The IT Girl by Ruth Ware – a Review

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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.

Review:

The IT Girl by Ruth Ware is another one of her terrific psychological thrillers.  We meet Hannah Jones, our heroine, at the start when she arrives at Oxford, where she is introduced to her roommate, April; who comes from a very wealthy family.  Where Hannah is quiet and smart, April is the complete opposite; being the leader, vivacious, flamboyant, as well at times being spoiled; and not everyone likes her constant cruel pranks. In a short time, a group is formed of friends, who will remain with them until they graduate.  Will (April’s boyfriend, whom Hannah has a secret crush), Ryan, Emily and Hugh.  The POV’s switch between the past and the present.

Hannah has complained about one the of college porters, John Neville, who seems to be stalking her, and she begins to fear him.  April convinces her friends to attend the last show of the theater group performance, which April stars in.  She runs to her room to change clothes, and when Hannah notices she hasn’t returned, she and Hugh go to her room to check on her; and they find her dead.  When coming up the stairs, Hannah notices from a distance that John Neville had left their room; her previous complaints, and other evidence send Neville to prison for April’s murder. 

In the present, 10 years later, Hannah, who is now married to Will and pregnant, gets a call from her mom, and learns that John Neville died in prison. She starts getting calls from reporters, especially one, who insists that Neville may have been the wrong man convicted for the crime.  Hannah decides she must investigate on her own, if she erroneously helped send the wrong man to prison.  Hannah and Will have a happy marriage, especially with a baby on the way; but despite Will’s pressure to not pursue the case, Hannah goes out of her way to question everything.  She reconnects with her friends, to dig deeper and begins to be concerned that one of them could be a murderer.  To tell too much more would be spoilers, which would ruin the book for you. 

The IT Girl was a fantastic psychological thriller, that was intriguing, captivating and gripping story.   There was so much going on that kept me glued to my kindle, with many surprises and suspects.  The IT Girl was so very well written by Ruth Ware.  If you love thrillers, you should be reading this book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher