Book Review - The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Title: The It Girl
Series: -
Author: Ruth Ware
 
Description: 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.
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.
 
Review: April was the first person Hannah met when she came to Oxford. April was the ultimate It-girl, and together with Will, Hugh, Ryan and Emily they formed an inseparable group of friends. But by the end of the second term, April is found dead. Now, ten years later, Hannah and Will have built a life together and are expecting their first child. John Neville, the man convicted for April’s murder, has died in prison and Hannah is happy that she can finally put the past behind her. But when a journalist tells Hannah that Neville may have been innocent, Hannah dives back into the mystery, not knowing which of her friends she can and cannot trust.
 
This is the second book by Ruth Ware that I have read. “The Turn of the Key” was the first and this book really blew me away. “The It Girl” didn’t quite have the same effect, but I did enjoy it. Especially the second half of the book.
 
The chapters alternate between the past and the present. In the past, we see how Hannah meets April and how she eventually found her dead. In the present we follow Hannah’s current life working in a bookstore, being married to Will, expecting her first child and trying to get answers to new questions revolving around this mystery. I love dual timelines, although this is not a constant in the book. I think about two thirds of the way in, we only follow present day.
 
The setting, Oxford University, gives this book a dark academia vibe. Something Ware knows will do well with readers. The first half of the book is pretty slow and not very eventful, but when you pass the halfway point, there is more tension and suspense, and the mystery becomes more interesting. The reveal and final plot twists aren’t the most surprising, but I was okay with it. One part of the reveal I particularly liked, the culprit I somehow predicted.
 
The characters are all well-developed, but most of them are highly unlikeable. I never mind that in books, because even if you don’t like the people in the story, you still want to see the mystery get solved. At least, I do.
 
I do believe that there are many thrillers that did it better, but “The It Girl” is a solid book. A little slow in the beginning, but eventually it pays off. I think most Ruth Ware fan will enjoy it, but this is not your typical favorite.
 
Rating: 3, 5/ 5