Wow, what a great thriller!! Ruth Ware did not disappoint with this one. I’ve seen a lot of good reviews for this book, so I was excited to read it for myself. Once I started, I didn’t want to stop!

I love a good thriller that has a university setting. There’s just something about a group of snotty rich kids who suddenly have their worlds turned upside down by a tragedy like no other.

You’ve got the relatively normal one who’s shocked to be part of the crew (Hannah, our main character), the spunky and charismatic but mean ringleader (April), the generic hottie (Will), the smart one that is only ever seen as a friend (Hugh), the funny one (Ryan), and the cold, hostile one who is secretly a good person (Emily).

Classic characters that I’ve seen before, but it made the book so good!

I did find that it was longer than it needed to be, and some moments were definitely on the slower side. But for the most part, I was totally obsessed and didn’t want to stop reading. I spent the whole book going back and forth with my predictions, thinking that I had the right answer, only to realize I was way off.

Would definitely recommend this one if you enjoy a good whodunnit thriller!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my gifted copy. I have posted my review on Goodreads and my Bookstagram account.

I made it to 54% and gave up. I could not get invested in this slow moving story. I won't be sharing my feelings on social media.

Every time I pick up one of her books, I am never disappointed. And her newest, The IT Girl was just no different.

“Everyone wanted her life. Someone wanted her dead.”

I am a huge fan of academia thrillers. This one just spoke to me. Give it, the ending wasn’t a big mind blown but that’s alright. I totally enjoyed this ride. The questionability of each character keeps you on your toes. I was constantly changing my mind.

So if your looking for a….
* Fast-Paced
* Unputdownable
* Dark Academia
* Dual TimeLines
* Whodunnit Mystery
* Character Driven
This one’s for you!

I highly recommend it.

Ruth Ware does it again - here's another read that will be in readers' hands and beach bags this summer! Engaging, well written and suspenseful, The It Girl takes the reader deep into the heart of Oxford college life.

When Hannah meets here new roommate on her first day at Pelham College, she has no idea how much her life is going to change as the result. April Coutts-Cliveden is the quintessential IT girl - rich, pretty, Instagram influencer and with a penchant for playing pranks on people and getting what (and who) she wants. With addition of Hugh, Will, Ryan and Emily, soon an unlikely circle of friends is formed. A decade later, Hannah is married to Will and living on the other end of the country, still trying to escape the ghost of April and all the unwanted publicity that came as a result of her death. When the person convicted of her murder suddenly dies, a journalist approaches reluctant Hannah with a theory that maybe an innocent person served that sentence. Determined to find out what really happened, how far will Hannah go and what will she need to sacrifice to find the answers?

Yes I enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of this story but my favorite part was feeling like I'm walking the halls of an Oxford college along with these students. There were enough twists and turns to make me reluctant to put the book away but it was character development that took the cake for me. I had such a clear picture of each member of the group, it felt like I really knew them. And yes those who are avid readers of the genre will probably be able to anticipate some aspects of the ending but despite that, the last part of the book is so fast paced it will have you on the edge of your seat.

Grateful to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for giving me early access to this book but all opinions are my own!

The It Girl by Ruth Ware – Book #74



April Coutts-Cliveden was the IT girl at Oxford; she’s beautiful, intelligent and the life of any party/get together. Hannah Jones is a shy and quiet girl, the two quickly became fast friends and were inseparable with their friends Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. By the end of the second term, April is murdered. Ten years later, Hannah and Will are married and expecting their first child; and John Neville, the convicted murderer has died in prison. They finally believe it’s all done until a journalist comes around with new evidence that has Hannah second guessing everything, including her friends.

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The It Girl is told via alternating timelines from past to present from Hannah’s perspective which I found intriguing; I love when thrillers are written this way it feels like a puzzle. The plot wasn’t unique however, the twists and turns were, I really enjoyed how everything wrapped up. The characters were great, the story is fast paced, and suspenseful.



Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I love this author and have read every book of hers to date. The author is a very good writer and has good flow to her books. That said, I found this one to be quite long (longer then it needed to be) and honestly it dragged in some of its narrative descriptions. I wasn't ever completely engaged and it just didn't pull me in as some of her other books have.

The story flows in a "before" and "after" format with Hannah being the MC in both timelines. In the past, the timeline describes a time when Hannah and April were roommates at school, their friend group and snippets about their relationship. In the present timeline, Hannah is pregnant with her and Will's first child and dealing with the death of the accused murderer of April from the past timeline. It seemed like a pretty standard plot set-up but this author always has a way of adding enough twists and turns to keep doubts on all characters and it seemed I was suspicious of each one of them at some point. The end was well done and did wrap everything up!

