Hannah Jones and April Clarke-Cliveden meet as first-year students and suite-mates three floors up in staircase 7 of a charming old Oxford quadrangle. Their names alone tell you who is the middle-class girl from state schools and who is the posh golden girl. [At some point, it looks like Ruth Ware changed April’s name from Coutts Cliveden to Clarke-Cliveden. Or maybe the other way around? I read an advance review copy, so I don’t know.]

But April is friendly and inclusive, which ensures that Hannah is in a group of six friends from her first day. Some are part of April’s prep-school set, but others are new to the world of privilege and the arcana of Oxford’s vocabulary and traditions. The most striking is Will de Chastaigne, with whom Hannah is infatuated upon first sight. Unfortunately for Hannah, he is also April’s boyfriend.

An Oxford tradition is to have porters, who are gatekeepers, handlers of mail, superintendents of the quad. One of the quad’s porters, John Neville, is a musty-smelling middle-aged man who behaves like a stalker to Hannah. On the night Hannah discovers April’s body in their living room, she has just seen Neville leaving through the ground-level door to their staircase. Her testimony puts Neville away.

That is the Before of this book, which is arranged in Before and After chapters. The After is set 10 years after April’s murder. Hannah is married, pregnant, and living in Edinburgh. When she learns that there are reasons to think Neville may not have killed April, she begins asking questions of her old friends, which raises more questions—and danger.

The Ruth Ware formula, if there is one, is to place a woman in an unfamiliar situation, often one that puts her off kilter and that becomes threatening. The suspense and tension tend to start out at about a two on the dial and click up steadily and inexorably.

This latest novel doesn’t crank up the tension nearly as quickly or steadily. This is more of a slow burn, with the shock of the reveal(s) and immediate threat to Hannah left to very close to the end of the book. That slowness may be disappointing to some readers, but I was fine with it. I’m a complete sucker for academic mysteries, and anything set in Oxford is irresistible to me, so I enjoyed the immersion into descriptions of student life in Oxford. I wouldn’t say this is Ware’s strongest novel, but I enjoyed it. A few quibbles didn’t spoil it for me; for example, Hannah’s frustrating failure to tell anyone the complete story of Neville’s treatment of her.

Ruth Ware is often called today’s Agatha Christie. While Ware doesn’t have a sleuth like Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, she does have Christie’s penchant for identifying several suspects with motives to murder, and subtly dropping clues so that the reader can figure out the whodunnit. A fair-play whodunnit isn’t that common these days, and I appreciate the few contemporary writers, like Ruth Ware, who can pull it off.

This is more of 3.5 stars. The thing keeping it from 4 for me is that it’s just too long winded and long. I wanted a faster paced story. I think for this type it was much too slow of a burn. I did like the mystery. I liked the characters. I didn’t have it figured out and i did want to know what happened and i totally didn’t figure out the why. But i think it could have cut 100 pages and been better. Still a huge Ware fan. Slow burns just aren’t my fav

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Ruth Ware always seems to deliver a page turner and this one is no exception! I thought it times it got bogged down with extraneous information but if you are looking for a book to put you on the edge of y-ur seat, this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Hannah Jones is a smart girl from a small town and is somewhat lost when she arrives at Clapham College at Oxford. When she gets to her room, she finds that she doesn't have the single room she expected in the newer dorms but a two-bedroom suite in the older hall - and a roommate! April Clarke-Cliveden is not just ANY other freshman, but is well-known as an Instagram influencer before they even existed!. Despite Hannah's initial shyness, she is soon best friends with April and an integral part of her group of friends.. She even thinks she may be falling in love with Will, one of that group.. There is one small problem - a porter who seems to have a special interest in her and scares her, but she takes every opportunity to avoid him and is mostly successful.

But at the end of the year, after a party celebrating April's performance in the Spring theater production, Hannah returns to their rooms to find April dead on their sitting room floor. She has seen the porter leaving their stairway when she approached, tells the police, and he is arrested, tried and convicted of the murder.

Now it is ten years later, Hannah is married and pregnant when she hears that the porter has died in prison, proclaiming his innocence to the end.

Hannah and her husband Will now live in Edinburgh, hopefully far enough away from Oxford that the reporters won't hunt her down to again question her about this latest development. But of course they do find her and one seems to have information about the case. Does Hannah really remember that night the way she thinks she does? Could there be someone else involved in the murder? Did she send an innocent man to his death in prison?

Thank you so much NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC!

