Fabulous! Ruth Ware does it again, only even better. The It Girl will keep you guessing until the killer is revealed. Ware does an excellent job of building suspense as the story builds. The entertaining, tense plot will keep you up way too late.

Name of Book: The It Girl
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Publisher: Galley Scout Press
Pub Date: July 12, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars!

This is my seventh novel by author, Ruth Ware.. She is an author who has been a ‘hit or miss’ with me. There are stories I love but then there are the okay stories with too much nasty language (I know that it is me ~ most reader don’t notice profanity).
I especially liked “The Turn of the Key” and “The Death of Mrs. Westaway”.

I just love Ms. Ware’s descriptions of Oxford. ~
e.g. Can you imagine waking up in an eighteenth-century room, in one of the oldest canter of
learning ~
~ Doesn’t that just make you want to read more?

First day at Oxford University’s famous Pelham College is a dream comes true for Hannah Jones. Adding to this dream her roommate is April Clarke-Cliveden ~ the “It Girl’. Hannah feels April is vivacious and bright and Hannah feels so lucky to have her as a suitemate. They soon become inseparable and by the end of the first term they have a devoted friendship along with Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. ……..Within the year April’s body is found on the hearth rug in front of the fire ~dead.

Personal note: Hannah’s first day at college, totally took me down memory lane as I could visualized my
first day at college ~ me registering at the dorm with my bag while mom parked the car.

Back to story ~
Now ten years later John Neville, the man convicted of April’s murder has died of a heart attack while in prison. Hannah and Will are married and expecting their first baby, and are pleased that their past in behind them.
But a young reporter has some evidence that Neville might be innocent.
This news is shocking to Hannah. She was a witness that John Neville was in the common room of their suite the night April was murdered and it is her testimony that convicts him.

Story is told ‘Before and After’~
In the ‘Before’ chapters we relive the early college days.

The ‘After’ chapters we follow Hannah’s mixed emotions. April’s sister seeks out Hannah and the two of them go to Oxford to investigate and find the truth.

There are parts that slowed down a lot and I thought “Hmmm!”
It picked up around 2/3 in and I ended up liking it!
The first part was good ~ not a Big Wow but the last third definitely a Thumbs Up!


Want to thank NetGalley and Galley/ Scout Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 12, 2022.

Can You Say Ruh Roh?

The It Girl started out strong and petered out at the end.

I had such high hopes for this one! I adore Ruth Ware and admittedly love character driven novels. In the beginning I was all in and that excitement carried on until about 70-75% and then I lost it.

So what happened you ask? Well let’s get to it!

The day Hannah enters Oxford she meets her new roommate April Clarke-Clivedon. Affluent, bright and completely wild, April changes Hannah’s life forever. The two become besties, even though they are from different worlds. Enter Will, April’s boyfriend, who Hannah can’t help but crush on. Surrounding them are a group of friends, Ryan, Emily and Hugh. Then something goes awry. Tragedy strikes April and everyone’s life is shattered.

Ten years later, Hannah’s life is very different. The day she receives news of past events, everything stops and Hannah realizes that she must go back in order to move forward.

So when the big reveal finally happened, well, it wasn’t so big. Then it carried on way too long. To be perfectly honest, it was a snoozefest. The how and why frankly, didn’t matter at all. Everything leading up to that point had me. I was wholly intrigued by the life and times of Hannah, Will and April and then not so much. Such is life.

I am only one reader however, thus I encourage you all to read other reviews as this one seemed to be a hit with everyone else.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey.

Thank you to Jessica Roth at Gallery Books for the arc via NetGalley

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a thriller that reveals itself over two different timelines involving the main character, Hannah Jones. A decade ago, Hannah Jones was just starting out a brand new adventure as a student at Oxford College. Her glamorous roommate April Coutts-Cliveden immediately opened up a brand new social world that Hannah couldn't have even imagined. That is until Hannah found April murdered and became the star witness in convicting one of the porters in her death. Now ten years later, the porter died in jail and Hannah is forced to confront the fact that he might have been an innocent man. And if that is true, not only did she play a role in his conviction, but the real killer is still out there. Where there clues she missed and is digging into the past going to jeopardize her now? Read to find out!

