I enjoy a good thriller, especially by Freida McFadden. Her books are easy to read and hard to put down! I liked the multiple POV’s in this story, the outdoor setting, short chapters, the suspense, and the amazing plot twist! She keeps you guessing until the very end! Just when you think you’ve figured it out, bam! You were wrong! That’s why her books are so good! Highly recommended.

Frieda is such an amazing author. Yet another hit! Can’t wait to keep reading her books. I was on the edge of my seat reading this and flew through it. All her books so far have been quick but gripping reads.

I love all things Frieda and this book was no exception. The plot is dark (of course, we know our Frieda) but very engaging so it is a nice balance. I loved the twists - I kept trying to figure everything out and was wrong each time - and how you come to love AND hate each character throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

I decide to give Freida McFadden one more try. I read the Inmate and I really enjoy that book. But all of her other books that I've read, I find unbelievable and cringy.

This book unfortunately fell into that category as well. I had high hopes for this but it's just not for me.

McFadden yet again knocks the ball out of the park! An absolute spine tingling thriller, that twists and turns right until the end! A must read

Entertaining and twisty! 3 couples head off in a minivan on vacation together. The minivan breaks down and they get stranded in the woods. One by one, the 6 of them die or disappear. This one kept me guessing till the very end. It was very fast paced which I enjoyed. The characters were all very unlikeable, but it worked well for the book. Overall, pretty enjoyable! 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for a copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Freida McFadden for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE Freida McFadden's books! Once I read The Housemaid, I knew immediately she was going to be a new fav thriller, and auto buy author for me! And once again, this one did not disappoint! I love how easy her books are to read, but also how quickly she hooks me into the story and the crazy wild ride she takes us on. The twists and turns this story took was mind blowing and I loved every second of it! 5 stars for me!!

2,5 ✨️

Freida McFaden's "One by One" promised a gripping thriller, but for me, it fell a bit short in delivering a truly thrilling experience. The plot, while structured well, felt flat and somewhat predictable. I found myself anticipating most of the twists. I didn't guess the ending outright, but I was so close that when the reveal came, it lacked the 'wow' factor that I crave in a thriller.

The characters were another sticking point. There were six main players in the story, yet none of them managed to elicit any strong feelings from me. They all came across as bland and underdeveloped, more like side characters than central figures in a tense narrative. This lack of depth made it difficult to empathize with any of them, diminishing the emotional engagement that often elevates a thriller.

However, the anonymous point of view was a standout element. This mysterious perspective kept me invested, as I was eager to confirm my suspicions about the character's identity (I'm a proud gal). This narrative technique was effective in maintaining my interest, even when other aspects of the story lagged.

The final tension was well-crafted, and the ending was indeed thought out. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but feel frustrated. After spending so much time following the characters through the woods, the conclusion felt rushed, wrapping up in just a few pages. It was disappointing to see all the buildup resolve so quickly, leaving me feeling a bit cheated of a more satisfying finale.

I acknowledge that Freida McFaden is often hailed as the queen of thrillers, and while this book didn't quite work for me, it's not without its merits. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't life-changing either, and that's totally okay. Some books are simply good fillers for free time, and "One by One" fits that bill. It’s a decent read for when you need something to pass the time, even if it doesn't leave a lasting impression.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for sending me the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Unfortunately I really didn't like this one - I felt like it was so unbelievable and the plot devices used were super cheesy. The execution also didn't really match the description which made the whole thing miss on expectations.

1/5 - makes me question reading more from McFadden even though I liked the inmate

3.5 STARS
Ms. McFadden knows how to write a good thriller! The story was well written, and had a good pace, keeping the suspense throughout the book. But the ending was a bit of a letdown. When you find out who did it and why, it was just MEH.
This is a story of mostly friends, who decide to travel to a cabin for a week of relaxation. Most of them have secrets. When their car breaks down, they must find the destination on foot without phones. Then something or someone is causing the members of the group to go missing one by one. I like how the events played out, but I felt there was a lack of effort to make the ending as good as the rest of the story.
Thank you Netgalley for the copy of this book.

This book was very fast paced and I really enjoyed the story! I loved that it went back and forth and I really wasn't sure who was the bad guy in the beginning. I had a feeling about one of them, but the other... def didn't see that coming, and I really liked that!!

Just finished *One by One* by Freida McFadden, and wow, what a wild ride! Claire Matchett's much-needed getaway turns into a nightmare when her group gets lost in the woods, and they start being picked off one by one. The suspense is relentless, and McFadden does an incredible job of keeping you guessing about who—or what—is behind the terror. The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Highly recommend for fans of gripping thrillers! #BookReview #Thriller #FreidaMcFadden #MustRead

I’m convinced Freida can’t write a bad book even if she tried. Each page and chapter left me wanting more. This was so good, I gave it 5 stars. Claire was happy to get away for a week, but on their way there the car breaks down and they have to walk the rest of the way. The deeper her and her friends get into the woods, one by one they start going missing. Claire realizes only one of them will
make it out alive. It was thrilling and had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. This was a very fast paced thrilling, easy read.

