Received as an ARC - a compelling story, page-turner, some good plot-twists and turns. Worth the read!

What a captivating thriller! A 10 year old case of the murder of April, a wealthy Oxford student, continues to niggle in the brain of the dead girls room mate and best friend, Hannah. Something has never quite sat right with Hannah and she goes on a a dangerous mission to really find out if the man whom she was largely responsible for convicting is indeed the man who should have rotted in jail. When the news that the convicted killer died in jail, Hannah knows that she must dig up all her past trauma to fill in the gaps in her memory. All of the friend groups innocence is put into question including her own husband, Aprils boyfriend at the time of her death.

This one kept me guessing right until the end. I had my suspicions but couldn't figure out the motive or the method. This was my first Ruth Ware book, and will not be my last.

I was captivated by the suspenseful narrative that Ruth Ware used to skillfully blend tension with rich character exploration. Ware's atmospheric style created a very real sense of mystery, and the well-paced plot kept me engaged while reading. While the ending was not entirely surprising, Ware's storytelling and chilling ambiance make "The It Girl" a read perfect for fans of psychological thrillers

Loved this book so much! It was fun, mysterious, kept my interest. Ruth Ware will always be a top notch thriller writer. The characters were fantastic and I'll definitely be recommending this to everyone!

2 Stars ( I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Normally I finish a Ruth Ware book but there was something about this one I struggled no matter the format. I even got the audiobook from the library which I tend to enjoy more for thrillers. I could not get past the first couple of chapters, feeling like there was nothing happening. I was not drawn to the main character, could not even remember names and didn't like the spoiled college roommate and felt like I had read too many books of the same plot

Apologies for the late review of this. I did not like this book and I think rather than turning out a novel every year, more time and consideration should be given to plot and overall story development. This was a disappointment and Zero Days was almost unreadable.
The premise is good for this novel, but the characters are unlikeable and it felt like the plot was being stretched at times.

But thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this.

The IT girl started off slow but picked up the pace midway. April, the It Girl was spoiled and obnoxious so I didn't mind that she was killed off so early in the book, even if she did appear again in Before Chapters. I liked the academic setting although it wasn't really used in the plot line. The murder could have happened anywhere. The twists at the end were classic Ruth Ware tricks. Not knowing whose funeral it was really increased the suspense. It wasn't my favourite Ruth Ware novel, but it also wasn't my least favourite.

Ruth Ware never fails to surprise me. Her books always have such unexpected plot twists and are thoroughly enjoyable.

This murder mystery was suppose to keep me on the edge of my seat and I have to be honest it didn't. I typically Love or hate this authors novels, there doesn't seem to be a in between.

This one was written well, and flows nicely however it is very slow. It wasn't thrilling or edge of my seat reading. I honestly put it down so many times that I was worried I was going to DNF it. I adore this authors writing and think her novels are great, but maybe just not made for me.

Thank you @simonschusterca for a copy of The It Girl by Ruth Ware, this one publishes Tuesday July 12th!

In my ranking of Ruth Ware novels, this one might be near the top. Not sure why they are still marketed as thrillers when this one, like all previous ones are definitely more of a slow burn mystery suspense but here we are. The mystery in The It Girl is spread over two timelines, something I am definitely a fan of.

Hannah’s university roommate was murdered and everyone thought they had the right person in jail, but after his death ten years later Hannah is not so sure. Told in Before and After timelines, the details are starting to throw doubt on the conviction.

One complaint I have is that it was a little slow, and I personally thought that was down to Hannah’s pregnancy. I didn’t think it lent anything but extra pages to the story and her constant discussion of it took focus from the actual story. Maybe a personal taste thing.

Otherwise, very typical Ruth Ware novel leaning more towards The Lying Game vibes than Death Of Mrs Westaway so hopefully that helps you decide!

Auto-buy author for me. I love everything she writes.
This was a thriller that I devoured. It kept me on my toes. The twist and turns

A dark academia thriller that had a great ending!
Only drawback was that the middle was a little too long for my taste.
Although it was long, the hitches and guessing had me reading till the end and still in awe with the how it wrapped up without me getting right (which is exactly what you want in a book!)

I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada as well as Ruth Ware for my eARC.
I also want to thank Tandem Global for my paperback copy and readalong that I participated in.
In return, I have promised to provide an unbiased review

Loved this one! I was a big fan of The Woman in Cabin 10 so I had high hopes for The It Girl, and I'm pleased to say my expectations were exceeded.
The It Girl had some solid twists and turns throughout. I was sure I had figured things out early on but once again, I was wrong! This was a fast paced, suspenseful novel told in dual timelines; before the murder and 10 years after. If you're looking for a well written book for spooky season this is the one for you.

Grateful to the publisher for the eARC, and the opportunity to provide feedback. All opinions are my own.

I always love Ruth Wares thrillers and this one kept me guessing g from start to finish. The characters were well flushed out and the storyline was strong

The It Girl is another clever, well-written, dark, suspenseful, page-turner from Ruth Ware! One of my favourites of hers!

Hannah, pregnant and happily married to Will, is thrown when she finds out that the man convicted of murdering her best friend April at Oxford has died in prison. She cannot let go of the feeling that she made a mistake in accusing him many years ago. Her new obsession with the case leads to investigations into her old friendships, her marriage, and traumatic reveals.

