The It Girl

Not your typical Ware book. I abandoned it halfway through.

Ware has become one of my favorite authors. Her thrillers keep me interested and I typically have a hard time putting them down. The same was true for The IT Girl. First, the novel is set within one of the colleges at Oxford. A fictional college but from what I can tell, she did her research. I personally love old architecture and old buildings and *especially* love old schools. Most novels set at Oxford just mention it and speak about collegiate life like they're at the local community college, they don't seem to actually have done much research about what it's like to be an Oxford student. This is where Ware is different. It's obvious she's researched, she refers to the terms correctly, speaks on the tutorials, etc. Even if I didn't know that these situations were accurate, they sound and feel way more on target than other novels with the same setting. For this alone, it is worth reading. Ware has written characters who are flawed but impossible not to love. We have Hannah, the narrator and best friend/roommate to our murdered girl. She and Will, her husband, are currently pregnant with their first child. Will was the boyfriend of the murdered girl back at Oxford, and they appear to have been old friends from childhood as well. Hugh, Will's BFF, is there, stressed as always about doing well in class to make his parents proud. Ryan, the lovable goofball friend, is repeatedly reminded (by circumstances) that he is not as privileged as his friends. When we meet Ryan as an adult he has sadly had some health issues. I can empathize because I also have had some serious health issues as an adult, it's a rough road, but Ryan's fun loving personality seems to have stayed intact and appears to be helping him and his family get through the rough times. Emily is a friend of Hannah's. She's part of the group reluctantly and doesn't appear to be charmed by our IT girl like everyone else. April is our IT girl. She's got wealth and with it power. She's also insanely gorgeous and smart too. She may not be top of her class like her bestie Hannah but she did get into Oxford after all. People accuse her of buying her way in, but both she and Hannah know that's not true. She is smart and hard working, typically working around the clock to get her work done on time. She is also the star of the theater department. People describe her stage presence as electrifying, noting that they couldn't take their eyes off of her when she was on stage and felt that the stage was empty when she was not. She's bossy but lovable, except when she is pulling her terrible pranks. The pranks are over the top and tend to emotionally scar people, even if only temporarily. One evening, after the final night of her play, Hannah finds her BFF dead in their room. A man named Neville gets blamed because he was spotted, by Hannah, coming from the stairwell to their set only minutes before April is found. This Neville character is a man who stalked Hannah while at school. He was a porter and was completely inappropriate in his behavior with the students. He makes Hannah feel uncomfortable with his comments about 'little girls' and keeps coming to her room, even breaking in at one point, to 'deliver a package' which isn't something he is supposed to do. {I wish men would stop feeling entitled to our spaces just because they've got some creepy need to do and take whatever they want.} At some point in the novel it's mentioned that he was harassing multiple students like Hannah. We find that he has died in prison claiming his innocence over a decade after the murder. {Irregardless of his guilt, he was inappropriate and should not have been employed in that position. I don't feel like a man should die in prison for this, BUT too often are behaviors like this swept under the rug and put on the victim. The victims are made to feel like they're 'being dramatic' when the blame really should lie with the adult man being inappropriate.} Hannah, having been harassed in the decade since the murder, is reluctant to speak to reporters. A friend of Ryan's, a reporter, reaches out to her around the time of Neville's death. He feels Neville is innocent and is trying to speak to everyone involved as research for a podcast. Hannah doesn't want to stir everything up but feels responsible for Neville being blamed as it was her witness testimony that sealed his fate. We go back and forth with Hannah, between the past (Before as Hannah refers to it, before her life changed) and the present (After). The juxtaposition of time works well in this situation because it makes the whole retelling more dramatic. It gives the reader time to contemplate the different possibilities of what happened. The twists and turns of this plot will keep you guessing and pointing the finger in different directions. I won't say much more for fear of spoiling not only the final twist but the whole experience.

Ruth Ware is a fantastic author, but this time, there were some things lacking. Overall, the story was gripping with its secrets, suspense, and unexpected turns. I got really absorbed in the main character’s world and was driven to find out the truth. Ware knows how to keep readers on edge. However, there were some parts where things got repetitive. It felt like I was going in circles, encountering the same stuff over and over again, which was a bit annoying. But, I have to say, the characters were well-developed and relatable. The setting descriptions were vivid, making the story even more enjoyable. Despite the repetition, I couldn’t help but stay hooked. The mystery kept me curious and wanting to know more. In the end, “It Girl” shows that Ruth Ware is a great author, though there were a few bumps in this book. If you’re into thrilling mysteries and can overlook some repeating parts, give “It Girl” a try.

I don't know how I feel about this book. I enjoyed it, but the writing was lacking. SHOW US, DON'T TELL US!!

SO very disappointing. Ruth Ware is one of those authors I keep reading but keeps leaving me disappointed. I think her first few books were good enough, but each consecutive one keeps doubling down on the problems in the last.

This particular one is paced unbelievably slowly. Nothing happens, the main character has no personality except thinking about her baby bump and having anxiety about her college friend's murder. Why are her protagonists always pregnant or toting a newborn? She uses the baby and new motherhood as a crutch to avoid having to give them a personality.

The twist was ultimately disappointing, not narratively satisfying. Pretty much any other motive or killer would've been more interesting. I was genuinely hoping that Will, emily, or the tutor would've been the killer because at least those would have told a worthwhile story.

Also - why is everyone (Hannah especially) so full of sympathy for John Neville. He was a genuine creep and predator and I can't stand how much of the ending was devoted to Hannah's guilt, and newspaper coverage about his 'innocence'.

If you want to read a good novel with the same general plot and concept, read the much better In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead. It's the same idea but actually satisfying.