One by One was my second Ruth Ware book and, while it was definitely an improvement from In A Dark, Dark Wood, it still didn't exactly wow me. I liked that it was a quick and easy read, with short chapters and changes in POV nicely propelling the story forward, but the plot itself and the characters' motives left me feeling rather *meh* about the entire ordeal.

It's kind of a classic set-up for a murder mystery. We have a bunch of tech executives from Snoop (its a new cool app that let's you stalk other people's music choices?) stuck in a remote French ski chalet. Of course, the stars align perfectly and just when the first murder happens, an avalanche comes down cutting everyone off from the rest of the world. There is no power and no phone reception. And plenty of people have motives to off the next person.

The story is told in 2 POVs - one is the manager of the chalet with plenty of secrets and emotional baggage. The other is one of the guests. I thought the killer was almost too obvious for the person to actually be the killer, and so almost up until the end I was expecting some crazy twist to happen that would be so shocking it would rock my socks off. But, no. 👀

Overall, I found the plot line, the app, the characters and the big mystery of the killer to be awfully stale and cheesy. All of the plot twists made me want to roll my eyes. Those were *we don't know what happened to the missing person and where she is but wait! We were coincidentally working on an update to our music stalking app that would allow us to also track their location GASP* type of twists.

As a quick and easy read, this was entertaining enough. And I guess, if you don't mind far fetched plot developments, you can really enjoy this. In a way, I did have fun with it. Plenty of fun! Just not the type of fun I was expecting while picking up a murder mystery 😅 and dont get me started about the final show down.

Ruth Ware is the queen of book settings! This was the perfect book to pick up when a blizzard arrived in Ohio. I really like a book that involves complex histories that unravel as the book goes on. Up until about 60% this was a 5 star read, but the ending just dragged and was revealed way to early. The pacing was just off so it ended up a 3.5 star read. Ruth Ware will continue to be an author I seek out, One by One was just not my favorite.

Kept me guessing until the very end! All of the houseguests had great stories to tell, and they all seemed capable of being devious! I especially loved the descriptions of the French alps. A must read!

Found it to be very predictable and boring, had it figured out long before the plot was revealed. A disappointment from this author I normally enjoy.

A great book, and easy to pick up and put down. Unfortunately, it is VERY similar to a few books I’ve recently read, so I had to take one star off for lack of originality.

Loved this book so much I couldn't put it down. With our own impending snowstorm I was transported into the chalet in the Alps, trying to figure out who had dunnit. The chapters were the perfect length, often tempting me to read just one more chapter. I ended up finishing the book in 24 hours.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall a pretty good read. I did think it went on a little bit too long. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline flowed well.

3.5

Since In the Dark Dark Woods, I have enjoyed Ruth Ware's titles, some more than others. This is in the more than others category--I couldn't put it down.

One by One by Ruth Ware got off to a slow start. It wasn't until about a quarter of the way through this book that the action started to happen, but once this one got going it did not stop. I love a good locked room mystery set in a snowy cabin. So this one hit all the right points for me. A ton of fun and kept me guessing until the end!

This book was just ok. It was a quick, entertaining read but the plot felt lazy. Incredibly similar to a couple of the author’s other books and it was obvious who the villain was from the start.

Ruth Ware is always able to fully creep me out! A snowed in chateau is the perfect place for murder and Ware keeps the reader guessing whodunnit.

Ruth Ware is one of those authors that I will always read her books despite either really loving them or being very unhappy with the ending.

With One by One I fell a bit in the middle of that. I liked it, especially the setting in the snowy Alps, but found it at times to be a bit predictable and a little over the top; particularly the ending.

Definitely one I would recommend if your inside and safe on a snowy day looking for a bingeable thriller.

