Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The It Girl

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

37 reviews

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This is the first novel by Ruth Ware and I hate to say that I'm pretty disappointed. It doesn't;t help that I read a book with this similar trope just a few days prior. I've been reading a lot of thrillers lately so the tropes have definitely been getting repetitive. This book was INCREDIBLY slow. She doesn't even agree to talk to the reporter until about 150-200 pages. I don't know how to describe my experience with this book. I didn't hate it (cuz if I did I wouldn't have finished it), but I didn't particularly like it either. I feel like it dragged when it didn't need to (especially the first 60-70 pages). The last 60 pages were very anxiety-inducing so I'll give her that.

I don't think I'll classify this as a thriller because there wasn't anything "thrilling" anything about it. No bread crumbs to leave you guessing. It really just centered on Hannah's guilt that she could've potentially put an innocent man away. Speaking of him, I know she wrote him as this creepy guy to establish why Hannah felt the way that she felt about him, but even as I was reading his scenes I couldn't help but feel creeped out with her. He was a very odd bloke and his actions towards her were unsettling. Although his actions were creepy, I did see a comment that stated that John Neville's behavior was consistent with someone on the spectrum. I don't want to stigmatize so this is just a theory, but as I was reading about him and his mannerism I couldn't help but think the same thing. I don't think he meant much harm to Hannah. He may just not have understood her discomfort ( just a theory). Also, that teacher is also disgusting. I know good and well he was sleeping with his students.

As for the portion of who did it, I honestly would've preferred if this specific character that they were pointing out for most of the book was the killer.

Although predictable I wish it would've been Will that was the killer. They were alluding to it for a good portion of the second half of the book and I honestly think it would've made more sense. It being Hugh wasn't predictable, but his reasoning did add much impact in my opinion. It just felt like a twist that can out of nowhere. And what was the point of her finding out about that window shortcut if it was;t going to be an important element later? I feel like that was a waste of a potential plot point.

Also, can we just talk about how Hannah barely prioritized her child's health this entire book.

The fact that her baby survived all that stress feels extremely unrealistic even by book standards. I was honestly expecting her to lose it in the end and have Will be the killer.

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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2.25

Finished reading: July 2nd 2023

“Don’t let yourself get caught up in what-ifs. That way madness lies.”

WARNING: it's unpopular opinion time again!!

I somehow tend to have a love-hate relationship with Ruth Ware's books. Some of her titles are on my list of favorites, while others fail to hit the mark completely instead... I tend to love her gothic thrillers most, so part of me was a bit hesitant to pick up The It Girl because I wasn't sure how I would react to it. Most people seemed to enjoy the story and I did like the sound of the blurb, so I still had hopes that I would enjoy it... But in the end it just wasn't ment to be. I think part of the issue was that the pace is considerably slow, and it took a LONG time for anything substantial to happen. Add the fact that I didn't like any of the characters, which is always an issue in a character-driven story, and I struggled considerably to find the motivation to keep reading. Sure, we have the mystery around April's death, but I honestly couldn't care less who did it and I personally thought she had it coming. Hannah was very frustrating as a character, both the past and present chapters. The It Girl is mostly a story of toxic friendships, characters not standing up for themselves, infidelity and a not exactly credible hunt for the truth in the present. By the time things got a little more tense near the end, I had already long given up on the story... And I didn't find the reveals exactly worth the wait either. In short, The It Girl was overlong, way too slow and had a disappointing cast of unlikeable and frustrating characters. This is probably one of my least favorite Ruth Ware stories to date... I do hope she will return to the gothic thrillers at some point, because otherwise I might just have to leave her books be in the future.

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minimicropup's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Narration 👌: Perfection. Character voicing wasn’t over-the-top, emotions of the characters were captured (which breaks up the more repetitive parts in the writing). Easily listenable at different speeds.

Atmosphere 👍: Created through thought and dialogue. Tone and writing style are direct, descriptive, and sentimental.

Set in Oxford, UK for the “Before” chapters. Mainly in dorms, halls, and pubs so over time I developed familiarity for certain places along with the MC. The “After” chapters are set in Edinburgh, Scotland.
People, places, and things are well described so don’t have to work overtime on the imaginings, but there’s still room for creativity (and no imagination smashing later in the book).

Main POV 👍: Limited third party narration of one MC while attending Oxford (“Before”), and ~10 years later as a married adult expecting a child (“After”). We are deep in their mind and only their mind…prepare to hear every thought they have.

Our “Before” MC is considerate, humble, loyal, forgiving, naïve, self-doubting…and a little “dense”! They are in their first year at Oxford University assigned to a charming, spontaneous roommate they admire and bond with quickly.
Our “After” MC has the same personality but is now cautious (bordering on avoidant) of anyone beyond their spouse, co-workers, and friend. They are expecting a child and struggling with some health issues related to the pregnancy and stress.

Cred Rating 👍👩‍🎓🧑‍💻: Plausible to Plausible-ish.

Realistic touch of true crime journalism putting pressure on witnesses. Accurate portrayal of toxic friendship dynamics and how they can form.
The whole situation relied on our MC being blind to HUGE red flags near the end (girl, have you ever heard of the police?!)…but that is pretty consistent with her throughout the story!

Growls and Howls 🐺:

The more atmospheric (and interesting) parts are the “Before” chapters. The “After” chapters drag on and become repetitive about Hannah’s pregnancy experience (dizzy, sweaty, sore…we get it!)
Unsupportive spouse trope is overdone in the “After” chapters. Hannah’s husband is acting controlling, dismissive, and does that “pat-pat you’re just pregnant-hysterical, honey” thing. I imagine this was done to create tension and suspense. It just didn’t have to be done SO often.
After the villain reveal I felt like we were reading a totally different character in a way that broke the story (the sudden evil-grin-rubbing-hands-together-cackling energy was a total 180 and a bit OTT).
The villain may range from aha-validation to twist for you, but I enjoyed it because there was a sprinkling of small, justifiable red flags throughout the book. I would alternatively suspect and dismiss certain characters and it had me starting to feel as confused and dense as Hannah (🤭).

Reading Journey 😊🫠: European road-trip. Sometimes you’re enjoying the drive and scenery at a leisurely pace. Other times you just wanna get to your destination; screw the scenery and leisurely pace when you’re stuck in slow-moving traffic while exhausted.

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Slow-paced narratives based on dialogue, thoughts, and monologue
Dark academia vibes (death of a roommate, academics behaving badly)
A tiny touch of “Good for Them” (villainous victim/bullying revenge)
Light commentary on classism, access to education based on generational wealth rather than merit, familial $$ control and pressure on College students
Whodunnits and red herrings
Slightly ambiguous endings…we get the who, where, how, for all the crimes, but why is less clear

Vibes: 🤓🤔😬

Content Heads-Up: Numerous descriptions of pregnancy, panic attacks, and anxiety.

Format: Audible

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joey1914's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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kelseyr713's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ruth Ware has done it again, crafting a compelling mystery with a main character I really felt for. Hannah is extremely likeable and sympathetic, and I understood her need to solve the mystery, even all these years later. I enjoyed the split timeline narrative and had a hard time putting this one down to go to sleep, especially towards the end!

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