I really enjoyed Zero Days, by Ruth Ware! The story follows Jacintha, "Jack" as she investigates the death of her husband. You can't help but root for Jack as she investigates, and the supporting characters are interesting and definitely add to the story. I would not say there are any crazy plot twists or shocking twists, but the story was well-written and interesting, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next at the end of each chapter!

3.5⭐️I liked this book, but I didn’t love it.

What I enjoyed:
-The premise is unique, especially how Jack (the protagonist) is hired by companies to see if their security system is “hack proof” or not
-There was a lot of action packed into a short period of time
-How the title came into play
-How it differed from Ware’s other novels

What wasn’t for me:
-Once Jack was on the run, the story dragged, and I was waiting for a “wow” moment
-The “bad guy” reveal was obvious
-I didn’t really enjoy Jack as a protagonist
-Her sisters name was “Hel”

Book Title: Zero Days
Author: Ruth Ware
Publisher: Gallery Books-Gallery Scout Press
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: June 20, 2023
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 368

In this story Jacintha (Jack) and Gabe Cross, own and operate a cybersecurity company and are ‘penetration specialist’ known as “pen testers”. They are hired by companies to break in and therefore test if there security system is secure. Gabe controls the technology and Jack does the physical work of breaking in.
However, one night after a routine assignment, Jack comes home to find her husband Gabe has been murdered. She is in shock and does not inform the authorities immediately; of course, this makes her a person of interest.
Jack thinks the police are not doing enough and sets out to find out who killed her husband.

Story is about love and loss and is told from the POV of Jack. Her pain of losing Gabe is clear.
She goes on the run from the police and she doesn’t stop until the end of the story. Thus the story chapters are a count down to Zero Days starting with
Saturday, February 4, 2023 Minus Eight Days etc. until
Sunday, February 12, Zero Days. Then
Monday, February 13, Day One
Monday, February 12, 2024 Day Three hundred and Sixty-five.

I am a big psychological thriller and love twists and turns but this didn’t quite deliver as Whodunit wasn’t a surprise to me.

This is my eighth novel by author, Ruth Ware. She is an author who has been a ‘hit or a miss’ with me. There are stories I love but then there are the okay stories. I liked "The Turn of the Key", The Death of Mrs. Westaway", and "The It Girl" - they were all big hits with me!

Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books –Gallery Scout Press for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 20, 2023.

Thank you NetGalley and Ms. Ware for giving me the opportunity to review "Zero Days." This is the third book by Ms. Ware that I have read. What I have come to realize is that each of Ms. Ware's books are unique. There is no paste and cut formula like so many of the popular authors these days. "Zero Days" is no exception. This book reminds me of Mission Impossible. It has a lot of action. The only fault with the book is that it lacks a lot of different characters. Because there was not a lot of characters I was easily able to guess who "did it." Not to say that there wasn't suspense it just had you guessing why more than who. I would definitely recommend this book.

Jack (Jacintha) and Gabe are a husband and wife team who are “pen” specialists - people hired to break into companies (penetrate) and test security. While Jack, guided by Gabe’s assistance through her ear, completes a job and is then detained, he is murdered. Under suspicion and being questioned at the police station, Jack uses her skills to escape and hunt for the killer herself, endangering her own life.

The falsely accused is one of my least favorite tropes yet I chose this book because of the author. It had a decent plot but the pages and pages of little and sometimes repetitive details found me doing a lot of skimming. Jack turns into almost a super action hero as she narrowly escapes precarious situations. The book struck me as being written as a pitch for a movie or Netflix series….one that I probably wouldn’t choose to watch because I am not into action films…especially those that strain credulity.

Fans of Ruth Ware might find this book surprising; action aficionados will enjoy it.

I feel that I have given Ruth Ware a few tries but I always end up not finishing her books because they simply just drag. I made myself stick it out with this one and I wish I could say it was worth it but it really wasn’t. It felt that while we did get a satisfying ending, the plot fell a bit flat for me. The writing was a bit overly descriptive and a lot of parts just felt unnecessary.

The queen of suspense is back!

