This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/07/12/%f0%9f%8e%a7-the-it-girl-by-ruth-ware/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

4.5 hearts

I have to tell you I was worried for Hannah from the start.  She's pregnant and all the stress isn't good for her, plus she is digging into the past and bringing up things other people want to be finished.  It's not she's TSTL but she pushes it.   She lets her emotions take her dangerous places when she needs to be working in her head, because she is naive but very smart.

When the convicted killer dies, there are reporters and others who come forward to ask questions because he always claimed his innocence.  He was creepy and did some questionable things but was he a murderer?  Hannah keeps talking to people and learning more about that time.  She misses April and cared about her.  But she continues to learn more and more about April and why some people didn't like her and how she might have ended up dead.

As usual for this author, it's a twisty journey and emotional journey as you root for characters and their totally natural responses to good and bad situations.  It's great because not everyone is all good or all bad.  Which makes it harder to know what's true and what's deflection or outright lies. It's another winning read to boggle the mind and drag my heart around.

Ruth Ware does it again! This was one of her longer books but it was worth it! I always love her protagonists, & this was no exception! Great story!

Historically I have found Ruth Ware's books to be absolute hits or just okay. This one fell more towards just okay for me. I loved the dark academia vibes and setting of this book. However, I found that most of the characters fell a bit flat for me. I do think that the jumps from "Before" to "After" were done well and definitely made it more interesting.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

BOOK REVIEW: The It Girl by Ruth Ware
2022 Publication Date: July 12

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️

T.I.M.E. Favorite Books To Read
T.I.M.E. Best Books By Genre | Thriller
T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2022

CONNECT WITH A BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
The clues are there... If you are willing to see them... ✨😎✨

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW: I always enjoy — and look forward to — a new book from Ruth Ware, who is often referred to as the "Agatha Christie of our time." Quite a high bar to achieve — and maintain — amongst avid thriller/mystery readers. If you read her previous book, One By One, you can easily understand the comparison. And there is an absolutely thrilling skiing sequence that left me breathless!

But with The It Girl, Ruth Ware breaks free of any comparison and left me breathless with every story element making this book my favorite Ruth Ware book to date... And securing a spot on my T.I.M.E. Favorite Books To Read list too.

With the strong female protagonist at the center of the story, there is also the added complication of her pregnancy that raises each scene's tension meter to the extreme.

Solving the mystery becomes like building a house on shifting sands as I found myself absolutely convinced I had this one figured out... Only to find the rug pulled out from underneath me with each new chapter. And if there is one thing I love to find in a thriller, it is a "rug" that is constantly being pulled away from underneath my mystery-solving feet!

For underlying story elements, I particularly loved the conflict of exploring the multi-dimensional issue of prosecuting criminal behavior with circumstantial though damning evidence.

Perfect for readers who are looking for a book with a page-turning mystery, thrilling sequences and love a good Hitchcock-like storyline!... ✨😎✨

Pages: 432
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Crime Fiction
Time Period: Present Day
Location: England (Oxford University) | Scotland (Edinburgh)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: One By One by Ruth Ware
Movie: Midnight Lace (with Doris Day)

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
How will you remember the girl who took your breath away?

Meet April Clarke-Cliveden, a beautiful and dazzling force of nature... And Hannah Jones, who always felt a bit behind the trends, off the mark, and generally the opposite of April.

Ten years ago, Hannah and April were roommates at Oxford University — and quickly April took Hannah under her wing pulling her into a world that was both exhilarating, thrilling, and more than a bit risky.

But to be within April's exclusive world was too seductive to refuse.

Their inner circle of friends also included Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. And as with most college relationships, the loyalties and the complications tighten around and amongst the circle.

By the end of the first year... April was dead.

And Hannah's testimony helped bring her convicted murderer to justice, John Neville, a campus porter at Oxford who had a history of unusual behavior.

Jump to ten years later... Hannah and Will are now married and expecting their first child when she receives an update that John Neville (who always maintained his claim of being innocent) has died in prison.

She's thrilled to finally put the past behind her. Until a reporter approaches Hannah with new evidence that John Neville may have been innocent after all.

This new evidence has Hannah questioning facts she was once sure about. So she reconnects with each of her old friends to find out what really happened to April all those years ago.

But with each encounter, that familiar tug of loyalties and the subsequent complications start to tighten again around and amongst the circle.

