The It Girl by Ruth Ware
A readable Oxford whodunit with solid tension, let down slightly by a thin victim and big twist.
The short version
- Fans of Agatha Christie style whodunits set in the present day
- Readers who enjoy dark academia and Oxford settings
- Book clubs looking for themes of guilt, friendship and memory
- You want constant life or death suspense
- Dual timelines tend to slow a story down for you
- You want a twist that feels fully earned by what came before
What owners like
- Very readable prose that keeps the pages turning
- Alternating past and present chapters that build tension well
- A believable cast where almost anyone could be the killer
- Thoughtful look at trauma, guilt and how memory shifts over time
Common complaints
- April, the title character, is the least developed person in the book
- The final twist can feel too large for the rest of the story
- Some readers guessed part of the solution early
- A side character feels like a distraction from the main plot
- Less tense and less memorable than some of Ware's earlier thrillers
Based on A Paste Magazine review, a Publishers Weekly review, two book blog reviews (Fictionophile and Debbish) and the author's own book page.
Research scores
Scored from the maker's specs and what owners report. Drew's own notes and photos will refine these.
Ownership
Drew's hands-on notes for this product are on the way. Long-term updates will be added to this timeline.
What it does
A psychological thriller about a woman who, ten years after finding her Oxford roommate murdered, learns the man convicted of the crime may have been innocent.
- Split between Hannah's first year at Oxford and her life in Edinburgh ten years later
- Centers on the murder of April Clarke-Cliveden, Hannah's glamorous roommate
- A journalist's new evidence casts doubt on the porter convicted of the killing
- Any of Hannah's old university friends could be the real killer
- Explores guilt, memory, class and loyalty among a tight friend group
- The author's site offers a free bonus scene from another character's view
A good pick for readers who like character driven whodunits with a closed circle of suspects and a campus setting. Critics praise how readable it is and how the two timelines build tension, but some found the victim thinly drawn and the final twist too big for the story, so it may not stay with you long after the last page.
How it compares
Specs
- Author
- Ruth Ware
- US publisher
- Scout Press (Simon & Schuster)
- UK publisher
- Harvill Secker
- Published
- July 2022
- Pages
- 432 (hardcover)
- ISBN
- 1982155264 (9781982155261)
- Formats
- Hardcover, paperback, ebook and audiobook
- Genre
- Psychological thriller, murder mystery, dark academia
Questions
What is The It Girl by Ruth Ware about?
Hannah, now pregnant and living in Edinburgh, learns that the man convicted of killing her Oxford roommate April may be innocent, which means the killer could be one of her old friends.
How long is The It Girl?
The US hardcover runs 432 pages.
Is The It Girl part of a series?
No. It is a standalone novel.
Where is The It Girl set?
At a fictional Oxford college in the past timeline and in Edinburgh ten years later.
Sources
- Ruth Ware: The It Girl
- Publishers Weekly: The It Girl
- Paste Magazine: The It Girl review
- Fictionophile: The It Girl by Ruth Ware
- Debbish: Book review, The It Girl by Ruth Ware
Researched 2026-10-02. We bought this product; our page is built from the maker's details and what owners report across reviews and forums. We never copy Amazon customer reviews.