A fun thriller set at Oxford. Lots of twists and turns. I loved reading and imagining the life of students at Oxford.

“The It Girl”
by Ruth Ware

The Perfect Girl, Perfectly Pranked

Vivacious, glamorous, intelligent, and frequently incorrigible, April is every guy’s dream and most girl’s envy as first-term housemates at Oxford settle into budding groups and teaming friendships in “The It Girl,” Ruth Ware’s latest tangled tale of love, lust, loathing, and lies.

A cruel trickster, April’s humor isn’t always funny. Those she pranks typically don't laugh afterward because they've been egregiously humiliated, slandered, or intimidated. April’s talents carry over to the stage because she’s a terrific actress. However, following an Oxford theater performance, April is murdered. Many people have motives, yet most have alibis.

Ten years later, the man convicted of April’s murder died in prison. The media reexamine the case. Was an innocent man charged with the crime? Could the real strangler still be on the loose? Hannah, April’s former Oxford roommate, now married and pregnant, was a key witness for the prosecution at the murder trial. Did her testimony condemn the wrong person? Could her husband, or one of their close Oxford friends, be the killer?

Ruth Ware is one of my favorite contemporary mystery/thriller authors, and I eagerly seek out each of her novels. “The It Girl” is another engaging page-turner that captivated me from beginning to end. Each character had reasons to retaliate against April, so pondering upon possible killers was delightfully fun..

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: “The It Girl”
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: | General Fiction | Mysteries & Thrillers
Publication Date: 11 July 2022
Publisher: Gallery Books


My sincere thanks and appreciation go to NetGalley, Author Ruth Ware, and Publisher Gallery Books for this Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) for review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Gallery Books for an advanced copy of this new twisty thriller.

College is a time that many people use to find out who they are, are who they might pretend to be. Away from home, you can shed that persona that everyone in town knew you by, becoming more or what ever you want to be. If you are lucky you can find someone that can help you be all you want to be, just by being a star in the sky that you will follow to success. Hannah Jones was that lucky girl, the first day she met April Clarke- Cliveden at Oxford. Soon Hannah had friends, a positive influence in rich, pretty secure April, and things were going great. Until April died. Ruth Ware tells a complicated tale of murder, identity and trust in her book The It Girl.

Ten years after the death of April, Hannah is married to April's boyfriend, and preparing for their first child together. The man suspected of killing April has died in prison, but instead of relief, Hannah is shocked to find that a journalist has evidence that may exonerate him. However that leaves Hannah who accused the man of murder, and has married April's boyfriend. And those close college friendships, might not be as close or as friendly as Hannah has always thought, as what happens to April becomes more complicated and close to home.

The story is good with a strong plot and characters that change as the story progresses. There are a lot of twists and turns, and the plot holds together well. The switching of narrative from events leading up to the murder, to events ten years later is a bit played out, but Ruth Ware still uses it well to keep everything together, and the reader won't get lost following along.

Another probable bestseller as this is the perfect beach read, a interesting mystery with characters who are well developed and hide a lot of secrets. Fans of Paula Hawkins, Megan Miranda, Diane Chamberlain will enjoy this book quite a bit.

I am a fan of Ruth Ware. Her suspense thrillers always impress, and usually have a beyond-unexpected twist. The It Girl is no exception.
Told in a nebulous time frame, the plot unfolds in alternating “Before” and “After” chapters. You can read the overall plot in the blurbs, but a nutshell re-telling is popular girl meets tragic end and best friend/roommate still has to deal with the emotional fallout a decade later.
Except the story is so much more than these basics.
It’s about how we must live with our conscience, even as we are positive about our actions.
And how easily it is to be manipulated into questioning those actions.
Trust is also a big issue in this book. Can the characters trust their individual versions of the events that occurred or are there extenuating circumstances that keep their versions just shy of the truth?
Fortunately, the author takes the entire book – literally until the very last pages – to fully answer those questions.
Hannah is a thoroughly sympathetic character. The author wisely establishes her as someone who never quite feels like she belongs, like she is fortunate to be in the presence of her classmates at Oxford.

That self-doubt, and utter lack of self-confidence compared to others, is the perfect fodder for her character arcs in both the past and the present.
As much as Hannah has doubts about her actions and who to trust, the reader is right there with her. Why did the close friends fall out of contact? Were there other issues that Hannah was oblivious to? Did her personal experiences cloud her judgment?
And was she manipulated?
Obviously, you need to read the book to find out. But it is mystery as much as it is thriller. Hannah starts to doubt her own memory and determines to uncover the truth so she can put the past to bed.
The facts she reveals allow her to put the pieces together, but in a painstaking and very un-obvious manner. Seriously, pay attention when you read because there are several easily missed clues along the way.
The only thing that I didn’t think was completely fleshed out was the focus on Instagram and of April as an “It Girl.” I know that seems like a big thing, because it’s the title, but she came across more as the popular girl than the one who everybody wanted to be.
A little bit more of that would have helped the reveal along as well.
But that’s minor. The It Girl is still an excellent, well-paced, thriller. Ruth Ware has done it again.

