Member Reviews
I really enjoyed this book. It was my first Ruth Ware book but will absolutely not be my last. The setting of Edinburgh/Oxford was fantastic and really set the scene for this twisty thriller. I loved the alternating chapters of before and after, really kept it interesting. Super read!
4.25 stars
I've read all of Ruth Ware's books, other than one and I have had mixed feelings on her previous work.
One By One, for example, got 5 stars from me whereas The Lying Game didn't work as well.
However, I was really excited to read her latest release and for me, this is my second favourite Ruth Ware book, right after One By One.
This is one of those stories where almost anyone could have actually committed the murder. There is a reason why each and every character could have had a reason for killing April.
I really enjoyed the settings of the Oxford University campus and Edinburgh and the way that it switched from the before to the after chapters and back again.
I kept changing my mind as to who was guilty but I didn't actually expect it to be who it was so that was a pleasant surprise.
I think fans of Ruth Ware will be really happy with this latest release, as will mystery fans more generally and those looking for a great beach/summer read.
Ruth continues to be one of those authors who I will always read a future release from and this really did have me hooked from the very beginning.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ten years ago, Hannah found her roommate and best friend April dead. Her testimony put a man in jail for the murder, but now she wonders if she was right. Her pursuit of the truth will threaten her friendships and may even put her in danger...
A thrilling story that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Brilliant twists and turns, and I liked how chapters went between 'before' and 'after'.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.
What the hell did I just read?”… freaking awesome… The twists do not stop until the very last page!! Recommended for mystery/suspense lovers.
This is excellent! I found it really engrossing and thought the characters were all intriguing, interesting and very real. The settings are also a big part of the feel of this book, especially the college scenes. Both timelines were equally interesting, which often isn't the case. And there are plenty of gasp aloud moments. I actually thought the person Hannah suspected just before the real killer is revealed was who had done it and was so smug about guessing until it turned out I was wrong! Perfect for people who love thrillers but I'll be recommending this for all fiction readers.
A good book.
Following Hannah and her friends after the death of her university roommate. The story is split narrative, before April died and after April died.
I did find the solution predictable but I loved the writing. It was atmospheric and very easy to spot Oxford’s beauty in the pages.
A good solid novel with excellent writing.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
This was a gripping and interesting read by Ruth Ware. It follows Hannah in a dual timeline plot as we see the vents that lead to the murder of her roommate at Oxford and her current day life as she deals with questions and doubts about what actually happened.
This was an intriguing read that I could not put down. There was a good number of red herrings and plot twists to keep the story interesting and keep you second guessing who you suspect and the events that took place.
Overall this was an excellent thriller that I would recommend.
Not a surprise that I absolutely loved this Ruth Ware book. And while I had an inkling of the guilty party early doors, I loved the viable red herrings, and I didn’t have a single clue how he/she might have done it until the reveal at the end. Complete page turner.
This was an incredible read and as I turned the last pages my jaw must have dropped so many times as the story revealed itself in all its glory. I love a good thriller that completely fools me and this one sure did with its stunningly clever plot and the twists that I never saw coming it was one hell of a ride. I have to admit at one point I thought I had the plot figured out a bit but I was totally blindsided and all credit to Ruth Ware for that with her superb writing that kept me gripped till the end.
No rehash of the plot I don’t do that and I went into the book with no preconceptions just a vague idea about what the story was about and I hooked from the off. The characters were all excellently written I suspected them all of course and was left woefully wrong but that’s what made this a 5 star read for me the sheer cleverness and compulsive storyline throughout I loved it.
So highly recommended and highly praised if you love a good thriller then this is the one to read!
My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Another brilliant book. This is my favourite book by this writer. She never repeats or gets tired and that’s rare in an author who has published so many books so far.
I knocked a star off only because I guessed who did it. But face it back because you’ll never work it out how. It’s genius! So 5/5
Ruth Ware's latest psychological thriller is fast paced, featuring the city of dreaming spires, where introvert Hannah Jones finds herself sharing her Oxford College room with the beautiful, wealthy, privileged and bright April Coutts-Clivedon. Coming from a more modest background, Hannah finds herself drawn into April's more thrilling social circles, although they come from opposite ends of the social spectrum, the two become unlikely best friends, April is a vivacious and extrovert partying girl, the centre of attention, the It Girl with a streak of cruelty and prone to being manipulative. Soon Hannah is part of the glamorous group of inseparable friends that includes Will, Hugh, Ryan and Emily. In the second term April is shockingly dead, her body discovered by a Hannah whose world splinters apart, and it is her testimony that helps to convict College Porter John Neville of murder, who is given a life sentence.
A decade later Hannah is living in Edinburgh, married to Will and pregnant, when her life is thrown into disarray. Neville has died in prison continuing to protest his innocence, and it is true that the evidence against him was rather thin and circumstantial, did Hannah put an innocent man in prison? In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, Hannah feels compelled to investigate the mystery of April's death as she reconnects with her old friends. There is plenty of intrigue and suspects in this well written, engaging and atmospheric crime read that will appeal to many of Ware's legion of fans and other crime and mystery readers. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
I want to keep this spoiler free, so in a nutshell....
Think modern and ultra-sleek Agatha Christie vibes, with enough twists and turns to make your head spin; combined with multi-layered complex characters, gorgeously English settings, and a final conclusion to make you gasp.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 rounded up to 5.
For the past decade, for Hannah there has only been ‘before’ and ‘after’ and that is how the book is set out with alternating chapters. ‘Before’ tells the story of Hannah’s first year at the prestigious Pelham College, part of the infamous Oxford University. Towards the end of that year, Hannah witnessed something very traumatic and her testimony was the sole factor in getting someone sentenced to imprisonment. ‘After’ is the present day and Hannah is now living in Edinburgh with her husband, pregnant with their first child. When the man she was responsible for being imprisoned dies, Hannah should feel relief but instead it rakes up old feelings and memories and doubts - especially when a journalist asks what if the man convicted was innocent and the real murderer is still out there.
