The It Girl, A Review

Everyone wanted her life. Someone wanted her dead.

The Woman in Cabin 10 Review. The Death of Mrs Westaway Review. The Turn of the Key Review. One by One Review.

The It Girl follows Hannah, a woman whose life was forever changed when her college roommate April was found murdered in their shared dorm. Hannah was the one who found April and also the one who testified against John Neville, ensuring he went down for life. Neville was a porter at Pelham College and had a bizzare history of stalking Hannah, she then saw him leave her building just before April’s death, strengthening her case.

Now ten years later Hannah lives a quieter life with husband Will (who was April’s boyfriend in college), with a stress free job and baby on the way. After being approached by a journalist however Hannah is pushed to reconsider the evidence she gave and whether she put an innocent man in prison. Neville seemed like the perfect suspect at the time but he has repeatedly declared his innocence, denying himself parole. As hard as it is for her Hannah must go back over her college days and get to the truth whatever the cost because if Neville didn’t kill April then one of her closest friends could just be the real killer.

This was another solid Ruth Ware mystery and it’s definitely high up in my rankings for her. April’s murder and the wrongful conviction of John Neville made for an interesting premise and I liked how Hannah had to start questioning her own friends to get to the truth, this was definitely a very close-knit group and one of them was hiding a big secret. I loved the dual timelines and how Hannah’s investigation ran parallel to us getting to know the characters for the first time, meaning we could also build up theories as the story went on. This was a really engaging mystery and the character group make for great suspects.

April was such a fantastic character and her ‘It Girl’ allure mixed with her slightly crueler nature made her feel like a very real and recognisable character. I think everybody has been friends with an April at some point in their lives and they perfectly toe that line between best friend and worst enemy. Characters like this are always really interesting murder victims because despite their ‘beloved popularity’ there’s also always a surprisingly long list of people who’d want to see them dead. April’s constant practical jokes and flippant nature definitely set her up to be a target and there wasn’t a single character who didn’t even the tiniest of motives.

Pelham College was a brilliant setting and I loved the academic vibes and visuals, I’m always a sucker for a good school based murder (eg. If We Were Villains, Ace of Spades). Hannah’s time at the college made for an enjoyable read and it definitely reminded me of my own uni days. The before chapters where we got to see the friendship build between the group were obviously a great insight for the murder but I also loved just seeing the group be at college, exploring the halls, going out to parties and all growing closer as friends. The academic mystery genre is forever growing more and more popular and I’m really happy Ware decided to give it her own spin, it was the perfect combo.

Overall this was another great Ruth Ware mystery and I loved the academic setting, Pelham College made for the perfect mystery location. April’s murder made for a really compelling read and I loved the dual timelines throughout. Yet another stellar read by Ware, I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.