Overall, this was not my favourite Ruth Ware novel, but I think still a good read. 3.5 stars for me.

Thanks you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

This was my first time reading Ruth Ware and it certainly won’t be my last. The It Girl was a slow burn, but the short chapters made it a quick read (especially for a book that’s over 400 pages.)

Told between a before and after timeline, when April is murdered testimony from her best friend Hannah puts John Neville in prison. When Neville dies behind bars, a journalist presents Hannah with conflicting information that she may have been wrong.

There was a slew of potential suspects, and each of them had a motive, and I will say, I didn’t figure out who the killer was until it was literally spelled out in front of me. That being said, Hannah, girl, taking up your own murder investigation while six months pregnant, with high blood pressure, no less, you’re crazy. I found the fact that she was married to Will a little strange at first, but the before and after timeline definitely made me feel better about it.

The It Girl certainly gives off a lot of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife vibes, so if you enjoyed that, then I highly recommend this one.

This was my first Ruth Ware book and after several people telling me this writer isn’t their favourite I was a little hesitant. I’m happy to report that I really enjoyed this book!

The book alternates timelines from before Hannah’s roommate April is killed and after, where hannah learns of the passing of the man she helped put in prison for the crime. But then hannah starts to wonder…did she condemn an invisible man?

What follows is a goose chase through all of the other suspects and I truly trusted no one!! Hannah wasn’t my favourite character I’ve ever read…I found her to be a bit irritating at times, but the other characters she interacts with were very interesting. I wish we could’ve learned more about why they were the way they were.

This book took me a little while to get through. Usually with thrillers I can bang them out in a day or two, but this one took me six. I’m not sure why and it’s not a slight to the book because I did really enjoy it.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this summer and it didn’t disappoint! Although I have seen mixed reviews, I really enjoyed it. The ending feels somewhat predictable once you get there, but really it could have gone in any direction. I may have suspected almost everyone at one point 😂

This is the newest release by the very successful British author of such books as "One by One" and "The Woman in Cabin Ten". This one is another in the psychological thriller genre. It is told in 'Before' and 'After' chapters. Before is ten years earlier when Hannah was a first year student at Oxford. She has become close to her suitemate April...until Hannah finds April murdered in her room. The man convicted of the crime is in large part found guilty based on her testimony. In the 'After' chapters, Hannah is married and six months pregnant, when she finds out the killer has died in prison and has always claimed his innocence. She begins to have her doubts about his guilt and becomes obsessed with finding out more about the crime. This is a great recommendation for fans of the genre. Ware is always a fun read and this one was no exception.

I love Ruth ware, and have read most of her books.

Unfortunately this one hit a bit flat for me. It was an extreme slow burn, the first 60% was slow, and then the last 20% was fast.

I really enjoyed the dark academia setting, as well as the characters all having their "who dun it" reasons and vibes throughout the book.

This book is a 3.5 star, rounded up to 4.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year as I’ve been a fan of Ware for a few years now and dark academia and school settings tend to be my favourite thriller trope!

While I found this one a big dragged out and slightly too long for my liking, I did find it to be an addicting psychological thriller and whodunit! I relished in how atmospheric it was and I liked the alternating timelines and the abundance of suspects that were continually being uncovered. I generally thought the book was well written, intelligent and had great character development. At times I was fully engaged and furiously turning the pages long into the night!

I’m the end, while it wasn’t my favourite of hers, I still found it entertaining and ultimately enjoyed it!

I loved everything about this book!! The atmosphere of the dark academia at Oxford no less, just drew me in. The mystery and suspense kept me going even though I felt some parts just drew out too long. I love Ruth Ware's characters in that they are never totally loveable. Some are even obnoxious, rude, self-absorbed and downright unlikeable. Every time I thought I knew the guilty person, another twist was thrown in and kept me going to the end in true Ruth Ware fashion. With every book of hers that I read , (I have read them all) I feel more of those Agatha Christie vibes. So if you have never read her books but like Agatha Christie, then you should give one a go. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Ruth Ware knows how to right! As if that were ever in question, but I just had to state it. I have loved everything of her that I have read so far, but this one, I think this one takes the top spot.
I was completely sucked in from page one. The suspense was built so perfectly around the whole mystery. The dual time lines stretched it out and had you itching to read 'just one more chapter', to try and figure things out. I was throwing theories out left, right and center and still didn't end up guessing the ending correctly. That's the sign of a fantastic book for me.
I loved the main character, Hannah. She was the type of person, that if she were real, I feel like we would be friends.
This book moved by quickly, but I feel like nothing really fell into place until the final chapters, and the it was one of those 'how could I have missed that?' moments. I also really enjoyed how this one ended. Not all thrillers have a completed ending, but this one felt right. No spoilers here, but I liked the closure and felt like everything ended as it should. Highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the gifted copies.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Solid domestic suspense read with several red herrings, slick diversions and a good ending. The alternating “Before” and “After” short chapters worked very well. Not a fast-paced, edge of your seat read but a steady-paced, well-written unfolding of a ‘who-dunnit’ mystery. Ruth Ware is an auto-buy author for me!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on pregnancy, threats of violence, sexual abuse, stalking, psychological distress, abuse performed by a figurehead, substance abuse, & others.

