Ten years later Hannah is living a quiet life in Edinburgh when she hears that John Neville, the man convicted of murdering April, has died in prison. John Neville has always maintained his innocence and a journalist contacts Hannah with startling new evidence, causing Hannah to doubt what she saw on the night of the murder.
I've a couple of books by Ruth Ware on my TBR pile but for some reason they keep getting overlooked, however the fantastic reviews for The It Girl meant that I couldn't keep ignoring this author. Thankfully The It Girl didn't disappoint, this was a fantastic read. An engrossing story that has you hooked from page one, characters that you are fully invested in and a whodunnit that keeps you pondering.
The story is set in two time periods. We have the "Before" which covers the arrival at Oxford and the year leading up to April's murder and then we have "After" which is set in present day, ten years on from the murder. For the vast majority of the story the chapters alternate between the two time periods and this works really well to keep the reader engaged. The glimpses of university life, interspersed with the investigation that Hannah pursues keeps you hooked, desperate to know what happens next in both aspects of the story.
Hannah is a likeable character. From a state school, she feels like an imposter at Oxford University. The imposter syndrome is compounded when she discovers that many of the people she meets on her first day are from public schools and seem to know each other. Thanks to April she forms a small group of friends, Will, Ryan, Hugh and Emily. Hannah is always in awe of these friends, who seem to have their lives sorted out, particularly April.
The Hannah that we meet ten years later is still likeable but she is very different. Having dropped out of university following the murder Hannah has done everything possible to avoid being associated with the notorious case. Relocating to Scotland, changing her appearance and refusing to engage with journalists, her life seems to be settled until she hears about the death of John Neville. At the time of the murder Hannah was certain about what she had witnessed but questions now begin to arise and Hannah has doubts, doubts that send her on a quest to find out what really happened.
April is a strange character. Initially extremely engaging. Cool, glamorous, the life and soul of the party and the centre of the small group of friends. April takes Hannah under her wing and shows her she deserves to be at Oxford. The more we get to know April though we realise that she has another side to her. Spoilt, controlling and manipulative. Even with these traits it is still difficult to dislike April when you consider that she is only eighteen and living life as a student.
As you become engrossed in the lives of the group of friends it seems as if the murder is an open and shut case, all the evidence points to porter John Neville being responsible. As evidence is uncovered you do begin to suspect others but keep coming back to John Neville because of what Hannah witnessed. Ruth Ware keeps the reader on tenterhooks, including some terrifying moments, right until the big reveal.
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