This book was engaging from the start. I enjoyed the twists and mystery surrounding April's death and the journey our main character must endure for the truth about her friends to be revealed. I would certainly recommend it to our older readers and friends alike.

I love Ruth Ware! However, the book missed the mark a few times. In some places it was slow and the book was so long. I was invested though. I loved the characters. Ware made the reader feel a part of the story and have emotions toward the characters. At times, it felt like the tv show Friends and a bit like my college days which I enjoyed. Ruth Ware can be a hit or miss, but I think this is one of her better books.

The best academia thriller I have read and perhaps my favorite Ruth Ware novel. I thought I had it all figured out, but I definitely did not!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Ware is one of my authors that I immediately must buy if she comes out with a new book and the latest did not disappoint. The It Girl is by far one of her best. It's the perfect combination of young adult drama and suspense to keep you drawn into the twisted lives of college students. Honestly, none of the characters are particularly likeable, which makes the story that much more interesting. Overall, it's a great suspenseful read that I'll recommend to others.

An unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, April quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends —Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term at Oxford. By the end of the second, April was dead.

A whodunnit that kept me guessing the whole way through! While it is slow burn mystery (the book clocks in at over 400 pages), the plot and characters kept me invested. It is well written and smart with intricate details that make you suspect every character at some point in the book. I loved the ending - the twists, the action, the conclusion were all so well done in my opinion.

Read if you love:
- Slow burn mystery
- Dual timelines
- Dark Academia

It's been awhile since I've actually liked a book by Ruth Ware. It still could have been better, but this is more on par with her earlier work.

Hannah's college roommate, April, was murdered ten years ago. April has moved on and is not expecting her first child with her husband, Will. But, the man who was convicted of April's murder has just died in prison, setting off a trip down memory lane for April that will lead to dire consequences.

This is a taut thriller that grabs the reader and won't let go. The story is told in alternating chapters that detail events from Before and After. Gradually, the reader learns of the events that led up to April's death on that night a decade ago. The author weaves the story so well that you feel like you are there. The scene-setting was particularly rich and detailed. I loved how it made me feel like I was right there with the characters! The writing was amazing. Ruth Ware is an incredibly skilled writer. The characters come alive through their internal dialogs and thoughts. The attention to detail here was superb. I felt like I knew these people, that they were real.

The ending was surprising. I went after the red herring and thought it was someone else whodunit! I could not figure out how the deed was done until it was explained. I highly recommend this book! You won't be disappointed.

I'm a huge Ruth Ware fan. Her writing is always enjoyable, thrilling, and original, but this story was a little slower to start and took me longer to get into than usual. Nonetheless, once I finally got invested, as always with this author, the rewards were great. I would have loved to have had this on audiobook format.

The questions of the past never just die. Hannah hoped they would when she fled her dream school after the death of her roommate, April, never planning to return. Although the unanswered questions have continued to be a burden to Hannah, she has managed to move forward with her life; marrying the guy she crushed on through most of college, having an adequate (albeit not dream) job and now expecting her first child. When her mother called with the news that April's murderer had died in prison and a reporter showed up asking questions and saying there was something to the convicted's proclamations of innocence, Hannah knows she will never rest or find contentment until she figures out what really happened on the night she found April strangled in their shared room.

Ware's books are always a little difficult for me to read because I find the characters to be somewhat sad pandas who struggle to stand up for themselves. Having stated that, those characters are the ones who realistically would find themselves wrapped in the twisting and turning domestic thrillers this author is known for, and that keeps me turning the pages because I keep second guessing who did it until the very end. This is probably my favorite book by this author, and a great recommendation for a suspenseful read.

So far i have thought Ruth Ware's books have been solidly good, I think this one was GREAT. My heart was pounding as I reached the end, and I couldn't wait to see what happens. Truly so good. If you like any of her other work I think you will love this one! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

***I received an ARC from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review.***

This was my first Ruth Ware book and I was, unfortunately, slightly disappointed. Despite the ending, not being what I had expected, I found myself still underwhelmed by the ending of this book.

