I love this authors writing. The characters are well written and well developed. None are particularly likeable. There are plenty of twists and turns.

A must read for Ruth Ware fans! A real whodunnit that gets you thinking it could be anyone and takes you through the past and present day. However, there seemed to be a lot of book before anything really started happening and so made it feel like it was going quite slowly - a real slog of a book. I nearly gave up a few times but glad I didn't.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Title: The It Girl by Ruth Ware - A Riveting Thriller with a Twist

Recently, I delved into Ruth Ware's latest thriller, "The It Girl," and found myself ensnared in a whirlwind of suspense and mystery. The novel opens with a gripping premise: everyone desires the protagonist's life, but someone wishes her dead. The narrative revolves around Hannah, who discovered her friend April's body a decade ago and is now grappling with the possibility that her testimony may have wrongly convicted an innocent man.

What I Liked:
1. **Engaging Plot:** Ware masterfully weaves a suspenseful tale that kept me hooked from the very beginning. The premise is intriguing, and the pacing is well-executed, making it a page-turner.

2. **Character Depth:** The characters are well-developed, and Ware excels at creating a sense of mystery around each one. I found myself constantly questioning their motives and allegiances, adding an extra layer of complexity to the narrative.

3. **Atmospheric Setting:** The author skillfully builds a vivid and atmospheric setting that enhances the overall reading experience. The descriptions create a palpable sense of tension, drawing the reader deeper into the story.

What I Disliked:
1. **Predictability:** While the novel kept me on the edge of my seat, there were moments when I felt like I could anticipate certain twists. The story occasionally followed familiar thriller tropes, which slightly diminished the element of surprise.

2. **Character Choices:** Some of the characters' decisions seemed a bit too convenient for the plot, and at times, their actions felt forced to serve the narrative. This occasionally hindered the authenticity of the character dynamics.

In conclusion, "The It Girl" is a compelling thriller with a captivating storyline and well-crafted characters. Despite a few predictable moments and character choices that felt contrived, Ruth Ware's ability to create suspense and mystery shines through. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers with a hint of danger, this novel is definitely worth a read.

This was a really gripping thriller and I loved that we got to see the present and history of what happened! such a good twisty dark academic thriller!

Wow what a read. I loved this. Fast paced amazing characters I flew through this. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

I love Ruth ware novel's and this was no exception. Hooked from the start, kept engaged throughout the novel and an unexpected ending that left me so shocked. 100% recommend this author and this book.

Charmed lives at Oxford rudely interrupted by a murder. Did the wrong guy go to jail? (Spoiler alert: Yes. Otherwise, there'd be no novel). I was craving a good old-fashioned page turner, and I got it. It's a bit long, but it captures the surreal environment of Oxford (and by extension, Cambridge), quite well.

This was an enjoyable read but not my favourite from Ruth Ware. I felt it didn't have enough suspense in it. Good storyline but not a strong thriller as I thought it would be.

Thank you Netgalley.

Ruth Ware is one of my favourite authors and I’ve enjoyed all her books to date however, The It Girl wasn’t one of her stand out books for me. While it wasn’t a bad read overall, I personally thought it was slow paced and lacked the suspense we’ve become used to with Ruth Ware. That being said, I’ll still be looking forward to her next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Ruth Ware’s dabble with dark academia wasn’t my favourite read from her, but a worthy entry into her growing collection of gripping thrillers. This time, she whisks us to the world of Oxford University where we meet first-year roommates, humble, book-smart Hannah and extravagant, flamboyant April. Alternating between present day and Uni days, a story of toxic friendships, secrets and murder is unravelled. It’s an enjoyable story of psychological suspense, there’s nothing massively original here, but it’s done with Ware’s signature flare.

I've read a few Ruth Ware books and usually love them but sadly this book didn't click for me.

I think it is quite a clichéd and tried and tested plot which I did not care for sadly. I didnt gel with any of the characters and lost interest.

I will keep an eye out for other books by Ware as usually I race through them and really rate her.

Thank you for the arc.

Ruth aware has always been a hit and miss for me, yet I still pick her books up because no matter what, I either love them immensely or I like them but something didn’t hold my attention. In this book however, it was totally different I was invested in this from beginning to end.

I was like Miss Marples, who was it, was it you? You or even you?
I kept changing my mind from YES! I got this too……oh gee that big twist that threw me of balance.

Have you ever been convinced about something you saw yet others put doubt in your mind until you start to question yourself?
This was like that with the main character and not in a soppy way either.

I liked this, I liked it A LOT.

Plotted with precision, as usual with plenty of surprises. Lovely descriptions of the locations too.

I'm so late in posting a review for this one but that's because I've been putting it of for a long time.

