The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the “claustrophobic spine-tingler” (People) One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.

Book Type:

Psychological Thriller

Review: The It Girl

Ten years after finding her roommate murdered, Hannah Jones begins to doubt what happened that night, and the role she played in sending a potentially innocent man to prison—in Ruth Ware’s latest, THE IT GIRL.

April Clarke-Cliveden was the first friend Hannah made as a student at Oxford. Beautiful, vivacious, and captivating – April was the “it” girl on campus. Together with Emily, Ryan, Hugh and Will, Hannah and April were inseparable friends… until Hannah discovered April dead in their apartment.

Ten years later—expecting and now married to Will—Hannah struggles to move on. Worse yet, when the man convicted of killing April dies in prison, she’s approached by a true-crime podcaster who proffers evidence which points to a different culprit.

Hannah spirals into the past, determined to re-examine everything—and everyone—surrounding the mystery of April’s death. Trouble is, the more she digs, the more she realizes those closest to her have been hiding secrets that change everything.

Ware once again crafts a meticulous narrative that immerses you into the mystery. Alternating past and present chapters allow us to get to know (and doubt) each character at play, which from my perspective is the novel’s big draw. It didn’t feel as tense or high stakes as other books I’ve loved by Ruth Ware, it’s more of a steady, character-driven ‘whodunit’ avid thriller readers will nonetheless enjoy.

Compulsively readable and perfect for poolside binging.

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