Ruth Ware strikes again! I've come to rely on this author as my go-to mystery/thriller writer, and she has yet to disappoint. THE IT GIRL is one of my new favorites from her -- absolutely loved it!

Ten years after her college roommate, April, was murdered, Hannah struggled with the fear that the man she testified against was not the real killer. Oh, and Hannah is married to the man who was April's boyfriend.

The story alternated between the events leading up to the murder and present times. The plot was great, but the pace was just too slow to keep my interest. I struggled to keep reading and after the first half started skipping chapters and skimming others.

I really like this author, but wish the book had been tightened.

Ruth Ware is such an epic author and her latest novel The It Girl is absolutely unputdownable! The storyline time hops between “before” and “after” which I think works brilliantly! I was on the hook the entire way through and found the twists and turns perfectly placed! Ruth Ware’s novels are always so unique and original and this 5 star gem definitely comes through big time! I highly recommend you put The It Girl at the very top of your summer reading list! I have texted all of my friends and family to pre-order this gem because I am busting at seams to discuss it lol!

Ruth ware does it again. I have yet to be disappointed with any of her novels. The It Girl revolves around a murder happening at college and all the questions that surround it within a particular friend group. This who done it will have you flying through this book wanting all your questions answered.

I received an advance review copy from the publisher, through book netgalley.com and I am writing this review voluntarily.

April is an It Girl, the girl who has it all, looks, personality, wealth, the one everyone wants to be and be around. Except for the person who killed her.

Years after she found her university roommate dead, Hannah finds her life turned upside down once again when the man she helped convict of the murder dies in prison still proclaiming his innocence. When a reporter gets in touch and starts making Hannah question what really happened that night she finds herself looking at her friends and that night in a whole new light. Of course that also means looking at her husband differently, since Hannah is married to April's ex boyfriend from uni Will and they are expecting their first child.

I am a big fan of Ruth Ware but was sorely disappointed by her last book so I was really excited to get my hands on this one. I loved the alternating chapters of Before and After, really giving you the sense of who these people were before, and watching the whole thing play out. It really kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the end when I was biting my lip with anxiety. April may have been an It Girl but she was not a nice person, its really not a surprise she wound up dead after some of the stuff she pulled with her friends. I really liked this book and I'm so happy to be able to recommend it!

There is nothing I love more than a good solid mystery and Ruth Ware delivered in The It Girl. This book was so intriguing I couldn't help but turn the pages eager for the next clue, the next spout of drama and the next twist and turn. It was perfect for a lazy weekend to get my kind whirling with all the whatifs and to completely take me away to another place and distract me from everything else.

I absolutely loved this and truly have been thinking about it ever since. I just can't get it out of my head!

Ruth Ware does it again! I’m a huge fan or her writing style and the twists she brings with her storylines. The It Girl let’s you go back to your younger self remembering your first year of college, but devastates you with the death of your best friend/roommate. 10 years later it’s a fresh again and the truth finally comes out about what happened. I will admit I thought I had the twist figured out for most of the book and then realized I was very wrong. I loved this whodunit and still love Ruth Ware’s style! Highly recommend, 5 star read for me.

This was such a hit for me at the start. The beautiful setup for the Oxford college and the ambiance given. It was brilliant and I felt majestically flown into this town and this college and this era of students bursting as freshman with brains ready to party. Then about 3/4 I was over it. It dragged a bit for me on who and why. I suspected the end but still the end just felt all drawn out and a chunk of the book was just not so necessary. Regardless, it was Ana entertaining read and the very definition of a mystery whodunit.

The book has before and after chapters. The before is Hannah in Oxford making new friends and her new roommate best friend to be, April, being the perfect girl. She’s beautiful and smart and ridiculously rich. It’s the fun and glory of the student life. The after is Hannah pregnant and married to her old college friend Will and trying to move forward after Hannah being the one to discover April’s dead body the second semester of college. Creepy porter John Neville was the accused and he has died in prison. Here comes media and a new journalist with new evidence that shakes Hannah’s world and we enter the rabbit hole of what happened both before and after.

Thank you Gallery Books and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have consistently loved each and every one of Ruth Ware's novels, and The It Girl does not disappoint. In fact, I am a huge fan of novels that focus on the strong and intimate connection between college friends, and this novel not only explores the complicated and nuanced dynamic of young adult friendships, but she also delves into what happens after graduation. While the novel does at times fall into the trappings of stereotyping the rich, beautiful, and popular girl as cruel, frivolous, and sexually available, Ware carefully humanizes her as well. This is a slow burn, atmospheric novel that steadily picks up the pace as we begin to question who did it and finally, why.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a slow burner that pays off nicely in the end.

For some reason, the opening chapters told in retrospect from Hannah’s POV about Oxford life reminded me more than once of The Secret History.

The elite group of misfits who band together, the snobbish professor who opens student’s eyes to classical literature, etc.

Then after that the similarity ends and I became invested in the personal and tragic story about April the poor-little-rich-girl and her best friend, the ever loyal and tormented by demons Hannah.

