One by One takes place in a secluded chalet in the French Alps. The creators of a popular app have travelled there for a work retreat and are excited to get some work and play done in a beautiful setting. Things seem to be going fine until one of the members doesn’t return after a day of skiing. And unfortunately for the rest of the crew, the bad luck is just beginning.

Ruth Ware has done it again and delivered another thriller that keeps you reading. I really loved the setting of this one and enjoyed the diversity of characters. I also loved the alternating POVs and felt it was done well. This definitely helped contribute to the story’s suspenseful atmosphere! This was a quick and enjoyable read and gets 4.5 stars!

BEST BOOK REVIEWS: One By One by Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware has been described by David Baldacci as “the Agatha Christie of our generation.”

And this story definitely gave me an And Then There Were None vibe… Which is a vibe I always welcome in great suspense books!

Let’s take it “one by one”…
• A luxury chalet resort
• All expenses paid weekend
• In the French Alps
• Financial windfall opportunity of a lifetime
• Sounds too good to be true.? And it is... As the guests start disappearing one by one…

The suspense ramps up as the temperatures fall and the snowy environment serves as a killer as well.

I am always a little in awe of people who have a high tolerance for super-cold environments. Whether attempting to climb Mount Everest (“death zone” means death zone in my book!) or navigating the treacherous ski slopes in this story, I turn the pages quickly as the characters take me on a journey that thankfully I can take from my warm & cozy reading nook!

Be prepared! There is one ski adventure in this book you will not want to miss… Absolutely thrilling!

One By One is a wonderful “stress reduction” solution that will keep you on the edge of your seat without tipping over into keeping you from sleeping at night… Great for letting some "stress steam" out of the pot!

It is the perfect “Goldilocks” choice if you want psychological thriller books that are “just right”!

What is my biggest takeaway from this book?
Thrill factor… Just right…

It's thrilling. It's a great escape. Read it.… ✨😎✨

One By One by Ruth Ware
2020 New Book Releases | September
Suspense Books | Psychological Thriller Books | Thriller Books

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books & DIY Home Ideas | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com ... Including my video tutorials for DIY home ideas inspired by recommended books to support you in bringing your favorite books to life in your life and home.

You can see my full review & additional features for One By One by Ruth Ware at https://www.thisismyeverybody.com/books/best-book-reviews-one-by-one-ruth-ware


✨😎✨A big thank you to Ruth Ware, Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

Another winner from Ruth Ware. Like her other excellent thrillers, the first half of the book is devoted to setting up the scenario and detailed character development. Then once the first person goes missing it is breakneck speed to the conclusion. Wonderful characters and unexpected twists make for a great read. Highly recommended.

I have never been the most enthusiastic Ruth Ware reader, but after liking The Death of Mrs. Westaway and absolutely loving The Turn of the Key, I was excited to read her newest release.

Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me at all.

One by One is a mix of And Then We Were None by Agatha Christie, and The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. A group of people who work for a super popular app, Snoop, come to stay at a fancy French ski resort to debate whether or not to sell their company. While they're there an enormous avalanche traps them in their chalet, and members of their group begin dying one by one.

I think the two biggest issues of this book were the pacing and the perspectives. The pacing was honestly just really slow. Hardly anything happened until 80% of the way through, and then everything resolved itself suuuper quickly, and the Big Bad is brought down so easily it was honestly unsatisfying.

I also don't get why we were only reading from Liz and Erin's perspectives. There were SO many other characters in this book. Why couldn't we have had Topher's, Tiger's, or Danny's perspectives? Literally any of them would've been more interesting than Liz or Erin. Their two perspectives also sounded EXACTLY the same. I could never remember whose head I was in. The only tell was that Liz didn't use contractions-she'd say did not instead of didn't. That was literally the only difference between the two perspectives.

I also found myself confused by the geography of the ski resort. We were told about all of these other chalets, cafes, and other places, but I couldn't understand where any of them were in relation to each other on the mountain. I read the earc of this book-maybe there's a map in the finished copy? That would've been really helpful.

Overall, I thought this was pretty disappointing. For a book about murder,there was a lot of the characters sitting around and talking about what should be done. There was hardly any suspense or actual mystery.

