Book Review: ‘The It Girl: A Novel’ By Ruth Ware

Review by Lauryn Angel

Ruth Ware has been called the modern Agatha Christie, and it’s definitely an apt comparison. I know I devour her books with the same enthusiasm with which I tore through the Agatha Christie books in the local library when I was in sixth grade. And much like Christie’s novels, not every Ware novel is riveting, but The It Girl certainly kept my attention, as I ripped through it in one day.

The It Girl is a dual-timeline novel centered around the murder of April Clarke-Cliveden – the “it girl” of the title — in her Oxford dorm room in 2012. Her roommate, Hannah Jones, provided testimony that led to the conviction of John Neville, who was a porter at the University. Ten years later, Hannah has put the events behind her until she receives news that Neville has just died in prison. New evidence suggests that Neville was actually innocent of any wrongdoing, putting Hannah in emotional turmoil when she should be resting up for the imminent birth of her first child with her husband Peter – who just happened to be April’s boyfriend when they were in college.

Unfortunately, Hannah doesn’t remember much from when she found the body – shock erased the details of that night, so, with the help of a journalist who is putting together a podcast about the murder, she sets out to uncover the truth of what really happened that night. The story unfolds in “Then” and “Now” chapters, mostly from Hannah’s point of view. The “before” chapters begin with Hannah’s arrival at Oxford and her relationship with the ultra-rich, gorgeous April and their tight group of friends, while the “Now” chapters deal with Hannah’s present investigation, in which she reconnects with those friends in order to find out the truth.

The action is steady, and the book is well-paced. Hannah is a mostly likeable character – some of the things the younger Hannah does are a little cringey, but understandable due to her age and situation. The character of April is alluring, and it’s easy to see why she was able to wrap so many people around her fingers, even as her manipulative ways are on full display. Ware is skilled at both plot and character development, and the alternating between “then” and “now” heightens the tension with each page-turn until the end reveal.