What a read! I was disappointed when I finished it. Ruth Ware has done it again! This novel is not as dark as her previous novels, but don't let that fool you! It still has plenty of dark edges. It was a constant thrill. Highly recommend.

Appreciated the setting & the avalanche story line but most of the characters were so unlikeable that I wasn't invested enough to finish the book and find out the ending. DNF.

Ruth Ware is one of my favorite authors and although I didn’t love her last novel “The Turn of the Key”, I really like this newest book. An avalanche in a remote ski town in the Alps sets up the perfect closed-circle mystery in “One by One”. A successful tech company called Snoop is having a corporate retreat for ten employees at an exclusive French ski resort, cutting them off from anyone else except the two resort staff members Erin and Danny. At first what readers will want to know is why Liz, an awkward former employee of Snoop, has been included in this expensive trip. Then when one of the Snoop co-founders doesn’t return from a group ski outing, an apparent murder vicitim, the question becomes whether or not the extreme conditions will permit help to arrive before the killer strikes again.

This book is told from two points of view. One is Erin, who seems overqualified for her job and is clearly hiding a secret. The other is Liz, who is torn between loyalty to the two Snoop co-founders Topher and Eva who are now at odds. Even though we only get the point of view of these two characters, I had no trouble getting to know the other major characters in the story. Miranda, Tiger, and Ani sometimes blurred together, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. I don’t want to say anything that could create any type of spoiler, but I will generally say I really enjoyed the friendship that slowly builds between two of the characters and found their closeness very touching.

Nobody is better than Ware in creating atmosphere and making a story come alive. When one of the characters talked about being afraid to ski down an advanced run, I could feel her fear as if I was the one at the top of the slope. There are a lot of red herrings regarding the identity of the murderer but when the reader finds out for sure and that character has a life and death showdown with one of the other characters, my heart was pounding with anticipation. I really love the ending and am glad the author allowed plenty of time for wrapping up the story after that final confrontation is over. Fans of Agatha Christie, Lucy Foley, or Jane Harper will enjoy the latest thriller by Ruth Ware. I would rate it 4.5 stars and am rounding up to 5.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Scout Press. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

I have read all of Ruth Ware's books, and One by One is now my favorite title. I loved the closed-door aspect of the book, which was reminiscent of Agatha Christie.

I was excited as I read the plot of this book, which is about a group of colleagues at a tech start-up company who are staying at a ski resort in the French Alps for a "team-building" exercise. As it turns out, one of the owners reveals a potential company buyout, which splits the team's loyalties. You know something is wrong when that owner fails to return from the first day of skiing. Then, an avalanche strikes, the power goes out, and everything gets worse from there.

Ware does a great job of distinguishing a large cast of characters and giving them full personalities. I really like her writing, especially as she described the creeping isolation that progressed throughout the story.

I am proud to say I spotted the killer (just) before it was revealed. I was surprised at how much of the book was left at that point, but I appreciated the closure that was provided in the last few chapters.

Fans of Ruth Ware, thrillers and creepy locked door mysteries will love this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Gallery Books for providing a digitial ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ruth Ware does it yet again! Another fantastic fast page thriller. A huge thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Full review coming soon!

Ruth Ware is always hit or miss for me. Some of her books I have LOVED to bits and others I have enjoyed, but found to be rather 'meh'. Well, this latest one falls into the 'meh' category. At first I found myself sucked in and eager to find out what happened, but then I guessed whodunit and found myself rather bored with the story. There are some good bits, but overall I felt the story lacked the urgency necessary in spinning a mystery-suspense story. Oh well.

So, what's it about? Well, employees from the app, Snoop, decide to have a retreat where they can ski, talk shop, and relax. Except, plans go awry and soon people are being murdered. Yikes!

Sounds good, right? Well, it was-ish. Turned out to not be my cup of tea.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I always enjoy Ware’s novels and this one was no exception. She always nails the atmosphere and this snowy chalet was the perfect setting for this Agatha Christie style story. I will say I had the murdered pegged very early on, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book.

