Ruth Ware’s books tend to be a hit or miss for me and when it comes to this latest release I’m sorry to have to say . . . . yeah, that's gonna be a no from me, dog. This was my 412th retelling of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None I read during 2020 and unfortunately it fell short for me. The premise here revolves around a corporate retreat where the members get plucked off “one by one” – natch.

The problem I had? Victim number one goes missing while skiing solo and everyone pretty much is just immediately like “oh that’s unfortunate – she’s obviously one hundred percent dead and it sucks to be her.” While I’m over here channeling my inner Billy Madison screaming at Miss Lippy that they need to find their effing friend.

Sometimes I can go with the flow and sometimes I can’t. Sadly I could never get back on track with this after that very first moment of ridiculousness. My real life friend told me the Mrs. Dalloway book is a pretty good one, so I'll be reading that at some point to redeem myself.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

A great winter read that keeps you guessing. A company retreat already fraught with tension as shareholders are divided about an opportunity of a buyout turns deadly. An avalanche, a partner who goes missing on the slopes, and then one by one coworkers who are found dead keeps the reader turning the page and guessing who the killer is.

I loved the perspectives and the presence of the hosts getting a first person perspective too. They were able to give a great initial impression and description into each of the guests before you got inside their heads in their own first person narratives.

To sum up the negative reviews, some simply stated it was too predictable, but I was so caught up in the story I didn’t try to guess so I had fun following along this little mystery! It might even be my favorite or a close second of hers for me!

Guys! I did it! I finally read a thriller that I figured out who the killer was! I feel this is an incredible accomplishment and deserved some bragging - ha!!

I read Ruth Ware’s “One By One,” which is a snowed in thriller that goes wrong! When a company of eight coworkers get stranded in a rustic mountain chalet after an avalanche - it seems things will be okay until suddenly someone is murdered!

This book is told from two POV. I have to say the first half of the book was a little hard to follow. There are a ton of characters with all different personalities, so it does get confusing until you get them sorted out. I felt it was also very anti-climatic for the first 40% of the book. I realize the author was setting up the story, but i felt it was very dragged out. The second half of the book I flew through! I would say it was super predictable, and not as gripping as some of her other books have been.

I feel I neither loved or hated “One by One.” Ruth Ware is an amazing author, but her books are very hit or miss for me.

New Ruth Ware! What can I say... suspenseful, surprising, and utterly unique. This one kept me up at night. Highly recommend.

This started out great and I did really love the setting and the atmosphere. The locked-room-murder/snowed-in-with-a-murderer trope is my FAVE, and I think Ruth Ware nailed the sense of claustrophobia and helplessness. The buildup was great, the setup was pretty interesting, and I enjoyed the characters (even if I didn't necessarily like them).

Where this book failed for me was the ending and the reveal of the killer. It featured a trope I really despise, so it just felt like a cheap trick. It was still an incredibly fun, addictive read, but alas, I'm still on the hunt for the perfect iteration of the snowed-in-with-a-murderer trope.

Also, this is not particularly significant, but like, SO MANY SKIING DETAILS. As someone who has literally never even seen a ski board in real life, or stepped foot anywhere near a ski resort, I was frankly baffled by a lot of the ski stuff like trails and off-piste and funiculars and bubbles. It made it really difficult to picture exactly what was going on. But that's very much a me thing.

Awww... this wasn't "new" or "edgy" but it was entertaining and I (creepy, I know) love a good mystery set with a group of people stranded somewhere because of the weather.

I’m a huge fan of Ruth Ware, she’s definitely a fantastic author. Unfortunately though for me this was not my favorite of her stories and found myself struggling more to connect with both the story as well as the characters. The concept was intriguing and really had me anxious to dive in to the story but I never found myself hooked.

I personally would recommend her other books before I’d recommend this one.

I believe Ruth Ware has a writing style that you either love or hate. I’m a huge fan and I love all her books! She is the master of leaving hints in the book without giving away the ending. One by One takes place in a chalet. When a group of Snoop elites book a getaway, the first thing on their to do list is skiing. But when one of the best skiers goes missing, people start blaming one another. Then another one dies. Are they stuck with a murderer or is it just a coincidence that one by one people are dying?

Full disclosure: I wasn't too excited to start this book after having not enjoyed Ruth Ware's previous novels. I had an extremely hard time getting into this book, and an even harder time finishing it. It was painfully slow in it's initial plot development, and the prose felt amateurish to me. If you enjoyed her previous outings, give it a try! But I prefer my thrillers much more complex and sophisticated than this.

Let me start by thanking NetGalley for an advance copy of this ebook... that unfortunately, I fell way behind release date to complete.

It took me four, that’s right, FOUR attempts to read this. I’m not a DNFer usually, and I was determined.

I’ve read a few of Ruth Ware’s other books. One I loved, but the rest were just ... meh... this included

I saw this synopsis and was immediately excited, so I requested and was pleasantly surprised when I was approved. I started it and was really intrigued by the Snoop concept. I read several chapters, and hit a brick wall. Why? No idea.

Then, it hit me. I’ve read several books with eerily similar plot lines. And, I got annoyed. 🤷🏼‍♀️

So, I bought the BOTM copy to see if hard copy was any better, and that wound up being even more rough... although it had a beautiful cover!

I came really close to giving up, but I decided to try one more time, and by golly, I finished it in two or three days. So, here’s my basic run-down after my whining:

Beginning- interesting for a few chapters then flatlined
Rising action- actually really pretty good
Andddd then it hit the climax- unnecessarily drawn out but interesting, kind of gross
Falling action/resolution- again, unnecessarily drawn out and sort of weird

Killer was obvious from the beginning.