The push and pull between two young women in life, love and academia certainly holds its own manner of tension, but when you throw in murder and perhaps a romantic triangulation… it gets complicated and very realistic.

I’m a sucker for unreliable characters and narrators and in this novel, I was delighted to have both.

There was just enough information thrown out to keep me guessing until the final pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to read the next one. Well done!

I have long been a fan of Ruth Ware's books and this one had me up til 4:30 am finishing it. April Clarke-Cliveden and Hannah Jones improbably become best friends after becoming roommates at Oxford. Hannah is shy and from a middle-class background while April is impossibly beautiful, extroverted and grew up with every luxury. They soon form a close-knit group of friends who support each other through the grueling academic world that is Oxford. As with any friends group there is jealousy and fights. Then April is brutally murdered and the group moves on with their lives as her killer rots away in prison. Ten years later when he dies in prison, Hannah thinks the whole ordeal is finally over until a journalist contacts her and casts doubt on his guilt. From here on out it is a wild ride going back and forth between the past and present as a pregnant Hannah opens up old wounds and tries to determine whether the man accused (and convicted on her testimony) really was April's killer or whether someone else was responsible and has escaped justice all these years.

Loved this one! Ruth Ware does such a great job of building the suspense in this one. Yes, it is a slow build up but I think the book doesn't suffer for this because of the character development and atmosphere. Of course, when reading 99% of thriller novels, the person who the murder is initially pinned on is usually never actually the murderer. She does such a fantastic job of casting doubt and raising suspicion towards multiple characters that I would totally be on board with one and then something else would happen and I'd change my mind. This happened multiple times while I was reading. So, the only thing that had me scratching my head was how is a character who is 6 months pregnant performing the mental gymnastics of Sherlock to figure this out? When I was pregnant it was constant mental fog but clearly pregnancy brain doesn't factor for our Hannah Jones. Ordered this one for my library and will definitely be recommending to patrons. Thanks Netgalley for review copy.

Ruth Ware is historically hit or miss for me, but this one worked for me. I love that she's circling around dark academia here, and that she continues to try out new sub-genres within her specialty. She is just such a pro at this: the pacing, the characters, the build-up, the twist. Her experience really shines through. I don't always love the time-jumping in stories (Before, After), but I thought it worked well here.

Ruth Ware doesn't need my help is selling her books, but some read-a-like titles I'd recommend for these are THE MAIDENS and IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE.

Also I don't think the cover or title is doing this book any favors. This could easily be the name of a YA, contemporary, or romance novel, and the cover is so nondescript.

Before I give my review of "It Girl", just a quick thank you to Scout Press/Simon and Schuster Publishing, as well as netgalley.com, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the novel.

I've found that I really like novels by Ruth Ware. Like - really, really like her novels. Starting with "In a Dark, Dark Wood", to "The Girl in Cabin 10", all of Ware's novels have exactly what I like in a thriller - a protagonist that has some kind of flaw that brings about a lot of questions throughout her novels. In Ware's newest read, "It Girl", that protagonist is Hannah Jones.

The book goes back and forth in a 10-year span with characters Hannah Jones, her university roommate, the beautiful, smart, and popular April Clarke-Cliveden, as well as friends, Emily, Ryan, and Hannah's then-friend (and current husband) Will, as well as a strange-acting porter named John Neville. Readers come to find out that April has been murdered at the university, and it is suspected (known?) that John Neville, the local porter/creep is the murderer, all thanks to the testimony of Hannah.

Fast-forward 10-years later, and a journalist named Geraint, who has been following the case and the questioned guilt of John Neville, begin to ask Hannah questions about the death of her roommate, and possible holes in her account of that evening.

The novel continues to go back and forth in the past and current times, with Hannah questioning her own account of the evening's events. As with other Ruth Ware novels, the story is believable as well as enjoyable, with a few twists before we make it to the end. "It Girl" definitely makes you second guess your idea of how the novel will end.

Another good read by Ruth Ware - she continues to be a great thriller, murder-mystery writer.

Perhaps my favorite Ruth Ware book!

Told from dual timelines, we meet Hannah and Will; Hannah is working at a bookstore and expecting her first child when she gets word that John Neville has died in prison.

Mystery ensues.

Ware's timeline takes us back to Oxford and we meet young Hannah, Will, and their circle of friends. We meet John Neville. And we meet Hannah's roommate, April.

Ware spins a tight, intriguing mystery in a fabulous Oxford setting; and maybe others did but I didn't figure out the mystery until well into the novel. Hannah is a likable protagonist and Ware is a master at building tension through the novel in a slow, steady pace.

Excellent read!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Ruth Ware does not disappoint. Once again the tension grows as events from "before" and "after" are revealed. And Ware is a master at building tension as she strews doubt as to who is a reliable narrator and who is not. Once you start reading, this compelling read is impossible to put down.

Ware is the queen of pacing and characters. This close-knit friend group is shattered when one finds their sparkling center strangled in their room. Ten years later, she begins to question what she saw and Ware balances the storyline between then and now so we’ll that the transitions feel effortless and the intrigue builds to a revelation that will leave you wanting to read it again to find clues you may have missed.