I was really looking forward to reading this as I have loved Ruth Ware books in the past and the blurb for this one sounded right up my street as I love university based thrillers.

I thought the world building in this was excellent - you can really picture the fictional Pelham College and all characters were vivid and well described. My favourite thing about the book is that I did not guess the ending, but the author dropped lots of clues throughout the book which were really fun to follow, and they all slotted into place in the final chapters.

If I had to find a negative, I would say that in the first half of the novel at least the 'Before' chapters were much more interesting than the 'After' ones and there was quite a lot of focus on Hannah's pregnancy which I personally found a bit boring and slowed the pace a little. Even with that said, I couldn't possibly give this book less than 5 stars as it was very clever and well-written. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It’s a riveting, well developed, intelligent, captivating read! I didn’t expect the ending. I found it really clever, but I have to admit I wasn’t completely blown away. Still, it’s always nice to be surprised whilst reading this type of novel.

Beautifully written Christie homage with an unerring sense of place and characters that the reader will identify with.

10 years ago Hannah found her college roommate April dead in their room. Hannah helped convict the college porter with her evidence but on hearing about his death in prison she starts to question her evidence and memories of that fateful night.
A slow burn novel with the story told in present day and before, during the college terms. I found the characters relatable and enjoyed the writing style.
3.5 rounded up to 4

4.5/5

Hannah found Aprils dead body 10 years ago. In the present day, after the death of the killer sentenced to the murder, a reporter contacts her, making her question everything.

I wasn’t a huge fan of a previous Ruth Ware novel. However, after seeing the It Girl on net galley, I decided to give another one of her books a shot. I’m so pleased I did I absolutely loved it!

The book grips you from the start. It flits between two timelines and it is extremely easy to follow. I have never been on such a rollercoaster with the amount of twists in the book! I found Hannah a little bit annoying (not enough to stop me from enjoying the storyline) but apart from that, I thought this was an excellent!

The latest book by one of my all time favourite authors. It is another well written book, lots of intregue, lots of twist and turns and drama. If you haven't read any books by Ruth Ware before I highly recommend.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ruth Ware. I’ve now realised I’ve really missed out and wish I had found her sooner.
I loved this book. I found it very clever, well written, creepy and atmospheric.
The characters were unique and intriguing.
It’s definitely a 5 star read. I’m off to download her other books ……

The IT Girl is the latest thriller from Ruth Ware, based on the author's thoughts of 'what if someone's evidence was accidentally wrong?'.

The IT Girl in question is April Clark Cliveden, a well-to-do, charismatic and confident young woman who has come up to Oxford with a gaggle of previous boarding school friends and acquaintances.

April is sharing a set of rooms in her Oxford college with Hannah Jones, who is not from the same background but quickly becomes part of the group, nursing a crush on April's boyfriend Will. We know from early in the book that Hannah and Will end up together, but this is not the case when they first meet. The story is told in a dual timeline of 'Before' - the Oxford days, from first meeting up to April's violent murder. Hannah is the first person to find April and her evidence is key in convicting one of the college's creepy porters.

The other half of the timeline is 'After', when the porter dies in prison, and various clues make Hannah question whether she saw what she thought she saw at the time. She was the only person whose evidence was used to convict him, and she feels an enormous sense of pressure to have got it right. She decides to try and put an end to her deliberations, There are clues sprinkled throughout the book, though they are well hidden and I didnt spot them until they were pointed out!

I liked the feeling of finding your tribe when you leave home, the friendships and loyalties in the group were well written and convincing, with more information coming out about who was loyal to who and what hidden secrets they had. Ruth Ware is skilled at developing characters like this, and they felt real to me, I liked the Oxford setting too, and the sense of pressure and privilege that came from being an Oxford scholar. The cast of characters is kept fairly small so you could keep a handle on who was who, and where they all were!

For me, this was a solidly written thriller, which would make a great TV drama! Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it.

