I will read anything Ruth Ware writes and this book shows why. When April died at college, her friends' lives changed. Someone was arrested but now is dead in prison. A journalist comes to visit and drops a bomb, he doesn't think the convicted man was the killer. What secrets are the friends hiding? Was one of them, the actual murderer?

Excellent mystery. I loved the premise and the surprises throughout. Great character building and plot development.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a solid psychological thriller, though it falls short of being truly gripping. The story revolves around Hannah, who, 10 years after her Oxford roommate April’s murder, begins to question whether her testimony put the wrong man behind bars. The novel alternates between past and present, unraveling university life, friendships, and Hannah’s growing doubts about what really happened.

While the mystery kept me intrigued, the pacing dragged, especially in the middle, with Hannah's constant second-guessing and repetitive thoughts. It felt longer than necessary, but the suspenseful ending made the slow build-up worth it. Overall, it's a well-written but somewhat overextended thriller. 3.5 stars rounded down.

The It Girl follows the story of Hannah as she attempts to make sense of her best friend's murder ten years earlier. After the death of the man who was convicted of the crime, Hannah begins to have questions about whether or not the murder took place in the way that she thought it did. The book rotates between the present and the past as Hannah tries to figure out what happened. The book was enjoyable but I found the ending to be predictable.

A decade after her best friend and college roommate is murdered, Hannah finds herself thrust back into the mystery and whether she played a role in convicting an innocent man for the crime. While reconnecting with her friends from that time in her life she questions what she thought she knew about that time and those involved.

Absolutely loved, as I do with all Ruth Ware books. She's the modern day Agatha Christie, and I always find myself wanting more!

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a perfect fit for readers who crave a thrilling and suspenseful mystery that delves into the dark secrets and hidden truths of a group of friends, exploring themes of murder, college, and the complexities of relationships, making it a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and whodunits.

Another fantastic page-turner from Ruth Ware! And of course I stayed up much too late in order to finish this book.

The story is set at Oxford University (England). Shy Hannah is paired with wealthy and beautiful April as a roommate -- the "It Girl." She is immediately immersed with April's friend group of Will, Hugh, Ryan and Emily, and they spend all their time with each other. It's not a spoiler to reveal that April dies before the end of their first year at Oxford, and Hannah's testimony is instrumental in convicting the killer. Fast forward 10 years and Hannah is married to Will and expecting their first child. New evidence is uncovered which causes Hannah to seriously doubt what she saw. Thus begins her quest to determine the truth about April's death.

I loved the sense of time and place that this book conveys -- Oxford, college days, academia, friendships. The chapters alternate between "Before" and "After", and typically I don't like non-linear storytelling, but it really works here. I was kept guessing throughout the book and read it in just a couple of days. A solid 4 star thriller; highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books/Scout Press for an advanced reader copy of this title!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

I love Ruth Ware, but I have to admit that I really struggled with this one. Maybe it was the fact that I couldn't get I. T. girl out of my head and the idea of "It Girl" just didn't grab my interest. Maybe it was the fact that I just didn't like any of the characters. Regardless, it is not my favorite Ware novel, but you bet your bottom dollar I will be first in line to get a copy of her next book.

Hannah anD April are college roommates that quickly become best friends during their freshman year. April is a rich “it girl” and Hannah feels like she lucked out being matched with her. They foster a close-knit relationship with classmates Emily, Ryan, Will, and Hugh. April and Will start dating, but by the end of the year Hannah finds April murdered in their dorm. The novel jumps between timelines of before and after April’s murder. In present day (after), Hannah is married to Will and pregnant with their first child. She hears that the college employee convicted of April’s murder is dead, feelings of uncertainty resurfaced and Hannah begins to reevaluate that fateful night. The book was a bit drawn out and predictable, but still an enjoyable read.

Ruth wears one of my favorite authors. I love all her mysteries so that thrillers and the spice that she puts into everything sometimes you haven’t figured out sometimes you don’t five out of five.

Although I have loved Ruth Ware books in the past, I struggled to connect with this one, especially the main character, Hannah, I didn't have her very likeable as a main character. The story is a dual time line from Oxford and the murder of April to 10 years later. A journalist approaches Hannah and wants to know her feelings on the wrongful conviction of the murder who just died. I found this one a little predictable and easy to figure out.

Ruth Ware is an automatic buy for me. The It Girl kept me guessing and quenched my school-drama with a bit of murder cravings.

This was a LONG book, and I don't think it needed to be that long. I liked the mystery part - beautiful April found dead in her dorm room - who did it and why? It seemed that the person that this was set up to make you think was the killer was obviously not, but what was the motive for someone else? There were a lot of red herrings and a lot of storylines that went absolutely nowhere... and if we got ride of some of that, it would have definitely been a shorter (and possibly more interesting) book.

I think the biggest issue for me is I just didn't like Hannah. She was whiny and dumb. She made a lot of dumb decisions and assumptions, and she kept saying that she was thinking of her baby... yet she definitely was NOT thinking of her baby for most of the book. Actually I think if she wasn't pregnant, this would be have been better. Because the pregnancy didn't add anything to the book, and it just made the things she did seem dumber and more reckless.

Overall, I was interested in finding out what happened, but I just couldn't like Hannah at all.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and found the plot interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I am catching up on an old arc. Storyline starts off with Hannah's arrival at Oxford University where she meets April and her friends. The story is a dual time line from Oxford and the murder of April to 10 years later. A journalist approaches Hannah and wants to know her feelings on the wrongful conviction of the murder who just died. In the past, I have loved Ruth Ware's books and have recommended them to my book club. I found this one repetitive and easy to figure out.
Thank you #NetGalley, #GalleryBooks, #RuthWare and #TheItGirl for the electronic copy for my honest review.

Woof. Ruth ware why are we such arch-nemesi? I should love you! An easy thriller. But nah. I just can’t get into these stories and the super contrived twists.

I usually love Ruth Ware's books, but I had trouble getting into this one, for some reason. It was hard to get into, harder to follow, and not very memorable to me. I found my mind wandering as I read it, and was a little disappointed in the ending, and the overall arc of the book. Again, Ruth Ware is typically a "go to" author for me, so this must have just been an "off book". Would definitely give another book a shot!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward as I love Ruth’s books however it seemed childish and immature and unrealistic. I’m so sad because she is one of my favorite I feel like this book should have been scrapped

This is a solid read. The story revolves around a murder that occurred 10 years ago, but the man convicted died proclaiming his innocence, and the women' whose testimony got him convicted starts questioning what she witnessed. If she was wrong, she wants to make it right, even though her husband is opposed and she is about to have a baby. I liked the "Before" and "After" timeline. I liked all of the questions that pop up that need answers...and I did want those answers. Having said that, the main character Hannah was a bit much for me...like a fish on a line being drug back and forth with no real sense of what was happening or where things were going. She waffled all over the place and seemed to take unbelievable chances with a high-risk pregnancy. Overall, this will keep you interested and turning pages, but some of the characters are a bit tiresome. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.