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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: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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: Death, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
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: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Dementia, and Sexual harassment
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: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
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, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
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: Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use and Blood
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: Violence and Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Eating disorder
kaylasbookgram's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This story is about Hannah & April who meet as roommates freshmen year at college and instantly become best friends. When Hannah arrives home to find April murdered her whole world shattered into pieces. Years later the convicted murderer dies in prison but Hannah is left with some unsettling feelings especially after a reporter reaches out convinced that the killer may still be out there and Neville was wrongly convicted.
Thoughts: I was pulled in by this academic thriller. It was a bit of a slow build and drawn out in a few spots. I was shocked when the “official killer” came to light because my thoughts were all pointing to someone else so I enjoyed the surprise and suspense of that. The characters are all relatively likable, although Hannah was a bit annoying with her obsession with April, especially as it came out that April wasn’t the greatest friend or person at times. All in all this was a good thriller that I’m giving 4 stars.
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
uranaishi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Kidnapping and Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, and Death of parent