Well this one took me FOREVER to read. It was my back up read/kindle book to read when I didn’t have a physical book with me. But that beginning half was so freaking boring I wasn’t into it at all but at the same time I hate not finishing books. Finally about 70% through it picked up. The ending was good, everything made sense and was well explained. I did get annoyed throughout the book with Hannah and some of her thoughts. It’s definitely not my favorite Ruth Ware. I’d have to give it only 3/5 stars.

I ended up liking this book when it got going, but it was really a struggle for me for the first half of the book.

This book deals with Hannah's roommate April's death while at Oxford. After John Neville's death in prison 10 years after April's murder, Hannah gets pulled back in when more information slowly comes to the surface. The beginning of the book takes a long time building the backstory and showing all of the characteristics now in the present as well.

This book does a good job at trying to misdirect the reader to other culprits, but I did have my suspicion of the correct person. What I didn't figure out until explained, was the how everything went down and why.

Overall I liked the cast of characters. April wasn't overly likeable and that made me not connect with her as much as the victim. She seemed like a typical snob that wasn't always that nice. Since the characters were fairly interesting, they ultimately got me past the really slow book start

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book for my honest review.

What a fantastic read! Ruth Ware never dissapoints. I could not put this book down. It was full of twists and turns. It will leave you hanging on the edge to the very end!!

Thanks to Simon and Scuhuster for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After back to back disappointments with 2019's "The Turn of the Key" and 2020's "One by One", Ruth Ware is back in top form with her latest release, "The It Girl."

Hannah Jones found the dead body of her best friend April Clarke-Cliveden in the room they shared twenty years ago while they attended Oxford University. April was known as ""The It Girl" on campus because of her beauty, brains, and talent. April's status caused her murder to make headlines. Hannah as April's best friend and roomates found herself unwillingly in the spotlight especially after she accused porter John Neville of April's murder.

Twenty years later, John is found dead in prison. Renewed interest in the case causes a now married and pregnant Hannah to be contacted by various media outlets. Hannah has blanked on what happened after she saw Neville leaving her campus. She realizes that Neville may have not been April's murderer, but it could have been someone in her inner circle while she was attending Oxford. She reopens her own investigation and unravels the truth not only about April's murder, but members of her former clique had their own motives for murder as well.

Ware takes a different approach with her latest by dividing the first half of the book with flashbacks and the present then the second half with the present investigation. This approach is perfect because Hannah and the suspects are developed so well that any of them could be April's killer. I thought I called the killer out twice, but was wrong which gives the book bonus points. Ware also takes a slower pace then she usually does, but I never got bored as I read.

"The It Girl" is indeed a welcome return of Ruth Ware. I already am looking forward to her next book with the same anticipation as when I read the ARC of her 2016 breakout bestseller, "The Woman in Cabin 10."

I really love the escapism of reading Ruth Ware's books, and this book was a fun, quick read. I'd say the two hooks are the Oxford setting, and the tension of a slightly claustrophobic friendship between the protagonist and her often provocative, unreliable, "IT girl" flatmate, April. Having spent a year at Oxford, I already had a picture in my mind of the setting, but I was nonetheless still into the insular world the novel paints. April was a familiar character type, but a familiar type that was necessary to the plot's propulsion. The final twist was a proper Ruth Ware twist and generally satisfying.

I think the one thing I will say about this book is that it was different from many of Ruth Ware's other novels in that there wasn't as much spooky, imminent danger. In her other books, the protagonist is usually stuck somewhere in a contained environment (in the woods, on a cruise chip, in a "smart house," in a snowed-in ski chalet, etc, etc) with the potential (yet unknown) killer. So, my advice to readers would be: If you haven't read Ruth Ware and you want to be creeped out and a little scared for the protagonist, start with one of her other books. If you like mysteries but DON'T like that full-on horror/suspense movie feeling, then this is a more cerebral whodunnit, free of those creepy chills. (Personally, I liked this book but I was missing the chills).

I'm actually surprised that I liked a Ruth Ware? I gave up awhile back, but I kept hearing buzz recently about the newer ones so I figured what the hey. This was pretty twisty and the right levels of fun.