*Thanks very much to the publisher for providing my copy of the book via Netgalley!*

I loved this book! The setting was perfect. The identity of the killer was pretty obvious but didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

Another good book by Ruth Ware!!! A group of 10 people go on a work/ski retreat. Upon their arrival, it is discovered that some of the people are wanting to sell the company that will make people very rich. During their first ski run, one female cannot not be found and it is feared that she has died. Then an avalanche and several more deaths occur. Great book!!

Though this isn't my favorite of Ware's books, I definitely enjoyed her latest! It is, as the title suggests, something of an homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (but to be perfectly honest, I had a hard time taking the book seriously at times because it started to remind me more of the film version of Clue... some of the lines of dialogue seemed to be pointedly nodding at the movie, plus the way the whole group dashes from one room to the next). Perhaps in part because I was reminded more of a comedy than a true thriller, I never really found myself concerned by the fates of any of the characters really - even when they started to drop one by one...

The book alternates between two perspectives which does keep the pacing quick, but also takes out a certain element of real surprise to the plot. None of the turns were as shocking as I had hoped for. Plus, the ending dragged out a bit too long. I just expected a bit more from Ware - though I still had a lot of fun reading this and I am still looking forward to seeing what she will write next. And if I know anyone heading on a skiing trip, I will definitely be recommending it!

Ruth Ware KNOWS how to paint a visual. This reader knows only little about skiing/snowboarding but the author succinctly described everything the reader needed to know to understand the complexity and danger the cast in this book faced. She has a way with a pen that I'd describe as an artists' paintbrush.
She made the reader feel as though we know these characters personally. Great development.
4 stars only because I felt the middle lagged a little. Her ending made it worth continuing.
Looking forward to more from Ruth Ware!

-Received an Advanced Readers Copy
Thank you to Scout Press & Ruth Ware for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was a nonstop ride. The characters were well-developed. The story propelled itself, and I never wanted to put it down. Ware is a masterful thriller writer and this one was no exception!

Ruth Ware is one of my go-to authors when I’m in the mood for a suspenseful thriller and she did not disappoint with her latest novel, One By One. The story is set in France in a rustic mountain ski chalet and follows a group of employees who are there for a company retreat. Tragedy strikes when weather conditions unexpectedly deteriorate while this group is out skiing and one of their company’s founders goes missing. Conditions continue to deteriorate and an avalanche hits, burying the ski chalet, turning what was a picture perfect setting into a potentially deadly one, especially when one by one, they start turning up dead. It’s the ultimate locked-room mystery as the killer has to be one of them since they’re trapped in the chalet and cut off from the rest of the world.

I do have to admit that One By One started off a little slow for me in spite of the promise of an exciting suspenseful read. I got a little bogged down as the employees arrived at the chalet and we get an in-depth rundown of their company, which is called Snoop, and is the latest and greatest in music-based social media apps. It’s designed to allow members to “spy” on what music other members are listening to. The premise is that if Beyonce, for example, is on Snoop, you can snoop what she’s listening to and listen to the same thing at the same time. That’s the basic description but the book goes into a lot more detail that I felt wasn’t really necessary. Once that was out of the way, thankfully the story picks up very quickly.

The dynamics between the group of employees, and even one former employee who was invited fascinated me. One of the reasons they were having this retreat was to discuss an offer of a buyout they had received. It’s a buyout that could make them all very rich, but it becomes clear immediately that there are factions within the group. Some want the buyout, while others are adamantly against it. I was busy watching these characters as the story progressed, trying to figure out who had the most motive to start offing their colleagues and trying to figure out what the motivation was anyway. Was it the money? Or was it something more personal since, after all, there’s a former employee with them who may have an ax to grind?

Like an avalanche itself, One By One builds momentum quickly and becomes filled with tension and suspense as the story shifts into a full-on survival story. Ware had me on the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out who the killer might be. Several times I thought I had it figured out, only to have my suspect end up being the next one to die. And then of course, there’s the missing company founder. Is she dead? If so, was it really an accident or is it somehow tied to the murders?

I don’t want to give anything away, so I’m going to stop now, but if you enjoy suspenseful thrillers, locked-door mysteries, and survival stories, give Ruth Ware’s One By One a try.

