This is my 1st from Ruth Ware.

While its not the best book I've ever read i think it was very good.

The characters are thrown at you at the begining but im okay with that. As you continue its easier to tell who is who and what they are about.

I like that it goes back and forth between Liz, one of the guests and Erin, the chalet attendant.

Overall it was a good story and it held my attention. Especially the last blow out! Thanks #netgalley

3.5/5

I would first like to thank Gallery Books (a division of Simon & Schuster) for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed myself while reading this book... I just wanted to say that before you read through the rest of this review that picks apart a few key elements of this novel. 3.5/5 is a good rating... this book just was not anything extraordinary.

I went into this book with pretty high expectations. I loved that this was inspired by And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie; it had a large, and diverse, cast of characters; it dealt with employees for a music streaming app; and I recently read Ruth Ware's 2019 release: The Turn of the Key in the month of July, and it is a contender for one of my favorite books of the year.

Like The Turn of the Key, One by One has, within it's pages: incredibly realistic (and likable (for the most part)) characters, a quick-paced plot, and an atmospheric setting that makes you feel as though you are there watching everything go down before your own eyes. However, I felt that One by One just didn't go far enough.

I felt that while the characters were all very realistic, some of them struggled to stand on their own. Three of the women characters: Tiger, Miranda, and Ani, all seemed to share aspects that were very similar. The only way I could REALLY tell them apart was what seemed to be the ONLY aspect of their characters: Tiger was a yoga instructor-so she would constantly tell people to breathe and remain calm, Miranda was always with Rik, and Ani... well, read the book to find out the one thing that separates her from the other two. There wasn't enough characterization for me, as the reader, to differentiate these women as different characters, which was a huge bummer.

I also thought that the plot could have been executed better than it was. The first half of the book was interesting for many reasons, but there was nary a mystery/thriller element in sight. Not to mention, I wanted some REAL plot twists.

The plot twists in The Turn of the Key are what tipped the scale into a 5 star book for me. This book did not have ANY plot twists. Not to mention, I predicted the whodunnit element from the start of the book. I kept playing out varying scenarios in my head that I thought would have been cool "twists," and I was so disappointed when the killer was revealed. Even after the killer was unveiled, the book still had 100 pages or so, so I was hoping for ANOTHER element that would sucker punch me from out of nowhere, but to no avail.

There were so many opportunities for Ware to bring out a twist or two in those last 100 pages that would hit me like the avalanche that occurs in this book, but instead it was a light dusting.

Overall, this is your basic, run-of-the-mill mystery/thriller. I'm sure that you'll enjoy the story, but it won't be your new favorite.

***Also, I didn't really have a place to put this in the main section of the review, but I couldn't talk about this book without mentioning how much I love Danny as a character! From start to finish, he was so fun to read about. Every time he showed up in the novel, I loved him more and more. He, alone, is reason enough for you to give this book a shot.

I think this is one of my favorite Ruth Ware books! A mystery in the footsteps of Agatha Christie, locked in the most beautiful and dangerous Alpen setting..

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I have been a fan of Ruth Ware ever since reading her debut novel, In a Dark, Dark Wood. I've read all her books and this was a really good one.

One thing I love about Ruth Ware is that she knows how to write a good atmospheric thriller. Add in the locked-room mystery and I was all in. The cover of this book totally drew me in and a rustic mountain retreat sounds fantastic until things start going wrong...and let me tell you, things go south in a very sinister way!

This is a slow-burn type of mystery. I liked that it was a little slower in the beginning as all the characters are introduced, but then things are ramped up towards the end...and I could not read fast enough! While I did guess who was behind everything early on, I had no idea of the why and that to me was quite the interesting reveal and one I never would have guessed!

Even though I had guessed the guilty party early on, I was still suspicious of everyone...and I think Ruth Ware does that purposely. While I don't think you are supposed to be able to figure out who is behind everything so soon, as the numbers dwindle, you do look at everyone with a suspicious eye, wondering if they could be behind everything and I liked that I did second-guess myself a few times.

While there are a lot of the characters involved, I liked that they are all well-developed and unique. I had no problems keeping them separate and I loved that there were only two narrators, Liz and Erin. Both of these characters had such distinct personalities and I felt they were perfect for telling the story.

All in all, this is a really good thriller and one that does keep you flipping the pages. It's fast-paced, and the short chapters really help with that - it definitely gives you that one-more chapter mentality. And of course, the atmosphere just oozes off the pages. I love Ruth Ware's writing and I am glad I read this one and will definitely be counting down the days til her next book!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Ruth Ware for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller - 5 stars! When you read comparisons of Ruth Ware to Agatha Christie, they are dead on. This was such a good thriller with multiple suspects.