A mystery unfolds within these pages that will have you guessing until the very last page! With deliciously surprising twists throughout every chapter, there is something new waiting around each corner.

--------------------

All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This story will be familiar to you: college friends, murder, trial/conviction but what is the truth? Was the man convicted of April’s death innocent? Hannah, the narrator, is haunted by the death of her friend, dazzling “it girl”, April. When the man convicted of killing April dies in prison, a series of events set Hannah on a path to unravel the truth.

What I liked: the atmosphere and setting. I love an Oxford setting, especially when there are secrets and murder. It’s why I love the tv show Inspector Lewis so much. Ware sets the novel brilliantly.

Unfortunately, I did not care for much else. There are many plot holes and much of time I kept wondering why no one was acknowledging the stalking and assault that plays a big role plot wise but is brushed away in terms of its psychological impact. As a narrator, Hannah’s insecurities and doubt mean she is constantly telling us that she needs to know what happened. And there’s so much repetition in her p.o.v. that I found myself losing interest. She puts herself in bizarre situations given her pregnancy.

The podcaster didn’t add very much in my opinion and I felt like he was focused on the wrong questions. As someone who watches a lot of true crime stories, I was continuously annoyed by the kinds of details being emphasized. The plot holes become glaring to me, here.

Ware has moments of really great writing throughout. I’ve always liked her writing style but it feels a bit lost among the threads of a whodunnit that misses the mark, for me. If you are expecting a thriller, I would say modify your expectations and prepare for a suspenseful mystery instead.

Fans of academic settings, friend group drama and Ware’s previous books may find this more compelling. The tension and sense of foreboding is strong throughout and I appreciated that “what is going to happen feeling” but the mystery itself is well-worn territory. I just wanted and expected more. 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

April Coutts-Cliveden was known as the "It" girl in her class at Oxford. She had it all, money, looks, charisma, and charm that could turn nasty fast. Hannah Jones, her roommate, soon became good friends with April, as did Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. The group did a lot together that first term at university when young people spread their wings, explore new things, and begin to come into their own. April was murdered during the second term.

Ten years later, Hannah is still living with the psychological repercussions of April's death. Now married to Will, and pregnant, she learns that the man convicted of murdering April (based in large part on Hannah's testimony) has died in prison. John Neville, an Oxford porter, maintained his innocence from his arrest until he died. Now, instead of his death bringing closure to Hannah, she wonders if she got it wrong, and is responsible for the death of an innocent man. To the dismay of her husband and friends, she begins to look closer at the case. The more Hannah looks into the murder, the more she discovers about April and others. Turns out, April had a fair amount of enemies for one so young. If John Neville didn't kill April, then someone else did, and it looks like it's someone Hannah knows.

This psychological suspense/mystery is a good read with each chapter containing Before and After sections which give the reader more information as to the happenings leading up to the murder and after it. Ware does a good job of keeping the reader invested in the story writing in twists and turns and tossing out believable red herrings throughout the tale. She got me -I was not expecting the ending!

My thanks to Gallery/Scout Press for permitting me to read an e-copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are given freely.

4.5 stars
Hannah meets April when they are paired up in a suite at Oxford. They are chalk and cheese, Hannah being the shy naive one of the duo, but she is soon pulled into the dazzling lights of April's world during their first term. April's light definitely shone bright, but as with all lights that are bright, their longevity is cut short, as was April's as, by the end of the second term, she was found dead. Murdered.
Back in the present and we catch up with Hannah, living with Will (April's former boyfriend) and expecting their first child. They have sort of managed to put the past behind them but that past is about to come hurtling into their present as the man convicted of April's murder has died in prison, having protested his innocence right up to the bitter end. And then Hannah is approached by a journalist who claims to have new evidence which makes Hannah doubt what she saw that night, what she spoke up about in the trial...
And so begins Hannah's quest to find the truth... But will she live to regret it...?
This was a bit of a slow burn for me initially but once it got going, once the foundations were all laid, it did go off like a train. Flitting between the past and the present, we see how the friends met and their relationships developed in the weeks and days leading up to the murder in the past. In the present, we follow Hannah as she goes about her investigative endeavours. The both timelines complementing and being fed by each other.
I am not sure quite why but I really didn't take to many of the characters in the book which meant that I didn't care as much as maybe I ought to have done. Reap what you sow was a phrase that I kept homing in on pretty much all the way through! I also guessed early what would have happened but that was probably cos I read so many books of this genre that I maybe cottoned on to something...
Pacing was slow initially but matched the narrative well enough all the way through. And there was pretty much no waffle or padding so the story got on with itself well. And the ending, although not a complete shock to me, did leave me satisfied... and a bit smug!
All in all, a good solid read that I have no hesitation in recommending to fans of the genre and the author. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

So addictive and I did not see the ending coming. It did sort of remind me of in my dreams I hold a knife but in a good way. Loved all the college secrets. Hannah wanting to her married in a library was very relatable. I can’t wait to read more from Ruth.

