Ware has a well-earned reputation as this generation's Agatha Christie, and the It Girl once again delivers. Who hasn't had a friend who outshines you at every turn? The setting, characters and plot twists are all top-rate.

Ruth Ware is one of my "must read authors", and she lived up to expectations with this novel. The main character, Hannah, has always struggled with the death of her friend, April, during their first year of college. She has guilt about the man in prison for April's death, and guilt for losing touch with some of the old crew from those days. As she reprocesses April's death in light of the death of the man serving a prison sentence for it, Hannah becomes obsessed with the past, causing problems in her marriage. Ware delivers the details in this story at the perfect pace, and I found it difficult to put it down to do my real world requirements. The characters were well developed, and kept you guessing about their motives until the end. Overall, a great choice if you are looking for a gripping mystery/thriller to fill your weekend.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a copy.

Ruth Ware has become an auto read author for me. Some books I've liked better than others but all are enjoyable. The It Girl is no exception, however the pacing is a little slow in the beginning. I found that I liked the present timeline over the past when they were attending school. This book has similar vibes to In My Dreams I Hold A Knife so if you like one, I'd recommend reading the other.

DNFed - way too long and slow. I loved the setting, and this would make a great novel in a different genre, but I was very disappointed. I LOVE Ruth Ware and have enjoyed all of her other books. But this was a miss for me.

I gave the book 3.5 stars out of 5 on Goodreads. I didn't realize who the killer was until nearly the end, but before it was revealed. I would recommend this book to readers of suspense and psychological fiction.

It has been 10 years since Hannah’s roommate at Oxford, socialite April Coutts-Cliveden, was found murdered in their dorm room. Alternating between the past and the present, the story unfolds. Through her testimony, Hannah helped put away the killer, John Neville. In the present day, John Neville has died in prison. A journalist is convinced that Neville was not the killer and he comes to Hannah with his suspicions. The doubts that Hannah has carried with her for years re-surface with the news of Neville’s death and the journalist’s insistence that the wrong man was imprisoned. Maybe she was wrong ten years ago. Maybe an innocent man went to prison. She feels that she needs to revisit what happened the night of April’s murder.

This latest psychological thriller by Ruth Ware is a page-turner. There is suspense, intrigue, and plenty of suspects. As readers learn about each of the characters, we learn that each of Hannah’s college friends (including her husband) has a possible motive to kill April. Who really killed April?

I highly recommend this thriller! There are twists and turns that lead to a satisfying conclusion. You will not be disappointed!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first Ruth Ware book I've read, and one of the best books I've read in a long time. It goes back and forth between two timelines, "before" and "after". Ware does a great job of setting everyone up to seem suspicious, and the truth truly shocked me. I felt kind of smug while reading thinking I knew what happened, but I did not, and I loved being wrong! Thanks, Net Galley, for the chance to read this book.

absolutely loved this book! ruth ware always leaves me on the edge of my seat and this thriller was no exception. I know many patrons that i can recommend this book to

As always, Ruth Ware writes a thrilling twisty story, this time with a background of dark academia that is the perfect autumn read. I found the ending to be slightly predictable by the time I got there, but that honestly did not take away from how much I enjoyed the book.

The story focuses on Hannah, whose evidence convicted a porter at her Oxford University college of the murder of ‘It Girl’ April. Now a decade later that evidence is cast into doubt, meaning the real killer could still be out there

The man convicted of killing April claimed his innocence up until his recent death in prison, and now a journalist is digging into the past to find the truth. As more information resurfaces, Hannah realizes she doesn't really know her close circle of college friends including one of them who is now her husband.

The story goes back and forth between the present day and when Hannah and April were at University. The book is well written and I really enjoyed the twist in it!!

Another winner Fire Ruth Ware!!!

🔎 I have only read one other Ruth Ware book (The Turn of the Key) and I found it to just be okay. The main character in that story did some really strange/unreasonable things and I just didn’t find the story to be compelling. While I felt that the MC in The It Girl also did some ridiculous things (particularly with a potentially high-risk pregnancy), overall I enjoyed this book much more.

🔎 I love novels with university settings. They really appeal to me for some reason. Maybe because it reminds me of my time in college – although my college experience definitely didn’t involve murder!

🔎 There are a lot of curve balls thrown into this story and I found them all to be reasonable! I hate red herrings that don’t make sense! This story took you all over the place with rational possibilities and I appreciated that.

