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A review by mal_reads_books
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I enjoyed the Oxford parts and last few chapters, but the story was at least 100 pages too long. The middle was a drag to read.
Hannah was irritating yet bland. Her constantly ruminating thoughts about April, the murder suspects, and the baby clogged up the narrative. I felt the author chose to make Hannah pregnant to add unnecessary drama (e.g. the high blood pressure scare and jeopardizing her baby's health while six months pregnant). It was tiring to constantly read about the baby kicking or Hannah feeling faint.
April was even worse. She was like a stereotypical popular mean girl from a high school movie. I hated how she treated everyone and how Hannah still worshipped her 10 years after her death, despite how cruel April was to her. I would've liked more backstory on April to understand her motivations better.
The other characters weren't likeable, or at least interesting, either.
I usually don't read thrillers, so the reveal at the end actually surprised me. (Ok, I did figure out the murderer toward the end, but not how it was done.) There were loose ends like the DNA not found in the murder scene that I would've liked to see resolved, though.
Hannah was irritating yet bland. Her constantly ruminating thoughts about April, the murder suspects, and the baby clogged up the narrative. I felt the author chose to make Hannah pregnant to add unnecessary drama (e.g. the high blood pressure scare and jeopardizing her baby's health while six months pregnant). It was tiring to constantly read about the baby kicking or Hannah feeling faint.
April was even worse. She was like a stereotypical popular mean girl from a high school movie. I hated how she treated everyone and how Hannah still worshipped her 10 years after her death, despite how cruel April was to her. I would've liked more backstory on April to understand her motivations better.
The other characters weren't likeable, or at least interesting, either.
I usually don't read thrillers, so the reveal at the end actually surprised me. (Ok, I did figure out the murderer toward the end, but not how it was done.) There were loose ends like the DNA not found in the murder scene that I would've liked to see resolved, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Pregnancy
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship