Told from a then and now perspective and kept me guessing and trying to figure out who did it right up until the end. Characters were so well developed and felt so real. Well done!

As she arrives at Oxford, April first meets Hannah. They become fast friends and form a friend group by adding Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. This group is inseparable until the end of the second term when April is killed. Oxford porter, John Neville is quickly convicted for April’s murder and sent to prison. Fast forward 10 years and Hannah’s world is shaken by a young reporter that has new evidence that could exonerate Neville. So who murdered April after all?

I am a big fan of Ruth Ware, so I was so excited to read THE IT GIRL! I can tell you I was not disappointed in any way, shape, or form! It was a spectacular book and it had me pulled in on the very first page. Alternating time lines between past and present was perfect for this high suspense mystery. I literally could not put the book down until I was finished. This one deserves all 5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

A decade after Hannah arrives at Oxford, the ghosts of her past continue to haunt her. Her best friend April, who is social and exciting and occasionally cruel, was murdered in their second term, and Hannah’s firsthand account of the incident is what puts Oxford porter, John Neville, behind bars. Now, Hannah is married to their mutual friend (and April’s former boyfriend) Will, expecting their first child, and being presented with new evidence that Neville may not have murdered April. But if he didn’t, who did?

I am, admittedly, a former Ruth Ware stan. The Girl in Cabin 10 is, in my opinion, one of the best books of 2016, and since then, I haven’t felt like any of her releases quite lived up to it. The It Girl is that book I’ve been waiting for.

Because I love to ruin a good thing for myself, I suspected the big reveal about a third or halfway through, but Ware had me second guessing myself with every page. here are so many red herrings and the answer is so perfectly weaved in. It reminded me of what I’ve always loved about Agatha Christie’s writing - Which is one of the highest compliments I can give. The plot is well-developed, smart, and captivating… Frankly, The It Girl is what The Maidens wanted to be. Sorry, not sorry!!!

It’s been a minute since I’ve been unable to put a book down, but this didn’t disappoint. It’s going to be a summer must-have, so get your pre-orders in before you stumble across a spoiler!

Ruth Ware does it again!

Admittedly, she's one of those authors who is always on my radar when she's releasing a new book, but her writing just keeps getting better and better. Great tension building. A serious page turner!

I'll admit that this premise did not appeal to me at first. A few pages in I was worried I would feel completely alienated from the very specific environment in which this book takes place but she really invites you into this exclusive setting. I felt that the characters had very distinct personalities and it brought me back to how I felt being in university.

What a very exciting read!

A bit of a disappointment, as I usually like Ruth Ware's books. This is not her best, unfortunately. The plot is weak (like many other reviewers, I had figured out the killer's identity early on), and the main character's thoughts/actions are frustratingly foolish. Thank you for an advance copy in exchange for review, and I look forward to Ruth Ware's next book. I won't give up on her entirely, but can't recommend this one.

If you like Ruth Ware's other books, you will like this book. Ware has a gift for building tense situations with a cast of potential suspects that Christie would love. In this one, our heroine Hannah has a great life: pregnant, married to the man she's loved since college, and working in a bookstore...but she is haunted by the death of her college roommate April. When new evidence comes to light (honestly the weakst part of the story-- why does Hannah meet THIS reporter and hear THIS evidence when she has ignored requests for ten years), Hannah must revisit the murder and everything she thinks she knows about the night it happened and the events leading up to it. Hannah and April's time at Oxford provides that dark academia setting that is so popular these days. Recommended for fans of the genre.

With a name like April Coutts-Cliveden, she could be nothing other than an “it” girl…the one everyone wants as a friend. The one whose personality radiates. The one who’s living her best life…until she’s murdered.

Hannah met April ten years ago when they were roommates at Oxford. They quickly became best friends, and always hung out together with their group. Then, Hannah found April murdered in their dorm. John Neville, an Oxford porter, was found guilty and sent to prison.

In the present day, the only person Hannah really keeps in touch with from her Oxford days is Will, from their circle of friends. He’s now her husband, and they’re expecting. Hannah receives word that John Neville has died in prison. Instead of feeling relief, she feels a sense of dread as a journalist reaches out to her, saying that there may be evidence of Neville’s innocence.

If Neville didn’t kill April, who did?

Author Ruth Ware is hit and miss with me, but I’m glad to say this was mostly a hit.

Ware creates tension and atmosphere in the brilliant way the chapters bounce from past to present, and there are certainly a number of suspects. Luckily, the cast of characters isn’t too large where it’s hard to follow who each person is. Everyone’s backstory is pretty fleshed out.

I didn’t expect the ending. I found it really clever, but I have to admit I wasn’t completely blown away. Still, it’s always nice to be surprised whilst reading this type of novel.

