Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The It Girl

Definitely full of twists and turns. A really good whodunit thriller that has a great medium pace throughout. Full of complex characters who come from different class backgrounds to meet at Oxford. The main character is a newcomer to the area and through her roommate blends into this new group full of historh and secrets that lead to tragic consequences.

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Review:

I am not someone who typically enjoys mysteries and thrillers, but I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone more often. I picked up The It Girl by Ruth Ware for a transatlantic flight, thinking it would pass the time.

Although I’ve seen some people complain about the slow pace of this book, I appreciate the fact that this book takes its time to develop its characters and their backstories. The depth of its characters saves the book from being irredeemably unoriginal (a wealthy and sexy popular college student at Oxford is murdered! I haven’t heard that one before /s). The protagonist, Hannah, is not exactly the most dynamic main character on the planet, but Ware writes her trauma in a believable and sympathetic way. I especially like that Ware gives Hannah a good reason for revisiting the murder several years later—there’s nothing I hate more than main characters who play detective for the fun of it.

In short, I found myself enjoying the story for the first 80% or so. It is more grounded in reality than other thrillers I’ve read and is decently well-written. However, I know from experience that thrillers rarely impress me with their endings. Usually, thriller and mystery endings ruin the stories for me; why do thriller and mystery authors feel so desperate to add so many twists and turns to their story at the expense of narrative cohesion? Unfortunately, The It Girl is no exception. The ending and its twists are stupid, unbelievable, and ridiculous. I can think of a handful of alternative endings that would have made more sense than this one.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like The It Girl if . . .

· You like thrillers that take time to build up their characters

· You don’t mind “slow-paced” thrillers

· You like dark academia settings and vibes

You might not like The It Girl if . . .

· You want a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time

· You don’t like bland protaganists

· You dislike the twisty/turny nature of thriller endings

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okiecozyreader's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Told from a single perspective, with alternating paragraphs Now and Then, Hannah tells us the story of how her roommate, “The It Girl,” changed her life and also died in their doormroom at Oxford. I really enjoyed the “behind the scenes” look at Oxford. It kind of reminds me of Looking for Alaska and The Secret History.

I felt like for a long time, it was a lot of information and not much happened, maybe until the 50% mark… and I don’t know that I’m a fan of the ending. But I did overall enjoy it, I think. 🤔

“…she is living a stolen life. Not just one she never deserved, but one that was never supposed to be hers.” Ch 8 After

“…her short time at Pelham ended in a long nightmare she’s spent the rest of her life trying to wake up from?” Ch 10 After

“April wasn’t just some wannabe starlet. Maybe It Girl was right, though. Whatever it was, she had it.” Ch 11 Before

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misskatz's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I would have rated this much higher at the beginning. I thought it was going to be 4 or 5 stars but it got quite repetitive and the reasons for the main character’s actions became more and more unbelievable, especially for a pregnant woman. Enjoyed the book as an easy read and a page turner but I don’t think it’s going to stick in my mind.

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mrb's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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seashellsforshelley's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? No

3.5

It’s just really slow and the story is not really compelling until the main climax.

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kaylamoran's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I can't lie, I thought I figured it out, and I was wrong. So that's a plus. But this book was so repetitive. I lost track of the number of times "it was too much" and Hannah "simply could not do it". Just constant throughout the book.

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