I love Ruth Ware and her latest book is no exception! The It Girl follows the lives of college freshmen as they navigate new friendships and coming-of-age decisions. Like all Ware novels, murder makes its way into the plot rather quickly and the reader will spend the rest of the book trying to figure it out. This one, in particular, I was sure I had solved quite early in the story but of course, I was wrong (and I was glad to be wrong!). This is a quick read and in some ways, bests her other novels with the character development.

Ruth Ware has done it again!!! The It Girl is the perfect book to get lost in one afternoon. Traversing back and fourth to when six students, April, Hannah, Emily, Hugh, Ryan, and Will, arrive at Oxford for their first year they become fast friends and in some cases more. By the end of that year, one of them lay dead. Ten years later, two in the group are married and expecting their first-child. The man who was convicted of the killing has died and prison and once again the case becomes big news. Was the man, as he claimed, innocent and wrongly convicted. The one who found the body begins to have serious doubts and won't be stratified until they know the truth. As in her previous titles, Ruth Ware is a master of creating suspense. This is a book you won't want to miss.

Really enjoyed this latest thriller from Ruth Ware. I sometimes get annoyed with novels that switch back and forth from the past to the present but in this story it really worked. Compelling and fully-realized characters and interesting settings.

Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Books, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

I've read most of Ruth Ware's books and sometimes I fluctuate a bit on my responses. This one, however, hits most of my check boxes for a good thriller! While this narrative is told from two time perspectives (Before and After), both settings are great. In the Before, we get a great campus novel--one of my favorites. We spend a lot of time on campus with our characters so the setting is put to good use. The After setting is also fun: Scotland, where the protagonist works at an indie bookstore. My only complaint would be that we didn't get to see the setting put to as good of use as it could have been. It was really a great set-up.

This story gives the reader lots of culprits to consider--including the possibility that the man who went to prison for murdering the "it" girl 10 year ago was, indeed, guilty. I often find the final reveal of thrillers to be a bit too caricature and affected, and that does happen here to some degree, but it wasn't enough to stop me from flipping the pages. I also thought some sections were a tad drawn out, but in fairness that might have been a "me" problem, too, as I was reading this during a very busy time of the semester.

Overall a suspenseful and engaging thriller. If you're on the fence about this one, I'd suggest grabbing it and giving it a try.

The author does a great job of setting up many characters as the possible murderer--the victim has complicated situations with a lot of them, so the reader keeps guessing as to who was responsible. The two time frames also work well to create tension and establish the specific setting, which is described in detail and feels authentic.
Hannah as the main character feels a bit flat at times, though, and her relationship with her husband will lacks depth. The fact that she backtracks to try and solve the crime ten years later is set up by Neville's death, although the reader wonders why, if she had so many doubts, it hadn't come up before (also the fact that Neville is convicted solely based on her seeing him leave the building is questionable). Overall, a solid read with some feasibility issues.

Ahh Ruth Ware - I was so excited to receive a digital ARC for this novel because she is such an incredible mystery writer; I just had to get my hands on this one (Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this copy in exchange for my honest review).

This story follows April Couts-Cliveden and her developing friendship with Hannah, a girl she meets at Oxford. Over the first term at school, they become fast friends & develop their own small circle of friends - by the second term, April is dead. Years later, the man who was convicted of April’s murder dies in prison, and someone shows up at Hannah’s door with new evidence that suggests that someone else must have killed April.

Things I loved:
- the multiple timelines - it allowed for clues to be dropped when least expecting and added to the overall suspense of the novel
- the ending? a masterpiece. definitely did not see it coming.
- the college friend vibe is one of my favorites

I would definitely recommend this book for fans of Ruth Ware, excellent mysteries, and those who love stories that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat!

Thanks to NetGalley and to Gallery Scout Press for the review copy.

This may be the best book Ruth Ware has written so far, and that is setting a very high bar!
The characters are well-drawn, especially the women. I loved/hated April, right along with Hannah. The male characters are not as detailed, leaving lots of room for suspects.

I was fooled right up to the end with all the twists and turns the author takes us on.

Well done!

I have read several books by Ruth Ware and was excited to receive an ARC.
I enjoyed the book and loved the alternating chapters between the pst and present. With all of Ruth Wares books, I was left guessing through twists and turns.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced opportunity to read this book

Ruth Ware has definitely shown her eclectic nature with her latest, The It Girl. Her well-structured plot, divided by Before and After chapters, moves effortlessly, building suspense with each successive chapter. Taking place on Oxford's campus, her characterization of each student is realistic and distinct. You get to know these friends well. Like all of Ward's books, this one is a page-turner. 5 stars.

I was thrilled to have received this arc and dove right into. I’ve liked some of Ware’s books better than others but this one did not disappoint. Four college friends must revisit the murder of their friend/roommate after the convicted murderer dies claiming his innocence. Hannah, the victim’s roommate, searches to find answers to what really happened.