I’m so disappointed with this book. Almost angry too because Ruth Ware, I know, can write so much better than this.

This book has all the traits that I try to avoid, my top one being repetitiveness. There’s only so many times a character should be allowed to go over and over the same information/thoughts/dramas. Enough now! Move on or end the book. It just feels like ‘padding’ where a real narrative cannot be created.

Added to this is the style of the story as it unfolds. It long and very drawn out. In fact it’s so drawn out you’d be a fool to miss the blatant red herrings and obvious twists and ultimately the ending.

At the beginning of this book I was enjoying the back and forth of the past/present day. But the more I read I realised that the story was largely underdeveloped and didn’t have enough to carry so many pages.

I skimmed the last couple of chapters because I found it really went into reflection overdrive and there was nothing of note or shocking to peak my interest. Once the ‘ending’ had arrived I didn’t bother with the epilogue as it was all ‘ribbons and bows’ by that point and I was thoroughly annoyed that the book had let me down so much.

Sorry Ruth, I don’t know what you or your editors were thinking but this book can’t possibly be yours!

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The It Girl is April Clarke-Cliveden. She’s got looks, brains and money and is a glittering, golden young woman. There’s a bit of resentment that family money MAYBE helps her get into prestigious Pelham College, Oxford but she’s definitely no airhead. Most people find her a magnetic personality though she is a practical joker, so you’d better watch out! Fast forward to the present day to April’s former roommate Hannah Jones, now Hannah de Chastaigne. Hannah’s time at Pelham defines her life, she feels guilt, it haunts her and she can’t move on. Why? Towards the end of her first year at Oxford Hannah finds April dead, the case becomes a national obsession with college porter John Neville being convicted. Now the ‘Pelham Strangler’ is dead, resurrecting the past and reopening barely healed wounds. This leads to the inevitable questions about whether Neville is guilty.

There’s much to praise in this latest novel by Ruth Ware. First of all, it really captures the Oxford vibe as Hannah, from a state school background, moves amongst the ‘exotic, clever, glamorous creatures’ from a much different background and world to her own. Many of these ‘creatures’ attended equally prestigious private schools prior to Oxford and so those hallowed walls perhaps inspire their awe slightly less than they do for Hannah. The group that forms ‘gel’ over a game of strip poker which makes you smile at their boldness so soon into their acquaintance! The newly formed dynamics come across strongly and the characterisation is really good. You warm to some, are puzzled by others but April’s is the strongest presence even after death she overhangs all.

John Neville gives me the heebies, you get odd vibes from him right from the start. He’s patronising, creepy and weird but is he a killer? That’s the burning question. Hannah is forced to address her certainly and even in death his presence lingers like a poisonous miasma.

As the novel progresses, the atmosphere between characters becomes stranger, even questionable and there’s anger too. It builds well, there’s plenty of tension and you cast your eye over several characters but the dramatic climax of the book blindsides me. I so don’t see that one coming but equally it is very plausible. It is exciting, very tense and you read with bated breath.

For me this is the best novel by RW I’ve read. It’s a good slow burner which absolutely keeps my focus throughout and it’s very hard to put down and I do so extremely reluctantly. My only criticism is that it’s a tad too long and on occasions it does feel as if the author is squeezing every last drop out but nonetheless it is still very enjoyable.