Hannah Jones is the epitome of a caricature; unlike other girls, something different than she, & certainly not as luxurious as them, void of her own. Despite her self-imposed stark contrasts to every other female entity in her life, Hannah finds herself pursuing post-secondary studies at Pelham College at Oxford University; waltzing the hallways alongside other lucky students, some of whom studied for the merit of their presence on the premises & others who coat-tailed their way into classrooms where their parent’s wealth speaks to their prowess. While Hannah presents as a particularly studious & enthusiastic member of the student body, the premise of this story follows her through a third-party perspective as Ware recounts events both ‘before’ & ‘after’ the murder of April Clarke-Cliveden. Leaving Hannah to regain the role she merited, the one of insouciant Lumbricina on the cold cement.

I have read this story before & you most certainly have too. There is nothing unique, original, or inspiring about this book save for the fact that everything that happens is a complete & utter waste of everyone’s time. If you are interested in pursuing the feelings evoked in this story I should direct your attention to books such as “Big Summer” (2021) by Jennifer Weiner, “Gossip Girl” (2002) by Cecily von Ziegesar, & “The It Girl” (2005) by Cecily von Ziegesar. However, there are certainly hundreds of other books for which this single one emulates.

Having highlighted that this was an unoriginal story, I wondered why I should pursue reading an entire book without purpose for, indeed, why was Hannah doing any of what she undertook? This is a question I loath to ask myself because the purpose of reading such pieces of literature is for enjoyment. I am not seeking out thrillers, mysteries or crime novels of fictionalized accounts to tally the entirety of the holes that litter the plot. I find that most unenjoyable because it means that at some point, someone wasn’t doing their job. I want to enjoy the premise that is being presented & I want to forget that there is a disparity between myself & the angst transpiring within the pages. None of which was achieved in this story because, again, nothing had a purpose.

If we regard the main premise of this book one is left pondering the absence of the looming policing body which was said to have done an efficient job of investigating the case, this being the strangulation of April Clarke-Cliveden in her dormitory at Pelham College on the night of the final showing of the school play of “Medea”. Having returned to her room under the guise of changing her clothes, April’s roommate, Hannah, finds her lying motionless on the floor of their suits. For some reason, Hannah screams bloody murder yet, never checks to see if April still has a pulse nor does she take her cellphone & call the authorities. Why this person, in the ripe year of 2012, would have simply stood by while this person she claimed to be ‘best friends’ with was supposedly laying dead in front of her, remains a mystery to me.

An employee of the University, John Neville, is convicted of April’s murder & remains in prison until his death, 10 years later. Throughout the story, we are told that Hannah’s testimony was the nail in the coffin; the single piece of evidence that was more powerful than any others & which resulted in his conviction & sentencing. However wonderful it might be to believe, no single testimony in 2012 carries so much weight as to simply incarcerate someone for a violent crime. This introduces the character of the journalist, turned podcast host, Geraint, who believes that John is innocent.

Geraint believes John’s claims of innocence because they are from the same town; feeling a duty to do good upon those who originate from the same geographical location as he, however obvious the signs that John is a predatory offender who should have been incarcerated regardless of the final act of violence that purports the ultimate consequences of actions such as that John commits. There is never a moment when Geraint’s concerns are rational or warranted. He asks himself three (3) questions that he believes have not been answered & therefore lead him to believe that John might not be the killer:
- Why would a ‘guilty’ man repeatedly pursue appeals to his conviction?
- Why was John’s DNA not found on April’s body?
- Why did no one hear the struggle?

Though these are technically important questions to ask, they are being pondered by a person who has no knowledge of the details of the case. Geraint has no leg to stand on when asking these questions because technically all the answers exist & are simply hidden from him. There is no reason why he would be given such specific details regarding the murder & for him to contact everyone who was affected by the murder in hopes of casually haranguing detectives for documentation that they most certainly probably have filled away, makes little sense. What renders his participation in this story all the more troubling is that none of the questions posed gain any resolve by the end of the novel.

