Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book early! It had a slower start, but provided some important background information. I love the writing style of switching to before and after. I really thought I had it all figured it out, and loved the twists and turns the last 25% of the book that made it impossible to put down as my theories were proved wrong.

This is a solid thriller. I liked the academic setting and two timelines. I also thought the characters were interesting. However, it’s on the slow side and not one I am likely to think about much after finishing.

Ruth Ware doesn't miss! "It Girl" is yet another shining example of Ware's writing prowess.

Hannah Jones is blissfully married and pregnant with her first child. This should be the happiest chapter of her life, but she is constantly haunted by the memories of her college friend and roommate April Clarke-Cliveden. More specifically, she's haunted by her murder.

When Hannah learns that her alleged murderer has died in prison protesting his innocence, she feels the need to delve back into the memories of their time together in order to find out what really happened. Despite her husband Will's pleading to let it go, Hannah reconnects with old friends Emily, Hugh, and Ryan to find out anything they know... or have been hiding. Along the way, she begins losing faith in those she held closest, including Will, who used to be April's college boyfriend.

This story is completely unpredictable from start to finish. Never quite sure who to trust or believe, Ruth Ware has ensured that readers are kept on the edge of their seats until the final page.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah Jones, the product of middle class and, public schools, arrives at Oxford's Pelham College naive and inexperienced. Her roommate April is completely opposite....rich, witty, stylish, fun loving...the ultimate "It Girl" who seemingly has everything. She introduces Hannah to her circle of friends and opens a whole new world. for Hannah. Yet by the end of second term April is dead. Ten years on Hannah is married to April's boyfriend Will and expecting their first child. When John Neville the man convicted of April's murder dies in prison doubts that Hannah repressed rise to the surface and haunt her.. She begins to reconnect with their close circle digging into the past with unforeseen dangerous consequences. Dark academia is one of my favorite sub genres and well known Ware adds a gripping psychological thriller to her growing shelf of winners. As the pages turn we come to know April as a not so good a friend at times vicious and cruel. The personalities of their circle of friends are distinctive and realistic. The dramatic riveting conclusion packs a whallop.

I’m a huge Ruth ware fan and I really liked this book. She always manages to make her characters interesting and engaging and I never see the end coming.

What happens when you thought happened ten years ago in college continues to haunt your present life. Hannah was a bright Oxford scholar until she discovered the body of the “it girl” for best friend and suite mate April. Read the latest Ruth Ware thrill to find out, you won’t put the book down.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. Hannah Jones is a first year student at Oxford in England and she’s delighted to be roommates with wealthy April Coutts-Cliveden. The two soon fall in with a small group and become fast friends. Each chapter is divided into two parts - then and now. The events at college are contrasted with Hannah’s life ten years later as she tries to bring closure to the traumatic night when she finds April brutally murdered. Ruth Ware is a master of this genre of thrillers and she’s skilled at setting out red herrings.

2.5 stars.

I am beyond sad...this was one of my top highly anticipated books for 2022, and I'm sad to say it just wasn't it. AND I'M SAD ABOUT IT.

It was wayyyyyy too long. 432 pages for a mystery/thriller? No. Just no.

It was very repetitive. So many times I thought...OKAY we get it- this has been said 1000 times. Maybe it needed stronger? I don't know.

The final twist was actually good and it surprised me, but the getting there just took forever. I have some conflicting feelings about it because I do love Ruth Ware's writing and the way she tells a story and writes her characters, but it took me over a month to finally finish this book. So I guess it goes right in the middle for me. Honestly just really freaking sad.

College can be hard enough, then Hannah’s roommate/best friend was murdered. April was the gorgeous, well liked, rich, ‘It Girl’ on campus, so who would want her dead? Hannah’s testimony sent away a man that seemed to be stalking the girls and now that he’s died in prison, Hannah is doubting what happened that night. Has the real killer already been found or is he still free?

I am an avid Ruth Ware fan but this book didn’t really do it for me. The ending/villain didn’t really make sense to me at the end, I needed more reason why! It’s a perfectly fine read and would be great for someone without my extremely high expectations. I would give this 🌟🌟🌟🌟, comes out July 12th!

April Clarke-Cliveden is the "It Girl." She has everything — looks, brains, and plenty of money, thanks to her rich parents. When Hannah Jones becomes her roommate at Pelham College in Oxford, they become best friends despite the disparity in their social standings. They also become part of a group of students who hang out together. Hannah is attracted to Will, a member of this group, but he becomes April's boyfriend.

The book alternates between Before and After. The "After" refers to the murder of April and how Hannah, ten years later, learns that the man convicted of the crime has died in prison. Hannah, now married to Will and expecting his child, starts to relive that awful experience from her past when a reporter asks to speak with her about it. The reporter claims there is new evidence that points to the innocence of the man, a porter who'd worked at the college, and whom April's testimony helped put behind bars.

While Will doesn't condone Hannah's becoming involved again, she is determined to learn the truth of what really happened the night she found her roommate dead. Because April enjoyed playing pranks on people and was sleeping with more than one man at Pelham, there are quite a few suspects, including Hannah's husband.

I found it hard to put this book down. The atmosphere was well depicted, as were the characters. I had difficulty figuring out who-dun-it because there were so many likely suspects. When I finally realized who killed April, it was right before this information was revealed. I enjoyed the twists and turns, and I found the ending action-packed. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy psychological mysteries. This isn't my first book by Ruth Ware and won't be my last. She is one of my favorite new authors.

