I have mixed feelings on this one. It was tight and suspenseful, and the plot moved, but not much happens. Or the action that does does it very slowly. Audio narration gave it an added edge.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I’m so sad about this.

This is now the Ware book in a row that I didn’t like. Honestly, I think this is worse than The It Girl. I didn’t mind the first few chapters but then it got so predictable and techy. I also found myself yelling at Jack as if you’re watching one of those movies where the main character is making the most obviously dumb decisions.

Bring back the gothic mysteries!!!

2.5.

From the outset of ZERO DAYS, Ruth Ware gives us a thriller that doesn't let up. There is non-stop action throughout, with the heroine, Jacintha Cross (aka, Jack), playing the role of an action hero – part Energizer bunny and part punching bag. In spite of Jack's apparently superhuman ability to persevere through a variety of injuries and both emotional and physical pain, Ware pens a realistic and fully formed character.

Jack and her husband, Gabe, have a pen (as in penetration) testing/ethical hacking business looking for the holes in their client companies' security systems. Gabe manages the computer hacking part of their attempted penetrations, while Jack handles the physical side. For this reason, she is extremely fit and has incredible evasive skills. This makes her performance throughout the challenges of the book, which extend way beyond pen testing, as realistic as possible. When, on the first night of the book, she comes home from an assignment to find Gabe murdered in their home and is immediately suspected by the police, she begins eight days of both hiding and trying to figure out who actually murdered her husband.

This wouldn't be a Ruth Ware book without numerous twists in the plot, and the author does not disappoint. While I was fairly certain from early on who was responsible, I couldn't see how all of the pieces would come together until Ware put them together for me. The book involves a fair amount of technology, but Ware gives us the background we need to process the plot without being didactic. The frightening nature of what can be done when powerful technology lands in the wrong hands drives some of the plot, while the destruction that can be wrought by warped human nature drives the rest. There are some kind and caring characters, however, as well as some who at least attempt to use technology as a force for good.

Although I have never been to London and its surrounding area, I feel as though I have been there after following Jack as she moved throughout the city and countryside. Ware's descriptive language brings the area to life without slowing down the pace of the book. In fact, there is hardly a second in this book that is not taken up with some sort of action. This is the fastest paced of any of Ware's books, taking place over an eight day period during which a great deal happens.

There is a satisfying resolution that will appeal to those who like closure in their stories. As always, I will be watching for Ruth Ware's next book.

I’ve read quite a few of Ruth Ware’s books and they are honestly either a hit or miss for me. Zero Days ended up being just okay in my opinion. I didn’t outwardly hate it but definitely didn’t find it amazing by any means.

It has the typical cat and mouse game when one’s spouse ends up murdered, but this time the wife of the dead spouse is a Pen tester (I had no idea what this was until this book; she basically tries to get into knowing businesses to find their weak spots in security) and tries to find her husband’s murderer on her own since the police are determined to prove she did it.

I predicted the twist very early on and didn’t find it all that shocking.

Jack and her husband Gabe are the perfect duo…working together to make sure companies are secure. Jack is the legs and Gabe takes care of the tech end. Together they see if they can break into businesses and if they can, how the companies can make themselves more secure. After a job one night Jack arrives home to find Gabe brutally murdered. When she becomes a suspect, she takes off to find out what really happened to her husband. She finds out there are few people she can turn to and trust.


Ruth Ware is often hit and miss for me. This one was ok for me. It is one I’m not sorry I read, but it won’t be one I’ll remember for long. I figured out most of the twists along the way. Still, not a bad read.

This was a fantastic, fast-paced read. Did I have a hunch who was behind it early on - yes. But, I didn’t know why, I didn’t know the journey it would take to solve the case, and I wasn’t expecting the most perfect ending. Jack has a really bad week, but she learned so much about humanity and herself along the way there is certain satisfaction in the ending.