A person convicted of a crime might either sit out their sentencing & wait for their parole or they will appeal the decision. These are not things that are done because a person is ‘guilty’ or ‘innocent’ these are things that are done because a person has chosen to approach the situation in that way & I would be remiss to ignore the elephant in the room that states that certainly, someone with the liberties & resources at their disposal which would safely allow them to pursue appeals, might decide to endeavour to utilize the resources to their advantage. It is ignorant to think that only an ‘innocent’ person would seek to appeal the decision concluded in a court of law. This is proven time & time again by the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have gone through the justice system.

It seems odd that DNA evidence was not found at the crime scene given that it is explicitly told to the reader that the investigators swabbed everyone who was connected to April, in any way. Knowing that Hugh planned to murder April during this moment—having planned for Hannah to find her motionless on the floor in an attempt to prank her into thinking she was dead—it is bizarre that there was no evidence that Hugh was the killer. For the same reasons that some characters believed that John could not have killed April, those same reasons are never touched on when it comes to accusing Hugh of being the killer. April was ambushed by Hugh after engaging him in the prank on Hannah. She would have certainly scratched him or knocked about the room, her very aggressive makeup & costume would have found their way to various parts of his body & clothes. Are we simply to ignore that?

When asking oneself why no one else, in the bare bones of the hallways & dormitories, was able to hear the, now apparent, struggle that was undertaken to murder April, one is left with many plausibilities. Knowing that the building was constructed with stone would lead one to understand that the noise that was being muffled would not have travelled with ease throughout the building. Given where the crime took place—an area that did not have a lot to be broken, directly beside those present—it is not unfounded to believe that had one or two items fallen or toppled, no one would have thought much of that. This is, after all, a university, things can become rowdy & as is humanly probable, & accidents happen.

These are, of course, simple explanations & rationals. There are many reasons why certain things would have played out differently during the murder than what people think might have happened. It is certainly within our habits to be curious, especially when it pertains to situations we are unfamiliar with. Though crimes do transpire, they appear almost outer-worldly when they do. However, what renders the events in this book difficult to work through is the fact that naive & often ignorant people, place themselves at the forefront of a criminal investigation under the guise of knowing better than those who are actively working in the field. This is not to say that law enforcement cannot make mistakes nor is it to say that law enforcement always approaches things with clear genuine intentions.

However, in this case, there is really no reason to question the result of the trial. At the end of the day, the stalking, assault, & all-around severely inappropriate behaviour exhibited by John were enough to conclude that this person was capable of committing violence against another. The plausibility that is put forth by Ryan that John had gone into the room thinking he might find Hannah there is disturbing but is never touched on with any true severity. None of what happens to Hannah is reflected with the weight it should have had. This is a person who was victim to her own crimes, committed by an authority figure & whom no one believed. This leads to another point, no one in this entire book believed one another.

The author has written pages & pages recounting the exact same details in repetition. We circle the same information multiple times. We did not need to read Hannah’s reasoning for working at the book shop more than once. We did not need to hear about Hannah’s experience with the press more than once & in the exact same way. We did not need to hear Hannah claim that her ‘evidence’ was what convicted John; all of this we knew from the jump yet it is all we are given throughout this entire book. What does any of this redundancy add to the story save for filling pages with useless words? By littering the story with repetitions it ignores the very real issues that were taking place. The very obvious one was that Hannah was being stalked, harassed, & assaulted by an authority figure, repeatedly.

To work through an entire series of events where nothing is given leaves me feeling frustrated. Every single aspect of the case that Geraint brings into question is hearsay. He has no substantial reasons for questioning or interrogating. He allows November, April’s sister, to sit around & recount what she thinks she might have overheard—as a child—about her sister’s autopsy. What was the purpose of that? Everything that happens means nothing because there is nothing to go on. Watching Hannah scramble around town for days thinking that one person must have murdered April because they didn’t get along with her was absurd. Lest we forget how physically difficult it is to strangle someone?

In all, there is no reason to read this book. Hannah jumps to conclusions, she scrambles to ignore her partner’s wishes & puts their unborn child in jeopardy so that she can chase after whomever she believes to be the murderer. I understand that Hannah might have held on to guilt regarding John’s situation because she was always being told that what was happening to her, with regards to the stalking & harassment, was nothing to be worried about & that she was simply overreacting. She might certainly have felt that she did wrong upon someone whom everyone chose to believe over herself.