Here we have another exceptional and riveting read from one of my favorite authors, Ruth Ware! Ware consistently writes thrillers that enthrall and shock her readers and that's no different with The It Girl. This is a must read for summer 2022!

While I enjoyed the premise of this book and how fast-paced it was, I didn't love the overall story. I figured out the ending super early, and I felt like I was left with more questions than answers at the end of the book. If it was meant to be open-ended as to who the test-taker was, then I am not a fan. I was really annoyed by the main character Hannah throughout the book- for example, if she said "baby in my belly" one more time I was going to throw my Kindle at the wall. I would have preferred a much stronger female as the narrator.
I'm not sure if I would recommend this to others, as it was very meh for me and not as good as some of the author's previous works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!

I want to thank Net Galley and Gallery Books for providing me with an ebook of this title to read and give an honest review.
This is my second Ruth Ware book. The first book I didn't love but wanted to give this author another chance, as I'd heard so many things.
I like a good who done it. Books that keep me guessing from beginning to end. This wasn't it. I guessed the who pretty much from the start. But because I am not always right, I figured I'd continue.
The story itself has merit. The plot was promising. I like the idea of it being a true mystery: who killed April? Despite someone having been convicted of it, we were going to find out if it was truly that person.
I enjoyed the main character's, Hannah, before and after POVs. They helped move the book along.
What I didn't love was the repetition. I felt like the narrator just kept circling back to the same things: April was my best friend, if I was wrong I must find out who actually did it, my baby/my baby/my baby. It drew the book out to a length it just didn't need to be at.
Once the before caught up with the after, I got really bored. I didn't feel like the book was moving me in a direction to stay focused and wanting to actually know the ending. I pushed through only because I needed to see if I was right. And I was.
I also found the writing flat. The tone of the narrator never truly showed excitement, horror, fear, etc. I just didn't feel it while I was reading. Too much time for Hannah to think about all the possibilities, over and over again.
Unfortunately, I don't think I will read anymore books from this author. Certainly she is not for me, though that doesn't mean she is not for others.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the gift of an advanced copy! Below is my honest review.

Ruth Ware has done it again. This is probably her best plotted book so far. The "Before" intertwined with the "After" format really worked for me. The story was expertly structured to shift suspicions back and forth and reveal new clues at different times. The solution is hidden in plain sight through lots of very subtle but obviously-there-when-you-look-back clues. Did I figure it out? Yes, but only because I had a nagging suspicion at the very beginning, before anything even happened, that made me look out for those tiny hints. Did that take anything away from my enjoyment? No, absolutely not.

Ware has proven repeatedly that she's a mystery powerhouse, reminiscent of Agatha Christie's great stories. I need to read the two earliest books of hers that I haven't yet while I wait anxiously for her next great mystery. She's definitely joined my instant read author list.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛: @ruthwarewriter
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Thriller
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: July 12th 2022
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @gallerybooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀:

BEFORE and AFTER 🖤

Overall, The It Girl was riveting, well developed, easy to follow, and a captivating read!

This is a psychological thriller about the murder of the young, IT GIRL. The murder takes takes place at Oxford University and follows the before and after of the woman who may have been responsible for the conviction of the wrong man.

The book takes you on a journey of the mismatched University clique and down the path to find out what really happened to THE IT GIRL!

Ruth Ware's talent for writing never ceases to amaze me!

🖤 What is your favorite @ruthwarewriter book?

Thank you @netgalley @scoutpressbooks & @gallerybooks for my gifted ARC! #TheItGirl #Netgalley #GalleryBooks #ScoutPressBooks

3.5 stars - As usual, I really love Ruth Ware's writing and characterization, which is what I see as the special sauce for her books including this one. The college setting is one I really enjoy for thrillers, but I think this suffers from being pretty standard in terms of plot progression and tropes with few surprises (I figured out whodunnit like... immediately). It is also VERY slow burn, which I was good with because of how much I like her writing, but want to flag that for other readers

All in all, a pretty standard thriller made a lot stronger by the author's writing talents. Not her best but still very enjoyable!

A dual timeline mystery that kept me guessing. I really enjoyed the friendship between Hannah and April. As the story progresses I suspected just about everyone! I do feel parts of the story could have been filled in a little more, especially the relationship between Hannah and Will. A page turning read and I think fans of the mystery/suspense genre will enjoy this one.

This was enjoyable mystery that had me guessing all the way to the end. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not in fact figure out who done it. Like all Ruth Ware books The It Girl is sure to be a hit with the mystery/suspense crowd.

I have to say I was so disappointed in this book. I am a huge Ruth Ware fan but I was not a fan of One by One so I was a little nervous going into this one. And I was right to be so. This did not feel like classic Ruth Ware writing to me. It was slow and dragged on and felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over. I WILL hand sell this title because I'm wondering if its not just me? And I would not want to deprive someone of a Ruth Ware book! But for sure this one was not for me.

This was a a good thriller that kept my interest throughout. I loved how the author wrote the story with each chapter being either before or after the murder. By using this technique you gain insight into each character as she ratchets up the suspense. The style of writing quickly moved the chapters along. I foresee a big summer hit! #TheItGirl #RuthWare # NetGalley