This is the first book I read by Ruth Ware. It took some time to get this story going. Once the story rolled out there was a fair amount of excitement. No lack of cat and mouse in this book. Overall I found the story enjoyed but I also found it quite unrealistic. I liked the main female character. I felt some of the details of the story could have been cut out a bit. I gave the book 3½ Stars out of 5.

Ruth Ware is so good at what she does. I very much enjoyed this mystery and how it could (and probably has) happen in real life. It starts off with an interesting job by the main character and her husband, who ends up murdered. Getting to follow along with Jack as she tries to clear her name and find justice for her husband, while running into one thing after the other. I highly enjoyed this book.

I kind of drifted away from Ruth Ware a few years ago after some unsatisfactory reads. But I'm back on board after reading Zero Days. This is a thriller with a bit more heft than her usual stuff. It was a little predictable but I kept reading to find out Jack's fate.

Ruth Ware is one of my auto-buy authors, and I've read every single one of her books. And I have to say, Zero Days is one of my favorites!

I loved how unique this book was - I've never even heard of penetration testers before, and it was so cool to learn more about that world. I was immediately engaged in the story and couldn't stop reading. I loved Jack and Gabe's relationship, and I teared up several times throughout the book.

While I wasn't very shocked by the twist, that didn't bother me. It was more about the "journey" and not the ending.

Thank you to the publisher and Neutrally for the gifted copy!

This book was very engaging but having been a Ruth Ware fan for sometime, I found this title to be very different from her previous ones. It was very fast-paced so the story moved along, but I found myself getting frustrated with the protagonist who felt inconsistent (ie she is clearly smart and skilled in her career, but throughout the book was in constant denial of what was going on around her). In all, it was engaging and relatively solid but didn’t win me over.

I always turn to Ruth Ware when I'm in the mood for a suspenseful, twisty thriller that will keep me on the edge of my seat, and she really delivers exactly that with her latest novel. Zero Days.

When the story opens, we meet Jack and her husband Gabe as they are attempting to break into a building by hacking its security system. It turns out that's actually their job - they're penetration specialists and they are the best in the business when it comes to this kind of work. Gabe does all of the technical stuff, while Jack is the one who actually physically breaks in.

It's fun to watch them work together as they clearly enjoy their work and it's just as clear the two of them love each other very much, which makes what happens all the more horrifying and heartbreaking. The job we're witnessing goes wrong and Jack ends up arrested. By the time she finally makes it home to Gabe, hours later than expected, she finds Gabe dead, throat gruesomely slashed open. Jack is devastated and then her life gets turned upside down even more when the police decide she is their prime suspect.

Since this is a thriller, I don't want to give anything away, but needless to say, it's a pulse-pounding, race against time as Jack goes on the run in an effort to find out who is responsible for Gabe's murder and why they killed him. I devoured this book in just a couple of sittings and immediately wished I had another Ruth Ware book I could dive into.

The synopsis advertises this story as having Mr. and Mrs. Smith or The Fugitive vibes, and I think that description is spot on. In the mood for a fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat: Look no further than Zero Days.

I have loved all of Ruth Ware's previous books and although this one felt like a very different tone from her usual work, I enjoyed it just as much. This is a true action thriller that will keep you guessing throughout (although I did figure out the culprit before the reveal). This is a fast-paced read and I couldn't stop reading to find out who was framing Jack for her husband's murder. The end did have a small twist that I wasn't expecting and really appreciated. I always enjoy plots about people on the run, trying to clear their name so this was a good bet for me. I think this will be a great summer read! Thank you to Ruth Ware, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not the thriller I was expecting.

I was bored with this by the second chapter -- but I always try to finish something I've agreed to read and review. I should have DNF.

The plot is blah and predictable -- woman's husband is killed, she is a suspect, she tries to find out who killed him. Of course she succeeds.

