I am amazed at the number of 5 stars given to this book! It was soooo boring and I didn’t care about any of the characters. They weren’t fleshed out at all- also pages and pages of trivial detail and explanations of how the App worked. I honestly don’t know how I made it to 20% without quitting. I didn’t care who killed anyone or why and I truly felt they all should have died. I have really enjoyed her previous books so this disaster was a major disappointment. Thanks ti NetGalley for allowing me an early arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ruth Ware is a must-read author for me, so I was really looking forward to this release. Sadly, this one was a bit more predictable than I expected and I agree with others who were able to identify the killer pretty early on. The first 50-75% of the novel was a little slow for me, but I flew through the end where the action ramped up. Ultimately, it fell a little bit flat for me but was still an enjoyable read, and I think most Ruth Ware fans would still enjoy picking it up!

This wasn't my favorite book from Ruth Ware but it was enjoyable nonetheless. It was a tad bit predictable but I still flew through it. If you are a Ruth Ware fan I recommend this book for sure!

Ruth Ware is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! Loved this one! It was Clue meets the Shining meets Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Definitely had that old fashioned who-done-it feel. Nine people who work/own an app company come to a ski chalet for a business retreat. It doesn't take long to realize that there is an agenda to decide to future of the app and that not everyone is on the same page. As people begin dying one by one and the weather is proving to make everything even worse, the two chalet employees must decide how to get them all out of this mess in one piece.

Thank you so much to Gallery Books for the gifted copy ❄️ This book was hands down one of my most anticipated releases of the year because anytime Ruth Ware comes out with a new book, you already know I need it in my life.
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Although I loved the page-turning aspect of the ending, my main issue with this book was that it was fairly predictable right from the beginning. I knew pretty much as soon as I was introduced to the character that they were going to be the killer, which took away the mystery of it for me personally. Another issue I had was that I thought the build up was slowwww + it was hard for me to push through at times. I think, sadly, this book just wasn’t for me, but I can’t wait to see what Ruth Ware writes in the future! If you are a fan of Agatha Christie or the book The Guest List, this is the book for you 🙌🏼⁣

Maybe I expected too much from this book after hearing great praise for Ruth Ware, but I could not connect with the characters and found the story really boring. Once again, I don't get all the hype. It was really disappointing but sometimes it just is that way.

When the team from hot tech startup Snoop shows up at the luxury ski resort in the French Alps, the snow is already falling. Not every corporate retreat can take place in such an indulgent location, but when you’re Snoop, and you’re trying to decide between a huge buyout to another tech company or to start another round of funding and keep going at it independently, then you need a place where you can work hard and play hard. And what’s better for that than spending half the day in meetings at the luxury chalet and the other half skiing in the Alps?

Erin and Danny are not impressed by yet another group of young, rich, entitled guests. But Erin’s job to smile and welcome them all, take their bags to their rooms, manage the details of the retreat, and keep everyone happy while Danny cooks the gourmet meals for them. Erin isn’t even all that impressed when Danny explains to her what Snoop is—a music app where you can “listen in on”—or, snoop on—your favorite celebrity’s or influencer’s music in real time. So you can listen to what Jay-Z is listening to right now, or what your best friend is listening to, or some stranger whose musical taste you like. It’s a way to feel close to someone through songs. Erin is skeptical but downloads the app anyway and creates an account.

The group from Snoop seem friendly enough at first. The co-founders Eva and Topher, their assistants, a nerd to do the coding, a social media maven, a lawyer, an accountant, and a free spirited meditation and yoga teacher have clearly all been together for a while. And then there is Liz. Standing apart from the rest of the team, she is not dressed as well, not as confident. She’s one of them, but not one of them, and Erin can definitely tell that there is a story there. But Liz isn’t talking.