A locked-room murder mystery thriller that ends in an actual chase scene! You get a full cast of 12 people from the book's onset which is difficult to manage. To make matters worse, there isn't one in the bunch you truly care about. Many readers will figure out the murderer early on, and it will be confirmed at 75% completion of the book, but it doesn't matter. That's when it gets good. Two people locked together in an isolated location, one is the murderer and the other knows everything. Cue wild and dangerous escape and chase scene on skis! The book does get a bit bogged down with skiing technology and terms, which may put some off, but I was reading so fast at that point I just skimmed over it.

Recommended for readers who love Agatha Christie, are fans of Ruth Ware (this one does not disappoint), enjoy reading Lucy Foley, and those looking for a fast paced escapist read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was disappointed in this one. I hate to give a negative review to one of my favorite authors but it was really not very good. There wasn't much suspense, although the setting and the situation warranted it, and the culprit was pretty easy to figure out early on.
There was a lot of filler that didn't really further the story along and a pretty weak ending.
Boy, can you tell I didn't like it?! I'm sure it will sell many copies and have many readers, but be forewarned it will let you down.

One by One by Ruth Ware is another of her exciting suspense thrillers. One by One is told in two POV’s’, Erin and Liz. We meet both Erin and Danny at the start, when they are preparing the Chalet (a French Ski Chalet) for the arrival of a group of developers and employees of Snoop. The company is an app that allows anonymous people who listen to music that celebrities, family, social media are listening to at the same time. Erin handles and takes care of the Chalet, while Danny is the chef.

When the 8 members of Snoop arrive, we learn quickly that Eva, one of the partners, wants to accept a buyout that will make them millions, but Topher, the other partner, wants to keep control of the company and instead sell public shares. Liz is the only member of the group who no longer works for Snoop, but was asked by Topher to come on the trip, as Liz owns shares of the company. Liz is very quiet, and avoids too much contact with the others, as she knows that both Eva and Topher want her support. There is a division between the 8 people, but they also want to enjoy their stay, and head out to ski.

When everyone returns, they realize that Eva is missing, with a few people thinking they saw her last skiing down a very dangerous mountain. Within a short time, an avalanche hits, as well as a snow storm, and they are snow bound inside the chalet, suspecting that Eva is dead, especially after the avalanche. From that moment on the story intensifies, as electricity is lost, no Wi-Fi and no telephone to contact the police for help.

Later that evening, another member of the group is found dead, which looks like he was poisoned. Now the group is down to 6, and everyone looks at one another suspecting each other of being a murderer. Then the following morning someone else is killed, and group is down to 5. Who is the killer? One of the assistants leaves in these terrible conditions to find a way to get to the police, before anyone else dies. Will he survive?
This a classic whodunit, with the guessing game on as to who could be the killer. This was a wild but fun story, even in this intense time. I did enjoy the whole chalet/ski location, and the desperate change in elements with the loss of power, phone, food, etc. The last third of the book became a thrilling ride all the way to the climax. I really liked Erin, as she did her best to keep everyone calm, even when she broke her ankle limiting herself. Liz was a different POV, as she hated being in the middle.

In a desperate attempt to get help, they divide into three groups; one to trek toward the police, the others to head to the another chalet, and Erin and Liz to stay at the chalet, as both were too injured to travel.
One by One was a terrific, exciting, tense and fantastic ride, as I held my breath so many times, unable to put the book down. I will not tell too much more, as you really need to read this book to find out what happens and who is truly the real killer. I suggest you read One by One, which was so very well written by Ruth Ware.

One by One by Ruth Ware. Was anyone else annoyed with the constant repeating of the app numbers and song titles? A group of very unlikable, entitled, egotistical people who have swear words as their second language trapped together in snowbound cabin. Lost interest early on in the book. Ms Ware's fans will most likely be more appreciative of the story.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I love Ruth Ware’s writing. But it took a while for me to sink into this one. An Internet company, stranded together in a chalet, must work out details about their business. An App called Snoop is in danger of going under. Sinister dealings are at play and mistrust grows among the employees. And murders begin. Too much detail about the workings of their business slowed the story down for. It took me about halfway to get fully involved. Yet, if you are in the mood for a fun murder mystery, it is still a good read.

