The It Girl
The deliciously dark thriller from the global bestseller
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3.9 • 72 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
THE RICHARD & JUDY PICK
'Deliciously dark and utterly addictive — my favourite Ruth Ware yet’ LUCY FOLEY
Everyone wanted her life
Someone wanted her dead
It was Hannah who found April’s body ten years ago.
It was Hannah who didn’t question what she saw that day.
Did her testimony put an innocent man in prison?
She needs to know the truth.
Even if it means questioning her own friends.
Even if it means putting her own life at risk.
Because if the killer wasn’t a stranger, it's someone she knows . . .
PRAISE FOR THE IT GIRL:
'An absolute belter. Could not put it down! I thought I knew who the killer was. Then I was CERTAIN it was another person! Then DEFINITELY another! Great characterisation, glamorous setting, all round FABALISS!' MARIAN KEYES
'A cracking read – and that ending!' SHARI LAPENA
'Every Ruth Ware novel is a unique and unexpected gem and this one is no exception. A heady, tense, slowburn dream of a book, multi-layered and steeped in atmosphere and peril. I loved every page' LISA JEWELL
'Absolutely brilliant murder mystery - seamless, flawless, perfectly clued and utterly gripping' SOPHIE HANNAH
'Impeccably crafted and totally compulsive – you’ll be sad to reach the final page and realise you have to say goodbye' JP DELANEY
'Ruth Ware’s richly-textured The It Girl is at once an engrossing murder mystery while also a perfectly crafted and haunting examination of lost youth and the compromises of adulthood, as a woman unpicks the past secrets of her university friends to finally lay to rest her murdered best friend, the dazzling April. Reminiscent of The Secret History, Ware has surpassed herself with this gripping, absorbing whodunnit. I loved it! All hail the Queen' SARAH PINBOROUGH
'If you ever idly wish that Agatha Christie would write a new book, Ruth Ware has got you covered. The It Girl has all the clues, twists and red herrings you could wish for, in a thoroughly modern setting. An impeccably constructed mystery from start to finish' JANE CASEY
'It’s brilliant. Ruth is the master of the fiendishly twisty, yet completely believable, plot' ELLY GRIFFITHS
'Just finished The It Girl by Ruth Ware and now my life is divided in two: before and after. Before: cool, calm, chilled. After: What? No! OMG! A wild ride that’s deliciously twisting, with countless gasp-out-loud moments' JANICE HALLETT
'A new Ruth Ware is always a treat and The It Girl is one of her best. You can almost see her smiling as she feeds you the little morsels that should help you work everything out - if only you were as clever as Ruth! As sleek and chilling as a knife between the ribs' SARAH J. NAUGHTON
'Clever. Compelling and with a terrific sense of place. Ruth Ware’s The It Girl grips to the end' JANE SHEMILT
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In Ruth Ware’s engrossing psychological thriller, student Hannah Jones feels like an outsider when she first arrives at a prestigious Oxford college, until she’s befriended by her wealthy roommate, April. When April is shockingly murdered, Hannah’s testimony helps put the killer behind bars. A decade later, Hannah is living a quiet life, expecting her first baby. But when questions arise about the killer’s guilt, she can’t ignore her growing doubts about what really happened to her best friend—and things begin to unravel in ways that threaten her marriage, her friendships and even her life. The structure of The It Girl means the tension escalates as the chapters switch between ‘before’ and ‘after’ the murder. The skilful deployment of these dual timelines, adept plotting and nicely camouflaged misdirection make Ware an unmissable writer in this genre. This gripping story had our full attention from its shadowy opening to its punchy final act.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This exceptional psychological thriller from Ware (One by One) probes how much one can trust others—and one's self. Hannah Jones's Oxford University roommate, April Clarke-Cliveden, is everything Hannah isn't: wealthy, sophisticated, sexually adventurous, and occasionally cruel. The two become best friends despite their differences and the unspoken attraction between Hannah and April's boyfriend, Will. Moments after Hannah sees college porter John Neville leaving their residence building, she finds April strangled. Though Neville is later convicted of the murder, the crime, trial, and subsequent media furor upend Hannah's life. Ten years later, she's living in Edinburgh, married to Will, and pregnant. Days after Neville dies in prison, a journalist emails her with evidence that calls the porter's guilt into doubt. Fearing her testimony helped convict an innocent man, Hannah feels compelled to revisit the murder with the three Oxford friends that knew April best. The memories shared by mild-mannered doctor Hugh, mathematician Emily, and Ryan, who has suffered a stroke since their college years, call most of what she's believed about April and her death into question. Alternating past and present chapters build toward a gripping denouement as nicely chosen details bring each character vividly to life. This showcases Ware's gifts to the fullest.
