The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a thriller that will keep you guessing.
Hannah finds her life is full of stress. She has so many questions when news breaks that after a decade behind bars, John Neville has died.
Neville was imprisoned for the murder of Hannah’s roommate and friend April, at Oxford where he worked as a porter.
It was Hannah that discovered April’s dead body and it was her testimony that led to Neville being convicted. But, he had always protested and said that he was innocent.
A reporter contacts Hannah with new information that gets her questioning if it’s possible that someone else was responsible for April’s murder. If Neville really was innocent, then who could have been the guilty party?
It makes you question how well you really know those you hold close.
I felt I knew who the guilty person was, and then I had to change my mind.
This book is very cleverly written and I found it to be engrossing. I was pleased when my weekend came and I could read without having to head to work as I became desperate to know what was to happen next. In parts, I wanted to call out to Hannah to tread with care.
This was my first Ruth Ware read but it won’t be my last.
ISBN: 9781982155261
Copy courtesy of Simon and Schuster
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The It Girl by Ruth Ware. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
Im a Mum of 3 beautiful girls.
An avid reader that loves to travel but lacks the funds to venture far and wide constantly. A perfumeaholic with an addiction to beauty and skincare.
If not found with my head in a book or on a plane I can be found spending hours upon hour in Doctors and Hospital waiting rooms as part of my job as a Carer
‘The It Girl’ by Ruth Ware is a brilliant read. Emotive, thrilling and suspenseful, it really kept me guessing right up until the very end!
When studious Hannah gets accepted into prestigious Pelham college in Oxford, little does she know the events that will unfold to change the course of her life forever.
She ends up roomies with the beautiful, talented and rich ‘it girl’ April and her social circle opens up, meeting many new and interesting friends, including hearthrob Will who becomes April’s boyfriend.
But when Hannah returns home one night, she finds April dead in their room & immediately suspects resident ‘creepy porter’ John Neville.
10 years later Hannah’s old feelings on the murder case are stirred up & she begins to wonder if Neville really was the killer, or if it was someone much closer to her, even one of her tightnit college friends.
What unfolds is a gripping mystery with many suspects, many ‘what ifs?’ and second guesses.
But does Hannah find out the truth before it’s too late? A must read of 2022!
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Simon and Schuster Australia for the opportunity to read The IT Girl by Ruth Ware.
This is a cracking, gripping story that had me entranced from page 1!
Ten years ago Hannahs room mate at Oxford – the sparkling April – was murdered and Hannah’s testimony against, John Neville put him in jail. His death in jail brings back troubling memories and concerns to Hannah on whether the right person was convicted.
Set over the two time periods – before and after the crime – The IT Girl is a roller coaster of discovery by Hannah on the events of that fateful night.
This story is so intense and consuming, I found it hard to put it down. Great characters, perfect pacing mae this so easy to read. My thoughts on who did it changed multiple times but the ending is very satisfying.
And excellent read for anyone looking for a something new or anyone who loves a thriller.
Thabks again!
I’ve read so many really good books recently and a number of them I’ve reviewed on here saying that they’d make a great movie. Well, ‘The It Girl’ by Ruth Ware, is another great movie in the making. I was immediately drawn into this story and almost felt like I was part of the college gang. You’ll formulate many theories along the way, no doubt, about who killed April and it will be interesting to see if you were right. I was completely wrong, although the killer did sneak into my thoughts until I dismissed it as being ridiculous! Thank you so much Beauty and Lace for letting me review this book. Ruth Ware is an amazing author and can’t wait to read more of her books >:o)
Thank you Beauty and Lace for offer to review The It Girl by Ruth Ware. It is a book about a woman searching for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.
April Clarke-Cliveden and Hannah Jones met as students in their 1st year at Oxford University. April was a lively and bright girl and her and Hannah became good friends. They were part of a group of friends who included Will, Hugh, Ryan and Emily during 1st term. By the end of the year April will be dead.