Overall:
It was okay.
But, really, just okay.
🤷🏼‍♀️

It has been a while since I have been able to write a book review. My husband and I moved a few weeks ago and we are slowly starting to put our life in order. I am hoping that I will get back into my normal reading routine very soon.

Nothing exciting ever happens at work for Erin and her friend, Danny. They are live-in caretakers at a luxurious French ski chalet. Until they discover that their new guests are from the hottest app on the market, Snoop. Executives from Snoop are having a bit of a corporate retreat while they debate whether or not to take the company public. But soon "accidents" start to befall the guests from Snoop and Erin is starting to become convinced that there is a murderer among them. But the chalet and its inhabitants are buried under mountains of snow. Will they be able to figure out who the murderer is before someone else dies?



Ruth Ware has been compared to Agatha Christie and I don't disagree with that observation. Ruth Ware has this skill of weaving a tale of intrigue, deceit, and murder. Erin and Danny are both great fun. Their friendship seems very genuine. Danny was almost starstruck when he heard that it was the team from Snoop that was going to be their guests. And Danny's excitement was almost enough to get Erin excited. The group of guests was exactly what you would expect from young and entitled techy people. A bit jerky and a lot self-absorbed. One thing I like about Ruth Ware's novels is how she lays out the story. Leaving breadcrumbs along the way for the reader to figure things out. Even so, I had not figured out this one. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.



Bottom Line - I really enjoyed One By One. Not only is One By One an excellent mystery, but it is set among some amazing French scenery.



Details:

One by One by Ruth Ware
On Instagram
Pages:384
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: 9/8/2020
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

This was a great book to read as winter approached. It follows the story of a tech startup and their scheduled trip to a ski chalet. As they settle in, an avalanche hits, and one of their staff goes missing. Shortly thereafter, another person is found dead. One by one more staff meet their demise. Who is responsible and who can you trust? Those are the questions left swirling in your mind as you vacillate between trusting many to trusting none. This is my first novel by Ruth Ware, although I have 2 others on my bookshelf. Now I am more motivated to read them! Thanks NetGalley and Scout Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love Ruth Ware and she is an autobuy author for me, but I have noticed as of late that her books are really hit or miss for me. While I enjoyed One by One, it is nowhere close to being my favorite book by her. Reviews are all over the board for this one and I can definitely see why. I loved the setting in a secluded mountain chalet, and it reminded me a bit of her first novel, In a Dark, Dark Wood.

One by One is still a ride and experience though and I loved how atmospheric it was. A lot of readers guessed the killer, but I wasn't really thinking about it and I didn't have it figured out until before the reveal. I kind of just let this one take me where it wanted to, and I think that is the best way to experience it. The audio was really helpful for the slow pacing and building the tension, and I've listened to a few books narrated by Imogen Church and I like her narration quite a bit. I love Ware's writing style, and her idea of the tech startup Snoop was pretty interesting. I loved that aspect of the book as well, and there are definitely a few surprises along the way.

Although I didn't love it, I did still really enjoy One by One and I'm glad I read/listened to it. I don't think anyone is going to be truly shocked by the ending, and even though I didn't guess it I probably would have if I'd put my mind to it. However, I don't think the point of this book was to shock you with the killer, but rather the journey to get there, and what a journey it was.

Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I’ve read other books by this author before – she’s a very popular thriller author – and have enjoyed them so I was excited to read her new release. And wow was this one a good one! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading this – I could barely put it down. The author did such an amazing job of disguising the killer right up until the moment of the reveal. And I loved the alternative viewpoints between Erin and Liz’s characters. The people in the book went through a terrible ordeal, my heart was pounding the whole time. And what Erin endured sounded unimaginable. I’m not sure I would have survived it. The build up of the tension and the overall plot line in this story were fantastic – I loved every minute of it! I would definitely recommend this one, go read it now!

Ruth aware can be pretty hit or mis for me, a d unfortunately this was a miss! I couldn’t get myself to care about such series work drama.

I have read many of Ruth Ware's books, and am always excited when she publishes a new one. While 'One by One' was not my favorite of her books, it is still a very enjoyable, light and thrilling mystery.

This is the perfect book to sit back and enjoy with a cup of tea on a cold winter day. The atmosphere of the setting plays a big part in the story, and Ware does this well. It reads like a classic mystery story.

Liz and Erin are the two main narrators of this locked-room story, set in a remote ski chalet. There is a limited cast of suspects, and it was pretty clear from early on in the story who the killer was, so I didn't feel that was ever the main point of the mystery. It was more the how and the why of it.

I would recommend this for mystery fans who enjoy a classic mystery with a modern twist.

THIS BOOK. Ruth Ware is an absolute master of suspense and she delivered once again in One by One. It took me a decent amount of time to get all the characters straight but once I did I couldn’t stop reading and waiting to see what happened next. The setting of a French ski chalet and then getting snowed in was so cozy and creepy at the same time. An absolute must read for mystery fans - perfect for a cozy evening by the fire!

Ruth Ware always writes with suspense that has you on the edge of your seat. A work place event held in an upscale resort turned deadly. The story unfolds with the characters different personalities expecting different outcomes for the retreat. Once a death occurs it becomes a scary place to be. Weather issues caused all to be stuck together , where no one trusts anyone else. A very complicated turn of events including weather, had the reader in the dark until the end.

I had to start this one multiple times because I had a hard time getting through the first couple chapters. Ruth Ware tends to be a slow build, and story, and you can expect that with this one as well. If you like her writing style, then this is definitely a book you should pick up!! Perfect winter setting for winter approaching.