For Snoop’s first full day at the resort, they had meetings planned for all morning and then an afternoon of skiing. But Erin points out that the amount of snow that they’d gotten means that they should ski in the morning. More snow was on the way, and there was a good chance that the runs would get shut down later in the day, when it got too dangerous and the risk of avalanche went up. They agree and all hit the slopes, planning to be back for lunch.

Only, Eva never returns.

Erin decides to go to the lift pass office, to check when Eva last used her lift pass, to try to figure out where she is. She doesn’t get very far when the avalanche hits. Most of the chalet is okay, but Danny squeezes out the door to go after Erin. He is able to bring her back to the chalet, but she is injured. And she hadn’t had a chance to talk to anyone, to tell someone that Eva is missing. The only one with cell phone reception is one of the Snoopers, and his is intermittent and sketchy. He finally manages to reach the gendarmes, but he doesn’t know how much information got through.

And then they find Elliot, coder extraordinaire, murdered in his room.

Erin and Danny take the lead in trying to keep people calm and figure out what happened, but the more time they all spend locked together, the more the danger ratchets up. Who will survive until they are rescued?

Ruth Ware’s latest novel, One by One, is a locked-room mystery in the vein of the genius Dame Agatha Christie. Trapped together in the beautiful French Alps, this collection of people have to figure out who the killer is and what their motive is in time to save the rest of the group. This is a masterfully plotted whodunit of the highest order, and it kept me on the edge of my seat until I got to the end.

I absolutely loved this novel, from the power of nature in the setting to the characters to the underlying issues at Snoop. Told in alternating chapters from the perspective of Erin and Liz, two women who are both insiders and outsiders in their own way, One by One offers a glimpse into affluence and opulence, into entitlement and ego, into long-buried secrets and hard-won survival.

If you’re a fan of thrillers, of mysteries, of the iconic Ruth Ware, or just of basic human endurance under extreme conditions, then pick up a copy of One by One. But be careful when you start reading. It’s exceptionally hard to walk away until you get to the end. Be sure to set aside lots of time to get lost in the snow and the desperation of this gripping story.

Egalleys for One by One were provided by Gallery Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I didn't love this title the way I enjoyed other Ware novels, notably the Death of Mrs. Westaway. The twist was telegraphed early, and the ending was anticlimactic. Still, the book was well-plotted, with interesting if unlikable characters. A quick read with a cool setting.

So, I LOVE the premise for this one. I love the setting, I love the mystery, I love the characters and their development. This book was just a little too predictable for me, I guessed way early on that Liz was the killer- but I did enjoy reading her POV throughout.
This book was a bit confusing at the beginning, there were just too many characters for me to keep them all straight and I kept having to turn a few pages back to reread who so and so was, wasn’t a big fan of that. Also, I suppose since i’m not a skier and don’t know what a piste is, or what the colors mean for the different hills, that part of this book was really difficult to follow and understand what exactly was happening.
The whole “Snoop” username, following count and what they’re currently listening to at the top of each chapter/POV was interesting, and I kept waiting for that to be explained at the end, but it never really was. You understood why it was up there to an extent, when Erin found Elliot’s phone and discovered what he knew before he was poisoned, but I kept waiting for it to be this huge unveiling that never really came. Was a bit disappointed about it.
I really enjoy Ruth Ware and her writing, and this one definitely did hold my attention and overall the book was gripping and exciting to read- just a tad too predictable with no real twists that I enjoyed. I’d recommend it to those who perhaps haven’t read any of Ruth Ware’s previous books or are new to the thriller genre and are looking for a fast read, not one they have to think too hard about.

Thank you so much Netgalley for providing me with my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars

Ruth Ware always does a great job of setting up suspenseful stories in creepy settings. For this book, a group of coworkers are staying at a resort in the Alps when an avalanche hits, trapping everyone inside. The isolated setting becomes even more terrifying when they slowly begin dying one by one.