A decade later the man sentenced of killing April, former porter from Oxford John Neville has died in prison. Hannah is grateful to put the past behind her. Hannah is then shocked when a young journalist informs her that John Neville may be not guilty. When Hannah connects again with her old friends and probes into April’s death she sees that the friends who she thought she knew so well have something to hide.
This is a great book and had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend it to everyone.
I love Ruth Ware’s books so I was excited to have the chance to read and review The It Girl. The grounds and rooms at Oxford University came to life through Ruth’s excellent descriptions and her characters were cleverly constructed. She has the knack of getting right under their skin, creating layers and depth.
We are taken into the past and throughout the present in alternate chapters, a structure that works very well. Ten years after giving evidence in a murder trial, the main character, Hannah Jones, has second thoughts and becomes obsessed with finding out the truth. There are twists in the plot and revelations about characters that keeps the pace moving quickly.
I could hardly put it down and I thoroughly recommend it. Thank you for this excellent read!
This was a totally gripping read from the first page! It’s deceptively ‘easy’ to read about Hannah’s first year at Oxford University, with her sparkling and very rich room-mate April, and a few special student colleagues. When April gets murdered Hannah’s testimony puts a very creepy killer in prison. Ten years later, a few chance remarks and the killer’s photo make quite a few doubts creep into Hannah’s mind about that testimony. Did she put the wrong person in prison?! She’s still traumatised by April’s death, but doubts begin to pile up about the killer’s identity, and it’s a race to the end to discover who did it. I narrowed it down to a couple of people, and astonishingly found out it was one of the two I suspected (I usually never guess right). What a chilling and thrilling ride this book was! So many twists and turns, and not everyone came up in a good light, including poor dead April. The story is told in ‘Before’ and ‘After’ chapters, ten years apart, a very clever way of building the tension as the revelations occur in both the before and after times. A terrific, compelling read, I loved it.
Thanks to Beauty & Lace, and Simon & Schuster Australia for the review copy.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review The it Girl by Ruth Ware. This was the first novel by Ruth Ware that I have read, but it won’t be my last. I was a bit worried about the chapters alternating between “before” and “after”, as I often find that style disjointed and a little hard to follow. But my fears were quickly dispelled and I was totally engaged in the book from the first chapter. The storyline was interesting and the characters believable as we follow main character Hannah. Hannah is expecting her first child and works at Tall Tales book store after dropping out of Oxford University’s Pelham College following the murder of her room mate and friend, April. It was Hannah’s testimony that put April’s killer in prison, and with his death Hannah should find some closure, but instead interest in the case is aroused and questions about the identity of the killer asked. Hannah finds herself also questioning whether the right person was convicted and can’t stop herself from doing all she can to determine the truth, even if this means possibly exposing one of her friends or even her husband, who was April’s boyfriend before her murder. Absolutely a “can’t put it down” type of read with an unexpected ending which had me engrossed throughout. I highly recommend this novel.
Thankyou to Beauty and Lace and Ruth Ware for allowing me to read a great book The It Girl. The story line is told over two periods. The before, which is the time when while Hannah and her friends are studying at Oxford University’s Pelham College her best friend and roommate April is murdered. Hannah and her friends are devastated and there is one clear suspect who is soon charged and sentenced.
The After, begins when Hannah is working in a bookstore, and after 10 years is married to one of her College friends and is pregnant. She is approached by a journalist who is seeking answers to questions not bought up in the killers trial and poses the suggestion that the man may not have been guilty and as Hannah starts to question her own recollections of that night she becomes determined to uncover the truth but at the same time puts herself and her family in danger.
The Before and After parts of the book are easy to follow and it is not long before it is very hard to put down.
I couldn’t put this book down. It gave me Circle of Friends vibes – I loved reading about studying at Oxford University and the peculiar traditions. Ruth Ware cleverly splits the story between “before” and “after” chapter to chapter which keeps you on the edge of your seat. I couldn’t guess the ending or “who did it” but beware it gets dark at the end!