A couple of things that I liked about this book were the main character’s vulnerability and strong ties to her deceased friend (April)..

Some things that I think were lacking, for use of a better word, included an inability for myself, as the reader, to build a connection with any of the characters. I really wanted to like Hannah; however, I struggled when I found out that she was married to her deceased, friends, ex-love interest.

Unable to make any real or exciting, for lack of a better word, ties that invested me in the overall plot, made this book difficult for me to finish. I know this might be an unpopular review of a Ruth Ware book, however, I promise not to hold it against her as I know she has several other best sellers.

I loved this dark academic thriller. These have become my new favorite kind of thriller. I loved the dual timelines so we could see what was happening in the past while we experienced Hannah's path for the truth.

Stunning thriller, after not enjoying any of her previous works; this one was a total hit for me. I would
Highly recommend this thriller for a spooky autumn night.

I've been a long time fan of Ruth Ware's twisting, turning mysterious and THE IT GIRL did not disappoint! Expertly paced and taut as hell, I found myself absolutely floundering as I tried to piece together who was behind the murder!. Brilliantly executed, as always!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The It Girl by Ruth Ware.

In Hannah's eyes, her new college roommate is absolutely everything. She's beautiful, smart, charismatic, and everyone gravitates towards her. Which is why the whole school is shaken to the core when April turns up murdered. Who would hurt the school's "it" girl? And can Hannah find answers even all of these years later?

Ok, I did enjoy this, but Ms. Ware, what gives, did it have to be SO long? Like, all of my other notes don't even matter because they're being loudly overshadowed by the LENGTH of this book. And don't get me wrong, I'm a fan, and I enjoyed this book. But you have to have something really special to warrant this size, and this just wasn't it.

Anyway, if you are about to go on a seventeen hour car ride, this really is a decent thriller, it will have you guessing all the way to the end. Great foreboding, great atmosphere, and I enjoyed the split timelines. It's worth your time if you're willing to give up more than usual.

When we meet Hannah, she's happily married to Will and spends her days pleasantly working at a bookstore. Not exactly the type of life you would have imagined had you know her back in college. Immediately upon arriving at Oxford as a freshman, she'd been befriended by the coolest girl she'd ever known, her roommate April.

Yes, the life Hannah lives now is much calmer than the life she led then. But then again, she's now married to the boy April dated and April is dead.

Ruth Ware has done it again. The It Girl is a good old-fashioned whodunnit, with a twisty plot chock full of suspense. Definitely check this one out. It has all The Secret Place and The Secret History vibes. Special thanks to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.

Unfortunately, I feel as though Ruth Ware is falling into a dangerous cycle that many popular thriller writers also fall into. Her books that use to catch me off guard and surprise me now seem to be filled with common tropes and ideas seen time and time again. Rather than pumping out books every year I hope she focuses on the quality of her writer so we can get more books similar to her earlier works.

This is a suspenful thriller that definitely kept me guessing up to the very last page. It is based on Hannah's point of view. I will say, sometimes I got upset at her character because she seemed a bit gullible. However, I would remind myself, she was a very young adult that had gone through a trauma and not everyone is wise at such a young age. The mystery itself had me thinking every single person had done it!!! Very well done!!! I truly enjoyed this story and plan on reading it again in the future. I just reviewed The It Girl by Ruth Ware. #NetGalley
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The who dun it aspect of the book had me turning to pages to see how this was going to go. Flipping between past and present gave all the background you needed to see how April and Hannah's relationship really was. I did enjoy it and having to figure out who or why. Everyone seemed a little suspect so it was a shocker when they were revealed because I swore it was going to be someone else.

When the man convicted of killing her best friend, April, when they were in university dies in prison, pregnant Hannah starts to question her version of the night April died. She wonders if the creepy university employee who had made her so uncomfortable during her time as a student was actually wrongfully imprisoned. Too many red herrings and unnecessary side plots distracted from the important parts of the story. Also, the book for some reason continued needlessly after the killer was revealed and the story had come to its natural conclusion. Fans of Ruth Ware's books will enjoy this slightly predictable, but fun thriller.