This is a solid read from Ruth Ware. Probably not my all-time favorite, but still very solid. Having studied abroad at Oxford for a trimester, I absolutely loved the setting, so that was a highlight for me. I also liked that I was constantly changing my mind about who the culprit was, and that while I didn't see the end coming, it made sense and wasn't totally out of left field.

April Clarke-Cliveden was the first friend Hannah Jones had at Oxford University. They shared a sitting room and then shared much of their lives. April was beautiful, wealthy, magnetic. She seemed to move through life effortlessly. Then she was murdered, right in their living space at the university, before the end of the school year.

A decade later, Hannah is married to Will, one of the members of their tight-knit group from that year, and they’re expecting their first child. She lives a pretty low-key life, working at a bookstore and being there for Will in the early stages of his career at an accounting firm. Hannah has locked away the memories of that shocking crime. But then news comes that the man who had been convicted of the murder has died in prison, insisting on his innocence until the very end. And a journalist who had been talking to him gives Hannah evidence that the system may have locked up the wrong person.

Even as Will and other friends from before tell her she has to leave it alone, Hannah can’t stop worrying about it. She starts looking into the facts again, asking around to find out what she may have missed, and what she had forgotten. And she realizes that each of her friends could have had motive to kill April. Her husband worries particularly about her health and their baby as the stress takes a toll on her, but what’s far worse is she could be putting herself in danger from the real killer.

The It Girl is a compelling mystery. I admit that I guessed early on who the killer was; I just didn’t know how or why the killer did what they did, so those reveals were interesting. The last bit was pretty heart-pounding. Still not my favorite Ruth Ware book (I personally liked The Death of Mrs. Westaway, which isn’t a straight mystery like her others), but a very good one.

Y’all @ruthwarewriter has written another masterpiece 💛 This novel will have you constantly guessing who murdered “IT Girl” April during her freshman year at Oxford. April is not really a likable character, so there is no shortage of people who would have had motive! I did not figure out who the killer is and I loved the dual timelines.

As with all of Ruth Ware’s books, I highly recommend reading this one!

Thank you @netgalley and @scoutpressbooks for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

Ruth Ware is back with another twisty murder mystery. April Clark-Clivedon is beautiful, smart, talented and popular. But not so popular she wasn't targeted for murder. Hannah Jones is her best friend who gave evidence that locked away her April's murderer. She has been hounded to the point of moving away from England, leaving Oxford and trying to quietly live w/ her husband, Will and expecting their first child. But did John Neville, convicted of April's murder, actually do it? New evidence seems to rock Hannah and has her second-guessing everything she thought she knew. Told in parts Before (the murder) and After, The It Girl will leave you guessing until the very end.

*Special thanks to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for an e-arc of this novel.*

This one didn't grab me the same as other Ruth Ware novels. It took me almost 2 months to read this, which should have been more like a week or two. The general concept was great, but the plot just kind of dragged. Better luck next time!

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Ruth Ware is one of my favorite authors and The It Girl is one of my most anticipated reads not only this month, but this summer. And let me just say…it totally delivers! I had the opportunity to read an early galley of it back in May with a bunch of bookstagrammers world-wide and it was such a treat!

Give me all the dark academia books and add in a locked-room mystery and I am one happy girl! This one might give off In My Dreams I Hold a Knife vibes, which incidentally is one of my favorite books, but it definitely stands on its own. It’s so atmospheric, and it totally gets under your skin. I loved the way it moves back and forth, using a before and after format, allowing you to really get to know the characters. As we get further into the book, it becomes evident that just about everyone has reason for wanting to harm April, but who actually did it? I loved learning about all their relationships both in the past and in the present.