The plot twists in this one are so good! Every time I thought that maybe I had cleverly figured it out a curveball would make me re-evaluate my thoughts on who the guilty person was. It kept me guessing right up until the end. A strong 4 stars and recommended read for those who enjoy thrillers and Ruth Ware's work!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ruth Ware, and Gallery/Scout Press for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Ware has unbelievably outdone herself! I'm not one for giving away details..I know I'll get to excited and let something slip! Stellar writing and characters. I read through the night..I couldn't put it down. Kept me guessing and I was surprised. Super twisty read! I need more! 5 stars! My husband is even telling others to read this one!

I don't blog. I'm strictly old school word of mouth. Pure RA.

I'm a sucker for a murder mystery set at an elite school or college, so, being a fan of "dark academia," I was excited to read The It Girl, the story of a young women tragically strangled in her Oxford dorm room. The novel follows a familiar past and present pattern, slowly revealing events leading up to the murder and also examining repercussions of that murder a decade later on the victim's roommate and best friend.

April, our "It Girl," is a typical character in these types of stories...she's charismatic and also somewhat awful and mean. Her roommate Hannah is quieter, in awe of her new and glamorous friend and trailing in her wake. The school - Oxford - is also imbued with glamour, intrigue, and a sense of history and grandeur. The descriptions of both time frames are well done and allow for a nice switch in atmosphere.

Hannah is somewhat hard to root for at times, but the reveals are nice and I was surprised by the killer identity. An enjoyable mystery.

Like Ware's other novels, I really enjoyed this slow burn thriller. While this was different from her other books, I thought it was closest to The Lying Game. This story keeps you guessing with lots of red herrings and possible suspects that had me changing my mind often, and I was shocked when the truth was revealed!
The story centers around the murder of Oxford "it" girl April Coutts-Cliveden. Hannah Jones became BFFs with the wealthy, clever, and sometimes cruel April, after they're paired as roommates freshman year. But, before the school year ends, April is dead, and a creepy porter will be convicted of the crime based on Hannah's eyewitness testimony.Fast forward a decade, and Hannah is still haunted by April's death, in part because the porter has died in prison, maintaining his innocence until the end. Then a journalist contacts her, claiming that new evidence suggests the police got the wrong guy. Hannah's life is once again in turmoil. If it wasn't the porter, then who killed April?

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

April is The It Girl - wealthy, smart, fashionable, fearless. Hannah is her roommate at Oxford, and the one who discovers April dead on their dorm room floor. What follows is a suspenseful thriller that moves back and forth in time from the students’ first year at Oxford to ten years later as Hannah - now partner to April’s ex-boyfriend, Will, living in Edinburg, and expecting their first child - is struggling with the consequences of evidence she has given implicating a creepy university employee in April’s death.

With skill and a slow dangling of clues, author Ruth Ware weaves a gothic tale with a satisfying conclusion. I give this one four stars out of five.

Amazing book that kept me guessing until the end. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s perfect for a fireside read or lying on the beach. Grab a copy!

3.5*
Hannah has been accepted into Oxford and begins settling into her new life. Her dorm-mate April, is the self-designated leader of their tight-knit pack which includes Hannah’s new friends Emily, Hugh and Will. With a whole school-year of hope and possibilities ahead she’s simply giddy to begin her journey. But everything changes when one member of the group doesn’t survive that freshman year.

Flash forward ten years, the man responsible for the death of her friend has died. Never wavering, he claimed his innocence to his final breathe. That has Hannah beginning to question everything! Was he truly guilty? Could she have pointed the finger at the wrong person all those years ago?

The stage is set…Hanna is now on a personal quest for the truth! She will soon up-root some answers she wasn’t prepared for.