Ultimately, I cannot rationalize what would have truly driven Hannah to confront the person she believed to be the murderer, especially while pregnant. What did it change to confront Hugh? Nothing. Rationalizing that April couldn’t have gotten access to drugs is ridiculous. The author speaks of 2012 as though it were the 1930s & no one had any connections whatsoever, it is not difficult to have access to substances if you so choose to desire them. One may also wonder where the camera footage was when running around town accusing everyone of being a violent offender.

Why are we meant to follow a wild goose chase pertaining to April's fertility when it was irrelevant? What did this aspect bring to the story except to highlight a practice that needs to be removed from stories—the plight of the promiscuous girl who has to confront responsibilities alone & for whom all consequences are to be carried, often paying for her freedom of choice with her life. Hannah had already told the reader that April was cheating on Will & near the end of the book, Hannah is suddenly certain that she was sleeping with Ryan—with what evidence, I cannot begin to know. Yet, all the while we have to hear about everyone's theories; was April pregnant or was she not? Who heard what & to whom did she tell what? None of this mattered. None of a rather great deal of the dialogue, actions, flashbacks, revelations, monologues, & events impacted the core of this story. However, the list is too long & I have little desire to extend this review in a dissertation fashion.

At the end of the day, this book could have been cut in half & would have carried more weight. With some editing, reworking & alterations, the plot could have presented an interesting twist. For example, it would have been worthwhile not to vilify the actual victims of this story & rather, have it come to a close with the understanding that it is a sticky situation to be in; entangled with folks that choose to support predators blindly, rather than believe the violence of their actions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada & Ruth Ware for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The It Girl has got to be one of Ruth Ware’s best! I love a thriller where you keep changing your mind on “who done it” and this one didn’t disappoint.
Hannah has gone off to Oxford to study English Lit, a dream come true. She’s nervous about all that entails ie a room in a dorm, the size of the campus and the struggle to succeed. Upon arrival she meets her roommate, April, the complete antithesis of Hannah. She’s gorgeous and rich and obviously very worldly whereas Hannah comes from a small city. Surprisingly, they hit it off and thus begins a great friendship. Hannah also gets introduced to a group of students that all hang out together and they accept her into this group. As time goes on, the group spends more time together, they become inseparable. April, Will ( April’s boyfriend) Hugh, Ryan and Emily. But by the end of the school year, April is dead and Hannah flees Oxford, not being able to continue on without her best friend.
The book flips back and forth between Hannah’s time at Oxford and the present. Ten years has passed and Hannah is married and pregnant with Will’s child. The man accused of Aprils murder has just died in prison but he always proclaimed his innocence. Journalists contact Hannah, asking if she truly believes he was guilty. After all, she testified she saw him leaving the room where April’s body was found. April has doubts but if he didn’t do it who did?? She sets out to get the answers once and for all….at any price.
I really enjoyed this book, I couldn’t put it down! Great characters, great plot, suspense and a fabulous ending; what more can you ask for?
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my advanced digital copy; this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the chance to read an advanced copy of The It girl by Ruth Ware. This is one of my go-to author's when I want to read a great mystery thriller. Her previous books have kept me on the edge of my seat and while The It girl didn't have me on the edge and scared to turn off the lights like The turn of the key, it was great mystery; and fast paced. The story was told in two timelines but the chapters were laid out Before and After, making it easy to follow the story. The story of Hannah and her relationship with April, who she met at Oxford, is riveting and keeps you interested as you follow them through to the murder of April. Later with Hannah married to April's former boyfriend, she discovers she may have given evidence and sent an innocent man to prison. Can she figure out who the real killer is? I found this a quick read, and totally recommend it!

Let me start this review by saying that I am A HUGE Ruth Ware fan. I have read all her books and loved them all...This one on the other hand, I didn't love so much...

I really liked the premise of the story, but found that the characters weren't well developed and that there was a lot going on with not a lot of development.

Ruth Ware is a comfort read for me, in that I know what I'm getting, and it never disappoints.

This was everything it promised to be -- a thriller about a woman whose key witness statement may have sent an innocent man to jail for the murder of her roommate. There are secrets upon secrets, red herrings, convincing suspicions for each of the main characters that keep the reader guessing.

There was a character or two that felt planted mostly just to fill a hole or advance a plot point, and it felt a tad long -- a lot of ruminating on "could this really have happened?" that dragged the pace in a few places.

I found myself skimming more than once, but the ultimate twist and reveal was worth the wait and the reliability and comforting promise of entertainment is deeply satisfying. Worth the read.