The It Girl by Ruth Ware
If you’re here in search for spooky thriller this autumn, look no further. Ruth Ware’s The It Girl is the perfect blend of Harry Potter and Gossip Girl creating an eerie, cinematic, murder mystery that will keep you hooked.
Hannah, the protagonist, experiences a dramatic shift in lifestyles almost immediately after leaving home to attend Oxford University. This change is driven by her introduction and instant bond to her new roomate, April Clarke-Cliveden. April is your typical spoiled, glamorous, and chaotic teenage girl, she’s blunt bold and full of mischief. Yet beneath her arrogant exterior, April grows a sister-like bond with her new roommate, Hannah.
Another key figure in the book is Will — Hannah’s future husband and Aprils ex — which creates a significant amount of drama and tension between the three (Gossip Girl anyone?). The novel alternates between “before” “after” narratives, contrasting Hannah’s adult life (marriage, pregnancy) with her year at Oxford. Through this structure, it is revealed that April was murdered on campus. Even a decade later, Hannah still questions whether the convicted man was truly guilty.
This dual-timeline format creates a strong contrast as Hannah investigates the past in one chapter, and you experience it firsthand in the next. During the present day chapters, Hannah works her way through the suspect list while battling a rough pregnancy, with sickness and sleepless nights. She eventually ends up accusing all of her friends, and even the father to her child. This sequence of events adds suspense to the novel, as new information was fed to Hannah by the real killer. I genuinely really enjoyed reading this book. It pulled me in every time and I couldn’t go 10-15 pages without wanting more. The novel really immerses you into the drama making you feel like a part of the friend group. Additionally, it was very satisfying how Ware’s writing style matured as the chapters switched from past to present, showing how Hannah has matured as well, with a more juvenile perspective towards the earlier years of the story. At the beginning of the timeline, Hannah’s relationships are fairly surface level. However, as the story progresses, relationships-especially her’s with Will and April grow deeper with time.
My only critique is that the book sometimes gets stuff in unnecessary details that don’t add to the plot.
However if you’re in the mood for a spooky autumn mystery, Ruth Ware’s The It Girl will not disappoint, its twists and turns will leave you stunned.
Reviewed by Teen Volunteer, 10/21/25.