Overall, this is a solid mystery that kept me turning the pages even if it’s one that won’t be particularly memorable for me in the years (or weeks) to follow. I’ll be curious to see what fans of Ware’s earlier books think of this one. My favorite book of hers is the newer One By One, and this follows in its footsteps as a tale that feels a bit more modern.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 7/12/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

I think all you have to say is: Ruth Ware.
All of Ware's books are amazing, and this one does not disappoint.
Hannah Jones, the only witness to her roommates murder fifteen years earlier, has tried extremely hard to put the past behind her. Relocating to Scotland, working in a bookshop, and trying very hard to ignore the constant influx of requests for interviews.
The one thing that has made her so interesting to reporters, is that she married April's boyfriend from that time, and is now expecting their baby.
The man Hannah is certain murdered April, has just passed away in prison, and his death brings the reporters' interest back to Hannah and Will. Only one actually begins to make Hannah question what she saw that night, and the realization she might have put the wrong person in prison.
But if he didn't do it, who did?

I was NOT expecting that! I was cocky throughout the entire book thinking I knew who did it but I was wrong, so wrong. 🤯🤯🤯

This book is skipping the line on the 'To Be Reviewed' pile because it is the queen, Ruth Ware. I love the way Ruth writes these quick, intense, suspense novels that usually leave you on the edge of your seat for most of the book. Now... when it comes to 'The It Girl', I'm not quite sure if she managed it with this one. I might be biased because I am such a huge fan so take that into account when you peep my rating for this book. It should probably be lower? If I'm being fair? But this is my review, so I can swim in a pool of my 'favorite author' bias and relax.
This book is set in Oxford and Edinburgh. So already, I'm excited. There are certain places in this world where you set the scene there and it's hard to mess it up. I loved the friendship dynamic. I loved the characters. I could probably have been fine without the murder and a book more about following around Hannah in her first couple years in Oxford. I would have loved that too.
What is comes down to though is this isn't a fictional novel about friendship and school. It's a fictional novel about murder and betrayal. And like many other reviewers (so don't think I'm some special wiz here), the murderer and betrayer are revealed quite early in the book by the way too obvious of clues. You don't find out the 'why' until later when all is revealed to you, but the 'why' isn't important enough to care about. So that is a let down. I was hoping throughout that I was wrong. It felt way to obvious of a choice that I assumed Ruth MUST be tricking me somehow. In the end, no trickery. Just a 'meh' ending.
Now I don't want to say this lack of a climax and 'big reveal' ruined the book per say. I enjoyed that she wrapped it up quickly at the end (don't you hate it when authors go on and on at the end?). Again, I enjoyed the setting, the characters and the quick back and forth drama of 'The It Girl'. A solid 4 stars for me. Welcome back Ruth!

A captivating, edge of your seat thriller. The It Girl starts strong and ends stronger. Just when I thought I knew the answers there was another twist. Highly recommend this thriller and a must read for 2022.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Ruth Ware for the electronic ARC.
#NetGalley #TheItGirl

Ruth Ware’s The It Girl is bound to be one of the biggest hits of the year once it is released this Summer! I loved this book and found it difficult to put down once I got into it.

This was a very well executed book. It was clever and engaging. I felt the characters were all well developed and I liked the character of Hannah. I enjoyed the pace of this book, the surprise twists-and the ending, which kept me guessing. Im also a fan of time periods that go back and forth, so I definitely enjoyed that part of this book. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I feel it definitely lives up to the hype. I would certainly recommend this one. :)

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC.

Ruth Ware's latest thriller, The It Girl (not the I.T. Girl as I originally thought) won't disappoint her legion of fans.
Hannah Jones is still haunted by the death of her Oxford roommate April Coutts-Cliveden especially since she helped convict the killer. When the man Hannah sent to prison, John Neville, dies still proclaiming his innocence Hannah questions what she thought she knew about that night.
The story keeps you guessing right up until the end and then...no spoilers.
These characters didn't appeal to me as much as some of Ruth Ware's past characters and the claustrophobic atmosphere of Turn of the Key and One by One isn't present but it is still a page-turning thriller. If you enjoyed the Lying Game or the Woman in Cabin 10 this book is sure to scratch that mystery-thriller itch.
Thank you to #Netgalley, #GalleryBooks, and #RuthWare for the ARC copy.

The It Girl, by Ruth Ware, was a one-sitting read for me. I knew I’d like it going in — I always love Ruth Ware thrillers for twisty, not-gory, page-turning suspense stories like One by One and The Turn of the Key. And I almost always love Oxbridge settings, too, like in The Maidens or Gaudy Night. (One of the reasons is I’m a state college grad, but I got to do a summer session at Cambridge, and yeah, living and studying in the gorgeous old buildings, taking a small part in some of the medieval traditions, really was something special to me.)

The It Girl is told in two timelines, Before and After. In the Before storyline, freshman Hannah arrives from her state school, and finds Oxford full of freshman who were all the top of their year. Fortunately, she’s assigned a room in a set, two bedrooms with a shared common room, with beautiful, wealthy party girl April Clarke-Cliveden. Hannah is pulled into April’s circle, and they’re basically always drinking champagne and having wild times, when they’re not heads-down studying. It is Oxford, after all. Sure, April’s pulled some pranks on the others, and some of the pranks haven’t been completely fun for the victim, but it’s all part of the Oxford hijinks!