Hannah Jones is happily married with a baby on the way, but harbors a dark past that has been troubling her. Her college roommate, the rich privileged April, was murdered by the college porter, and Hannah was the witness whose testimony sent him to jail. Now the murderer has died, and the question has arisen as to whether he was actually innocent and wrongly convicted and sent to prison for the murder. This is a familiar storyline with familiar characters - the "It Girl" of the novel, April, seems mean and unlikeable, and the main character, Hannah, is dull and seems naive. The story is slow at first and picks up a bit at the end with a good twist, but it takes a bit too long to get there for my taste. I do like Ruth Ware and will look forward to her next book, but this one wasn't my favorite. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I have known a few It Girl characters in real life, so I can see how April drew people into her orbit and they were happy to be in it, even if she wasn't treating them the best. What I couldn't understand is why Hannah didn't seem to have her sleuthing hat on until the day John Neville died. I'd like to say I guessed the ending, but it would only be because I suspected just about everyone, including Hannah's mom. No joke. Ruth Ware eeked out every morsel of my interest in getting to the bottom of this Scooby Doo mystery. As with most books of this nature, the details were repeated over and over.

April, the "It" girl that everyone wants to be friends with is found dead on the floor of her dorm room at a college campus in Oxford. Ten years later, roommate Hannah is still struggling to come to terms with her death knowing her eyewitness put a, possibly innocent, man behind bars. As Hannah uncovers decade old evidence, she struggles to keep up with all she has going on, confronts old relationships, and ends up pursued by the killer.

I can see that some people would like this book quite a lot, especially if you love books set on college campuses. I found the book to be tedious, slow, and repetitive. It took me months to finish it. I could not connect to Hannah, and I had the killer pegged by the first 25% of the book. I wanted to like it but this one wasn't for me.

Ruth Ware is an auto-buy author for me. I absolutely love her writing and her stories! So, of course, I grabbed The It Girl as soon as I could!

So, this story follows Hannah as her past is brought back into her present. In college, Hannah's roommate, April, was murdered, and Hannah was the one to find her😱, and identify the killer.

As Hannah navigates her first pregnancy and celebrates with her husband Will, who also used to be friends with April, Hannah gets news that April's killer has died, but there are now questions around whether he really was the killer.

This kickstarts a dual timeline story that gives the reader insight into what happened leading up to the murder, and what investigations Hannah is doing in the present day. I really enjoyed both timelines, and I thought the pacing was well done.

The mystery of this one had me thinking I knew, but I was wrong 😂 like always. So, for me, it had a nice surprise at the end. Even if you are one who can guess what's coming, I still think this one would be a worthwhile thriller!

If you're a huge Ruth Ware Fan, this one ranks in the top three reads for me, so here's my top 4 to give you context.
1. The Turn of the Key
2. One by One
3. The It Girl
4. The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Many years ago, IT Girl April was murdered in her college dorm room. Her supposed murderer recently died in prison, which makes April's old roomie and best friend, Hannah, revisit the case. Was the man who went to prison really responsible for killing April, or was it one of Hannah's dear college friends?

This was my first Ruth Ware book, and I liked it! Honestly, I think I would've liked it more as an HBO miniseries. For some reason, Ware chose to focus on Hannah, who was so boring as a character. I found the story enthralling at times, but literally every other character (except for maybe Will) was more interesting. Hannah just let stuff happen to her and yeah, did she read as first year college student? Absolutely. But not an interesting one. So it took me a long time to get into the book, and then my interest was kind of waning by the end because I really didn't care what happened to Hannah once the murderer was revealed. The mystery itself was good and I was a little off about who done it, which I always find fun. 3 stars - I liked it.