This one started out with a lot of promise, and I enjoyed it, especially at the beginning. I thought the setting was great, and it felt a bit like an Agatha Christie novel trying to figure out who the killer was. With the avalanche in the mountains, the remote resort is cut off from the outside world-- no electricity, no WIFI, no way to easily go and get help. It really made me terrified just thinking about being so secluded and alone with a killer on the loose! Superb setup for a spooky murder mystery.

I did grow restless and frustrated though as the book neared the end. We find out who the killer is quite a bit before the book ends. So once that is out in the open, there really doesn't seem like much story is left to tell as the identity of the killer has been the driving point of the plot thus far. There were at least eight chapters at the end of the book that felt unnecessary. I kept finishing a chapter and thinking that I had finished the book. Only to turn the page and find another chapter! When will it end? The book is 384 pages long, and I think it was just a bit too long. It could have been shorter and more succinct especially as everything is wrapped up at the end, and that would have kept my attention better.

So I had some frustrations with the ending, but I did really enjoy the story and especially the setting!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Ruth Ware’s latest, “One by One,” left me cold, and not just because the setting is a ski lodge high in the frigid, snowy Alps. Ware, known for her new takes on Agatha Christie-type plots, here Introduces the executive team and key employees of a British online music startup called Snoop, which lets users listen in real time to what others are playing. They’re off on a work retreat in which a bombshell announcement about the company’s future is planned. Conflict over the new direction , however, is soon overshadowed by an avalanche — and by a string of deaths.

But Ware makes a stylistic choice that is both frustrating and endlessly repetitive. Swapping back and forth between narrators, she identifies each — every single time — by his or her Snoop user name, playlist, yada yada. It’s a roadblock to the book’s flow, especially as the tension builds, which it does eventually. Beyond that, almost every character in “One by One” is so annoying that a reader could almost be forgiven for wishing they would all fall of the side of the mountain.

The fast-paced, sometimes terrifying conclusion, plus a neat epilogue, goes a long way toward redeeming “One by One.” But this is a disappointment from the author of last year’s solid “The Turn of the Key” and other, better mysteries.

ARC provided from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

I shouldn't be allowed to review Ms Ware-.LOL-.Just saying-because I FREAKING LOVE and I mean LOVE everything she writes and I can't find a negative thing to say about any of her books- especially this one!

Ms Ware- you are one clever wicked lady. Seriously. This is a total different side of you! And it's freaking amazing.

A huge appeal for me and why Ms Ware is one of my favorite authors is that with Ms Ware's books, for me at least, there was always a bit of the dramatic/Gothic vibes going on. With endings that aren't always quite endings and heroines/narrators that don't always quite toe the line.

With One by One,the Gothic sense is gone-replaced with a twisty modern vibe.The rest is there though and the isolated setting really amped things up.I could swear I saw my own breath more than once on an exhale. Ms Ware's skills are that freaking good.

I did figure just about everything out but that's okay!

I inhaled this book in just over a day; it has non-stop twists and turns and a cast of characters who will keep you guessing. The setting plays a major role in this story - Ware's ability to paint a clear picture of the cold and snowy French Alps will have you shivering despite the fact that it's still summer! This is a fast paced and entertaining thriller that will satisfy anyone's need for an escape.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance e-copy!

I was torn about this one. Ruth Ware sets the plot immediately. 4 are people dead after a “snowpocalypse”. The employees of Snoop, an app created to “snoop” on what people are listening to online, go on a work retreat. It’s clear from the start these co workers have issues. It’s hard to keep track of all of them. When you learn more about them you realize they’re all pretty selfish and untrustworthy. Some of them care more about money and business dealings than their friends DYING. But then again I didn’t care really what happened to any of them either. We felt the characters weren’t really developed enough to care about or connect to. All they seemed to do was argue (about work, who to blame, who’s going for help).