This book is a slow burner but a lot of that is due to the lead up to the tragedy and helping the reader to understand what led us there. It picks up pace more than half way through the book and then really gets your attention. I can’t say I warmed to any one of the characters but perhaps that was the author’s intention. All in all a good book which keeps you guessing throughout (I lost count of the number of times I thought I had it sussed out!).
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
A thriller set with the spires of Oxford. Hannah Jones is the first person in her family to go to Oxford and feels nervous and 'unworthy' when she arrives. The first person she meets is her room-mate, April Coutts-Cliveden, the beautiful daughter of wealthy parents who dazzles with her sparkling personality. She is the IT girl and draws everyone to her so much so that on the first night Hannah finds herself playing strip poke with people she has only just met, Will, Emily, Hugh and Ryan who all become firm friends. University life is good, until, at the end of the second term, April is murdered.
Our second timeline takes place ten years later and John Neville, the university porter jailed for April's murder dies. Hannah and Will are expecting their first child and they have put the past behind them until a journalist contacts Hannah who tells her that new evidence suggests that Neville was innocent and suddenly Hannah's wounds are reopened. She becomes obsessed with finding out the truth and reconnecting with her old friends who all seem, now, to be hiding something.
I loved the characters in this novel: April the girl who has it all, who everyone loves but who has a cruel streak; Hugh who is awkward, shy and intelligent; Will the strong silent type from a wealthy family and Ryan who is sarcastic and witty and cheeky. I also loved the setting - what's not to love about Oxford. I did think the pace slowed at times and with the red herrings that were being tossed around, it wasn't until three quarters of the way through that I began to get an inkling about the real murderer, but even then I couldn't work out the how or the motive.
This is only the third Ruth Ware that I have read so I haven't got an awful lot to compare this to, but of the three I have read, I did not think it was the strongest even though I did enjoy it and it kept me guessing. But that is my opinion only - I'll leave it to others to make up their own minds
I can't believe I have never read any of Ruth's books before, that is now going to change as this one was phenomenal. It is that type of read where you read the plot and know what could potentially happen but when you read the book, you get the most craziest twists and turns that you cannot even believe what is going on. The story continues to build and gets intense and I feel as though this is a multi layered story that has many red herrings, twists and turns and many omg moments. Also I found the plot to be one that you could believe that could happen which felt as though it made the story come to life more. I am definitely purchasing more of Ruth's books. This one is going to be a big hit for the Summer.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
10 years ago, Hannah’s college roommate and best friend, April, was murdered in their shared dorm room. The man that was convicted, based on evidence provided by Hannah, has just died in prison, all the while proclaiming his innocence. Now, after meeting with a journalist studying the case, Hannah wonders if she helped get the wrong person convicted.
3.5 stars.
This book was fine. It was nothing earth shattering and honestly I thought it was slow and a little long. It seemed like it took a lot of time to get going and I felt like the chapters detailing the past went into more detail than I needed. I also got bored with being reminded that Hannah was pregnant in every other sentence. But, I did want to know who the guilty party was, which did keep me reading. I have read most of this author’s books and mostly liked them so while this was not my favorite, I am sure I will read more.
Well this author never disappoints her readers and for me this was a great read, really enjoyed it and it kept me guessing until the end ..
This was my first Ruth Ware book and I would definitely read more of her books on the basis of this one. Set in Oxford (before) and Edinburgh (after) on two timelines the book tells the story of Hannah who, on arriving at Oxford University finds herself sharing a room with the beautiful, charming and wealthy April. The before timeline explores their friendship and college life in their first year of study and the after timeline follows Hannah 10 years later, still reeling from April's untimely death and beginning to question the events that took place. I enjoyed both timelines and the character development, and I loved the slow buildup of tension. I constantly found myself guessing and questioning who the killer was and what may have happened. I enjoyed the piecing together of the mystery and the way the story panned out. I felt the description of Neville and the sense of unease Hannah felt around him was well written. I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially if you like twisty, gripping tales with a puzzle to solve. Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me access to an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love this author and was very excited about the book. Unfortunately I ended up rather disappointed. Neither the story nor the characters gripped my attention. I forced myself to trudge through it but it just failed to deliver.
After having recently only discovered this author I was really excited when I read the synopsis of this latest title by Ruth Ware, "The It Girl", it definitely had me interested from the offset.
April is one of those people who is confident, effortlessly glamorous and popular. They don't want for anything and everything in life comes easily to them, life is perfect. Although no-one like that can't expect to not make some enemies along the way surely? To Hannah though she is the best friend she never thought she'd have so when she finds April dead in their shared room at university, her world comes crashing down. Her witness statement sends the killer to prison but 10 years on when this man dies, questions arise again and Hannah's doubts of whether the right man was convicted rear their head once again. Will secrets be uncovered that some will wish remain hidden forever?
I really enjoyed this book, the before and after alternating chapters through the first half of the book set the scene perfectly, building up that trademark tension that Ruth Ware is known for. The unlikely friendship between Hannah and April is a major crux of the book, creating a bond that most can connect to as we've all got a friend we never would have thought we would have got on with - often they end up being one of your closest friend! Creating that important relationship, whilst intertwining the additional characters, helps to keep that suspense building whilst carefully interlinking those all important clues along the way. I was kept captivated until the very last word as even when the twist was revealed I still wanted to know the how and the why which keeps you guessing till the very end.
I would definitely recommend this book and has made me keen to read even more by this author in the future.