The It Girl

The It Girl is a psychological crime thriller by best-selling British author Ruth Ware. Partially set at Oxford University, The It Girl is Ware’s first novel featuring the dark academia aesthetic. The book became an instant bestseller upon its 2022 release.

This guide refers to the 2022 eBook version published by Scout Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.

Content Warning: Sections of The It Girl describe assault and murder. This guide briefly summarizes these violent passages.

Plot Summary

The narrative follows protagonist Hannah Jones/de Chastaigne, alternating between her present life in Edinburgh, Scotland, and her life 10 years earlier at Oxford University in Oxford, England. Hannah discovers her best friend, April Cloutts-Cliveden, strangled in their shared suite. A decade later, Hannah’s identity is defined by this trauma, the subsequent trial, and the onslaught of press and true crime fanatics who try to contact her. Hannah is motivated by guilt to uncover the truth about April’s murder when a reporter, Geraint Williams, questions the evidence surrounding the case. Although John Neville, the man falsely convicted of killing April, could have been released early by confessing to the crime, he dies incarcerated while maintaining his innocence.