barbara fister reviewed The It Girl by Ruth Ware
Review of 'The It Girl' on 'LibraryThing'
A small town girl, Hannah, is delighted to be accepted to Oxford, where she feels like a fish out of water but soon makes a cluster of good friends, including her best friend, a glamorous and rich roommate - who is murdered. A creepy porter who seemed to be stalking Hannah is found guilty, largely based on Hannah's eyewitness account of seeing him leave her lodgings at the time of the crime. Years later, Hannah has been traumatized by the publicity around the murder, is expecting a child when she learns the guilty man has died in prison, still protesting his innocence. Was her testimony flawed? If so, who could have committed the murder? returnreturnThis novel didn't work for me. While it's pleasant to spend some time at Oxford, the drama among a cluster of friends, it all felt artificial to me, and the drama of pointing the finger at various old friends got old. The denouement seemed manipulative - which may be a feature of thrillers, but I found myself rolling my eyes. returnreturnEvidently mine is a minority opinion, but I was disappointed and glad when I finished the book.