Ruth Ware is an automatic read author for me. I have LOVED several of her books, even though I think I am a bit hard to please as far as thrillers go. There was a lot I liked about "The It Girl". Although it seems that the "friends from college 10 years later" thing is getting VERY popular in the genre (Friends Like These, The Hunting Party), I liked the way this crew was portrayed.. I liked the main character, and the back and forth timeline did make the book a quick and easy read.
But.. the timing of the plot and the ending just didn't do it for me. I felt that the book was pointing in a very obvious direction for the entirety. It didn't really build anywhere, other than ruling other people out for a long time. There (finally) comes a twist but it doesn't come until the 90% mark. It is very dramatic, but rushed, and to me, it doesn't fit with the characters that had been built up throughout the book. and the "why" seems pretty unbelievable. There are also some subplots that seem to vanish into nowhere with no resolution.

A decent mystery that pulls the reader along at a pretty good clip. The story alternates between 10 years ago, when the characters were college students at Oxford and a murder occurred, to the present day. The present day storyline felt very much "already done a million times," where the people question how the case was resolved in the past, begin a new investigation, learn things that maybe they wish they didn't, etc. This might be my least favorite Ruth Ware mystery so far, just because it really didn't impress me in the end. But it gets the mystery job done, so it's still a good mystery read.

When you get your hands on the new Ruth Ware novel, you do not wait to read it! Loved it!

Hannah's friend April was murdered back when they were in Oxford. Hannah was a key witness in the trial of a porter at the school. Years later, someone is making a podcast to prove his innocence when the porter, john Neville, dies. Hannah has lived with a fear for a long time that maybe she was wrong and he was innocent. She sets out to find the truth.

The story goes back and forth between then and now. Hannah is married to April's ex-boyfriend Will and are expecting their first child. She now has to look at all her college gang with new eyes and that could even mean her husband.

I loved the back and forth with the story. You could be suspecting one person and then another one pops in. You are praying it's not that one person. Ruth Ware takes you right to the ledge to get to the truth. (I think I had it figured out at that point.) Just another outstanding mystery/thriller from one of the masters.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for an advance copy of this book for review. It publishes on July 12. Get your copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free preview of this book.

I was very excited about the premise and the setup- half of it takes place before the murder and the alternate chapters take place after, in the present. I thought it moved a bit too slowly at parts and dragged at times.

However I was constantly questioning and second-guessing what I thought the outcome would be. I cycled through many possible suspects- sometimes more than once, and was somewhat surprised by the ending.

THIS BOOK! I love the split timeline of before/after, and it really keeps the reader on the edge of the seat! The narration is GOLDEN- I felt like I was feeling the same things as Hannah throughout the entire story.

This book is SO very well written. Ruth Ware has had me hooked on her books ever since I first read The Woman in Cabin 10 a couple years ago, and The It Girl is even better! I am so invested in these characters lives!

(3.5 stars) This was an engaging murder mystery with a dark academia background. It follows two timelines: the past, leading up to the murder of a popular college student, and the present, showing the victim's roommate and her life now. Ten years have passed between the murder and the present day, and the murderer is in prison. But one day, evidence begins to suggest that the man in jail did not actually commit the crime. In present day, the surviving friends and family of the victim investigate the crime and try to determine the truth.
I thought I had this one figured out early on, but I was wrong, which was a pleasant surprise! While the book did feel slow at times, and the middle dragged a bit, there were enough twists and changes to keep me interested. I think fans of this genre will enjoy this book. It's also less scary than other Ruth Ware books I've read.
A weak spot in this book for me was the character development. I never really grew to care about the individuals themselves-I just wanted to know the plot and the answer to the mystery. I could still enjoy the book, but it's something to keep in mind if you primarily read books because of characters over plot.
Overall, I liked the vibes of this book and it felt like a pretty classic murder mystery. Some parts felt generic and familiar, but I was still surprised by some things. I wanted more from the characters, but had enough to enjoy following along with the mystery.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Excellent as usual! All of Ruth Ware's books are set in a different location - you don't feel like you are reading the same book over again. This one is set on the campus in Oxford. Believable characters and a great ending.

Well. WELL. I have a new favorite Ruth Ware book! DANG. I wasn't gripped by the first couple chapters, but then I was riveted and stayed up waaaaay past my usual "one more chapter" mindset and went straight into my "must.finish.this." mentality. Ware does a fantastic job of weaving between two timelines, the before and after, as she leads the reader through Hannah's journey to discover what truly happened the night her roommate April was murdered. So many clues and distractions and twists to keep you guessing, and keep you flipping pages to see how it all wraps up--a solid mystery, and the best I've read in some time.

HUGE thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview and review this title!

TLDR: I loved the twist and didn’t see it coming but it took way too long to get there.

This book follows Hannah, a woman whose roommate was murdered in their dorm room years ago. The killer, who was caught and put behind bars, dies of a heart attack. A reporter asks Hannah if she believes the right person was imprisoned and Hannah begins to question if her testimony was accurate.

I was really considering DNFing through the first 60%. I felt like there were too many scenes of both background and of the current timeline that dragged.

As soon as the “before” scenes stopped, the book picked up quickly and I was hooked.

