I reallly enjoyed this novel but I do think it’s was entirely too long. The middle dragged with unnecessary details and circling around and around to fill the pages. It started off strong enough to keep you hooked even while dragging you around. I love the classic British feel of the novel. Set in Oxford, five friends lives are destroyed when is murdered. 10 years later, Hannah, at the forefront of the investigation, is pulled back in when evidence comes to light that all might not exactly as thought. The last 1/3 of the boom was action packed and really kept you on the edge of your seat. If you like British dramas and that dark academia feel, this is for you.

Intricate psychological thriller!

At times the tension in “It Girl” is high to the point of breathlessness. Hannah Jones is beyond devastated over her friend April Clarke-Clivedon’s brutal murder. Anguished because this was her friend, anguished because it was Hannah’s evidence that had college porter John Neville had been imprisoned for life. Anguished that Neville maintains his innocence, anguished because of the ‘what if’s” if Hannah was wrong about Neville. And dare I say on another plane entirely the fact that she’s married to her dead best friend’s boyfriend.
The story moves between the time a group of young things from various walks of life first meet at Pelham College Oxford University to the current times, some ten years later. We know there’s more to come. Hannah has retreated away from Oxford, from being a top student, to living and working in Edinburgh away from the spotlight, suffering severe anxiety and depression. Married to Will she maintains a fragile stability but every time The Pelham Strangler murder is revisited in the headlines she’s thrown. Now a revisiting and a plea from one of their youthful cohort to talk with a journalist about the events of that time has thrown her. Pregnant and anxious, with Will disapproving of any discussion, where the past and present are about to collide, the outcome is anyone’s guess. But make no doubt, collision is unavoidable.
Ware’s writing is tight although at times I wanted less of the slow buildup. At times I just wasn’t wasn sympatico with Hannah, and one had to wonder if April was simply a troubled rich kid or super devious. And then there’s April’s ex-boyfriend Will, now Hannah’s husband. Hmm!
The technical transition between the ‘past’ and the ‘now’ is clear and precise and not at all bothersome.
Another complex mystery from Ware. The breadcrumbs as always are scattered to the four winds, but the hunt is intriguing!

A Gallery Books ARC via NetGalley. Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Ruth Ware has written another engaging mystery, and I was swept up in the story. Hannah Jones is roommates and best friends with April, who ends up being murdered in their dorm room at Oxford. Based on Hannah’s testimony someone was put behind bars, but years later Hannah is starting to doubt her own word and is looking for new evidence. The book switches between the past and the present to weave the storyline, and has a reveal that I didn’t see coming. I did find it slow in parts, which is why this ended up being 4 stars. Murder mystery and avid Ruth Ware fans will definitely enjoy this one!

I loved The Woman In Cabin 10,by Ruth Ware, a suspenseful and twisted mystery. Well not to be out done, The It Girl had me turning pages long after bedtime, as I tried to guess who killed April, a beautiful socialite, attending her first semester at Oxford. The old clustered buildings and pathways are the perfect setting for a killer to retreat into the shadows, creating uneasiness and fear into others.
Hannah, a girl from a small village, living with her school teacher mother, arrives at Oxford on a scholarship and is paired with an incompatible roommate, but they become fast friends. April has a group that she went to school with and they accept Hannah, because April likes her. But, Hannah experiences some awkwardness, when she realizes there is an attraction between her and April’s boyfriend Will. Then one night, April’s found strangled in their room, devastating the friends and Hannah, returning home due to her heartbreak. A local man is convicted, largely because of Hannah’s testimony.
Fast forward 10 years and the convicted killer dies in prison, still proclaiming his innocence. A journalist takes interest and starts asking questions, upending Hannah’s life and causing her to doubt her own story. But if not tge school Porter, who did kill April?
This is a well written mystery novel, with an interesting cast of characters. I suspected virtually everyone, and still didn’t get it right. If you like a gripping mystery story, you’ll love this one.
My thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster for the ARC. It’s definitely a five star effort.

Dang. I had high hopes for this one but it missed the mark a bit for me. The first 2/3 weren't bad, but I did find it incredibly slow. We were much more focused on the domestic than the mystery/thriller. In the last 1/3 the mystery/thriller really picked up, but unfortunately at the sake of logic. I didn't buy who the killer was or why. It all just seemed to be tossed in at the end with too many red herrings to make much sense.

The plot felt like something I’ve read before. Old friends each wondering if the other could have done the terrible thing that binds them together. Parts felt like they were repeated over and over which dragged the story out. The ending was rushed along.

As an American, I found myself googling info about Oxford simply because its so different than American college, but I love books that make me want to know more. The characters in this novel felt familiar, especially April. In some ways the relationship between. Her and Hannah reminded me of my own college roommate and myself, sans the murder of course. Another solid thriller from Ware.

I am a big Ruth Ware fan and this book does not disappoint. It’s full of great, dark slow burning suspense as well as twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end.

