Imagine you are at a beautiful chalet in the French Alps with your co-workers. Sounds lovely, right? Until an avalanche hits, trapping you in the chalet and your colleagues start to die off, one by one, with the only explanation being that one of you is a murderer. ⁣
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Ruth Ware is the Queen is the “locked door” mystery and I’m a big fan of her books. I love a thriller that traps characters together and slowly reveals secrets about each of them and this setting totally delivered that experience. ⁣
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Unfortunately, the actual mystery fell flat for me. The killer seemed clear from the beginning and I kept looking for more twists and turns. ⁣
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Overall, it’s a quick and well-written, but predictable read. Good for fans of Ware, Agatha Christie and Lucy Foley. And the setting sure makes me want winter the stay away for as long as possible ! ⁣
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Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest thoughts. ⁣

“I find my heart beating uncomfortably fast, even though I know it’s irrational. Everyone is in here. I’m looking at them right now. But this is starting to feel like Lord of the Flies.”

What you’ll find:
✔️Fictional Thriller
✔️Murder Mystery
✔️Suspense
✔️Rustic Ski Retreat
✔️Dual POV

When a group of tech company coworkers arrive to retreat together at a beautiful rustic mountain chalet, they expect to unwind by the fire, ski and collaborate. What ends up happening is a serious case of secrets and mistrust that leads the team to becoming a much smaller number upon departing.

This was a great unique ‘whodunnit’ murder mystery. It’s starts slow, giving you some background information and builds until it’s bursting with edge of your seat suspense. There are many characters in this story- you may feel like they are hard to keep track of at first, but the story flows in a way that they just fall into place easily. Most are not very likeable, but I love that in a thriller. I honestly didn’t figure things out at first. They all had their own secrets to hide and it kept me on my toes guessing. Even once I did figure it out, the story kept me completely absorbed in suspense. I really enjoyed the storyline setting and how well the authors writing allowed you to envision it. This is my first read by this author and I already have several more lined up to read already! Definitely recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for this free eARC for my honest review.

'"One by One" is the newest thriller by the very successful British author of such books as "The Turn of the Key" and "The Woman in Cabin 10". This one is set in an isolated ski lodge in the Alps. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", guests are trapped in the lodge after an avalanche and they are disappearing or turning up dead one by one. This is a fun read that is a great recommendation for any fans of the genre.

This is the first book by this author that I have read and unfortunately, I was so bored that I ended DNF this one about 30% in.

Ruth Ware is an auto buy author for me! I have read and enjoyed everything she has ever written! So of course, when Simon and Schuster Canada sent me this one to read via Netgalley, I was very excited!

This one has a big cast of characters, so be prepared. It took me a while to figure out who everyone was, but once I got it the story started to flow quite nicely. The setting was also pretty cool. It took place in a remote chalet in the snowy hills where a group of tech entrepreneurs came for a ski weekend. However, an avalanche traps them indoors for a few days and it's soon realized that a murderer is among them, as their group starts dwindling in numbers. What's interesting is that many of them seem to have motive for killing. I will say that I had this one figured out pretty early on. If you are expecting a really dramatic plot twist, you won't get that here, but I still liked the way that the story played out.

The narrative was told through two POV's - Erin, a worker at the chalet and Liv, one of the companies former employees. I do like a story with alternate point of views, so that was good for me. I feel like even though this one didn't have the epic twist that I was expecting, it was still a good read for me and I was entertained! I will continue to read Ruth Ware because she is a favourite author of mine. I saw someone describe this book like the game Clue and I thought that was very fitting. No big surprises, more of a who did it and why. Overall though, a good read.

This was a bit of a disappointment unfortunately!

I liked how Ruth Ware introduced the characters and was able to provide so much context for us as the readers to really know the characters - BUT.. it took about 50-55% of the book for something to finally happen, and even then, it was a tad bit far fetched. Not to mention that the “murderer” was blatantly obvious from the beginning which really took the fun out of the mystery for me.

I loved the gothic suspense of The Death of Mrs. Westaway, and loved the mystery of The Lying Game, but I’ve been let down with the last two releases. I do like this one much more than The Turn of the Key. Overall, this was an okay book.

2.5 STARS - I love a locked room kind of mystery (like Ware's Turn of the Key). A secluded spot, a murder and no where to go? Sounds great! I've read a few of Ruth Ware's books but she tends to be a hit and miss author for me and unfortunately, One by One didn't quite hit the spot.

One by One started off strong, but things peter out quickly in a few areas. Readers will initially notice that there are a lot of characters (I kept a character list) but we only get thin descriptions of them. I also thought the story wasn't layered enough, the reasons for the murders felt contrived and the identity of the culprit was obvious early on. I kept reading hoping for a big twist but there were no nail-biting scenes that took me by surprise.

The story is told by the POVs of Liz and Erin, but I can't say I liked or connected with either of them and I thought it was odd that a few characters vanish for large chunks of the story. I'm disheartened that this book was so underwhelming for me. I expected a tightly plotted, tension-filled story but I just didn't feel it here. The ending, which should have been exciting, was drawn out and being asked to believe a character could physically perform after significant injuries was to much too ask of this former skier. I also think non-skiers (and occasional skiers like myself) may not appreciate or understand the abundance of ski terms used.

One by One has a beautiful, remote setting but I didn't click with the story or characters. Unfortunately, I didn't think this was Ware's strongest work and it just left me cold.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary eBook copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

One by One is the latest from Ruth Ware. It follows a company up in the French mountains for ski retreat. One by One is told through two perspectives: Erin, an employee of the ski chalet, and Liz, an ex-employee. Both perspectives serve to give readers an inside and outside look of the company and the dynamics between the characters.

