Title: THE IT GIRL
Author: Ruth Ware
ISBN: 9781398508361
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 420
Source: Private Copy
April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.
Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.
Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.
Official Summary
25 September 2025
April Coutts-Cliveden is everything Hannah Jones isn’t—magnetic, bold, and adored. When Hannah meets her at Oxford, she is quickly drawn into April’s glittering world along with a tight-knit group of friends. But the allure of April’s charm comes with shadows, and by the end of their first year, April is dead.
Fast forward ten years: Hannah is pregnant, married to Will (another member of that circle), and doing her best to move on. The conviction of John Neville, the creepy Oxford porter accused of April’s murder, should have brought closure. But when Neville dies in prison and a journalist raises the possibility of his innocence, Hannah is forced to re-examine her memories, her friendships, and the night that changed everything.
I enjoy Ruth Ware’s writing style—her text flows effortlessly, and she has a knack for building atmosphere. The dual timeline between Hannah’s Oxford days and her present kept me engaged, and the setting, from the old college halls to the more subdued rural present, created a striking contrast. I found myself invested in uncovering the truth, even when the pace occasionally slowed.
That said, while I enjoyed the book, I didn’t feel completely wowed. The mystery was clever, and I appreciated the red herrings, but the resolution didn’t hit me as hard as I had hoped. Ware consistently delivers solid, enjoyable reads, but for me, they often stop just shy of being unforgettable.
The It Girl was an entertaining, atmospheric thriller that kept me turning the pages and second-guessing characters right up to the end. I gave it 4 stars—a good, solid read, but not one that lingered long after I closed the book.
Also by Ruth Ware
THE WOMAN IN SUITE 11
When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel—owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann—arrives, it’s like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish her journalism career, but post-pandemic travel journalism is a very different landscape from the one she left ten years ago.
The chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva is everything Lo’s ever dreamed of, and she hopes she can snag an interview with Marcus. Unfortunately, he proves to be even more difficult to pin down than his reputation suggests. When Lo gets a late-night call asking her to come to Marcus’s hotel room, she agrees despite her own misgivings. She’s greeted, however, by a woman claiming to be Marcus’s mistress, and in life-or-death jeopardy.
What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe, forcing Lo to ask herself just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save this woman…and if she can even trust her?
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Ruth Ware grew up in Sussex, on the south coast of England. After graduating from Manchester University, she moved to Paris before settling in North London. She has worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language and a press officer. She is married with two small children, and In a Dark, Dark Wood is her début thriller.
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