Majority of the story is told from two POVs. Liz, the timid outsider of the group who actually has super high stakes here. And Erin, the resort employee. We liked Erin’s POV better- it was an outside look into the group dynamics that reminded us of scenes from Below Deck. The crew silently judging (and bitching) about the guests while serving with a smile. She had the most interesting background story and also some good observations from the get-go (hint hint). Tensions build in both perspectives as one by one, people turn up dead and one of them has to be a killer (duh they’re all trapped inside)! This gave off some “And Then There Were None” vibes but with more predictability.

I really like this concept we just wish we liked these characters more. There were some good tension building and oh no moments. This one is just a lesson in characters really shape a story for me...oh and always go on tropical retreats instead. It’s still worth a read though if you’re fans of Ware or inescapable suspense thrillers. Thank you Net Galley and Gallery Books for our ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

They keep comparing Ruth Ware to Agatha Christie, so I keep reading her books and keep getting a bit disappointed. I will say One by One is definitely better than the other two I’ve read, and I enjoyed it for the most part.

The setting in One by One is perfect. The group is at a ski chalet but there’s an avalanche that isolates them from the rest of the world. The electricity is out, there’s not cell phone service, and the door has buckled with the weight of the snow. And one of them is dead after having taken a dangerous trail down the mountain just as everything was being shut down. And then another person dies, pretty clearly a murder this time. I love the claustrophobic feel of the whole situation and the pressure of not knowing who the killer is, just knowing you’re stuck in the house with one.

There are a lot of characters in the book and most of them are introduced quickly and all at the same time. It’s confusing at first. The group renting the chalet all work or have worked at Snoop, a kind of Spotify-ish app. The group is there for some relaxation and also to discuss a potential buyout that would be worth a lot of money to some, but not all, of them. There are also the chalet hostess and chef who both live in the building, in the employees' area. Eventually, between the deaths, disappearances, and pages, the characters became clearer, but with so many, some were less developed than others.

Then there was the reveal, which wasn’t much of a surprise, but the tension following it was well-done. Overall, I enjoyed this one, although I’m kinda doubting at this point that Ware will ever be one of my favorite authors.

A group of eight British employees from the company, Snoop, are taking a working vacation at the ski resort of St. Antoine. Snoop allows subscribers to listen to music exactly at the same time celebrities are. The start-up nearly went broke some time ago until an employee, Liz, chipped in some inheritance money. Now the company is worth millions. The discussion during this get-together is whether to keep the company private or go public. Some are for and some are against.

Erin is the host and keeps the chalet clean and the guests supplied with their needs. Danny is the chef.

The day after their arrival, most of them decide to go skiing. Some are good skiers and others not so much. Liz is not at all confident and Erin steps in to help her. By the end of that day, one woman has not returned. And when a sudden avalanche hits knocking out power and internet, they know from her last GPS location that she had skied into a dangerous area. But when another employee ends up dead with his computer smashed, everyone knows there is a murderer amongst them. But who and why?

This book had me chewing my nails just like Liz. The tension builds and builds putting the reader on edge wondering what’s going to happen next. It’s cringe-worthy, nerve wracking, and very scary. Erin is an awesome character and I loved Danny. Wish I had him cooking in my kitchen. I have read two of Ruth Ware's other novels and was rather disappointed, but this one is a keeper. Do read it and I dare you to say it doesn’t scare you.

This was great. Definitely my favorite, by a long shot, of the Ruth Ware books I’ve read. The atmospheric (and isolated) alpine setting was terrific, and really evoked that old time locked-room mystery feeling for me.

I’m not the kind of reader who wants to puzzle it out immediately for the glory of being right/smartest/first to figure it out or whatever. I much prefer being taken on a proverbial ride and being entertained by each revelation. One By One definitely delivered on that promise, for me. The conclusion was even something of a suspense-filled nail biter that had me rigid in my seat; that almost never happens nowadays. Definitely will be recommending this at work to those patrons looking for a good suspenseful mystery. 👍

PS.: I don't want to give any spoilers, because this is the kind of book that can be spoiled VERY easily, but don't just look past the stats under the character names at the top of each chapter. There's a big clue there ;)

Also: a big thank you to Scout, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required. ✨

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: (6/10 stars)
One by One is the newest thriller by bestselling author Ruth Ware; it’s set to be released September 8th, 2020 by Scout Press. Ware is the author of hits The Turn of the Key, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, and In a Dark, Dark Wood. The tagline for her newest reads, “Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?”