One by One starts with a cheat sheet of sorts explaining the characters. This information is helpful because there are a lot of characters to juggle as Ware navigates through her narrative. What makes referring back to this page a disappointment is the fact that almost all the characters are not fleshed out or memorable.

The beginning of the novel is slow as Ware takes her time introducing the characters, the dynamics between them, and the setting. It isn’t until about halfway through the novel that the pace picks up and is relentless until the end.

Ware’s writing makes the setting come to life. A rustic ski chalet surrounded by mountains, an avalanche, and the complications from said avalanche make One by One Ware’s most atmospheric novel yet.

The only other criticism I have of the novel is how transparent the identity of the killer is from the moment that person is introduced. The motives for the killer were what ultimately saved the novel from a three star rating.

Overall, One by One is another in a long line of Ware novels that prove Ware is at the top of the mystery genre. It is the perfect read to cozy up with by the fireplace this coming winter.

Netgalley provided me with an advance copy of this book.

I live in Canada and I really hate snow. For some reason, I am drawn to thrillers like this one where people are trapped by blizzards or avalanches and can't escape.

The founders and key employees (plus 1 former employee/investor) of Snoop, a social media app go on a retreat in a remote chalet in the Swiss (?) Alps for a week of skiing, snowboarding and fun. Of course, it's not that simple. The company is at a crossroads and a decision must be made about whether to take the company public or sell to investors.

Of course there is conflict and a blizzard followed by an avalanche, and a murder...

In the past, I've been critical of Ruth Ware's protagonists who sometimes stay in potentially dangerous situations that they should walk away from. In this case, however, the weather conditions make it impossible to leave. Ware has also given us two narrators this time--which I don't think she's done previously--and both characters are compelling. Erin is the hotel manager. It's her job to make sure the guests have everything they need but she can't keep them safe. She has a secret. Could she be connected to Snoop? Does she have any reason to want revenge?

The other narrator is Liz. A former employee of Snoop, she gave the founders money at a critical time and was rewarded with company stock but she's out of place among the glamorous executives.
She's been invited on the trip but she hasn't been in touch with the Snoop people in a long time. Her sudden departure from the company is another mystery.

I liked this approach having 2 outsiders tell the story. It's a great way to get to know the main players through the eyes of people who are presumably neutral.

On the other hand, I didn't feel like there enough character development for most of the Snoop people. We know their names and job titles but details about their personal lives are limited.

This was a fast read, very high energy and I've already recommended it to one of my coworkers, who, like me enjoys Closed Circle mysteries.

Huge, HUGE fan of Ruth Ware over here! I've read all of her books ... when Simon & Schuster Canada (thank you!!) hooked me up with One By One I needed to read it immediately!

First off - you're going to need a whole lot of concentration at the beginning of this book. Ware hits us with a BIG cast of characters, there's ten!! It took me awhile to find a rhythm.

One By One serves us a snowy mountain setting at a rustic chalet, an avalanche, murder(s), sketchy characters with the story told through the POV of Erin - chalet hostess and Liz - a socially awkward shareholder and former Snoop employee.

Overall this is an entertaining read but if you're looking for a crazy twist or big reveal you might be disappointed.

Just finished reading ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware. I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Official publication date is September 8th, 2020. Go pre-order your copy now, it's worth it!!!

Imagine being at a beautiful chalet in the french alps, with amazing views, lots of snow, delicious food, a cozy fire and all your co-workers. Ohh yah...forgot to mention one of them is a murderer, and an avalanche has just struck. You are trapped!

Sounds like a fun time right...you'd better sleep with one eye open. Cause come Monday morning, how many members short will your team be?

This was chilly 🥶 thriller with some twists and turns in the ski hill that I definitely didn't see coming. Had me interested until the very last page.
(⭐⭐⭐⭐💫/5)

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 One By One - Ruth Ware

Thank you so much to @simonandschuster for the gifted copy in exchange of an honest review.

A group of snooty, wealthy, app entrepreneurs get stuck at a remote ski chalet after an avalanche - murder & chaos ensues? SIGN ME UP!

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Ruth Ware is an auto buy author for me & I am an absolute sucker for murder mysteries and thrillers set in isolation - and this is her area of expertise. However, as much as I wanted to love this book - it fell a little flat for me.

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The characters had little personality, and I felt parts of the plot felt rushed and the ending left a lot to be desired. Also can we just talk about the unlikelihood that a remote ski chalet which frequently loses cell service would have no satellite phone? Any only two staff members? And we have a bunch of travelling techies and only one carries a portable battery charger? I don’t know guys... A heart racing thriller really needs to be 100% believable and there were just too many holes for me!

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That all being said - I still enjoyed the premise & setting of the book. As always, Wares writing is easy to devour and I think this would be a great quick read to cozy up with this winter on an extra cold day - being snowed in might up the thrill value! ☕️

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This is my third book I have read by Ruth Ware and I was a bit disappointed. I loved Turn of the key, however this one left me feeling meh.
Ruth Ware is exceptional in her writing atmospheric settings but I find this trope of being stranded at a resort in a snowstorm etc being overused now in books.
I was able to figure out the plot twist right at the very beginning and even though I did find the book entertaining there was no surprise ending for me at least. I gave it a solid 3 stars as it did keep me reading through to the end and for its atmospheric writing.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have only read a few of Ruth Ware’s books but Death of Mrs. Westaway really drew me in and I couldn’t put it down. This book is no exception, a ski chalet in the middle of winter, a work party, and an avalanche, what could go wrong? With an interesting cast of flawed characters, beautiful setting, and so many plot twists and turns, this book is another winner. A perfect winter read for hot, sunny July.