I personally thought this was one of the better books written by Ruth Ware. It was more of a mystery compared to a thriller, but I was kept entertained until the very end. This type of story would make an excellent podcast series.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

Hannah Jones lives her life with the knowledge that there is the before, and there is the after. When she shows up for her first year as a student at Oxford and finds herself pulled into the orbit of her dazzling roommate April Couuts-Cloviden. But at the end of the second term, her after begins when she finds April dead in their room and Hannah has to provide evidence of who did it.

In the after, Hannah is married to April's former boyfriend Will and expecting their first child, when her world is once again rocked when the man who was convicted in Hannah's evidence of killing April dies in prison and a reporter approaches Hannah with some evidence that has Hannah questioning what is the truth about April's death.

I was fully invested in both storylines of this book, the before and the after. And I was so certain several times I knew what the truth was. But Ruth Ware takes us on a journey through this one to make us question the truths we hold as anchors and the people we trust as we are unsettled. I think the way April is painted as a victim and a villain are fascinating and added such depth to the story and Hannah's recollections.

Plus, as always, the incomparable Imogen Church knocks the narration out of the park.

Content Warning: Hannah is pregnant in this book and some scenes were uncomfortable for me to read as a pregnant woman. So just a heads up for that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. This was an engrossing and atmospheric thriller that flipped seamlessly between the present and past. The characters were well developed and it had a great surprise twist at the end. I like that the author also resolved other storylines that happened before ending the book.

The it Girl is a dual time line thriller that alternates between Hannah's present day life in Scotland and her college days a decade prior in Oxford. Hannah lives with the memory of finding her best friend murdered in their shared dorm room back in Oxford. After helping to convict the murderer, Hannah has tried to move on and build a life and a family of her own. However, new information has come to light and now Hannah questions whether or not she pointed her figure at the right person or if the murderer is still walking free - perhaps even someone she is close to?

This was such a good thriller! It kept me guessing and intrigued the whole time! The characters were likable and well developed. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!

I loved this book! The dark academia setting was perfect! And this cover is my favorite of hers so far! I have read everything of hers so far, and this one is up there with Turn Of The Key!!

It is a bit of a slow burn.. there was a point during the first half that I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish it. The ending was worth it, but it’s not a book I could read in one sitting.

3.5⭐️
- slow start
- much quicker second half
- action packed ending
- lots of red herrings, which made it fun to guess the murder
- back and forth timeline and 1 POV
- enjoyed the final twists!

Another great thriller with tons of twists by Ruth Ware. I look forward to her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Book Review — “The It Girl” by Ruth Ware (July 2022, Gallery/Scout Press)

No spoilers! :)

Genres & Categories — Murder Mystery, Thriller/Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Academia/Uni, Set in the UK, Dual Timeline

Available now. Currently has a 3.95 average with almost 20,000 reviews on Goodreads.

This may be my favorite fiction of the year so far!

My Summary ⤵️

In this dual timeline story, we follow Hannah as she departs for Oxford and meets her new rich and electric “roommate” (share a common space), April Clarke-Cliveden. April’s a daughter of rich, albeit apparently distant, parents and Hannah is from a working class background. Despite obvious differences, they click and become BFF, form a friends group with a few others known by April from their previous schools and those met along the way. Everything seems to be going fine — Hannah is doing great in her English courses, April is helping her have fun in ways she wouldn’t have considered before. And there’s Will... but he’s with April. Yet, things start to get weird when a creepy porter seemingly stalks Hannah.

After a few bizarre instances, April is found dead in their shared common space. Strangled. Ten years later, Hannah is pregnant, married to her deceased best friend’s former boyfriend Will, and things are still Getting Worse™️. The creepy porter was arrested and jailed for April’s murder, having been seen by Hannah leaving the area right before. He just died in prison attesting his innocence til the end. And some people think he was innocent, including a journalist who brings it all back to the surface for Hannah.

She has to make sure she didn’t send someone innocent to prison and that her friend gets justice.

My thoughts ⤵️

I’ve read several Ware’s books and this is my favorite. Read it in 48 hours. I loved the Oxford setting; I felt like the friend group and atmosphere was believable and engaging. Chapters are quick so you don’t spend too much time in one timeline. I really liked how the author wove the timelines together. Everyone becomes a suspect at some point, but I didn’t expect the villain to be who it was!

Otherwise, I really suggest it to those who like academic settings. I think that’s what I really enjoyed the most. 4 stars!

Ruth Ware is a hit or miss for me so I’ve been hesitant to pick up her latest, The It Girl. The It Girl explores friendship, secrets, strained relationships, and dark academia. Overall, I had mixed feelings about this book. The storyline was interesting and reminded me a lot of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife which was fine. But the part that bothered me the most was how slow the story was. The author threw in a lot of red herrings, but by a quarter of the way through the book, I was easily able to tell who it was. The way the ending came in the last 15% was fun to read but it felt way too rushed. I liked the before and after chapters that are told from Hannah’s perspective. I also found the friend group to be interesting. However, I kind of wished that it was told through multiple perspectives instead of just Hannah’s. Those who are a fan of dark academia mysteries or a fan of Ruth Ware will enjoy The It Girl.