PLOT RUNDOWN/BASICS: Sigh. This book is enough to make me rethink my strict “four-paragraph, uniquely-written summary” rule. Here we go:

St. Antoine, an exclusive French ski resort, is the destination for the incredibly successful social media company Snoop’s corporate getaway. The company’s two co-founders, accountant, software programmer, lawyer, social media specialist, app designer, and lawyer have trekked up to an incredibly remote chalet in the mountains for a set of meetings...and they’ve invited along the only other shareholder, former employee Liz, to their mysterious retreat.

The company’s employees - minus Liz, the ex - are all somewhat entitled brats...which soon becomes apparent to chalet employees Danny (the cook) and Erin (the cleaner/host). Why? Because they're worth many millions if a rumored buyout goes through - a buyout that not all of them are eager to consider, and which hinges on Liz's decision - and also because this is a book where they have to die off one-by-one (title alert!), so you can’t like them too much.

Soon enough (spoiler-but-not-really alert), they begin to die off (or mysteriously disappear), one by one. Stuff happens. Truths come out. People doubt literally everything they see, and every single person around them. Accusations are hurled. Snow is hurled, by the mountains themselves in the form of an avalanche. Power goes out, because why not? Also, they are stranded, so how can they call for help? (Spoiler-but-not-really alert: they can’t.)

Not everyone dies. We learn the truth, which is not a twist, but is also not the complex explanation you probably thought it was. There’s an ending. Lessons are learned, probably. (I DID finish the book, I promise.)

MY THOUGHTS: Gotta start this with a FULL DISCLOSURE: I have a sort of love/hate relationship with Ruth Ware. Or, at least, a like/dislike one...my feelings aren’t really a strong hate as much as they are a big “meh.”

You may have seen this mentioned in my previous posts, but...I’ve read three of her five previous novels (The Woman in Cabin 10, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, and In a Dark, Dark Wood). I read 100 pages of The Turn of the Key last summer - it came in two of my book subscription boxes, so I was surrounded by copies - and realized I couldn’t care less what happened, so I put it down and never picked it back up. I’ve tried to read The Lying Game on three(!!!) separate occasions, and cannot get more than 3 chapters in before I’m so bored I can’t keep going. And despite finishing The Woman in Cabin 10, the intro to the book was so poorly written that I was incredulous that people were raving about it; I only finished it because everyone insisted it was great, and I was a tad bit disgusted with myself afterward. (Please, if you haven’t read that one yet...don’t bother. Leave it on the discount table and walk away quickly. You are welcome.)

Having said that, I actually enjoyed The Death of Mrs. Westaway, and I appreciated the atmosphere and gloominess of In a Dark, Dark Wood - but I did see the endings coming super-early in both books. I finished those mainly to see if I was right, and because the characters (and the situations they found themselves in) were entertaining enough to keep me reading despite knowing what was likely coming.

So. One by One. This novel is vaguely similar to Shari Lapena’s An Unwanted Guest, which involves a remote cabin/chalet, a treacherous snowstorm/avalanche, and a murderer picking guests off one by one. (Get the title now? Ha ha.) People will compare it to Agatha Christie; please ignore them. I’ve read both books now, and neither of them are Christie-like, but they suffice for 2020 popular mystery/thriller books.

Did I see the ending coming? Yes - this is not a twisty novel, folks. If you think too deeply about it, you will likely be wrong. Use the KISS factor - Keep It Simple, Stupid (according to my past English teachers...? Hopefully this is universal?). If you’re like me, you’re reading more to see how the story unfolds, and who is murdered next, and why precisely you think they were the next victim. And while the motives aren’t completely crystal clear, and you can’t precisely predict each new move by the killer, you may genuinely not care. (Just me? No…?)

