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hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
ANYWAYSSS
It’s entirely possible that I just don’t like Ruth Ware’s writing. This book’s friend group sucked ass (not a moral in sight betwixt them) and not one of them had any reasonable consequences for their actions. I don’t understand the heavily understated obsession with practical jokes or why no one just mollywopped April one good time. There were a lot of red herrings but the ultimate twist was boring and unsurprising.
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Stalking and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, and Alcohol
anne_reader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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: Death and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
dizpig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying and Gaslighting
growintogardens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Medical content, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, and Sexual content
theotheleo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Medical content, and Stalking
danajoy's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, and Stalking
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: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
- 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.
Also, can we just talk about how Hannah barely prioritized her child's health this entire book.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Grief, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
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