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A review by pandasbookshelf
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
5.0
The IT Girl | Ruth Ware
Pub Date: 12/07/22
Genre: Psychological thriller, mystery, dark academia
Rating: 4.5 stars
The It Girl is the latest standalone by bestselling author, Ruth Ware.
This book is building up to be one of the most anticipated reads of 2022, and I can see why. The It Girl is an excellent, twist-filled psychological page-turner. I read this one from cover to cover in an afternoon. I think this one is her best yet.
The story uses familiar mystery tropes but gives it something fresh and different. Set in the gothic and historical Oxford University, the author really captures the excitement and adventure of being a young person setting out on their college journey, the whole world ahead of them. Told in alternating past and present timelines, we see current day Hannah who is trying hard to put the past behind her and focus on her pregnancy. A decade earlier based on Hannah’s testimony, a man was convicted of the murder of her best friend, a man who denies it right to his death in prison. When the past won’t stay past, Hannah realizes she will have to uncover the truth of what really happened that night and face the fact that maybe she got it wrong.
Hannah is a frustrating character at times, but you feel invested in her search for answers. The book is not overly fast-paced and at times I felt like some could have been cut as I just wanted to get to the end to know what happened. It was enough to keep me hooked but there was a lot of back story and getting to know the characters. The final third of the book was the best part, so push through, you won’t be disappointed. The ending was a shock, I didn’t guess that at all. No cliffhangers, it all wrapped up nicely.
Overall, this was an excellent, whodunit mystery with surprises, misdirection and more. This one didn’t disappoint. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.
Pub Date: 12/07/22
Genre: Psychological thriller, mystery, dark academia
Rating: 4.5 stars
The It Girl is the latest standalone by bestselling author, Ruth Ware.
This book is building up to be one of the most anticipated reads of 2022, and I can see why. The It Girl is an excellent, twist-filled psychological page-turner. I read this one from cover to cover in an afternoon. I think this one is her best yet.
The story uses familiar mystery tropes but gives it something fresh and different. Set in the gothic and historical Oxford University, the author really captures the excitement and adventure of being a young person setting out on their college journey, the whole world ahead of them. Told in alternating past and present timelines, we see current day Hannah who is trying hard to put the past behind her and focus on her pregnancy. A decade earlier based on Hannah’s testimony, a man was convicted of the murder of her best friend, a man who denies it right to his death in prison. When the past won’t stay past, Hannah realizes she will have to uncover the truth of what really happened that night and face the fact that maybe she got it wrong.
Hannah is a frustrating character at times, but you feel invested in her search for answers. The book is not overly fast-paced and at times I felt like some could have been cut as I just wanted to get to the end to know what happened. It was enough to keep me hooked but there was a lot of back story and getting to know the characters. The final third of the book was the best part, so push through, you won’t be disappointed. The ending was a shock, I didn’t guess that at all. No cliffhangers, it all wrapped up nicely.
Overall, this was an excellent, whodunit mystery with surprises, misdirection and more. This one didn’t disappoint. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.