Welcome to Litsy!

“She has always felt safest surrounded by books.“

10 years ago 6 people met on their 1st day at Oxford and became friends. By the end of their 1st year, one of the girls was murdered and a school porter was convicted on her roommate's evidence. The roommate, Hannah, is now pregnant and married to the dead girl's boyfriend when she hears that the man convicted had died in prison. He had maintained his innocence and tried many appeals through the years such that Hannah has wondered if she missed ⬇️

I loved the premise of this story: Hannah‘s roommate and friend is murdered in college. Years later the convicted killer dies in prison, but when new evidence comes to light, it causes Hannah to rethink if the right man was put behind bars. Sounds intriguing, but omg Hannah annoyed me. She had no spine and was not very bright. Overall I enjoyed the plot, but wished for a different main character.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm #mystery #suspense

Ruth Ware never lets me down. She writes varied but always compelling, well-paced crime novels and this is no exception. This novel has dual timelines, secrets, red herrings, and murder all woven together convincingly. I couldn‘t ask for much more than this at the moment.

Just finished this e-book on the Libby app. A satisfying mystery set in Oxford University for the murder and 10 years on in Edinburgh. I‘m pleased that I guessed the murderer. The characters were more likeable than other Ruth Ware books. 👍👍💚🐉

Very good!
Full of twists and red herrings. I did guess the killer halfway through, but not the motive or how they did it.
I enjoyed the settings as it was between Edinburgh and Oxford, which are two wonderful cities.
4⭐️

Such a page turner!! Great murder mystery!

This is the first book of Ware‘s that I‘ve not done on audio, and while I missed the unmistakable voice of Imogen Church, I still enjoyed this quite a lot. (It helped that it was set in the world of academia, at Oxford.).

Great book! Even though I guessed it towards the end I definitely had a bunch of ideas as to who done it while reading. The author did a fantastic job with that aspect. Good ended didn‘t leave me with a bunch of questions which is always a plus.

My husband is out for a few hours so the girls and I are having a truly wild night in - mac and cheese in the oven, a good thriller, and some laundry drying (and some of us are napping)

Memorable? Probably not. A decent thriller that keeps you turning the pages? Definitely. I really liked the setting of Oxford, the cast of characters and the way it went back and forth between before/after. I feel like the author did try a bit too hard to make one of the characters a red herring (which I 100% fell for so…😂) but without giving too much away it seemed like they had a personality change near the end of the book.

I'm already a huge fan of Ruth Ware, and this book reminded me exactly why. She pulls you and hooks you right off the bat. Next thing you know, you're done with the book and in shock, and the plot twist has blown you away🖤🖤🖤

#Authoramonth @Soubhiville #pop23 #girlinthetitle #52bookclub2023 #fashionablecharacter

A good not great mystery. Lots of red herrings, two of my favorite settings (Oxford & Edinburgh) but too much of a lackluster main character for me to be completely invested.

If the pace had been quicker in the first 1/2 - 3/4 of the book, this would have been a much more solid pick. It really picked up at the end and was, overall, an enjoyable read.
I don‘t have any other unread Ruth Ware books so this closes out #AuthorAMonth for April.

#BookSpinBingo #DoubleSpin #AuthorAMonth #ThingsInCommon

A soft pick. Maybe my expectations were too high (David Baldacci called Ware the Agatha Christie of our generation). Maybe I was reading too many books at the same time (4!). Maybe I wasn‘t in the right mood. I enjoyed some parts, but others were slow. It picked up the pace near the end & I was liking it better. However, I finished the book several days ago and as I write this review I realize I‘ve already forgotten who did it! 🙄 #authoramonth

I wasn‘t expecting to enjoy this as much as I am after reading mixed reviews on here but I‘m finding it hard to put down. #authoramonth

I read this one for #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

It started out well and was just meh by the end. I did not like the twist.

A soft pick completed for #AuthorAMonth. I enjoyed it more than another book by this author that I‘d read previously, so that‘s a plus. But I did think this one was too long and a bit repetitive.

First #AuthorAMonth book finished for this month. A difficult book to review. Very slow building during first 2/3 of the book telling the before and after the murder story. Then in final 1/3 became more pacier as secrets were revealed along with a good few twists along the way. Overall I really enjoyed this book and the story it told. @Soubhiville

3rd book finished for #AwesomeApril
4th book finished for #OMCEaster @Clwojick @LadyKatrina

This bordered on so-so for me. I felt it was super long and repetitive and I disliked Hannah for being so wishy-washy. A great whodunit by Ware but not the best. 17 hours of hearing the same paragraphs repeated was really not my cup of tea.

#authoramonth this was ok, but I found parts of it a little hard to believe. There were also places where the author said something that didn‘t fit and pulled me out of the book. On the whole though, it was entertaining and I did finish it, which is something. (I am a champion at DNFs)

I didn‘t expect to like this, judging by the mixed reviews for the author in general when Littens were chatting about #aam.

However, I really enjoyed it, and didn‘t guess the culprit. (I kept coming up with ideas and each time there was a twist, I though ‘ha!‘ but no….)

I think listening to it on audio helped, I don‘t think I‘d have enjoyed it so much in print as it felt quite long, but I did a lot of driving this week.

#authoramonth

Currently reading the IT Girl by Ruth Ware for #EasterOMC, #AwesomeApril and #AuthorAMonth. Currently about 10% in.

This is my favourite reading place for the #ReadingSetUp tag. Love reading by the sea and currently it‘s a beautifully sunny day on the remote south west coast of Scotland and only a few miles from Wigtown, Scotland‘s National Book Town.

@Clwojick @LadyKatrina @Soubhiville

This is too long 😐
Too long, the characters have no charm & I called it.
This is my first Ruth Ware so I don‘t know if I just chose poorly. A few things went on too long, time spent on things irrelevant to the plot… I wasn‘t shocked by any of the shocking twists. Modern day Agatha Christie this was not.