Erin, escaping a recent personal tragedy, has come from England to work in France at an upscale ski chalet. She manages the guests' experiences from start to finish, trying to make sure she keeps them happy. When the app startup executives of a company called Snoop come to stay at the resort, Erin finds the majority of them to be snotty and off-putting, but is friendly with Liz, a wallflower type who owns a 2% share in the company. It's clear there's something brewing between Eva and Topher, the co-founders who control the majority of the shares in the company. It's not long before one of the Snoopers ends up dead and everyone else starts to fear for their safety. Like most of Ruth Ware's books, she creates a situation where the reader knows for a fact that the killer is one of the characters that we already know. The pace is a little slow in spots, and most of the characters are so unlikeable that it's hard to care much which ones live or die. But it's still fun trying to figure out who hates whom and why, and if you can get through the slower start, the intensity picks up quite a bit at the end.

Ruth Ware runs very hot and cold for me - One by One was a cold. I thought it was pretty obvious in terms of plot, who-done-it, etc. and some of the dialogue was pretty tired. I think fans of her books will probably like this, but it was not for me. I will still read her next one, but was hoping for more.

Book Review: One by One by Ruth Ware

A corporate retreat at a remote chalet in the French Alps turns deadly as an avalanche buries the chalet and the guests and resident staff realize they are stranded with a killer in their midsts. One by One is a page-turning, who-done-it thriller that keeps the reader guessing in true Ruth Ware fashion. I did not want to put this one down! The real star of the book is, of course, the drama/mystery of the story, but I also loved Ware’s description of the setting/and food. I wanted to be there......just not with those guests. I would recommend this for all those who want to get lost in a good mystery.

Thank you to Scout Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

A group of app owners/employees head out to France for a ski trip/investors meeting. Things go oh-so-wrong, and there's a murderer in their midst.

I want to start by saying that I've loved all of Ruth Ware's books so far. Some not as much as the others, but by the end of her books, I leave feeling so satisfied with the story. This one is no exception.

I must say though that I feel like I needed to take some skiing lessons to understand most of this book. There is a lot of skiing terms and I know absolutely nothing about skiing. I had to look up most of the terms used (and they were used a lot, like I said). That said, this is a slow burn psychological thriller mystery. Until the reveal, which is just flat out revealed, I had no idea who to even suspect was the killer! Was in the man in charge, Topher? Was it maybe the chalet workers, even if there's no obvious reason. Maybe they like to murder people, I don't know! Would it be the abrupt, loner of the group? Maybe you can figure it out before I did!

Aside from all of the skiing that I know nothing about, I thought the story moved along quite nicely. At no point was I thinking, "just get on with it already." The atmosphere is described nicely enough that I could imagine how it feels to be stuck in an avalanche snow-packed chalet. And the ending of the book was sweet. Like I said, I always end feeling satisfied with Ruth Ware's works.

"One by One" is a classic "Who Dunnit?" in which a cast of characters are assembled at a chalet in the French Alps for a work retreat. The employees of Snoop, a music app are gathered together to enjoy some skiing as well as to discuss the potential sale of the app. There are those who want to cash out and those that want to stay the course. The decision to sell seems to rest on one person who owns 2% of the company- Liz. Liz is a former employee who is rather awkward and never quite fit in. The bodies start dropping pretty quickly and the reader knows that one of the people at the chalet has to be the murderer... but who? It seems that a motive can be found for almost all of those gathered. I started this book on a blustery day when the east coast was having a tropical storm and couldn't put the book down. It was the perfect book for a stormy day! Ruth Ware wrote a well plotted mystery with a cast of characters that kept me guessing. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to read a classic mystery novel with lots of fun twists!

I thought enjoy Ruth Ware books and this one did not disappoint! This story about a group of people trapped together with danger reminds me of Agatha Christie novels. The only negative was that there was a lot of characters to keep track of. I would definitely recommend to everyone.

One by One was a contemporary gothic novel that capitalizes on the techy trend of hot social media apps. Once again, I fell in love with Ware's quiet creepiness. I don't know if there's a better author right now doing quiet thrillers with a heavy gothic vibes. Super creepy setting, unsettling characters, and a solid Agatha Christie-esque mystery make this one a must read for fans of atmospheric thrillers.

This was one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read. There are so many suspects, and so many twists in the story that you never really know exactly where it is going. Even once you know who the killer is, there is a super dramatic finish, my heart was literally racing through the last quarter of the novel! A great take on the locked door mystery, definitely worth reading!