I enjoy Ruth Wares books for the fact they are easy, page turning reads and very addictive. She could do well to write an Agatha Christie, her books have that vibe.
The It Girl is set in the residencies of Oxford University. The It Girl as she is known is April Clarke- Cliveden. She has it all, wealth charm and self confidence and beauty in spades. April is the first person Hannah meets when she arrives at Oxford and although they are polar opposites, they become firm friends as well as room mates. It is also Hannah that finds Aprils body and it was her testimony that sentenced porter, John Neville to prison. Now some ten years later Hannah is married to Will, Aprils old boyfriend and they are expecting their first child. When John Neville dies in prison Hannah is contacted by a reporter who had been trying to help John clear his name. Racked with self doubt that she might somehow have been wrong about Neville, Hannah tries to go back over what happened and look for clues.
The Story is told in before, starting when Hannah arrives in Oxford and After which is now. There a range of interesting characters and plenty of red herrings and twists to keep you guessing.

#TheItGirl #NetGalley

Ruth Ware does it again with a tantalising stand alone novel full of twists and turns that leaves you reeling and questioning everything you think you’ve figured out!

Told from Hannah point of view over two time periods (THEN - 10 years ago at Pelham, Oxford University and NOW) we learn the man convicted of killing April, Hannah’s best friend and room mate has died in prison still protesting his innocence and it is making Hannah question everything by she thought she remembered about the months leading up to the murder.

As the story unfolds and she gets more and more desperate for answers and her wild accusations ultimately lead to devastating consequences. A must read thriller for fans of Ruth Ware.

Ruth Ware's books are amazingly immersive - The It Girl really made Oxford real to me. I enjoyed reading about the central characters and the red herrings throughout. The ending was fantastic - I'll be recommending this one to everyone.

Full disclaimer, Ruth Ware is one of my favourite authors and I was desperate to read The It Girl. When my NetGalley request was approved by Simon and Schuster Australia, there was a happy dance 🕺 Despite my shelf being full of books released before August 3rd, I just had to read it. She has once again written a truly addictive and twisty thriller and ai loved it so much.

Hannah meets April on her first day at Oxford University. The 2 girls couldn’t be more different but they hit it off immediately. Soon Hannah is caught up in April’s world. April comes from money, she has everything she could possibly want and more. When April is murdered in their dorm room, It is Hannah’s testimony that puts away one for the porters., John Neville. 10 years later and John dies behind bars. Hannah should feel relieved but it is anything but relief. A podcaster contacts her asking her to talk to him, he is working on a podcast that discusses the fact that John claimed his innocence right until his death.

This sends Hannah off on a journey, now starting to doubt what she saw. But if not John, who was it? Does she really want to find out? A story of friendships, love and secrets. All friends have the, but not like this. As always, Ruth has a great cast of characters and plenty of red herrings that will make you wonder who you can trust.

Highly recommend The It Girl. published in Australia on August 3rd. Thank you so much Simon and Schuster 😊

April and Hannah meet at university. They become very close even though they come from completely different backgrounds. They hang out all the time and Hannah is very much drawn into April's world, whose personality shines strong but sadly by the second term of university April will be dead. Hannah is sure she knows who the killer is and testifies against him in court, but was it really him that committed the crime? He is sent to prison but circumstances will unfold and they may have sent the wrong man to a life sentence.

I absolutely loved this book and I read it in one sitting. I really think this is one of Ruth Ware's best books yet.
A story about friendship love and all the complications that happen when you care about people and they play such a big part in your life. But as with all these relationships, everyone has their secrets and these may ultimately bring heartbreak and sorrow.

If you have read this authors books before, or even if you have not, I encourage you to give the IT Girl a try, I do not think you will be disappointed. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The it girl, Ruth Ware’s newest thriller. I had the opportunity to read an ARC thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author.
Overall I like this book, I enjoy the two timeline pats and present and the way they evolve the storyline. For the most part I think the characters are well done, and I was invested in the outcome for them.
I felt that the book was a touch too long as it felt like it dragged in some sections particularly the middle third. The story was intriguing enough that it kept me invested and I feel like the payoff at the end was worth continuing the book.
Raring would be somewhere between 3 or 3.5 for me. I would recommend this to others especially those who didn’t enjoy ware’s previous novel because I think this one is better.

Rating 4.7

Wow! Ruth Ware did it again!!!!! I couldn't put this book down and read it in record time! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.. I couldn't believe it when I got the email... I'm a huge fan of Ruth Ware and I really wanted to have the scoop!

For dark academia lovers... this is your book! It takes place in Oxford.. and it actually describes the architecture and the campus vibes throughout the book, which I found very compelling. if you read The Maidens.. it's similar but better.

It has a dual timeline which I also enjoyed and the best part is that it kept me guessing all the way to the end! I thought I knew who did it... but I was wrong!!!! Very clever plot. Some of the inner monologues are a bit dry.. but apart from that.. it is a HIT!

The IT Girl | Ruth Ware
Pub Date: 12/07/22
Genre: Psychological thriller, mystery, dark academia
Rating: 4.5 stars

The It Girl is the latest standalone by bestselling author, Ruth Ware.
This book is building up to be one of the most anticipated reads of 2022, and I can see why. The It Girl is an excellent, twist-filled psychological page-turner. I read this one from cover to cover in an afternoon. I think this one is her best yet.

The story uses familiar mystery tropes but gives it something fresh and different. Set in the gothic and historical Oxford University, the author really captures the excitement and adventure of being a young person setting out on their college journey, the whole world ahead of them. Told in alternating past and present timelines, we see current day Hannah who is trying hard to put the past behind her and focus on her pregnancy. A decade earlier based on Hannah’s testimony, a man was convicted of the murder of her best friend, a man who denies it right to his death in prison. When the past won’t stay past, Hannah realizes she will have to uncover the truth of what really happened that night and face the fact that maybe she got it wrong.

Hannah is a frustrating character at times, but you feel invested in her search for answers. The book is not overly fast-paced and at times I felt like some could have been cut as I just wanted to get to the end to know what happened. It was enough to keep me hooked but there was a lot of back story and getting to know the characters. The final third of the book was the best part, so push through, you won’t be disappointed. The ending was a shock, I didn’t guess that at all. No cliffhangers, it all wrapped up nicely.

Overall, this was an excellent, whodunit mystery with surprises, misdirection and more. This one didn’t disappoint. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

This review has been posted on Goodreads and will be posted on my Instagram and Amazon closer to the release date.

Firstly, I am thankful for the opportunity to have received a free advanced copy of this Ebook through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first read from this author and I was pleasantly surprised. Enjoying every minute of this well written book.

We follow along on two differernt timelines....Before and After. Before Hannah arrives at Oxford and makes a handful of new friends, her best friend becoming It Girl, April Coutts-Cliveden, who seems to have it all, living her best life.....until she is murdered.

After.....Ten years later the person responsible for her murder dies in prision and this sets Hannah off on a path to discovering the truth about the night her best friend lost her life.

A gripping read, with some unexpected plot twists. I really enjoyed this one. 5 Stars from me!

#TheItGirl #NetGalley