The It Girl ,Ruth Ware's new novel, it is even more captivating then Ware's previous bestsellers. Ware's plot revolves around it girl April Clarke-Cliveden and her ordinary Oxford roommate Hannah Jones. The novel is Hannah's story and Ware tells it with before and after chapters that are connected by a shocking event. Hannah quickly becomes swept up in April's life. Although Hannah enjoys socializing with April and her friends, she is a much more grounded person than April. April has unlimited family funds and she can be very generous, but she has a mean streak and enjoys playing elaborate practical jokes on her friends. Ten years after leaving Oxford Hannah is confronted with serious doubts about the event that changed her life forever when she was a student. Now married and pregnant, Hannah decides she must risk everything to get the answers she seeks. Ware expertly crafts a suspenseful page turner and this entertaining thriller is a must read.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this novel.

April Coutts-Cliveden is the ultimate It girl. Her vivacious and bright personality immediately draws Hannah Jones into her orbit. During their first term at Oxford, they develop a close knit group of friends. But by the second term, April is dead. A decade later, John Neville, the man convicted of killing April, has died in prison. Relieved to put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a journalist comes knocking on her door saying Neville could have been innocent.
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𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: This was my most anticipated thriller of the year! I’ve been a Ruth Ware fan for a while and so far, One by One is still my favorite. This one dragged more than I really cared for but there was so much character building over the course of the book that you ended up with very rich characters. I LOVED the dark academia theme! I haven’t read many books like that and really enjoyed it. Once everything started coming together, the pace really took off! I stayed up late flipping pages to finish it and I loved the ending. Although it wasn’t my favorite of hers, I still really enjoyed it! Thank you to @, @, and @ for my gifted e-ARC.

This book lives up to what I have come to expect from Ruth Ware. There are twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. Characters were well developed and I loved the dark academia vibes.

Reading Between the Wines book review #58/135 for 2022:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: The It Girl
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASES July 12, 2022!!! Get your copy today!

Sipping thoughts: The It Girl was full of mystery and suspense. It was a really slow burn that was a little bit repetitive in some parts. I enjoyed the past and present POV’s. What I could not stand was Hannah and how whiney she was throughout the book. I did understand that her best friend was killed in college, and she was the one who found her. I just wanted her to get therapy and not really move on but just be better. Well once someone made her think Neville, the accused killer, might be innocent Hannah’s whole life turned upside down into a whirlwind. I figured out early on what happened, but I had a lot of fun waiting to see it revealed. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to Ware’s future releases.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @GalleryBooks, and @GalleryScoutPress for an advance copy of @TheItGirl.

#TheItGirl #RuthWare #GalleryBooks #GalleryScoutPress #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

What's it about (in a nutshell):
The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a compelling story about a campus It Girl and her murder ten years ago. After the man imprisoned for her murder dies of natural causes in jail, doubt is cast about his guilt. Her college roommate and best friend, Hannah, feels like she must figure out who did it once and for all.

Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
My initial expectations are based mainly on the reputation of this author's works. I've never had an opportunity to read a book by Ruth Ware, and I've very much wanted to do so. I like the cover, but it doesn't seem to give much away about the story. It reminds me of how things look when seen from a moving car. The blurb mentions Oxford, which is always a great setting for me. The murder is an old case from the main character's college years, which intrigues me, as does the deceased's personality. It's always the outgoing, vivacious ones that get murdered, isn't it? I'm expecting an exciting mystery about the murder of a popular girl from all of this.

Actual Reading Experience:
The aspect of this novel that I absolutely loved the most is the locked room mystery. I adore a good, locked-room mystery, and this one is excellent. I never suspected the person until right before the reveal, and the reason was the last thing I would have ever guessed. I enjoyed that the murderer didn't reveal the why too. It seems small, but it frequently happens, so when the murderer refuses to divulge why I wanted to applaud. Let's face it, we all think that would never happen in real life – only in Scooby-Doo and Agatha Christie novels. Of course, someone who knew more about the murder's secrets reveals the reason, so the reader gets the satisfaction of the story coming together at the end.

The fact that the book is a slow burn and over 400 pages was a mixed bag for me. As a rule, slow burns are not my favorite. This one, however, is told in a dual timeline. I enjoyed the story from the past, so I easily remained focused during those chapters. The present timeline wasn't nearly as compelling for me. As it dragged on, I did find my attention span wandering as it often does during slow-burn stories. I would have loved that specific part of the story to be streamlined by about 50-100 pages. But that's just me. As I often mention, I have the attention span of a gnat, so it's much harder for a story to hold my attention than it is for it to not.

To Read or Not to Read:
If you love slow burn or locked room mysteries, The It Girl is just the mystery you are looking for.

Loved this dark academia thriller. At first blush, I wasn't sure I was interested in the premise (I don't usually like books that hop between time periods) but her execution of it vastly exceeded my expectations. The building crescendo was so effective--this book was super well paced. There were also lots of red herrings and misdirection, and it kept me guessing. I also appreciated that the book wasn't gory or gruesome--it conveyed its tension through conversations and relationship dynamics, not through bodily horror.