One by One by Ruth Ware is a locked room mystery with this locked room being a Swiss chalet after an avalanche. Two of the folks are employees of the chalet while the others are guests, all on a company retreat, all but one employees; the final one being an ex-employee and shareholder. Suddenly one of the company gets lost skiing. Someone spotted her on a dangerous run and then, the nerd of the tech group gets a GPS signal, indicating that she has fallen over the side of a drop off. Several more murders occur as well as well-meaning errors and accidental injuries.

I didn't find this story compelling. I found it to be full of whining and paranoia, although in this situation I guess paranoia is called for. The characters are well-written and interesting, but could be deeper. Despite the fact that it starts off with them kind of running together, Ware quickly sorts them out and gives the reader plenty of ways to identify them as they story progresses. Because of the nature of the story, there is much more introspection and conversation that action. All in all, I didn't love it. It was not one of Ware's best.

I was invited to read a free ARC of One by One by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #onebyone

One by One is about a group of people who run the company Snoop who go to the French Alps for a work discussion and skiing. When one of their cofounders goes missing and an avalanche strikes and one by one different characters are found dead. Who is the murderer?! ⁣
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I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews for One by One so I was a bit worried to read this one, but I actually enjoyed it. ⁣
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In the beginning it was a bit slow for me, however I’ve been in more of a tv mood than a reading mood this past week. With that said, toward the end it really picked up and I wanted to find out what really was happening. ⁣
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I guessed who I thought the murderer was multiple times, but toward the end it was a bit more predictable. I liked the setting of the French Alps, as I am so ready for cooler temperatures. The different chapters of different characters and the way the story was told reminded me of The Guest List in a different setting and I enjoyed the guest list. There were many characters though, so at times it was hard to remember who was who.⁣
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Overall, it was a pretty good winter thriller, just be prepared for multiple characters and some fairly big personalities.⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⁣
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Thank you @netgalley for an ARC for my honest review!⁣
#bookstagram #books #bookcommunity #wintervibes #thriller #netgalley #onebyone

Ruth Ware does it again! She is an auto-buy, auto-read author for me, so I was grateful to get her newest novel. One by One. First, I think Ware does a wonderful job at setting the scene for any of her novels; she has such a way of describing both the physical details of a setting, but also how the setting impacts the feeling and mood of the story.

Next, while this book had a wide cast of characters, I think Ware did an excellent job at making each character unique and whole - without confusing the reader or making it difficult to follow.

In terms of the actual murders and mysteries, I was intrigued and definitely playing "guess who" while reading. It wasn't as heart-racing or creepy as some of her other books - but I still loved it and was so invested in what happened (and, specifically, in Erin!).

As I said, Ruth Ware did it again! I great, quick read - with some scary moments, a great climax, and unique characters!

I thought this was a decent book, but not Ware's best. It's a "locked room" mystery, where a company does a retreat to a chalet in the French Alps and gets trapped there due to an avalanche, then people start dying. The POVs primarily go back and forth between Liz, one of the people on the retreat, and Erin, who is their host at the chalet.

I struggled with a couple things in this book- one is that there were a lot of characters and I didn't think I really got to know any of them- perhaps Erin more than others, but overall the character development was lacking for me, and it was hard to keep all of their jobs and relationships with each other straight. Likewise, I wanted to know more about Snoop's history- why was the buy-out being considered and how had they gotten to the current situation they were in? I also thought that the book went into a little too much detail around the specifics of skiing, especially towards the end- I am not a skiier so that felt boring rather than exhilarating to me.

There was some mystery in figuring out the killer, which I enjoyed. I didn't guess it because I thought that person was a clear red herring and was both surprised and mad at myself that I didn't see them as a viable option.

Overall, decent book in terms of the mystery and the pacing of reading, but just hard for me to get engaged with the characters or the backstory. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again Ruth Ware lured me in with an intriguing premise: a group snowed in at an isolated ski chalet. But this one fell apart even more quickly than her other novels. The plot dragged from the start and I began losing interest before the first death occurred. As with some of Ware's other novels there were too many red herrings. There were also useless storylines thrown in that have nothing to do with the overall plot and serve no purpose. And then a bunch of exposition is dumped at the end in an attempt to tie the whole thing together. This book wanted to be And Then There Were None, but it lacked the pacing, character development and frankly the mystery because it was obvious who the killer was from the beginning. I would say that Ruth Ware has tricked me for the last time, but I'd be lying. When does her next book come out???

