-to mystery/thriller writer, and she has yet to disappoint. THE IT GIRL is one of my new favorites from her -- absolutely loved it!

Ten years after her college roommate, April, was murdered, Hannah struggled with the fear that the man she testified against was not the real killer. Oh, and Hannah is married to the man who was April's boyfriend.

The story alternated between the events leading up to the murder and present times. The plot was great, but the pace was just too slow to keep my interest. I struggled to keep reading and after the first half started skipping chapters and skimming others.

I really like this author, but wish the book had been tightened.

Ruth Ware is such an epic author and her latest novel The It Girl is absolutely unputdownable! The storyline time hops between “before” and “after” which I think works brilliantly! I was on the hook the entire way through and found the twists and turns perfectly placed! Ruth Ware’s novels are always so unique and original and this 5 star gem definitely comes through big time! I highly recommend you put The It Girl at the very top of your summer reading list! I have texted all of my friends and family to pre-order this gem because I am busting at seams to discuss it lol!

Ruth ware does it again. I have yet to be disappointed with any of her novels. The It Girl revolves around a murder happening at college and all the questions that surround it within a particular friend group. This who done it will have you flying through this book wanting all your questions answered.

I received an advance review copy from the publisher, through book netgalley.com and I am writing this review voluntarily.

April is an It Girl, the girl who has it all, looks, personality, wealth, the one everyone wants to be and be around. Except for the person who killed her.

Years after she found her university roommate dead, Hannah finds her life turned upside down once again when the man she helped convict of the murder dies in prison still proclaiming his innocence. When a reporter gets in touch and starts making Hannah question what really happened that night she finds herself looking at her friends and that night in a whole new light. Of course that also means looking at her husband differently, since Hannah is married to April's ex boyfriend from uni Will and they are expecting their first child.

I am a big fan of Ruth Ware but was sorely disappointed by her last book so I was really excited to get my hands on this one. I loved the alternating chapters of Before and After, really giving you the sense of who these people were before, and watching the whole thing play out. It really kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the end when I was biting my lip with anxiety. April may have been an It Girl but she was not a nice person, its really not a surprise she wound up dead after some of the stuff she pulled with her friends. I really liked this book and I'm so happy to be able to recommend it!

There is nothing I love more than a good solid mystery and Ruth Ware delivered in The It Girl. This book was so intriguing I couldn't help but turn the pages eager for the next clue, the next spout of drama and the next twist and turn. It was perfect for a lazy weekend to get my kind whirling with all the whatifs and to completely take me away to another place and distract me from everything else.

I absolutely loved this and truly have been thinking about it ever since. I just can't get it out of my head!

Ruth Ware does it again! I’m a huge fan or her writing style and the twists she brings with her storylines. The It Girl let’s you go back to your younger self remembering your first year of college, but devastates you with the death of your best friend/roommate. 10 years later it’s a fresh again and the truth finally comes out about what happened. I will admit I thought I had the twist figured out for most of the book and then realized I was very wrong. I loved this whodunit and still love Ruth Ware’s style! Highly recommend, 5 star read for me.

This was such a hit for me at the start. The beautiful setup for the Oxford college and the ambiance given. It was brilliant and I felt majestically flown into this town and this college and this era of students bursting as freshman with brains ready to party. Then about 3/4 I was over it. It dragged a bit for me on who and why. I suspected the end but still the end just felt all drawn out and a chunk of the book was just not so necessary. Regardless, it was Ana entertaining read and the very definition of a mystery whodunit.

The book has before and after chapters. The before is Hannah in Oxford making new friends and her new roommate best friend to be, April, being the perfect girl. She’s beautiful and smart and ridiculously rich. It’s the fun and glory of the student life. The after is Hannah pregnant and married to her old college friend Will and trying to move forward after Hannah being the one to discover April’s dead body the second semester of college. Creepy porter John Neville was the accused and he has died in prison. Here comes media and a new journalist with new evidence that shakes Hannah’s world and we enter the rabbit hole of what happened both before and after.

Thank you Gallery Books and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have consistently loved each and every one of Ruth Ware's novels, and The It Girl does not disappoint. In fact, I am a huge fan of novels that focus on the strong and intimate connection between college friends, and this novel not only explores the complicated and nuanced dynamic of young adult friendships, but she also delves into what happens after graduation. While the novel does at times fall into the trappings of stereotyping the rich, beautiful, and popular girl as cruel, frivolous, and sexually available, Ware carefully humanizes her as well. This is a slow burn, atmospheric novel that steadily picks up the pace as we begin to question who did it and finally, why.