Six couples go on a retreat, and one by one they start disappearing. Can Claire figure out what’s going on and escape?


This book was a five star read. Frieda has me guessing the whole time. I was on the edge of my seat,and when I thought I had it figured out I was wrong.


Great plot and twist.

I think this is possibly one of the most farfetched Freida McFadden book I’ve read so far!

The story follows a group of friends who are going away for the weekend. Unfortunately they end up with car problems and decide to hike the rest of the way. Thats where things start to go wrong. The group gets lost in the woods and night starts to fall. Thats not the only thing falling when Claire’s friends start to fall one by one.

So I’m pretty sure if I was hiking through the woods, and my best friend ate a berry (Kirsty would not eat berries of a tree so it’s good we’re safe, we like indoors not nature), and proceeded to take a reaction and die In front of me. I’d be more than a little freaked out and quite frankly unable to move on from that very spot! This is probably where I started to feel the plot unravelled and became farfetched. I thought Claire and the other characters very quickly got over one of their group DYING in front of them. Almost like they were blasé to the whole experience! We continue on as they hike
in the direction they *think* the hotel should be but it all starts to feel a bit familiar and one more of the group meets a fatal end.

I think this had the potential to be great but honesty I actually found the plot twist funny in the end. It just seemed totally wild! I did like that the book didn’t follow the usual McFadden formula of two parts so that was good. This was one of three recent Frieda McFadden books I’ve read and it was my least favourite however it was a quick read so if you’re looking for something to pass a couple of hours then this might be the ticket.

Freida McFadden’s writing career has really taken off in recent years in large part thanks to #BookTok, a community of social media readers who have a tendency to make unknown, self-published authors go viral. No serious suspense reader can say today that they haven’t heard of Freida McFadden, as her thrillers are everywhere, with many of them being reissued by publishers, such as the 2020 title One by One.

One by One integrates suspense with survival, following a group of friends as they trek through the remote Colorado woods after their car breaks down a few miles out from their destination - a beautiful, luxury resort. It shouldn’t take the group long to walk to their hotel, but they get lost in the woods, and that’s when things turn dire. They soon find that members of their party are being picked off one by one. Are they simply succumbing to the wilderness or are they being hunted?

One by One is my first Freida McFadden book. Being new to the author, I can affirm that she definitely writes an easy-to-navigate, compelling page turner. While I can tell that McFadden doesn’t have the refinement of more established authors - her writing is fairly simple with a lot of telling instead of showing - I appreciate that she sticks to the story at hand, giving the mind little time to wander before sucking readers in with the next twist.

Being that One by One combines survival and suspense, it is right up my alley. Despite having a fairly large cast of characters (six friends), McFadden clearly delineated among them, allowing me to focus on the story instead of having to keep track of all of the characters and their various minor personality and plot points.

I found the twist of this story to be surprising - I did not suspect it - but also a bit underdeveloped and rushed. However, it was still satisfying despite that.

As my first Frieda McFadden book, I was not disappointed by the gripping One by One!

Could Freida McFadden books BE any more bingeable?! (*Chandler Bing voice*)

Honestly, Frida McFadden is the Queen of the one-sitting-finish and One by One was no different!!

In One by One we follow Claire as she and her 5 friends/couples head off to the woods for an adults only vacation retreat. She’s in a rut, her marriage is falling apart, and this is the trip they need to figure it all out. When Claire’s minivan breaks down in the wilderness and one by one the members of the group get taken out, the question is…are they being hunted? Is it someone in their group? An animal? Who will make it out?

I would not recommend reading and then realizing you need to flip your laundry in the dark corner of the unfinished side of your basement.

I would recommend reading with water, snacks, and a rainstorm, if you can coordinate that!! 😜

This was published in 2020 and then again in April 2024.

Not my favorite Freida book, probably my least favorite actually, but still not a bad thriller! Read It very quickly and was still interested in the plot. It just was very predictable. A group of friends consisting of 3 couples get stranded in the woods on their way to a week long vacation away. Told primarily from one of the wives, Claire’s, POV with some chapters of an anonymous someone in the groups flashbacks from their abusive childhood. Still enjoyed and would recommend, just not anything special.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion! Still feel if Freida writes It, i will read It.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a milder version of similar themes to Darcy Coates' Hunted, very similar to Agatha Christie's And Then There Was None. The entire time I was reading, I was so certain I knew how the end would play out, but I never once had any idea that the big plot twist would be what ended up occurring! I read this book in a day, absolutely devoured it. Up there with some of my favorites of Freida's, such as Never Lie, The Locked Door, Ward D, The Inmate, etc.

overall very meh. i normally love freida books and this one still had a good twist at the end, but the rest of it wasn’t very original and i had to force myself to get through some parts.