This is definitely squarely a mystery, not really a thriller, so temper your expectations accordingly.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of this novel for the E-Arc copy. I am rating this book based on my own personal opinion and was not given anything in return. I am not leaving a entire review because I read so many at a time that I physically cannot right now. #TheItGirl #NetGalley

Ahhhh, Ruth. I have read Ruth for years. Every single year. I'm there. Reading her newest. I completely understood the need to take a year off from releasing a title. I get it. All that to say....anticipation was the name of the game.

For this title we are in two of my favorite places to read about. Academia and Scotland. Although, I personally think this was a solid read. It was not my favorite of hers. I can't put my finger on why exactly....basically...I wanted to finish so I could move on. (I know, I know. Awful)

The characters were meh and the atmosphere was not there for me.

I think I will be in the minority here.

The It Girl was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, and it did not disappoint!

I'm a HUGE Ruth Ware fan, have read all of her books and dropped EVERYTHING as soon as I was approved for her upcoming release.

I enjoyed the alternating timelines so much! Sometimes this can detract from the main story and confuse the reader, but this wasn’t the case. It's always so satisfying when everything starts clicking into place.

The characters were fantastic, the plot was intriguing, it was twisty and kept me guessing the entire way though the story! I didn't see that ending coming at all!!

So happy to have read an advance galley! Huge thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada!!

I just love Ruth Ware and she has done it again! The It Girl is a slow burn, brooding and atmospheric with many red herrings and a truly satisfying ending. Ms Ware’s characters, as usual, are rich, complex, flawed and believable. What a joy to be granted an ARC of this wonderful thriller!

The IT Girl by Ruth Ware is a story that I will soon not forget. The book starts with Hannah, our main character, entering Oxford University. Coming from humble means, Hannah is nervous about entering such a prestigious and wealthy community of peers. However, her worries soon disappear with the introduction of her roommate, April Clarke-Cliveden. April is the epitome of the It girl; rich, beautiful, smart, funny, and endearing. It did not take long for Hannah and April to become best friends. Within her first few days at Oxford, Hannah is fortunate to meet Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. This group of six friends do everything together and form a friendship that many strive for during their time in college.

But everything is not perfect. Oxford courses present new challenges for many of the friends, friendships are tested, and love can be tricky when there is a love triangle amongst the group. Although the group has their highs and lows, nothing could prepare them for the unfortunate and untimely death of April. The most vivacious and vibrant member of their group.

Ten years pass and each member of the group has dealt with April’s death in his or her own way. But Hannah has taken it the hardest. Her testimony during the trial put a man, John Neville, in prison. But as time has passed, and as new information has come to the surface, Hannah is wondering if she put the wrong person in jail. Did she get it all wrong and John Neville is innocent? As Hannah tries to uncover the truth, she is also uncovering memories from the past. Memories some of her friends would rather keep in the past. Should she keep digging and discover the true murderer, or should she accept what is done and move on?

Ruth Ware does an amazing job telling the story of this group of friends. You get to know each of them so well through the story, so much so that you wish you could be a member of their group. What I love most about this story are the twists and turns. The moment you think you have it all figured out, Ware gives you a curve ball and you’re having to rethink everything again. You are rooting for Hannah to solve the murder mystery, but at the same time you are worried about her and how she will come through it all. Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was how it was told. Every chapter is titled “Before” or “After.” This format allows you to puzzle piece all the events together and remember along with Hannah. A great read I would encourage any mystery/thriller lover to pick up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books/Scout Press for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest review.

In my opinion this is one of Ruth Ware’s BEST! It was hard to put it down and it kept me guessing all the way to the end. Fantastic characters and development. Loved it!

This was a fun ride. I've read a whole bunch of Ruth Ware's books and this had a different vibe. It was well-written - more so than her other books, which read more like typical thrillers. This one had a lot of characterization. That said, parts of the book dragged quite a bit - there was maybe too much attention to world-building during their campus days. The ending was also pretty far-fetched - the main character is supposed to be incredibly intelligent, standing out from her peers at home as well as at her very prestigious university, yet she was dumb enough to do some incredibly idiotic things. Kind of hard to wrap my mind around that one. Overall, a fun thriller that was an enjoyable read. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I'm going out on a limb here🙂....this may have been my favorite Ruth Ware book and I have read most, if not all, of them.

The cast of characters is a close-knit group, now 10 years out of Oxford. The star of their clique is April, the It Girl. Flawlessly beautiful, rich, nice but with a mean streak. Her murder breaks the spell that she cast over her clique of friends.

Ten years later, now-pregnant Hannah is having second thoughts about the resolution of April's murder and starts digging into past events.

Loved it!

I wanted to love this book but something just seemed off about it. The characters were not likable and the plot was a bit predictable. It almost seemed like I had read this book before. 3/5 stars

One of my favorites by Ruth Ware. The It Girl is a twisty, entertaining novel told in “before” and “after” chapters. Before = college at Oxford and After = 10 years later. The reader follows the life of Hannah and her It Girl roommate, April in the before chapters and concentrates on Hannah’s life 20 years after April’s murder in the After chapters. You’ll think you knew who did it, and then think again you know who did it, but things keep twisting in this great book!

Ruth Ware always comes up with surprises and The It Girl is full of them. She skillfully moves back and forth between the past and the present, using the breaks in the timeline to successfully build tension, making it a book that's hard to put down. Just as I thought I knew the who, what, and why at the heart of the story she came through with the ultimate plot twist. Very enjoyable.