I love my first Ruth Ware book Turn of the Key and thought I had found my go to thriller writer. Last year I then read One by One and I struggled with it. Whilst enjoying it, it didn't live up to Turn of the Key and that left me scared for this one. Still, I requested it in hope that One by One was just a one off...

I could not get into this one at all and I'm starting to think that Ruth Ware has become a hit or miss with me. I'll still continue to read her books or at least try them to see if I can find another 5 star.

This is totally on me - I keep getting tempted by crime books and they’re just not my genre! I remembered this a quarter of the way through…
Sure it’s great if you’re a crime fan though!

Every Ruth Ware book is completely different from the ones that have come before and I love that about her writing. I do find that some I love more than others but I now have a new favourite and it's this one! I was hooked on this book from page one until way past the ending when I couldn't stop thinking about it! This novel is set at a university and follows two girls who meet when they are put in the same dorm room. We know early on that one of the girls is murdered and the other was the witness that put the murderer away. Only now it's ten years later and it seems he may have been wrongly convicted. The novel then follows the present day timeline as Hannah tries to figure out if she could have been wrong, and the girls in the past as we see them meet and form a friendship. There are twists and turns in this novel and even when I thought I'd figured them out there was always one more in store for me. I loved loved loved this novel and I definitely recommend it!

This was the first Ruth Ware I have read and it absolutely did not disappoint. The flashback narrative running alongside present day kept the tension throughout and I couldn’t put it down!

I've got a bit of a confession here. I know I like Ruth Ware's books but I'd kind of...put this one off. The title made me think it was going to be about wealthy people living Instagrammable lives - not that I have a problem with that at all, but I kind of need to be in the right mood.

I was wrong and should have read the blurb.

This book is actually about a murder at a fictitious Oxford University college. It centres on Hannah and the 'before' and 'after' of her discovery of the body of her roommate, April, in their shared rooms. April is the 'It Girl' of the novel's title, bringing champagne, designer clothes and luxury furniture to their digs, but this is much more the story of a friendship group and a university experience gone tragically wrong.

In the 'before' sections, we see Hannah arrive at Pelham College and start to get to grips with Oxford University life - complete with rich girl roommate, creepy college porter, sleazy professor and a whole host of Oxford traditions and lingo to master. Her friendship group grows and the tension rises as we get nearer to the fateful night when April is killed.

These glimpses at university life are cut through with 'after' sections in which Hannah is living in Edinburgh years later. As she becomes increasingly concerned that her testimony jailed an innocent man, she is forced to re-examine the events of the night of April's death. This means not only confronting the fact she may have made a disastrous mistake, but also reinterpreting her friendships and relationships from her Oxford days.

Because if she got it wrong ten years ago, it means a killer is still on the loose...

I liked the setting of the story within an Oxford context - the 'before' sections were particularly engaging and has me scouring every word for details of what could have subsequently gone wrong. Ware perfectly captured the sense of arriving at university and feeling out of your depth when everything is so unfamiliar - doubly so for Hannah with the Oxford conventions, In that regard, Hannah was a sympathetic and relatable central figure - even though some of her decisions (especially in the 'after' sections) were slightly ill-advised.

I found lots to enjoy in this novel, even though I identified whodunit quite early on - I just couldn't see the how! I thought it was cleverly plotted and it did keep me reading, even though some of the early stages felt a bit slow compared to some of Ware's other books.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys closed circle crime novels - there is a limited cast of suspects here and they are an interesting bunch. The university setting is well done and Hannah is a likeable character to follow through her toughest times.

I loved this book! Full of gripping twists and turns, it certainly keeps you guessing throughout the whole book. I thought I had it sussed so many times! Lots of characters to keep up with but it's written in a way that it was easy to remember their stories and personalities. A must read whodunnit!

Hannah Jones became a key witness in the murder of her best friend April. That day onwards her life changed. John Neville, was prosecuted and was found guilty of murder of April. Hannah was key witness in this trial. 10 years on, she now lives in Edinburgh with her husband Will and is almost 6 months pregnant.
Since the day she saw April’s lifeless body sprawled across the lobby of their rooms in Pelham, Hannah and five their lives changed forever. She is no more in touch with any of her friends from that time, except for Will whom she got married to.

John Neville died in prison due to a cardiac arrest. Now a whole new can of worms opened up after his death. A journalist found some inconsistencies in the defence case’s. When he reached out to Hannah, she too felt something is really off with the case. She had been hiding for 10 years so that case stops tormenting her. This time she will face the devil head on and once she will put the case to rest.

The storyline is complex and intriguing. Every turn of page not just revealed something new, it just keep getting better with every page wondering what will happen next? It will keep you guessing until the very end. It is not exactly a locked room mystery but it has its feel.

Overall, the book is yet another intriguing read from Ruth Ware. My rating for the book is 4 stars.