It’s very atmospheric especially in Oxford which feels like a character in its own right, with all the characters lucky enough to attend this elite institution dancing right off the pages especially the It Girl. It has a little bit of everything but it’s mostly just a really good mystery with a dollop or two of much appreciated humour.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I always get excited when a new book from Ruth Ware comes out and she is one of them authors I automatically read without looking at the blurb. The IT Girl is another entertaining read from the author.
Hannah arrives at Pelham College at Oxford as a first-year student and is automatically shown her living quarters and whom she will be sharing it with. April Clark Clivedon, beautiful, posh an IT girl who everyone adores. She is also a prankster that always pranking her mates. They become the best of friends in a group of others which consists of Will, Hugh, Ryan and Emily.
The group are a typical bunch of students who study and party hard. But they are all looking for the future. But Hannah comes home after a party one night to find her room mate dead and see one of the porters John Neville running from the scene. She immediately points the fingers, and he is arrested for her murder.
Ten years later Hannah is now married to Will and pregnant with her first baby when she gets and email from a reporter saying that there is new evidence come to light and he may be innocent. The guilt that Hannah is facing because John Neville always claimed his innocence but is now dead after a heart attack. Hannah makes the decision that she wants to find out the truth what happened that night.
Thank you, Simon and Shuster, for a copy of Ruth Wares latest offering. For me I did find this an entertaining read but not the quality that she usually writes. I did like the chapters going back and forth in time, so we get the full picture of events. But it didn’t grip me as much as her others except for maybe the ending and for me I found it a bit long. 4 stars from me.

4.5 ⭐️

Such a cleverly crafted read!🔥

This was a brilliant read! I found it began as a slow burner, however, the pace suddenly picked up a third of the way through. I really felt connected with Hannah as she tackled the journey she felt she had to take for April and John’s sake. There were multiple twists and I loved that each chapter flipped between before and after the murder. I definitely recommend this read and I am looking forward to reading more of Ruth Ware’s work! 🔥📚

Many thanks to Ruth Ware, Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for this ARC!

I highly recommend this read which will be published on 4th August 22!

I'm going to keep this brief. I'm a massive Ruth Ware fan loving the originality of her plots, fast pace and intense, creepy atmospheres or environments that she manages to create. Perhaps a deliberate change in direction but sadly those elements were slightly lacking here and I just didn’t feel the all-consuming grip I usually do with her books. On the plus side it was still difficult to guess who-dunnit because of the clever suspicions and doubt cast on each and every one of the characters at some point. Hence I struggled a bit with my rating before eventually settling on 4 stars - it was my least favourite book by one of my all-time favourite authors and whilst I was a bit underwhelmed my expectations were exceptionally high.

Ruth Ware is a genius - I love her writing and every book she's written. This one didn't disappoint. Set at Oxford university among the students, I really enjoyed this and felt as if I was in Oxford myself with some of Ruths descriptions! Ruth Ware writes such great page turners, I can't wait to sell this and I can't wait for whatever Ruth does next!

I’ve been a huge Ruth Ware fan since her debut novel and was so looking forward to The It Girl. Unfortunately it didn’t really work for me. The storyline itself with its before and after timelines is usually a winner for me but I found myself not really caring about any of the characters enough to really invest in what happened to them either way! The first half was a struggle to get through and it did pick up but I didn’t really feel connected to the characters or to the plot.
Obviously this is my personal opinion and I’m sure others may disagree totally but it just fell flat for me.

Another solid well written thriller from Ruth Ware. Lots of red herrings in this delicious atmospheric whodunit. Absolutely loved the two timelines, culminating in a satisfying conclusion.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance review e copy.

Wow what a book, this is definitely going to be one of my favourites this year.
As someone who was at Oxford in the 2000s and definitely felt like a bit of a fish out of water, this book instantly called to me. I'm so grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to read an APC.

I found the setting atmospheric and menacing, the story gripping and I was utterly engrossed by the end. There were some stunning twists and I have to say I did not guess the ending until the very last pages. Just brilliant. It's an absolute 5 star from me.

Gripping, intriguing, excellently drawn characters and an ending I didn’t expect. I also loved the Oxford setting, very evocative.

This was such an enjoyable read!

The settings of an Oxford college and Edinburgh were both extremely well drawn and I felt like I was there.

The twists and turns of this story were excellent (and made total sense).

Can’t wait for the inevitable TV adaptation of this!

Anything by Ruth Ware is brilliant. This one didn't disappoint. Lots of twists and turns - very clever.