The multiple time periods, alternating between present day and college, work really well in creating and keeping a high level of suspense through the entirety. There is definitely an Agatha Christie feel to this with several possible suspects. The ending is absolutely brilliant. Ware has once again given readers of psychological fiction a real treat!

I really enjoyed the book. I loved how it jumped around to before and after. Was easy to keep track of the storyline. Kept me guessing and trying to figure out the answer.

Ruth Ware has done it again! She has solidified herself as a queen of suspense. The very first novel I read by Ms. Ware was The Lying Game, and I have been hooked by her exciting, quick-paced, unputdownable novels ever since.
Her most recent novel, The It Girl, is no exception to what I expect in her writing. Could it be her best novel to date? ...Very possibly and emphatically, yes!
From the moment Hannah meets April, we are brought on a tailspin of a story that wavers between "Before" and "After". Hannah is quiet, unassumingly pretty, and bookish. April is quite the opposite...outgoing, beautiful, and the quintessential "it girl". They meet at Oxford on move-in day and quickly become best friends. By the end of the second term, April has been murdered. This turn of events completely unhinges Hannah, and she spends the following 10 years trying to come to terms with April's death and the media coverage that comes with it. She begins feverishly replaying that night in her mind and obsessively wonders whether or not the right person was convicted in the slaying. Although it does take a few chapters to acclimate moving back and forth 10 years, I quickly found myself anticipating the jumps in time and filling in different pieces of the puzzle.
The It Girl is a thrilling, suspenseful, and thought-provoking mystery that holds on and doesn't reveal itself until the very end.

Wonderful Ware thriller about a group of friends at Oxford and how they deal with the aftermath of the murder of the IT girl in their group. April brings all the people in their friend group together. Will, Hugh, Ryan, Emily, and Hannah all hang together during first term. But her murder during second term causes them to go their separate ways until her murderer dies in prison. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

Really enjoyed this campus novel by Ruth Ware. The book alternates in time from before the main character Hannah’s best friend is murdered, and 10 years after the murder. The book is full of twists and keeps you guessing for the most part. I was able to predict the final twist but still thoroughly enjoyable.

Ruth Ware does it again! This time we read about a group of college kids at Cambridge in England and the friendships that they form. It is written in an interesting before/after format, centered on the death of one of the friends and the mystery behind who killed her. I love the imagery of the centuries old university as a background for the young modern day students who, as in real life, all have issues of their own. Thoroughly engaging, a true mystery that keeps you wondering until the end, this book grabbed every spare second of my day and had me either reading it or thinking about it continuously. Kudos again, to Ruth Ware, for another book well done. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read copy that sent me on this great journey.

The IT girl was another great book from Ruth Ware. Each chapter was labeled 'before' or 'after' college student April was murdered. The killer died while in jail, and always protested his innocence. Hannah's testimony is what put him in jail and she is determined to find out just what happened that night 10 years ago. Thankyou NetGalley for the chance to read this advanced copy. A copy will be purchased for our library when it's released.

Hannah Jones marks her life into two memorable phases: the before and the after. Before April, her best friend freshman year at Oxford, was brutally murdered and after Hannah was the one to discover her body and point her finger at the killer. But when the killer passes in prison and journalists go around digging for more information in the wake of his death, Hannah is forced to revisit the most horrifying moments of her life.

I wish this book had worked for me. It was so much like <u>In My Dreams I Hold a Knife</u> that it was all I could think about nearly from page one. Except the pacing was even slower? (Which I didn't think was possible because I didn't even really like IMDIHAK either...) Neither Hannah or Will were extremely likable characters and then of course there was April...I maybe felt the most attachment (or at least sympathy?) for Ryan but even he wasn't great. And Emily was just flat. So with a cast of unlikable characters, a slowly paced mystery, and a plot that felt like it was completely washed out, <u>The It Girl</u> probably ranks as my least favorite Ruth Ware novel.

As a fan of Ruth Ware, I was eagerly anticipating her latest novel, The It Girl. I was not disappointed.  I was quickly pulled into the story and couldn't put the book down until I had read through the last page. The friendships will draw you in and the twists will keep you guessing. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

A solid four star read for Ruth Ware’s newest novel, The It Girl. This is a typical who-dunnit set at Oxford/Pelham College. A shy girl named Hannah befriends her new roommate, April, and is instantly thrust into her eclectic friend circle. By the end of the school year, April is dead and Hannah is witness #1. So which friend is the murderer? I’m sure you’ll be guessing right up until the very end, just like me.

I LOVE Ruth Ware, but this was my least favorite book of hers. I loved the premise of a murder among college friends at Oxford. It Girl April is beautiful, rich, and sometimes cruel - and murdered. Her roommate Hannah's testimony against porter John Neville sends him to prison where he later dies. But was John really guilty? New insights into what really happened that night are brought up and Hannah begins to question what she saw.
I just didn't connect with any of the characters. Hannah's dialogue became very repetitive, and I ended up skimming over some of it. The ending was not totally unexpected and kind of disappointing.