.jpg)
Title: THE IT GIRL
Author: Ruth Ware
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Read: May 2022
Expected publication: 3 August 2022
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book 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.
My musings:
It’s no secret that Ruth Ware is one of my
favourite authors and I will devour anything she has written. In THE IT GIRL,
she once again showcases the writing style she is famous for: the slow-burning,
character driven mystery that keeps you guessing the whole time. Featuring her
trademark slightly damaged / neurotic character, there is that delicious
element of doubt whether they are being totally honest with you, which adds
additional challenges to the armchair detective. My initial theory, as clever
as I though it was, was ultimately proven wrong again!
Hannah is one of Ware’s trademark
characters. Not completely likeable, slightly obsessive, neurotic, suspicious
and hiding her own secrets, she was nevertheless relatable and quickly drew me
into the story. There are few people who won’t be able to relate to an average,
even a bit boring person being drawn into the limelight of a more glamorous friend
and falling under their spell. Hannah Jones, an only child, bookish and as
average as her surname (no slight intended), is instantly smitten by her
vivacious roommate April Coutts-Clivenden as soon as they meet in their dorm
room in Oxford. And here is one of Ware’s other skills that instantly draws me
to her books: her ability to create a dark atmospheric setting, in this case
Oxford College. Who can’t imagine sinister going-ons in those dark halls and
narrow staircases? A place where creepy porters patrol the grounds, and a high
wall keeps you out (or in) at night.
As in her previous novel THE LYING
GAME, THE IT GIRL features a group of college friends whose dynamics drive the
“THEN” part of the novel, recounting the events leading up to April’s murder.
The “NOW” focuses on an adult Hannah, now married to April’s former boyfriend
and living far from the scene of the crime, in Edinburgh. When Hannah hears
that the man who had been convicted of April’s murder has died in prison, past
memories resurface, even though she has tried so very hard to keep them buried.
Summary:
THE IT GIRL is a must read for fans of dark
academia or those who love mysteries based on friendship dynamics. It’s one of
those rare books that features a clever twist that remains plausible and shows
how cleverly plotted this book really was, and how all the clues led up to this
point (and yet I totally missed them). It’s a delicious slow burn with an
atmospheric setting that made for some great armchair travel. If you are a fan
of Ware’s writing then you will most likely enjoy this one as well – I know I
did!
Thank
you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for the free electronic
copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest
review.
.jpg)