In this story, Jack (Jacintha) Cross is looking for the persons responsible for murdering her husband, Gabe. She can't trust anyone (and the reader will spot that immediately) and she's on the run enduring impossible scenarios of peril and being pursued by police. Her constant stream of internal dialogue, moaning and groaning, and repetitive thoughts drove me nuts. Without all the descriptive words used to describe her wound pain, how cold and tired she was, and how much she loved her husband -- well maybe this would have been a short story or novella. I found it boring.

Finished it, can't recommend it. Won't be rushing to obtain this author's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing this e-book ARC.

I liked this as the overall storyline was very different. I felt it slightly dragged in the middle but overall a solid 3 in the suspense category. I slightly suspected one of the twists but still enjoyed it! I'll read anything the Ruth Ware writes and this didn't disappoint.

Jacintha (Jack) Ross loves the thrill she gets when doing her job. She and her husband Gabe Medway own a security company that tests the vulnerabilities of their client businesses. Jack is the boots on the ground half of the duo. One night after finishing a job, she finds Gabe has been murdered in their home. As the police question her, Jack realizes that she is being framed and goes on the run. It's a race against time to discover why her husband was targeted and by whom. Could she be next? Avoiding arrest may be the least of her worries as the clock ticks down to the Zero Day. I am not super knowledgeable about the world of computer hacking, but I could definitely understand the risks of being a good guy in that dark environment. This is not my favorite from Ruth Ware, but definitely a read that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I struggle hard with this one so it’s a three for me.

Mostly, don’t go into this one thinking it’s going to be a normal Ruth Ware novel. What I go to for Ruth Ware is spooky, semi-gothic, sometimes Agatha Christie weird vibes.

What I don’t go to her for is fugitive, mission impossible-esque stories. I don’t really go to anyone for that. It’s just not my cup of tea.

However, this one, like all of Ruth Ware’s other novels is well written so I didn’t just go with my gut and DNF it. But maybe I should have.

I don’t know who this one is for. If you’re a fan of Ruth’s other works this one may be for you or it may not. It wasn’t for me.

But I want to say I’m proud of Ruth Ware for going for it and trying something new. That’s such an admirable thing and I’ll continue to read her work in the future.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Gallery/Scout press for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jack and her husband, Gabe, break into buildings of companies and hack into their security systems. But don’t worry, that’s what they’re hired to do by the companies themselves. Their job is to find flaws within a company’s office system so that they can help them improve upon their security, and it’s a job they both love. Most of the time the job runs smoothly, and their current job is no exception but unfortunately Jack messes up and ends up spending some time at the local police station. By the time she returns home to Gabe, she finds him dead in front of his computer. Due to the shock, it takes her a significant amount of time to call the police for help, and this is her first mistake in an avalanche of mistakes that lead the police to making her suspect number one.
Jack loved her husband more than anything in the world and her only hope is to take off from the police and find out who killed him before she goes down for the murder herself. Jack doesn’t know who she can trust, and it may just be that the only person she can trust is herself. Jack is running out of time and resources but she’s also angry and determined and she won’t go down without a fight. If you’ve read anything by Ruth Ware in the past, you’ll know that her books will grip you and not let go. “Zero Days” is a thrilling ride.

Ruth Ware is an author who I’ve read all of her books, and will continue to do so as she publishes them. She has been hit or miss for me in the past, and I’m happy to say I really liked this one overall, but it did seem to start with a bang, drag in the middle, and then finish up with the speed and suspense I have come to love from Ware. It is also a bit of a different read than what I’m used to with her books, but I am familiar with the concept of penetration testing and I really enjoyed her incorporating the industry into this plot. I always like to see how protagonists are going to get themselves out of situations where it so obviously seems they are the guilty one but the reader knows they clearly are not, and I thought Ware did a great job at this. I was able to guess who was guilty fairly easily, but I still enjoyed this one for sure.

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press, NetGalley, and Simon Audio for the copies to review.

Zero Days is a fast paced thriller with Ruth Ware's signature writing style including many twists and turn. I recommend checking this one out!