Snoop, an online music app, is having a company meeting at a remote chalet in the French Alps. There is talk of an investor buyout that would make some of the group very wealthy but the decision is split amongst them. Danny and Erin are the only employees of the chalet and are in charge of the group's week with them, from cooking and cleaning to keeping them happy. But when an avalanche hits and they are snowed in, things quickly take a bad turn and survival becomes questionable. And one by one, people are dying.

The remote setting and the winter weather put you in the perfect mood for this intriguing whodunit. Add an avalanche that takes away all communication and power and you are stranded with people you can't trust and the suspense really amps up. The story is told from alternating viewpoints of Erin, the chalet employee, and Liz, the outsider of the Snoop group. I loved how their Snoop account details prefaced each book - you'll understand the significance of that as you read. I think this is Ware's best book yet - loved it!

This was unfortunately not as thrilling as I had hoped it would be. I think it could have been much better because of the setting and then overall idea, but it fell short for me in a few places. The writing felt cheesy at times and the plot twist felt forced and unnecessary. There were too many characters for me to really know who they were and I just wasn’t invested in any of them. There was little action and I wasn’t in suspense because I felt certain I knew where the story was going.

Book Review ❄️
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Thank you @gallerybooks and Scout Press for my free copy via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I was totally engrossed with this story. I love the atmosphere that @ruthwarewriter creates in her books. It makes me feel like I’m there. I also love the cast of characters she presents where anyone can be a suspect and I’m constantly guessing what’s really happening.
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I guessed early on who the culprit was, which was a little disappointing. I always like it when I’m surprised by the whodunnit. However, I still enjoyed the story and had a hard time putting it down.
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Don’t go into this one expecting your typical thriller. I would say it’s more of a mystery read, over a thriller, but it was atmospheric and fast paced. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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One By One releases on 9/8!
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#bookreview #bookrecommendation #arc #ebook #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #igreads #bibliophile #netgalley #onebyone #ruthware #mystery #gallerybooks #bookcommunity #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC of this book #onebyone.

This book was okay. It was a quick read, in keeping with Ruth Ware's other titles. It was on par with "The Woman in Cabin 10" for me. Not my favorite of her books. It felt like an equation of "Clue" + "And Then There Were None" + Hipster Techies + Snow/Skiing.

Ruth Ware has often been favorably compared with Agatha Christie, and this comparison is particularly apt for Ware’s latest novel, One By One. As I read this novel, Christie’s And Then There Were None came to mind several times.
One By One is set in a remote chalet in the French Alps, where a group of hip young tech executives are on a working holiday. Topher and Eva are the feuding co-founders of Snoop, the hot app that allows people to, well, snoop on other users’ Spotify activity. They’ve brought their PA’s and the other shareholders to discuss the future of the company. The chalet has a minimal staff – Erin, the concierge, and Danny, the chef.
Tensions quickly arise as the Snoop party quickly ally themselves with either Topher or Eva on the matter of the company buyout. The only holdout is Liz, who seems to be an outlier in the group. When one of the party goes missing and the rest are trapped in the chalet by an avalanche, it quickly becomes clear that someone in the group is a murderer who is picking off the rest of the party. . . one by one.
The novel is a bit of a slow starter, with the narrative duties split between Erin and Liz, both of whom have secrets to share, making it hard to decide whether they are reliable narrators. Honestly, there were a couple of instances in the beginning where I had to flip to the beginning of the chapter, because I forgot whose POV I was reading.
Once the first character went missing, however, the book’s pace picked up, and I found myself more interested in figuring out whodunnit. And while I figured it out fairly quickly, I still enjoyed the thickening of the plot and the cat-and-mouse of the denouement. This is definitely not my favorite of Ware’s novels – that would probably be In A Dark, Dark Wood or The Turn of the Key – but I still enjoyed it a great deal. And in a time of pandemic, when I’ve been binging on thrillers, this book was exactly the escape I needed.

After a month hiatus from reading due to work, I'm happy to get back to reading. I started this novel back up after reading about 40% of it. This is my first Ruth Ware novel. I know there are mixed reviews of her more popular work (particularly "The Woman in Cabin 10") so I went in with no expectations.

Mystery has always been one of my favorite genres. I find myself gravitating towards the plot quickly and wanting to reach the end of the novel. I just didn't get that feeling with this book. It felt very predictable and the ending did not wow me to be honest. Both the plot and characters seemed underdeveloped. Most of the characters were extremely unlikeable and I did not find myself rooting for them. Overall, not a bad read, but wouldn't necessarily recommend as my first choice to others.

Enjoyable read with a very Agatha Christie feel. Still, it felt predictable to me and the ending was anti-climatic.

One by One.....smh...This was my most anticipated 2020 read and well.....darn!

I am a complete sucker for stories that take place somewhere in a snowy/wintry setting. So, when I found out that Ruth Ware wrote a “who done it” thriller, where an avalanche traps a team of coworkers inside a ski resort, I was all about it! Yes please!