ONE BY ONE is another example of why people love Ruth Ware so much. Her books are just so well crafted and flow effortlessly as the mystery unravels. From the characters to the plot to the pace, this tension-filled thriller will pull you in at the beginning and not let you go until the very last page.

ynopsis: Eight coworkers of a startup tech company take a retreat to a snowy French chalet to talk business but also to relax and ski. One colleague tragically goes missing in a snow storm, but when another turns up dead, it’s clear that someone is planning the killings. They’re snowed in the chalet from an avalanche, with no internet or power. And one of them is intent on killing the others...⁣⁣
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Likes:⁣⁣
•SETTING! This setting was amazing and perfect for a mystery
•I liked all the different characters and it wasn’t hard to keep track ⁣⁣
•The story gave me some classic mystery vibes but I liked the use of modern tech ⁣⁣
•The alternating point of views ⁣⁣
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Dislikes:⁣⁣
•I could have gone for a bigger plot twist⁣⁣
•I wanted more backstory on Liz ⁣⁣
•Not much tension until the very end of the book⁣⁣
•Erin’s backstory didn’t offer much to the overall plot
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Overall I enjoyed this one and think it’s a good mystery for fall. I would recommend this for readers who might just be getting into mysteries/thrillers! It might be a little cookie-cutter for some thriller readers.

This is a classic whodunnit story about a startup tech company called Snoop comprised of slick, darkly beautiful, well-off people who take a company trip to a ski chalet in the breathtaking French Alps. The story is told through the eyes of Erin, an employee at the chalet with her own dark connection to the mountains, and Liz, a former employee of Snoop turned shareholder who doesn’t quite fit in with her prestigious colleagues. ⁣
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This book had a lot of And Then There Were None vibes, and I loved it! Once the group starts to get smaller, literally one by one, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out who the culprit was! Although it becomes clear during about the last third of the book, the final events leading up to the ending had my heart racing! ⁣
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Ware’s writing is incredibly atmospheric in this book. I know absolutely nothing about skiing, and found myself having to do a lot of googling to understand the geography of the alps and some of the ski equipment, which is my only reason why this wasn’t quite a 5 star read for me. Other than that, I could picture all of the characters so clearly in my head, imagine the storm brewing outside the chalet, and picture myself retreating at this rustic getaway in the mountains, preferably not with this group of high maintenance techies.

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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? An off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits. The corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?

When I think of the perfect locked room mystery setting, my mind always travels to somewhere with cold weather and snow. Ruth Ware ups the ante with a full-blown avalanche trapping a cast of quite unlikable characters within ONE BY ONE. Finding someone to enjoy among the coworkers present in the chalet was almost impossible, which served to make me suspect all of them as murderers. Ware ramps up the tension with not one dead body, but multiples, driving the characters to high levels of anxiety and suspicion. I loved the alternating narratives that gave us two perspectives to what was happening. I was hooked throughout the story and with the exception of needing to suspend reality a few times with some unbelievable acts, I greatly enjoyed my experience reading this one!

I enjoyed the setting of this and the way the story was told. It was alternating perspectives between Erin, who works at a chalet and Liz, who is staying at the chalet as part of a work retreat. Liz works for a company called Snoop, which allows listeners to snoop on what celebrities and other people are listening to at the time.

At first, there were a lot of characters to try to follow. Liz and her co-workers are all at this chalet and it's clear that this is a work retreat gone wrong. The two co-founders were once involved and there is bad blood between the pair. One ends up dead, which shifts the balance of the rest of them.

It's all about money and revenge and while I did figure out the killer, I enjoyed this book and the way it was told. Everything is clear at the end and does make sense. You do suspend some disbelief in how the killer is eventually caught but it is a page-turner.

Ok, I dug this one (get it)? I try hard not to figure out the plot before the Big Reveal, so I'm an easy target for thrillers. Ruth Ware is one of my favorites.

One of my favorite mystery books is the one with strangers that come together and are "stuck" or have to escape, or figure out a puzzle, or find a murderer, etc. This book falls into so many of those categories. I was looking for a mystery book like this and omg, it's good.

In the age of start ups and focusing on corporate culture, we've all heard of fancy corporate retreats. Snoop, a new-age streaming service that allows you to "snoop" on what other people are listening to are all going to a corporate retreat in the French Alps. But when the talks of selling the company come up, the members of the group break into two distinct groups. Should they or shouldn't they?

After a day of skiing, their co-founder Eva is missing after not making it back from the slopes. As the team gathers to look fo her, down comes the avalanche that snows the group in. As they try to figure out what to do, another team member dies under suspicious conditions, too. Together, the group has to figure out who among them is a murderer and how the heck they can get out of their chalet.

I'm a fan of Ruth Ware's books, but this one wasn't my favorite. I was expecting a little more mystery like Turn of the Key. So my expectations may have been a little too high for this one. I'll still pick up her next book and see if it was a one-off.

As always, a big thank you to Gallery Books for the free copy of One by One in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.