RATING: 3.5/5 stars
PUB. DATE: July 12, 2022

The It Girl is my second book I’ve read by Ruth Ware. I read The Turn of the Key a couple months ago and really enjoyed it, so I was THRILLED when I was approved for this highly anticipated read!

I liked this one, but felt like it dragged on longer than it should’ve. The ending felt somewhat rushed. I hardly ever catch the twist, but I did in this one quite early on. However, it’s suspenseful and keeps you second guessing the entire time. Also a big fan of campus thriller vibes so really loved that aspect!

Overall, I’d recommend this one, especially to Ware fans. I’m excited to read more from her!

April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead. Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Then a young journalist comes knocking at Hannah's door and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.

This is the third book I have read by Ruth Ware, and she sucks me in every time! Her writing is impeccable, and her characters are so well developed. Then she throws in a twist that I am never expecting! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read this book for a honest review. I highly recommend it.

While I wanted to save this read for an upcoming beach trip, I couldn't. I told myself I'd read just the first page, then the first chapter, and then . . . Once I started, I couldn't stop.

THE IT GIRL took me back to my college days. Dark academia and a decade-old crime drew me into the premise.
The characters kept me there.

Loved Hannah. She was easy to root for, especially as she grappled with her decisions (both past and present).

This was a smart, compulsive read. It was classic Ruth Ware at her finest. She draws you in with an immersive setting. She gets you grounded before the twists come. I was very satisfied with the ending and the process of getting there.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

The first day Hannah moves into college, her life is changed when she meets her roommate April. April is the It Girl at their college, popular, beautiful, outgoing and wealthy. She can date anyone she wants and can get away with anything. At dinner that evening, Hannah meets a few other people that she becomes close to. Yet the good times end when Hannah finds April dead in their room at the end of their second term. 10 years later Hannah and Will (April's ex-boyfriend) are happily married and expecting a baby. When the man Hannah accused of murdering April dies in prison and a journalist thinks someone else was the murderer, Hannah begins looking into what really happened that night. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed Lying Game by Ruth Ware, so I thought I would give this one a shot. It had me going for a while--I was suspicious of everyone to the point of considering an unreliable narrator. In the end, the pacing was a little slow, and I found the final reveal to be lackluster. I'm picky about a thriller, and this one didn't really hit the spot. I'm sure fans of Wares, or fans of a collegiate mystery in general, will enjoy this one.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a strange relationship with Ware’s books - I either lovr them or I don’t. This one I loved. Whether I have higher exceptions for an author of her stature, sometimes they miss the mark for me. This one was classic Ware - a slow burn with an explosive conclusion. Well written plot with believable characters and I had no idea until the final chapters who was the real villain. Exclusive school, priveledged students, money, power, podcasts, greed, class jealousy and love are some of the ingredients in most popular thrillers. All conspire here to deliver a great summer read. Phew, a great one Ms Ware, thank you!

This was the perfect whodunnit story, yet it's so much more than that. The It Girl follows Hannah through her journey of self-reflection, and confronting her worst fears in order to find out the truth of what really happened to April that fateful night at Oxford. Set against the backdrop of Oxford and modern-day Edinburgh, it gives off dark academia vibes in flashbacks that correspond with Hannah's life now.

I thought the chapter layout was absolutely brilliant, segmented into "before" April's death, and "after". The twists and turns were unpredictable, even right up until the very end. Overall this was very well-written, and extremely hard to put down. Definitely a 5-star read for me.

First I wanna say thank you to Ruth Ware, Gallery Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. This was my first Ruth Ware book and definitely not my last.

This story is about Hannah & April who meet as roommates freshmen year at college and instantly become best friends. When Hannah arrives home to find April murdered her whole world shattered into pieces. Years later the convicted murderer dies in prison but Hannah is left with some unsettling feelings especially after a reporter reaches out convinced that the killer may still be out there and Neville was wrongly convicted.

Thoughts: I was pulled in by this academic thriller. It was a bit of a slow build and drawn out in a few spots. I was shocked when the “official killer” came to light because my thoughts were all pointing to someone else so I enjoyed the surprise and suspense of that. The characters are all relatively likable, although Hannah was a bit annoying with her obsession with April, especially as it came out that April wasn’t the greatest friend or person at times. All in all this was a good thriller that I’m giving 4 stars.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is one my new favorites by Ruth Ware. The writing was creative hopping back and forth between time periods “before” and “after” the death of a beloved friend named April. I also really enjoyed the characters and final twist on who murdered their friend. The reason this book will not receive five stars from me is that I feel like it could have been much shorter and still just as good. Otherwise, I loved it!