A little longer and slower than most Ruth Ware books but still a solid read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and always felt an eerie undertone as most of Ware’s books have. Loved the dark academia element!

When Hannah Jones arrives at Oxford and meets her roommate, April Clarke-Cliveden, she's grateful for the built in friendship but incredibly intimidated by April. April is everything Hannah's not: Wealthy, well-known, and popular. As Hannah spends more time with April, she is drawn in to her world and also to April's boyfriend, Will. Obviously Will belongs to April, but Hannah can't help her feelings though she keeps them hidden. Throughout the semester, their friend group grows to include Hugh, Ryan, and Emily, and it becomes increasingly obvious to them all that April is hiding something. One night, Hugh walks Hannah home after a night out, and they find April dead in the girls' room. A school janitor is charged with her murder based on Hannah's testimony, and 10 years later when he dies still pleading his innocence, Hannah is unsure that she accused the right person. She and Will are married with a baby on the way, and have drifted apart from all of their friends, minus Hugh. Hannah becomes obsessed with finding the truth, and whether she condemned an innocent man to life in prison. As she investigates, she realizes that all of her friends are suspicious and April was not exactly the person Hannah thought she was.

This is my first Ruth Ware book, and I've heard great things about some of her others so I was excited to give her a try. I love a good thriller, and Ware delivered. The It Girl has a back and forth timeline between the past (10 years ago) and now, which really helps the reader to understand the plot as a whole and why Hannah was SO SURE it was the janitor but is now suspicious of her friends. It was well-paced and built in intensity, so by the time I got to the last few chapters, I was literally uncomfortable and on the edge of my seat. I would definitely recommend The It Girl to anyone just being introduced to Ruth Ware, or to someone who has read and loved her others.

I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley, in return for my unbiased and honest review.

So first thoughts… I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either! The entire time I was reading this, I was getting In My Dreams I Hold a Knife vibes. The book is written in duel timelines (BEFORE the murder of April/ AFTER 10 years of the murder). It was also in the third person, and I think I have a hard time reading duel timeline books with multiple characters in the 3rd person. ​​​​​​​​
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This was also my first Ruth Ware book, and I wish it was just maybe 70-100 pages less as there were parts that I felt like were drawn out/fluff. If that was the case then I would have rated it higher. ​​​​​​​​
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This had a great plot twist that I wasn’t expecting, and that’s all I can ask for while reading a thriller. It was to the point where I really wanted to check spoilers online as the suspense always kills me. 😅​​​​​​​​
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Thank you @tandemcollectiveglobal for the #gifted physical ARC and the eARC!

I think this was a completely average thriller. I liked the reveals towards the end but it was way too freaking long. 100 pages could have been cut to achieve the same effect. The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job though!

Another fun page turner, perfect for summer reading. Ruth Ware keeps one guessing and turning the pages.

If you're looking for a story that will leave you with the heebie jeebies - this is the one! Creepy although a bit predictable, Ruth Ware's latest is a definite hit!

Having read only one other Ruth Ware book that everyone had raved about and I had found to be just ok, I was interested in reading The It Girl to see if a different one would spark some of that excitement in me and boy did it ever! Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. The story revolves around Hannah and the death of the man who was imprisoned for killing her roommate April in the first year of college at Oxford. Told in alternating chapters of Before (flashbacks to college where April is alive and we meet the friends around them) and After (present time after the death of Neville in prison and the reactions of Hannah and the same group of friends to a reporter who thinks he was innocent) this book flows with new information and pieces to try to put together as you go. I love that it keeps you guessing and can't count how many times I changed my mind on who could've killed April and why. Thank you to Gallery Books/Scout Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to recommending it wholeheartedly.

To be honest, Ruth Ware is a hit or miss author for me. The It Girl was a good suspense book, although not a unique premise, after a few romance novels. I enjoyed the dark academia atmosphere of this one & the characters we were introduced too. Ware does a great job of casting doubt on all characters and leaving you guessing. Hannah and April couldn’t be more different and their friendship was fun to unravel. I appreciated the “before and after” points of view.

Another fantastic mystery from Ruth Ware. She kept me on my toes and I stayed up late into the night many nights because I was so engrossed by this book. I will definitely recommend this book for anyone that loves suspense novels and I do believe this is one of the best writers of our time.
I enjoyed reading the story of Hannah Jones and her murdered roommate unfurl over the course of a decade. Hannah is a relatable narrator and I admired her courage to follow through with investigating the case for herself when she believed an innocent man was put away for the crime and the real killer was still out there. Like any mystery it takes a sudden turn at the end and readers out there will enjoy finding out for themselves who the real killer is.

Ruth ware is hit or miss for me and unfortunately this one was a miss. I found myself dreading picking it up and not caring about the characters of what happened. So I ended up DNF’ing it for my sanity. I really really tried, I guess Ruth ware and I will be done!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review