Hey book friends! Let’s talk about THE IT GIRL by Ruth Ware! This was another fun buddy-read and a brand-new author to me. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’ve never read a Ruth Ware book before! I may be a serious chicken when it comes to scary books but over the last few months, I’ve begun enjoying thrillers. I’m eager to read more of Ware’s expertly twisted tales!
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Let’s start with THE IT GIRL’s audiobook!
Imogen Church did a FANTASTIC job of narrating THE IT GIRL! I loved how each character was given a distinct voice. And April! Oh my gosh, you could hear the posh, rich, semi-snobbish qualities of April dripping off her voice. She even added a seriously creepy vibe to Neville’s character, making it easy to see him as the killer.
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If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend SCRIBD.
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What a thriller!
Hannah Jones is a brand new Pelham College student and, though she’s not supposed to have a roommate, she ends up with rich prankster, April Clarke-Cliveden. Despite their differences, she and April become besties. That is, until someone murders April.
Ten years later, Hannah is married to Will, another Pelham student and April’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re expecting their first child. Hannah’s working in a bookshop and trying her best to move past everything with April until she receives an email from a reporter who thinks John Neville – the man who went to prison for April’s murder – might have been innocent. Because it was Hannah’s eyewitness testimony that basically convicted Neville, she starts spiraling down the “what ifs”.
THE IT GIRL is told in dual timelines, which happens to be one of my favorites. The entire book bounces back and forth between the Before and the After.
This is my first Ruth Ware book and oh my gosh, I am already obsessed with her writing style! It starts out slow, laying the foundation for Hannah’s relationship with April, highlighting all of her not-so-funny pranks, and showing what Hannah has had to live with for ten years because of reporters and podcasters.
About two-thirds of the way into this book, it picks up. And really picks up. Ware doesn’t make you wonder throughout the book who the killer might be and then hand over the answer. No. She sends you down one trail, thinking it might be this person, only to backtrack with a new piece of info and send you down another trail! There were moments when I was sure I knew who the killer was and my only thoughts were “No, not that person!” and then I’d find out I was completely wrong!
I haven’t read a thriller that had my heart pounding quite the way THE IT GIRL did. I finished it at 10:30 at night with the lights on.
These are not flat characters!
Each of THE IT GIRL’s characters felt completely real to me. Obviously, Hannah and Will because you see them as parents-to-be, struggling with the aftermath of April’s murder. And then April – the It Girl and prankster … I wanted to like her because she’s Hannah’s bestie and it’s a raw deal that she died. But April wasn’t one of my favorites. I didn’t like her pranks – many of them were downright mean.
The supporting characters were great, as well. I think the audiobook really made Ryan’s character for me. I tried reading his dialogue in my Book of the Month copy but it wasn’t until I borrowed the audiobook on Scribd that he really came to life for me, accent and all.
John Neville, despite his role in April’s murder, creeped me out! Every interaction Hannah had with him sent chills down my spine.
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A Summary of THE IT GIRL
THE IT GIRL by Ruth Ware is the story of Hannah Jones and Will de Chastaigne, ten years after the death of their college friend, April Clarke-Cliveden. Hannah has spent a decade trying to survive the aftermath of April’s death and she and Will are now expecting their first child. But with the death of convicted murderer John Neville, Hannah is forced to reconsider whether she really believes it was Neville who killed April or if maybe, just maybe, she made a mistake.
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