There is so much publicity around Ruth Ware’s novels that I was excited to read and review her latest book, The It Girl, to experience the hype for myself. In my mind, I thought this novel was going to be a thriller. I was expecting to be kept at the edge of my seat for the bulk of the book. The read is more of a “who did it” murder mystery that revolves around the lives first-year college students and resurfaces over a decade later.

Ware’s characters are well-developed, and I kept wanting to read more about each of them. However, if you are looking for a book consisting of nonstop action, this is not that book. It is still very much an enjoyable read, and the surprising twist at the end is quite shocking!

Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions stated above are my own.

I am a huge fan of Ruth Ware and all her books. The mysteries are always so twisty turning that she gets me every time. The It Girl was no exception, though I did have to wonder what everyone saw in the character April, but some times people are superficial and don't look beyond a glossy exterior. I loved how this one paced out and I didn't see the twist until the main character did.

THIS BOOK!!!!! It was compulsively readable and so thrilling and surprising and sneaky! The ending was so sneaky - I did not see it coming at all. Great read

Rounded up from 3.5 Ruth Ware always writes a good book. This one is no different. Well-crafted with dual timelines leading up to an ending where mostly everything is tied up—that’s at least how I like my books to end. Nothing left for me to stew over 🙃

The Oxford setting gives the “before” pieces a sense of place. The “after” bits leaves us every bit as untethered as our MMC, Hannah. After the murder of her friend, our It Girl, April, Hannah never returns to school and never gets a degree. I’m pretty sure she has a dream job though working at a bookstore in Scotland. She’s also married to her dream man, Will, who happens to be April’s former boyfriend. It’s not quite as weird as you think, trust me.

Hannah, Will and their friends still suffer from the events of the past which are brought to the forefront when Hannah starts investigating, putting herself and her unborn child at risk. A bit of a slow burn, Hannah begins to make questionable decisions in order to get to the truth and when reading the “before” bits about her friendship with April, we are often left wondering why? I guess you could say I ultimately found myself frustrated with Hannah’s life choices in both timelines.

Definitely read this one if you’re a fan of Ruth Ware—or even if you’re not. You’ll certainly be brought back to your college days 🤦‍♀️

Thank you to @netgalley @gallerybooks and @ruthwarewriter for an advanced copy of this book.

TW: Bullying, murder, stalking/harassment, harm to unborn child

I've been a fan of Ruth Ware since her first book. Everyone knows she is a master of writing mysteries with thrilling twists, but she is also magnificent at capturing a group dynamic and friendships that withstand years of misunderstandings or life changes. You totally buy into the connections. This is a grown up thriller--no creaking boards or noises in the woods--just a nagging feeling and a character who feels like something was never resolved correctly. Don't worry--the ending is as surprising as ever--even when there are only a few characters to theoretically choose from, she will lead you astray until the very end. Highly recommend.

Dark academia and a decade-old crime make for an irresistible combination in Ruth Ware’s upcoming release, THE IT GIRL.

Hannah Jones is plagued by her testimony that convicted a professor of her friend April's murder while they were in college. Just when Hannah thinks the past is behind her, she is drawn back into the case after new suspicions arise.

Hannah was an easy protagonist to root for as she grappled with her past decisions and the implications for her future. I appreciated how grounded in reality the characters and the mystery felt. The story was smart and the resolution was completely plausible, I just didn’t see it coming.

Ruth Ware takes her time setting the scene, but I didn’t mind the length as it resulted in rich characters in both the past and present timelines. The ending was satisfying and was well worth the commitment to get there.

Add THE IT GIRL to your beach bag this summer, or save it for an eerie campus read this fall!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: July 12, 2022

Many thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date

Whoa this was a wild ride!!!! Once I got started I just did not want to put it down!

Hannah get paired with April, a beautiful socialite, when she goes to Oxford. Hannah finds April murdered in their second term. They throw the creepy porter in jail for the murder. Fast forward ten years, the porter dies in jail and there are now questions as to if he actually did it. Hannah starts to investigate...

The characters are fully fleshed out and I feel like Ruth Ware did a great job of talking about the emotional ramifications of one of your good friends getting MURDERED. As someone who isn't super familiar with Europe, I struggled a bit with the references but it all made sense.

Would highly recommend to fans of this genre!