I enjoyed the first section of the book as timelines shifted between the present and her Oxford days. But eventually the story came to a crawl and I found myself impatiently wanting to push it forward…

I had this one figured out quite early on as well. Perhaps that took away a bit of the suspense. Nonetheless, I believe all Ruth Ware fans will enjoy her latest release!

A buddy read with Susanne that left us both a tad disappointed.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to Jessica Roth @ Gallery Books via NetGalley

This book felt different than Ruth Ware’s others. Maybe because the setting was less ominous? I’m tempted to say that this book is also a bit slower paced than her others, less exciting bread crumbs along the way, but it’s also definitely her longest book too.

I enjoyed it, but probably not my favorite of hers.

I received an ARC of this book from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read all of Ruth Ware's previous works, so I was excited when I received this as an advanced reader copy. Brief summary: "It girl, April, is murdered at Pelham College, Oxford. Her best friend, Hannah, discovers the body, with their friend Hugh in tow. April's college boyfriend, WIll, becomes Hannah's husband and baby daddy in the "present." College friends Ryan and Emily are also sprinkled throughout the story. Creepy security dude accused of April's murder dies in prison. Journalist pushes to reopen the case. Chaos ensues and secrets unfold.

The beginning of this book was really slow for me. I had a hard time getting into it. I would rate the first 85% as 3 stars, The ending popped it up to 4 for me. This was better than "The Woman in Cabin 10," but not quite as good as "The Turn of the Key," or "The Death of Mrs. Westaway." Solid read for this genre.

3.5 stars

This book was a bit of a slow burn for me. I was engaged throughout for the most part but it seems that it took a while for anything intriguing to happen at first. I will say though, once the first thing happens, it is continuous from there. I enjoyed this book and would like to read more by the author.

Thank you for the early copy of The It Girl. In true Ruth Ware form, I had no idea whodunit until the very end. Will recommend to customers looking for a cozy murder mystery.

Ruth Ware has done it again. I loved the university backdrop and the alternating timelines. There are several potential suspects in the friend group, which makes it difficult for readers to know which characters to trust. I also appreciated that the protagonist was pregnant, determined to uncover the truth about her past before entering the next phase of her life. Brilliant!

I am a huge Ruth Ware fan, but about 80% of the way into The It Girl, I was feeling disappointed. I thought I had it all figured out and was not surprised at all at what I was reading. But of course, she twisted it and had me rushing to finish this book to see how it ended.
I love the alternating past/present perspectives, but at times felt like it switched too quickly to really get invested. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will absolutely be recommending it to my friends who also love the author!

"The It Girl" does NOT disappoint.

The characters are rich and the mystery is engaging. I know everyone who loves Ruth Ware and mysteries will LOVE this one. It's a great read that is different than your typical mystery. It tells a story rather than tells how murder is investigated. That's what I love about Ruth Ware--she tells a story around a mystery. It will be the summer read this year.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a murder I didn't see coming. Not the manner of death nor the murderer. The book is quite charming in its descriptions of an ivy draped university. I felt like I could see the dormitories and walk the courtyard. Ms. Ware is an excellent story teller.

My students will love this book! Run rollercoaster ride that will be a great way to keep high school students engaged. One of her best books!

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this title!

It's obvious why Ruth Ware is one of the biggest names in the thriller genre right now: her narratives are engaging and bingeable. This is a slow burn of a book. For the first 60-70% of the book, we have mainly build up and character development. That didn't stop me from quickly turning the pages to see what would happen next, though.

In many ways, The It Girl reminded me of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife from the very start and that comp stayed in my head the entire time. As with IMDIHAK, I never felt like the characters in The It Girl were fully realized even though we got so much backstory and development. And, the main character was a bit of a dunce and some of her inner dialogue got quite repetitive quite quickly.

That said, I loved the plot. I'm a sucker for a "X murder happened ten years ago and now I'm questioning everything" narrative and Ware did a great job with that trope.

As always, I'm eager to see what Ware does next.