Title: The It Girl

Author: Ruth Ware

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 4th August 2022

Rating: 4.5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Everyone wanted her life
Someone wanted her dead

It was Hannah who found April’s body ten years ago.
It was Hannah who didn’t question what she saw that day.
Did her testimony put an innocent man in prison?

She needs to know the truth.

Even if it means questioning her own friends.
Even if it means putting her own life at risk.

Because if the killer wasn’t a stranger, it’s someone she knows…

Review:

I’ve really enjoyed several of Ruth Ware’s books in the past so I was excited to get stuck in to this one and I have to say, I think this might be her best yet! The story follows Hannah, whose best friend at Oxford University, the titular It Girl, April, was murdered a decade ago. Hannah’s testimony put university porter John Neville in prison however a podcaster contacts Hannah in the present and makes her question everything about what really happened to April and whether she helped put an innocent man in prison.

The narrative is split into alternating chapters before and after April’s murder. I sometimes find this kind of back and forth grating in thrillers but it was executed perfectly here and made The It Girl compulsively addictive from start to finish. I loved the Oxford setting in the ‘before’ – there is just something mysterious and arcane about ancient institutions such as Oxford that give me major dark academia vibes. Being from Edinburgh myself I also loved that the after chapters were set here! The tension is slowly but surely ratcheted up and I was completely drawn into the mystery of uncovering the truth behind the charismatic yet manipulative April’s demise. An intense, dark and compellingly twisty thriller! Would highly recommend!

✶✶✶✶.5

Thank you so much to Tracy Fenton and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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