Ruth Ware’s latest novel is as enjoyable and as fast paced a ride as all of her previous. Told in the present with past flashbacks, it tells the story of Hannah Brown, who’s entire adult life has been determined by her tragic relationship with April Clarke-Cliveden. April was her roommate at Oxford and the first person Hannah met there. April was rich, bold, and impulsive, whereas Hannah was poor, studious and shy. April was spoiled yet generous and dragged Hannah along on various adventures, and the two became fast friends. But one horrible night, April was brutally murdered, and Hannah’s eyewitness accounts put the murderer away. Fast forward ten years and Hannah is still coping with the horror of that night, but is now pregnant and happily married to Will, April’s former boyfriend. When April’s convicted murderer dies in prison, Hannah begins to wonder again what really happened the night April was murdered. Could she have made a mistake and sent the wrong man to prison? Flashing between the present and the past, Ware skillfully paints a picture of an all too human April and the possibility that there were several people who may have wished her harm, including Will. There is lots of suspense and creepy suspects, lurking suspicions, and revealing of characters. Good, juicy fun.

When "it girl" April Cliveden-Clark's murderer dies in prison 10 years after her death, her college roommate, Hannah, begins to grapple with the idea he might have been innocent. Long, slow burn, with dark academia vibes, and where everyone's a suspect.

I love Ruth Ware, but this one didn't land for me. I wasn't particularly invested in Hannah or April as characters, and didn't fully understand Hannah's motivations for many of the choices she made. Though Ware constructed backstories for characters, they didn't always feel consistent with the ways the characters were presented and impacted suspension of disbelief. Though Ware does a good job of making everyone a suspect, some directions were more believable than others. I think if this book had been about 100 pages shorter, the pacing and level of detail given would have been better matched.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book to review.

When Hannah meets her college roommate, April, she never anticipates how her world will change. April is the It Girl and with that comes friends, outings, and … murder? The night of the murder, Hannah thinks she witnesses the killer and her testimony puts the man in jail. Now, years later, that man has passed away in prison, but it’s possible he was innocent all along. Unable to live with the guilt Hannah begins doing her own investigation of that night and who really killed April. “The It Girl” by Ruth Ware is a gripping mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

Are you ready for a mystery that will keep you guessing? I think I literally accused every character at some point while reading. Even Hannah herself (okay, I see it’s not logical now, but come on). It seemed like everyone was just suspicious enough that I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I love how proactive Hannah is as a character. I think I expected her to use her pregnancy as a crutch on why she couldn’t investigate or solve things. Really, everyone else was more concerned than she was. All Hannah wanted was to know the truth.

In the end, this book earned a solid 4 star rating from me. It was clever, quick, and kept me guessing until the last few chapters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press (Gallery Books) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Hannah jones was once a student at Oxford. Now she is an expectant mom. While a student, her roommate was found strangled.. a man was tried and convicted for her murder.
But now, new information has come to light that maybe the wrong man was convicted. What really happened with the group of college friends?

This book is 3.5 stars rounded up for me. The book felt a little long for the story line. I found myself having to push through to the end. I found the ending satisfying and was once again engaged with the story. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book,

The It Girl follows the familiar troupe of "girl with memories, doubts memories, is gas lit and more confused not knowing who to trust, ends up trusting self." That being said-I did like this one. It brings you down some twists and turns that are a bit unexpected and interesting. It's not necessarily new or fresh but it's good. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Everything I wanted in a summer thriller, a sweet romance, nuanced characters, a fascinating deep dive into female friendships, and constant twists and turns. Loved it on audiobook!

I’ve been a major fan of Ruth Ware’s novels for years now, so I was very eager to read her latest, The It Girl. Oh, friends. It pains me to say that I have mixed feelings about this one. It was somewhat enjoyable, but I felt that the author’s “special something” was missing. I kept having to remind myself that I was reading a Ruth Ware novel because at times, it really didn’t feel like one. I hate to say it, but it almost felt amateurish. Like something she’d write early in her career. If you’re a big fan of the author’s work like I am, it’s still worth checking out. Overall, this novel was very “middle of the road” for me, and not my favorite from Ware. With that said, there’s still lots to love about this one: dual timelines, an academia setting, slow-burning mystery, moments of suspense, and a great whodunnit to solve! The It Girl gets 3.5/5 stars from me.

My favorite Ruth Ware book so far!

The death of a girl at Oxford - unsure if the right person is behind bars - her best friend digging into things to figure it out —- GIVE ME IT ALL!!!

Loved it