WHAT I LIKED: (If you’re incredibly perceptive, you’ll realize this section only pops up in less-than-stellar reviews. Because A) there’s usually always something good/enjoyable, B) not everyone has the same taste as me and some truly enjoy all of Ware’s novels, and C) it reminds me to try to be nice.)

On my scale of “DNF” to “It was okay” for Ware novels, I would firmly place One by One on the “It was okay” end of the scale. I enjoyed reading about the location, and I do always appreciate a good classic whodunit where people are murdered one by one (I keep doing this). I particularly enjoyed the character of Erin, and the switching of perspectives between her and Liz with every chapter was mostly seamless and served the story well.

Most of the characters are unlikable because they genuinely have to be in this kind of story, and with this kind of plot...but Danny was my personal favorite, and I would want to be his friend in real life. And kudos to Ware for giving us the amusing biographies of each of the Snoop employees at the beginning of the novel; because of this, the readers could keep up with the group from the very beginning, and we knew what we were in for with this clash of personalities with murderous personal conflicts, in a stranded place, and in dire circumstances.

Unlike The Woman in Cabin 10, I personally found this one worth finishing - despite the lack of an actual twist, and even when you can kinda sorta see what would happen ahead of time. I found Erin likable enough to want to know how her story ended, and while the motives and uncovered truths were lackluster (or vaguely unrealistic?) at best (IMHO), I enjoyed fitting the final pieces into the puzzle. But if you find yourself putting it down and considering not finishing it? I wouldn’t bat an eye, or blame you one bit...life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy. (And you can DM me if you just want to confirm the ending. I’ll tell you.)

Another gutsy murder mystery, a psychological thriller, that wrapped me in knots and had me constantly wondering, What Next!

After being introduced to the characters we head into the read via a release from the BBC news website, part of which includes,
"Now, reports are emerging that in one remote ski chalet, cut off by the avalanche, a “house of horror” situation was unfolding, leaving four Britons dead and two hospitalised."
I was pulled in immediately with a host of who's, what's and how's!
Reading on it seems that SNOOP personnel, a hip music APP company with a difference, had flown to a remote chalet at the ski resort of St Antoine in the French Alps for a week of skiing and heavy restructuring discussions, including the possible sale of the business.
They become trapped after an avalanche. One of their number, Eva, had been seen skiing the black piste run, La Sorcière. She's disappeared. Now another, Elliot, the tech designer is found dead. Someone amongst their number is a killer. I could feel the cold seeping into my bones with all power gone. My dread was heightened by the unknown.
The two chalet staff become embroiled in all that goes on. One of them, Erin is running from her own dark challenges. She takes on the 'haunted heroine' trope.
Does the Avalanche act as a catalyst for the killing or was it already planned? This 'empathetic environment' adds to the terror of the situation as people become victims.
I thought I knew who 'dunnit' early on, but when that mystery was finally revealed I was further caught up with the why's. What triggered the person behind the happenings?
Of course this reminded me of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Was None.' Instead of being trapped on an island our cast is trapped by an avalanche. A variation on the 'locked room' trope. We even have one of the trapped repeating the nursery rhyme line, "and then there were six."
The moving between the narrators Erin and Liz adds a further dimension to all that's happening. The storyline introduces a series of missteps and/or focused planning, by both the victims and the perpetrator that further adds to the tension as those situations unravel.
I felt just as trapped into the storyline as the characters.

A Gallery Books ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
I've been in a bit of a reading rut lately, but this fast-paced thriller was a fun, quick read. I enjoyed the setting at a ski chalet in the French Alps, but I'm not a skier, so I have no idea if the skiing references are accurate or not. I saw some of the twists in advance, but there was enough that I didn't see to keep myself entertained. Recommended for Ruth Ware fans and other thriller readers!