mal_reads_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Hannah was irritating yet bland. Her constantly ruminating thoughts about April, the murder suspects, and the baby clogged up the narrative. I felt the author chose to make Hannah pregnant to add unnecessary drama (e.g. the high blood pressure scare and jeopardizing her baby's health while six months pregnant). It was tiring to constantly read about the baby kicking or Hannah feeling faint.
April was even worse. She was like a stereotypical popular mean girl from a high school movie. I hated how she treated everyone and how Hannah still worshipped her 10 years after her death, despite how cruel April was to her. I would've liked more backstory on April to understand her motivations better.
The other characters weren't likeable, or at least interesting, either.
I usually don't read thrillers, so the reveal at the end actually surprised me. (Ok, I did figure out the murderer toward the end, but not how it was done.) There were loose ends like the DNA not found in the murder scene that I would've liked to see resolved, though.
Graphic: Pregnancy and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
madelinequinne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Really enjoyed this, kind of reminded me of if we were villains.
I would have NEVER guessed Hugh was April’s killer until those last few chapters, i was so sure it was going to be Will the whole time up until then, and I love a plot twist so automatically loved this book
Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
meeklovestoread's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I don't think I'll classify this as a thriller because there wasn't anything "thrilling" anything about it. No bread crumbs to leave you guessing. It really just centered on Hannah's guilt that she could've potentially put an innocent man away. Speaking of him, I know she wrote him as this creepy guy to establish why Hannah felt the way that she felt about him, but even as I was reading his scenes I couldn't help but feel creeped out with her. He was a very odd bloke and his actions towards her were unsettling. Although his actions were creepy, I did see a comment that stated that John Neville's behavior was consistent with someone on the spectrum. I don't want to stigmatize so this is just a theory, but as I was reading about him and his mannerism I couldn't help but think the same thing. I don't think he meant much harm to Hannah. He may just not have understood her discomfort ( just a theory). Also, that teacher is also disgusting. I know good and well he was sleeping with his students.
As for the portion of who did it, I honestly would've preferred if this specific character that they were pointing out for most of the book was the killer.
Spoiler
Although predictable I wish it would've been Will that was the killer. They were alluding to it for a good portion of the second half of the book and I honestly think it would've made more sense. It being Hugh wasn't predictable, but his reasoning did add much impact in my opinion. It just felt like a twist that can out of nowhere. And what was the point of her finding out about that window shortcut if it was;t going to be an important element later? I feel like that was a waste of a potential plot point.Also, can we just talk about how Hannah barely prioritized her child's health this entire book.
Spoiler
The fact that her baby survived all that stress feels extremely unrealistic even by book standards. I was honestly expecting her to lose it in the end and have Will be the killer.Graphic: Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Murder, Cursing, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Misogyny
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
2.25
“Don’t let yourself get caught up in what-ifs. That way madness lies.”
WARNING: it's unpopular opinion time again!!
I somehow tend to have a love-hate relationship with Ruth Ware's books. Some of her titles are on my list of favorites, while others fail to hit the mark completely instead... I tend to love her gothic thrillers most, so part of me was a bit hesitant to pick up The It Girl because I wasn't sure how I would react to it. Most people seemed to enjoy the story and I did like the sound of the blurb, so I still had hopes that I would enjoy it... But in the end it just wasn't ment to be. I think part of the issue was that the pace is considerably slow, and it took a LONG time for anything substantial to happen. Add the fact that I didn't like any of the characters, which is always an issue in a character-driven story, and I struggled considerably to find the motivation to keep reading. Sure, we have the mystery around April's death, but I honestly couldn't care less who did it and I personally thought she had it coming. Hannah was very frustrating as a character, both the past and present chapters. The It Girl is mostly a story of toxic friendships, characters not standing up for themselves, infidelity and a not exactly credible hunt for the truth in the present. By the time things got a little more tense near the end, I had already long given up on the story... And I didn't find the reveals exactly worth the wait either. In short, The It Girl was overlong, way too slow and had a disappointing cast of unlikeable and frustrating characters. This is probably one of my least favorite Ruth Ware stories to date... I do hope she will return to the gothic thrillers at some point, because otherwise I might just have to leave her books be in the future.
Graphic: Grief, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, Bullying, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Stalking, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Classism, Kidnapping, and Violence
doreyghc's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Drug use, Blood, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Gun violence
Minor: Vomit, Cancer, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders
kelseyr713's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, Murder, Child death, Infidelity, Stalking, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Drug use, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, and Sexual assault
kimveach's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Drug use, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
theonlybaillie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Stalking
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Murder, Rape, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Sexism, Vomit, Classism, and Emotional abuse
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Murder, Alcohol, Medical content, Grief, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Blood and Drug use
Minor: Death of parent
positive_juju's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Pregnancy and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Miscarriage, Drug abuse, Bullying, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Eating disorder