Ruth Ware has written a number of thrillers by now but this is the first that I have read. I can definitely see why her books are popular.

It is impossible, in my opinion, to read this novel without being reminded of Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None. This is an update for our current time. It is filled with the au courant from the from the opening page which features the About Us page from the Snoop company website. Characters are brought to a location from which they cannot leave and people begin to die. This vintage trope is well handled by Ms. Ware.

Fans of locked room mysteries, give this one a look!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

This was my third (and now favorite) Ruth Ware mystery/thriller and I can't wait to read her other works. Ware does a fantastic job in writing atmosphere, and the cold and isolation of the ski chalet really worked in this story.

Although most readers will quickly determine the culprit in the story, the entertainment value is not lessened and it's another solid read from Ware. She is becoming a must-read author for me.

I struggled with this one. I had a hard time caring about or connecting with any of the characters. The plotting was okay, but the ending was anticlimactic. The biggest twist came early on and wasn't that much of a twist. I did enjoy the ski lodge in the Alps location. The author's decision to flip between characters and, each time, refer to them by their Snoop user name, playlist, etc. got a bit old and overdone. It was a bit too predictable for my preference in this genre. Overall, this one was a miss for me.

I’ve read so many mysteries that you’d think I could learn no more, but until I read the previews of this book, I had no idea of what a “locked door mystery” was. Its just what it says, the mystery takes place in a secluded place with a finite number of participates. This one taking place in a French Alps chalet during a blizzard with no way to get in or out limits the number of suspects. A tech company that has developed a wildly popular music app has come to spend a secluded week while they discuss what the future holds as they seek to issue an IPO. Two different ways forward have developed and each of the ideas has strong supporters and opponents. Being told from two different viewpoints, only heightens the widening of the cracks that start to appear. Ruth Ware up to the task of keeping readers confused up to the end in a very believable story.

One by One by Ruth Ware is a highly recommended psychological thriller set at a snow-covered retreat.

The social media company Snoop is holding a corporate retreat for nine, shareholders and team members, at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet in the French Alps. The weather is looking ominous and it looks like they will be snowed in, but there is a full-service chef, Danny, and housekeeper, Erin, on site so they will be taken care of even if skiing is not an option. Erin and Danny can tell immediately that the atmosphere is tense. The company is being offered a major buyout. Co-founders of Snoop, Topher and Eva, are on opposites sides. Other shareholders fall into both sides of the decision. The deciding vote will be from Liz. She no longer works there but has a small share of the stocks. The night they arrive, Eva ups the ante and adds an unplanned presentation to the agenda, pushing for the buyout.

The next day skiing is only possible in the morning, so everyone hits the slopes. When they return, one person is missing and the storm intensifies. Then an avalanche damages the building and leaves the group cut off from the outside world. It becomes clear that help is not going to arrive soon and the group must wait for help as the members dwindle one by one. This is a riveting, updated version of And Then There Were None.

Chapters alternate between the different points-of-view of Erin and Liz. As the housekeeper/server, Erin is able to observe and listen to the guests. She has some insight into what is going on and how the others are all reacting to it. Liz is a very socially awkward person who no longer works there, but has 2 shares of the company and will be the deciding vote to sell or not. The other guests are quite frankly a group of insufferable, wealthy, entitled bores who are taking sides and planning their next moves. Their characters are slowly developed while the action unfolds. This is a classic tension filled waiting game where first one guest disappears and then another dies and then. You'll be following it closely for clues and hints on who will be next and who is responsible.

The writing is great in this adaptation and I felt the tension increasing incrementally with each chapter and each new revelation or suspicion. Ware does a wonderful job setting up the plot and guiding us through the mystery. There is a whole roomful of characters, but you can get them sorted out along the way. The plot moved along quickly once the set up was over and I was glued to the pages from start to finish. There were a few missteps, but nothing major that will detract from your enjoyment of the narrative.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Gallery/Scout Press.
The review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.