I am going to try a 2nd book of hers just to see if it was just this one that wasn‘t for me.
#authoramonth

I remember loving Ruth Ware in the past, but this one was sort of middling for me. It was an enjoyable listen for the most part, but it had a bunch of plot holes that annoyed me and kept bringing me out of the story. I‘m going to try one more of her‘s for #AuthorAMonth to see whether my tastes have changed or if this title was just a fluke… #EasterOMC @Soubhiville @Clwojick @LadyKatrina

I have to admit that I wasn‘t looking forward to April‘s #authoramonth but I ended up getting pretty absorbed by this book. Hannah‘s roommate at Oxford was murdered and now, years later, Hanna worries that she may have helped put the wrong man behind bars. As Hannah reexamines the past it seems as if anyone could be a suspect and I was definitely fooled a time or two.
#booked2023 #setintwotimeperiods

One of the comforting things about rereading your favorite books.
Reading The It Girl for #authoramonth.

I am not a Ruth Ware fan. So I borrowed this one from the library. It was a quick read. I didn‘t feel the need to bail, but I did figure out the whole story pretty early on. Which is probably why she doesn‘t do anything for me. Maybe I watch too much Dateline. lol But this wasn‘t the worst of her books that I have read.
#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

I listened to The It Girl, end of last month when my hold came in, and loved it. Just finished The Woman in Cabin 10 which I enjoyed, but not my favorite of hers.

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

I was going to wait and read this for April‘s #AuthorAMonth but I waited almost 5 months for this audio hold from the library so here goes.

A good whodunnit by Ruth Ware that takes on the past and present as the main character Hannah tries to move on from the death of her roommate April 10 years prior. Although not hard to figure out it was still an entertaining read and I find that Ware never disappoints!

So, I know I said I was going to read the Ann Patchett next but…

#itsabouttime

Definitely kept me entertained while post-partum meal prepping and doing my long walks into work! I kept guessing as Ware kept the plot twisting with everyone seeming plausibly culpable at some point.
Being 36 weeks now I definitely related to some of the pregnancy woes and highs and I found it added something extra- although at times certain aspects seemed a little stretched (tho each pregnancy is different 🤷🏽‍♀️).

Book 27

The It Girl is a very engaging listen. Hannah is instrumental in convicting the man charged with the murder of her college roommate, though he claims he's innocent. Ten years later she sets out to determine the truth. The pace is quick; the characters are diverse. It's a little repetitive and her ability to overlook major character flaws was grating, but it's surprising and enjoyable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was my first time reading Ruth Ware, and I‘m interested in how her other books compare. I definitely enjoyed this one. I thought I had it figured out but then didn‘t. A fun thriller set on a college campus with interesting characters. I recommend if you‘re looking for a good thriller!

More book review videos are up! This week I'm discussing my favorite graphic novels and thrillers that I read in 2022! Please give them a watch if you have the time! 😄 📚

YA video: Best graphic novels/manga of 2022!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGehLm-Yvx8&t=2s

Adult video: Best Thrillers of 2022!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSO-8Sh-lAg&t=1s

I‘ve read a few by this author, they have been a hit or miss for me. I enjoyed her latest book, a mystery set in Oxford University about a decade-old murder. It had me guessing (twice I got it wrong); overall a decent book to escape into.

Well this marks my last #BOTM book for the year & the shelf slayer challenge! I liked Ware‘s latest- her foray into a murderous university experiment is well-plotted, but the characters & setting all feel rather familiar. The pacing, though consistent, is a bit drawn out. But the two timelines work well & Hannah‘s pregnancy really adds to the tension. I enjoyed it but it‘s not my favorite of Ware‘s novels. Looking forward to what‘s next from her!

Really enjoyed this book. It was a little bit of a slow burn for me through most of it but I did appreciate that by the end. Ruth aware is hit or miss for me and this is definitely one of my favs of hers. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Is this Ruth Ware‘s best yet? Because, 25 weeks??

This one had me coming up with new theories all the way to the end. Enjoyed the twists and turns and how it jumped between past and present to put the pieces together.

I enjoyed the academic mystery that takes place at a college in Oxford and I liked how the story alternated between “Before” and “After”, but the protagonist got on my nerves, at least during the majority of the book. I kind of wanted to yell at her to get her act together and report the creepy porter activity. There was so much avoidance on her part. I like my heroines a little more badass, but overall, I enjoyed the read and author.

This wasn‘t her best, but it wasn‘t bad… I really had mixed emotional through it the whole time whether I really liked it or really didn‘t.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Love the mystery, dark academia vibes and such a great October read! #RuthWare #TheITGirl

I've enjoyed several of Ruth Wares previous books but this one was a big "meh" for me. It lacked the "creep" factor of her other stories and I found it to be predictable.

Finished this one last night and really enjoyed it! It started out a little slow, but once I got into it, it really picked up speed and I had to finish it up to find out who the murderer was. This was my first Ruth Ware, and I definitely be checking out her other books.🎃🔪📖 #scarathlon #teamslaughter @Clwojick

1. Apple crumble
2. Pumpkin spice coffee
3. Home cooking (turkey, lasagna, stew etc)
4. Apple picking, walking through leaves
5. Spooky, fall relayed
6. Scarves
7. Thanksgiving - turkey is yummy. My Anniversary and Birthday are also in October. A good month!

Thanks for the tag @KateReadsYA . @DinoMom , @DebbieGrillo - wanna play?

A intriguing story/book. Not my least favourite nor my favourite.

3.75/5

Read for:

#LiterallyDeadBookClub2022 September pick
#TheNerdDaily2022ReadingChallenge

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5