🔎 I was 100% positive I knew the killer. But I was wrong!! I really love it when an author can keep a secret from me until the very end!

🔎 My only issue with the book is that it was a bit too long IMO. There was a lot of repetitive info in the middle and it plodded along a bit too much for me.

🔎 If you love academia-related thrillers, past/present narratives, and a solid murder mystery, then I’m confident you’d enjoy this book.

Thank you @netgalley, @gallerybooks, and @scoutpressbooks for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Unfortunately this one was a letdown for me. I loved the premise, and the flashback chapters that took place on the college campus, but I found overall that the story dragged on.This is a book that could have been improved if it was 100 pages shorter. There just seemed to be a lot of time where nothing was really happening, and I got very bored. Even at the reveal, I was neither surprised or invested in it. I really like a lot of Ruth Ware's books, but this one was a miss for me.

Loved it. Another great thriller by Ruth Ware. I can't gobble up her books fast enough, and they are so much fun to read. This one was no exception!

Ruth Ware is always a little hit or miss for me -- sometimes I absolutely LOVE her books, but other times they fall a little flat. I'm very happy to say that this one was a hit for me, I really loved it. It's got that sort of dark academia, scholarly-spooky vibe that I've come to really enjoy in recent books - especially ones where the plot involves a dead character, and whodunnit situations.

I loved the way the backstory and current present day time were revealed here, sometimes a book can do them in a weird order, making it feel a little confusing or convoluted -- like the stuff is being revealed intentionally for shock value rather than to deliver the story. The author did an excellent job with the reveals here, and her writing is SO engaging (even when I don't like her books, I love her writing).

Definitely a win I'll recommend!

I definitely still look forward to every new Ruth Ware title. Great writing, and she always delivers.

Ruth Ware is an automatic read author for me. She never misses with her books.
The It Girl is a dark academic mystery. Hannah meets April in college and April is a bright, outgoing it girl who has everything going for her. However, when April ends up dead during her second term, all her friends are sent reeling. Ten years later, Hannah is married and expecting a baby. When the man convicted of killing April dies in prison, she is thrust back into the middle of the story again.
This kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. I loved the characters and the dark academic vibe.

I received a free copy for a fair and impartial review.

The It Girl was okay.
I was very sure that would become one of my favorites, but the story didn't draw me in. had true potential, but the telling left much to be desired. started and ended strong, but the middle was hazy. The narrative jumped around, leaving me confused. The writing was occasionally good, with a few genuinely humourous moments and some highly quotable lines. had so much potential but ultimately let me down.

The It Girl was another great book by UK author Ruth Ware. The suspense was slow building and the author took plenty of time on character development. I really felt like I was at school alongside Hannah, Will, and April. The book does take a bit to get exciting, but it's worth the wait. I thought I had April's murder figured out, but I was definitely surprised by the reveals. Can't wait to read more thrillers from Ware. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

A very solid mystery that kept me guessing! Seriously, I thought I had the ending figured out about five different times and was wrong each time… that is my idea of a great mystery. I will say, it could have been about 100 pages shorter.

4.5/5

Well Ruth Ware has gone and done it again and fully redeemed herself! While I wasn't a huge fan of One by One, I had high hopes that the next book would be better and of course, it was. I loved that not only is a lot of The It Girl set at Oxford but there is plenty going on in both timelines to really keep things interesting. I loved the way Ware blended the past and the present together until everything ultimately comes to a head, and there was exceptionally amazing suspense built by constantly switching between the two. April was the epitome of an it girl, and I could easily see why Hannah was drawn to her. The school setting is one of my favorites and I especially loved the way Ware brought Oxford to life despite being nervous about it.

I was also completely blown away by how the story ended and despite sensing something a little fishy, I couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly where that would lead. There was one aspect that just killed me and I’m still not sure how I feel about it, but the rest was perfection and totally shocking. As if you need another audiobook recommendation from me, but if you do, I will say that The It Girl is a great one! Imogen Church quickly became one of my favorite narrators and I have listened to so many books now that she has voiced. She did an amazing job with this story, and I found her very fitting to voice Hannah. Church is incredibly talented, and I promise you that you can’t go wrong with the audio. It is about 17 hours long as the book is a little chunky, and I swear Church literally made it speed by. This is a crazy ride and if you enjoy Ware’s novels you will not be disappointed!