This is such a brilliantly plotted book, and the structure really lends itself to quite nicely to the perfect buildup of suspense and tension…so much so that you find yourself unable to walk away from the book until you get to the final resolution. And with the mini-cliffhangers at the end of the chapters…you just cannot read fast enough!

I admit, it does start off a bit slow, but I think that was necessary in order to really help set the scene and help us get in the right mindset for all that was to come. Because once that is done, things start taking off and it becomes a much faster, more action-packed read.

This is definitely a book you don’t want to miss and I’m telling you, it’s completely binge-able despite its length. It’s a story full of complex characters, where everyone is hiding something, and as long as you love a mystery that takes its time building the layers, you will love this one. I have loved all of Ruth Ware’s books but this just might be my new favorite!

This is my very first Ruth Ware book. I was really excited to get an early copy as I’ve heard good things about her novels. The beginning of this book holds promise and it all kind of reminded me of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife as the characters are investigating a college friend who was killed. I actually ended up enjoying In My Dreams I Hold A Knife much much more than this one. I found the whole plot of The It Girl very slow moving and repetitive. I thought the whole novel lacked character development and it was difficult to connect to any of them. The conclusion was decent, but not overly exciting. Overall, I think there are more thrilling books out there to devote your time to. ♥️

Ten years after her college roommate is murdered, Hannah discovers the man she helped put behind bars has died. As old memories begin to resurface, and new reports of the convicted man’s alleged innocence surface, Hannah can’t help but revisit the night it all happened and everything that led them to that night. But when the trail leads her to places she didn’t even think of before, she begins to question everything, and everyone, around her.

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙸𝚝 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚋𝚢 𝚁𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚎
@𝚁𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚆𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛


Ruth Ware is a favorite author and I love her writing style. The way she creates a perfectly tense atmosphere with such well-wrought characters is like cat nip to my little kitty soul. And, on top of this, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘵 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭 primarily takes place in one of my favorite places, an academia setting, in this case Oxford University and it has the twistiest of twisty plots.

This is cleverly told in a dual timeline by Hannah, college bestie to the “𝘐𝘵 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭” April who was brutally murdered in their shared dorm room. Now, ten years later, traumatized and scarred by the death of April, Hannah is married to Will and is currently pregnant with their baby. When the accused murderer dies in prison, after years of proclaiming his innocence, it sets Hannah off on a quest for answers. The more she digs, the more danger she puts both herself and her baby in.

I enjoyed this one so much and I am really grateful to @ScoutPress for this gifted copy and to author Ruth Ware for writing it!

Like so many others, I’m a long-time @ruthwarewriter fan.  I have yet to read a book by her that I didn’t love, and she’s at the top of my auto buy author list. 
 
Since 2015, she’s been pumping out bestsellers year after year after year – so I was going into withdrawals in 2021 when we didn’t see a new Ruth Ware title. But who among us didn’t need a break after the dumpster fire that was 2020?! 🤷🏻‍♀️
 
When it was announced that her latest was coming this summer, I was over the moon excited – and even more so when I was able to snag an advance copy.  And let me just say: IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!  I loved it. 
 
✨What I Loved✨
 
🖤The dark academia setting at Oxford was atmospheric and perfect for the storyline.
🖤The alternating timelines amped up the suspense and kept me guessing and eagerly turning the pages.
🖤The whodunit mystery and the sharp character development were classic Ruth Ware.
 
This is an easy recommendation for me, and it deserves all five stars. 
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My thanks to @gallerybooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before its publication date.

This book felt a little long, but I loved all the action and twists at the end. Ware did a fantastic job of making everyone seem guilty. I definitely didn't guess who the killer was! I also thought there was going to be a different explanation at the end, and was wrong. However there is one thing that was not explained at all that bothered me... SPOILER BELOW



Will acts like a total psycho and that's why Hannah runs away from him. But it is never explained why he acted like that if he wasn't the killer?

Ruth Ware hits her latest psychological thriller, The It Girl right out of the park. This is an engrossing story that you will not want to put down. Told in a before and after point of views, this one will keep you reading. It is a bit long but I still enjoyed her writing style. This is an exciting murder mystery filled with twist and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat…….especially when you get to that totally surprised ending! I did not see that one coming! This suspenseful story makes a great book club or beach read. If you are a Ruth Ware fan you are going to want to read this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books/Scout Press and Ruth Ware for an advanced copy of this intriguing novel in exchange for my honest review.
#netgalley #gallerybooks/scoutpress #theitgirl #ruthware #arc