If you hate seeing characters do things you wish they wouldn't do, you'll get frustrated here. It didn't bother me--I didn't mind seeing more clearly than the protagonist does, and Ware knows that she's doing that--but just a warning for those who can't handle the cringe.

4 stars instead of 5 because I don't really understand why anyone was friends with April in the first place--the premise of the book is that she's the narrator's best friend, but I didn't find their bond fleshed out or believable. That said, it was easy enough for me to get past that and caught up in the story. I found it un-put-down-able!

I love me some Ruth Ware candy!! This book was devourable. So many twists, so many times I thought “I KNOW WHO DID IT” and I was wrong. An enjoyable thriller all around. 3.5 stars.

This book was fantastic! I kept thinking I knew who actually killed April, but I never predicted who it actually was. I loved the before and after, and how it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I had a hard time putting it down. Ruth Ware does it again! A fabulous read.

4.5 Kept me intrigued. Told in BEFORE and AFTER the death of fellow Oxford classmate April Clarke-Clivedon. Longer than the books I’ve been reading lately, because I feel like I didn’t put this one down but I took longer to read it than I have been. Will keep you guessing till the very end.

First off, I have never read any other books by Ruth Ware. I do, however like thrillers and academic settings. When the setting is Oxford, well I decided to take a chance and request The It Girl. It took me a bit to get into it as I didn't connect with the characters for awhile. It also took awhile to get used to the before the murder chapters and the after the murder chapters. As a locked room mystery with good suspense it kept me engaged and changing my mind with every red herring presented. I did like the conclusion. My one quibble? It could have done with some editing for length. There were bits that could have been trimmed without any loss of tension and story.
Overall I did enjoy it but I'm not certain I will rush to read another of her books. My thanks to the publisher Gallery/Scout Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I've read reviews about this author (and this book) that there are too many words and unnecessary details. I agree that Ruth Ware includes a ton of background information and details, but that is part of what I love about her books. She includes a great deal of information that allows us as readers to play detective and determine what is related to the mystery at hand and what is a red herring. I don't find the amount of detail to be frustrating. Instead, I look forward to weeding through the information presented to try to "figure out" where the book is going, know that some of it has been placed to intentionally throw us off.

This book contained dual timelines: Before and After. Both were told from a singular POV about the same murder and the same friend group from college. I liked that this was a single POV and thought the dual timelines were a great way to keep us interested as readers while still only writing from a singular perspective.

I've never fully "solved" a Ruth Ware book -- this one included. I find her stories to be clever and there is always one more twist than I expected.

Overall, if you like Ruth Ware, pick this book up! OR - if you're looking for a new thriller where you can play detective while reading, this will be a great choice for you. Happy reading!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC of this book!

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TW: The main character is pregnant and I can imagine some of the subject matter could be triggering for folks who have dealt with tricky pregnancies or stressful/harmful situations while pregnant.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a very highly recommended, outstanding psychological mystery/thriller that begs you to consider how much can you trust others as well as yourself?

Hannah Jones’s Oxford University roommate, April Clarke-Cliveden, has it all. April is beautiful, wealthy, and sophisticated. She is the ultimate "It" girl, so Hannah is thrilled when the two immediately become best friends. Hannah becomes part of a close group of friends including April, Emily, Ryan, Hugh, and Will. What she could never portend is that April would be dead before the end of the year. This event changed the entire course of Hannah's life.

Ten years later, Hannah and Will are married, living in Edinburgh, and expecting their first child. The man who was convicted of killing April, Oxford Porter John Neville, has just died in prison. His death brings the trauma a decade earlier to the forefront again along with reporters and media contacting Hannah. When one young journalist who is a friend of Ryan presents some new evidence that suggests Neville might have been innocent, Hannah, whose testimony sent Neville to prison, begins to question what she believed to be true about April's murder.

The plot unfolds through Hannah's point-of-view in alternating "before" and "after" chapters. The "before" chapters follow Hannah's arrival at Oxford, her socializing with her friends, and memories of Oxford leading up to April's murder. We meet the group of friends, see their personalities, and observe their interactions with each other through Hannah's eyes. "After" chapters follow Hannah in the present day, her life with Will, her pregnancy, and the growing doubts concerning what she thought was true. She becomes obsessed with trying to uncover what really happened to April.

The It Girl is very well-written, intriguing, captivating, and utterly compelling. I was engaged from beginning to end in this even paced novel. Ware provides details that bring to life the characters and settings. The alternating timelines work remarkably well in the narrative and help to gradually create even more suspense and tension. Every one is a suspect at one time or another as Hannah tries to figure out what happened and if her observations were accurate. I was engrossed right up to the denouement, which was a shocking surprise.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Gallery/Scout Press.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.