I love thrillers set in boarding schools or academia, and this Oxford setting does not disappoint! This novel is filled with complex characters with dark secrets and many surprises. I couldn't put it down! April, "The It Girl", was so mysterious and layered, it made for a shocking ending!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for my copy!

I have a hit or miss relationship with Ruth Ware’s novels. I really enjoyed 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙧𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 and 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙚𝙮, and recently did not love 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙊𝙣𝙚.

Sadly, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙩 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 fell flat for me.

I was very excited to read this one, and I felt it started off promising. Popular ‘It Girl’ April Coutts-Cliveden has been found murdered and her best friend Hannah helps identify the murderer and put him behind bars. Now, a decade later, the man convicted of killing April has died in Prison, and Hannah’s world is rocked when a journalist presents new evidence that might prove the man convicted of the killing was actually innocent.

And so we begin a dual timeline narrative of the ‘before’ and ‘after’. I really enjoyed the dual timeline, especially the ‘before’. I kept trying to figure out who the murderer really was and what happened. But I got lost about half way through and found the tempo to be really slow. I also really struggled to like the main characters, especially Hannah.

I was invested enough to keep turning the pages and find out the mystery, and was still surprised at the final twist.
If you enjoy Ruth Ware then I’d recommend picking this one up and giving it a try for yourself!!

Thank you @netgalley for an honest review.

⚠️ Please make note of the trigger warnings :
Murder. Death. Violence. Toxic relationship. Stalking. Grief. Drug use.

Ruth Ware brings to question how well do you truly know your friends and loved ones:

Hannah Jones knows that she is out classed by most of the people at Oxford especially after meeting April for the first time. But April makes her feel special and Hannah knows that they are going to be best friends forever. That is until April is murdered in their dorm one night. Hannah is the key witness in the case and while she does not know what happened that night she does state that there was a porter who had been showing stalking like behavior. On the event Hannah presents John Neville is convicted of the murder and has just died in prison, where he has always claimed his innocence. With his death is the resurgence of media trying to get Hannah's POV and one reported is convinced that many stones were left unturned in her murder and now has questioning everything she thought she knew. Could a murderer still be out there?

This is the third book that I have read by Ware and well I made it through the book. Honestly, I only did that to see if I was right about who I thought murdered April and I was right. Did I waffle a bit while reading? Sure did but I knew the person I thought had killed her was involved some how.
To put it bluntly this book was just boring, with nothing happening especially in the present timeline. There was no suspense or atmospheric aspect that Ware has had in other books by her that I have read. Granted this is only the third book I have read by her and I keep wanting her to capture what she had in The Turn of the Key. And just so readers of this know, I enjoy alternating timelines in books, it's one of my favourite writing styles when done right, but it felt like the present POV was not needed until the last 10%.

I think if this book was just along the last timeline and stuck to a who done it, with police interviews, friend pointing fingers at each other and how horrible April was to everyone would have been a more interesting story.

So I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority with this review, so make sure to read others if you are thinking of reading this book. I’ll probably try another book by Ware as I keep holding on to hope that the next one will be better.

Cheers!!!!

The It Girl is told in from the POV of Hannah in a dual timeline, with the ‘before’ events leading up to and the ‘after’ the decade after her roommate and best friend, April’s, murder. When the person convicted dies in prison, it reopens the tragedy and as Hannah’s account was a major reason for the conviction, it has her questioning everything.

I enjoyed the academic setting and how things were revealed bit by bit. But ultimately I found the plot to be one I’ve read before and I guessed whodunnit early on. I was still interested in the how and why, but this book felt way too long and it was hard to stick it through to the end.

This is 2.5 stars for me, rounded up for Goodreads. I didn’t find Hannah to be a strong main character, the red herring about potential motive was unoriginal and cliche, and the big reveal just felt like an unremarkable reason for ‘why’.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Ruth Ware is a very polarizing author - people seem to love her or hate her. I had high hopes since I had previously read and really enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite live up to my hopes.

The first half of this book is told in alternating timelines, After, and Before. Before is the days leading up to the murder of April, Hannah's roommate. After is the present day, when the man Hannah helped convict for her murder dies in prison. Usually I like this set up because it allows information to be revealed in both timelines in a compelling way. Unfortunately I found myself not caring for the before chapters, at all. They didn't make me feel connected to any of the characters at all and even though I knew it would culminate in April's murder, it still didn't make me want to keep turning the pages.

Once April was murdered, the Before chapters ended and we solely stayed in the After timeline and that is when things really picked up. The pace picked up at this point and I started having questions that I actually cared about getting the answers to and ended up really enjoying the second half.

If you like books set in academia (the Before chapters take place at Oxford) and slower mysteries, this one is for you. If you're looking for a fast-paced, edge of your seat from beginning to end thriller, this probably isn't the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 70% over the course of 7 weeks . I gave it my all , but I just couldn’t take it anymore . I flipped to the last few pages and said okay , if the killer is ____ then I’m DNF’ing . Lol .. no surprise there. The only good thing that I got out of this book was the chapter by chapter spoiler summary I found online to read for the sections I didn’t read in the book, it was great. Yeeesh . 🥴