The dividing event is the murder of April Clarke-Cliveden, which separates Hannah’s whole life into before and after. At a party in their second semester, April went upstairs to change her clothes, and when she didn’t come back Hannah went looking for her. Hannah found her roommate and bestie April dead on the floor of their shared living room. It’s a typical Ruth Ware murder, so it’s suspenseful because you’re desperate for more details and rereading for clues, but it’s not actually a gross scene. (That’s my favorite kind of thriller!)

In the After storyline, Hannah, now married and pregnant, begins to doubt her own memories and wonder if something else really happened. You can see how the trauma has affected her, she now works a quiet job in a book shop in Edinburgh. It’s pretty far from the path she seemed to be on in the beginning of her freshman year at Oxford. As she investigates, readers can see how the murder has affected the others in their friend group, too.

Although the murder’s already been solved in the After storyline, the convicted murderer has died in jail, still insisting that he’s not the killer. Prompted by a journalist, Hannah begins to reexamine what she remembers and what else could have happened, because if the wrong person was convicted, that means the real killer is still free.

Good story that grabs you right at the start and keeps you interested and guessing right through to the end.
Oxford student friendship s are at the core of this murder mystery. April is from wealth while roommate Hannah is not. They hit it off, probably due to April's fun loving personality and the acceptance by the other students she already knows.
Years later, Hannah is doubting herself and her testimony after the murder and the reporters are still after her for more. She decides to do some better late than never investing while 6 months pregnant.
Well worth 4 stars. Thank you net galley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

There were no words for how excited I was when I found out that I was approved for an arc of Ruth Ware's latest novel. The It Girl certainly lived up to the pedestal that I put it on. Grab a copy of your own on July 12!

✨Brief Summary✨

Hannah is a young pregnant woman living a fairly normal life in Edinburgh with her husband, Will. Except, 10 years ago, her best friend was murdered. When the supposed murderer dies in jail, Hannah begins to question whether or not he was actually guilty. With the help of her friends, she starts to dig into the past. Will she be able to find out who murdered April? Furthermore, will she be able to find out why?

✨My Thoughts✨

I loved the Oxford setting. At some parts it made me feel like I was reliving Harry Potter with the way that the dining halls and campus architecture was described. The setting helped give off the perfect level of creepiness to keep me invested.

I enjoyed that it was about a group of close college friends, but you only heard from one narrator. Each friend had their own set of complex and twisty problems. However, the characters weren't so hard to keep track of since we were only hearing from Hannah's perspective.

The ending came together nicely. I was very pleased with how the mystery unfolded in the end. I also liked that we were not left with unanswered questions.

I did knock it down a star because it didn't have the typical edge-of-your-seat qualities that Ruth's novels normally have. The ending was good, but the rest of the novel didn't leave my heart beating fast the way I would have liked it to.

P.S. If you liked In My Dreams I Hold a Knife then you'll more than likely like this one as well!

This book, in true typical Ruth Ware fashion, will have you on the edge of your seat. Once you think it’s done, BAM, another twist! This book was so good. A little slow in the beginning but once it got down to the facts of whodunnit, it was great! The characters were all great. The story line flowed so smoothly. And the ending. Wow the ending!

Wow! This book by Ruth Ware had me on the edge of my seat until the very last chapter. There were so many points in the books where I thought I knew what happened, but I was so wrong. The story is so well told and just keeps you guessing. Who killed April? Will Hannah learn the truth? This book is a must read summer thriller!

While Ruth Ware is such a talented writer, I haven’t always been a fan of her stories until I read this one! I want to start off by saying that this book is not quite a thriller with tons of suspense and frightening moments. It’s a whodunit mystery, a slow-burn and overall a really satisfying read perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell. If that caters to you, I 100% recommend reading !!

Ten years ago, Hannah’s roommate from college, April, is murdered in their dorm room after a night out. The evidence points to a sketchy porter at the university, John Neville, and for the years following April’s death, Hannah was able to live peacefully knowing he was locked up. That is until news gets out that Neville passed away in prison claiming his innocence, and a call from a trusted reporter convinces Hannah that this may be in fact true. Alternating between before and after chapters, you are introduced to a close-knit group of friends and forced to look at this case from a new lens.

I really loved the pacing of this story. I was constantly changing my mind about the possible suspect, and the end did shock me. I think my favorite part about this particular Ruth Ware novel is that we had a reliable narrator. Hannah was extremely likable, and I enjoyed watching her put all the pieces together. While still unique in itself, this story reminded me most of The Lying Game with the elite, academia setting.

Read if interested in:
-Whodunit mysteries
-Slow burns
-Before and after chapters
-Academia setting
-Oxford and Edinburg

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC! Pub Date 7/12

Ruth Ware is a must-read author for me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The It Girl, and loved the college campus theme throughout. Can't wait to recommend it to other readers this summer!