Firstly, I’d like to point out that Ruth Ware is an automatic read for me. I’ve read all 5 of her previous books and for the most part, enjoyed all of them. One book got 4 stars. The other 4 books I gave 3 stars.
Her books are well written and enjoyable but they’re all just, okay thrillers. The same goes for One By One.

The storyline is nothing new...a group of friends (in the case, coworkers) and a “who dun it” mystery when they start to disappear one by one. I was not fond of any of the characters...there weren’t any crazy plot twists because it was so predictable. It was pretty stale, unfortunately. I really thought this one was going to be a banger, instead I’m just bummed about it.

Will I read Ware’s next book....probably. I’m just hoping it’ll be a solid one! Fingers crossed.

Thank You Netgalley for the arc.

"The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.

Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide.

When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit.

As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further...one by one."

Agatha Christie does corporate retreats!

This was a great read. It was incredibly engaging and I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the writing and the mystery throughout the first 80% of the book. One by One takes us through the days a company ski retreat ends up in four deaths. This alone intrigued me, as well as the cover.

I will say, even now, after having read the book the cover reminds me more of the ocean than of snow. However, it doesn't actually impact the story. In the beginning, I had a hard time keeping the characters straight. The two narrators, Erin and Liz, unfortunately did not really have their own distinct voices until the very end. I wish that there had been something to make them more different in the beginning. I kept forgetting who's part I was reading. I think that was partly due to the large amount of characters. I definitely was on the edge of my seat until about 85% in. Once we figured out who the murderer was, I don't think the book slowed down. There was still enough action and uncertainty to keep me very interested. However, once the action was resolved, I think that the ending could have been a little more succinct, but I do think it was a lovely book.

I really, really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more from this author!

I received One by One, by Ruth Ware, from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have read a few other books by Ruth Ware and liked them both, so I was excited to receive an advanced copy of this one. While this one was on an interesting topic and the setting was well described, the plot was somewhat predictable. In the end, I was not impressed. It was just an ok read for me.

When I read the description of this book, I couldn't wait to read it. I love a murder at a chalet.
However, this one didn't grab my attention the way Ruth Ware's books usually do.

Ruth Ware, I am so happy you wrote this book. I was literally at the edge of my seat reading. A few times I found myself holding my breath. The descriptions are so realistic I could almost feel the freezing cold air surrounding me as I read about the avalanche. I will recommend this to patrons of thrillers, Agatha Christie and anyone who just wants to read a good book! I would give it more than 5 stars if I could!

Ruth Ware gives readers a good diversionary read at a time when it's most welcome! One by One is a mystery, crime-thriller set in a resort in the French Alps where a tech company goes for a corporate retreat. What is meant to be a relaxing vacation and chance to reconnect with co-workers swiftly goes awry in the worst possible ways.

Bad weather is forecasted, so the team decides to take a morning ski run instead of following the original meetings first, ski in the afternoon plan. When they return to the resort, they discover a member of the team is missing. Heavy snow begins to fall, and an avalance hits the area, blocking off all access to the resort. Communication to the outside world is random at best and almost impossible. The team, along with resort staffers Danny (cook) and Erin (hostess), is now in survival mode.

There are several agendas at play among the team, and we quickly learn that no one is sure who can be trusted. When members of the group start dying, they realize there is a murderer among them. Can they identify the correct person and stop them before more are lost? Who will survive? When will help arrive?

I give this 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars. This is a fast-paced read which will keep readers engaged. Yes there are some questionable things, like why a resort would only have two staff members, but I was easily able to put them aside to enjoy the pure escapism of the read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I don't read that many thrillers, because I'm so easily irritated if I manage to work out the whodunit aspects too early. This was therefore...quite an irritating book, in the end. I'd say Ware is great at immersing the reader in her worlds and writing effortless prose that lets the reader glide along without really ever hitting a snag, which are major pluses and made the first half of this novel extremely enjoyable (and an extremely quick read). The second half, though--I kept expecting legitimate 'twists' to happen that would make the seemingly glaringly obvious culprit not be who I assumed it was, but after a few red herrings and diversions, the obvious became the inevitable. I also didn't love the action scene toward the end of the novel, as they felt laughably over-the-top. So, I'd rate the first 50% 4 stars, but the last 50% or so very low, resulting in my 'split the difference' 2 star rating.

In One by One, Ruth Ware follows in the tradition of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, trapping a group of guests in a remote ski chalet after an avalanche snows them in. When guests start dying one by one, it seems to be a race to solve the murder or be rescued before they become the next victim. Told in alternating perspectives between Erin, one of the employees at the chalet, and Liz, the odd one out in the group of guests, tensions rise as numbers dwindle.

While the setting and plot were set up for success, the unwieldy cast of characters and a predictable murderer took a lot of the tension out of the story. I hoped I was wrong about who the murderer was and that a huge twist would totally change everything, but the mystery played out in a straight forward manner. It was still a quick entertaining read, and worth it for fans of this style of mystery.