The book is a bit of a departure from Ware's previous titles, but I'm into it. This is more of a technical thriller--but with many twists and unexpected turns. Jack and her husband, Gabe, are a mastermind team that are at the top of their game. When Jack is unexpectantly killed and Jack is pinned for his murder, she must prove her innocence, while on the run! Hello, The Fugitive!

I like this departure from Ware's normal style and I can see many of her fans being excited to read something new from Ware!

Well Done!!

I love Ruth Ware’s books and I really did try to dive into this one as well. I definitely thought it was riveting, and I wanted to know what would happen. It fell a little flat for me, to be honest. There was not that immediate or gradual connection to any of the characters.

Short Synopsis:
Jack and her husband Gabe are security specialists. After a job one night, Jack comes home to find her husband murdered. And surprise. She’s the police’s number one suspect.

My Thoughts:
This one started off strong. I loved the first 25 percent. There was action and surprises. Once Jack was on the run, it dragged, like so much. I think the book could have been much more impactful if it was cut down some in the middle.

I liked it though! It held my interest. But it was a bit lackluster than what I was anticipating after the strong start.

Read if You Like:
🖥️ The Fugitive
🖥️ Lots of action
🖥️ Turn paging thrillers
🖥️ Ride or Die sisters

While I thought this latest wasn’t up to Ware’s usual cleverness and plotting, I really enjoyed it. The issue for me, was that Jack was way too clever to have been so fooled by the various contrived situations, and Cole being the baddie was obvious. But, as usual, I heartily await the next one, and find these novels to be excellent weekend reads.

I can always rely on Ruth Ware for an enjoyable read, and this is no different. Do I think this take on The Fugitive is her most successful outing? No, I think it's a little outside her wheelhouse, but I was still entertained, which is the primary thing I'm coming to her for. Here's hoping next year's release closer to her whodunnit roots

I'm a big fan of Ruth Ware's other books, but Zero Days was a miss for me. Most of her books are dark and atmospheric. I would consider this one more of a fast-paced spy thriller. The writing is still really well done but the characters and plot were boring to me. If you're a fan of spy novels and movies, I think this might be right up your alley!

This book really hooks you from the start. Love that it kept you guessing ! The characters were awesome . Love Ruth Ware and all her books !

I had very high hopes for this since it is so different than other Ruth Ware books which tend to be underwhelming for me. I like the idea of it a lot, it's interesting, but I guessed the bad guy pretty fast. And I was right and that's revealed at like 65% and then that's basically it?

The reveal was boring, I was over her festering wound quickly, and Jack just didn't do it for me. I know she probably had blinders on but it was pretty obvious what was happening as she was on the move.

And I actually burst out laughing when she was in the middle of a very serious exchange with a guy from the dark web near the end where she put her finger in her mouth, ring and all while deciding what to do and thinking of her dead husband. It was just such a weird mental image, I had to stop and read that part to my boyfriend with the context it was so weird. This one just didn't do it for me.

Thank you for the ARC, Net Galley.

I was very excited to receive an advance readers copy of Zero Days by Ruth Ware. I am a big Ruth Ware fan and have read all of her books. This one did not disappoint! It was full of twist and had my heart racing while I was reading. I could not put this novel down! Jack’s husband is murdered and she is the prime suspect. She knows that if she doesn’t find out who is responsible no one will. It’s a race against the clock to get answers before they catch her.
This is definitely a book I would recommend!

OMG-Ware never disappoints; she's has really become one of my go-to authors because the stories are all unique, well-researched and twisty enough to keep you guessing to the very end. I love a good mystery that hooks you almost instantly and keeps you up late because you cannot put it down! If you do too--this is your book!

Another awesome suspense from Ruth Ware! She does an excellent job of keeping readers on the edge of their seats throughout this book. At times, the reader feels as tired as the main character from all the running she does and narrow escapes. Ware doesn't miss out on great character development though. The main character has many layers readers will work through and will sympathize with her grief and shock from losing her soul mate in such a terrible way, but will also feel her need to go on at any cost to find out the truth. While I am a huge fan of all of Ruth's books, this one felt a little more action packed and a little deeper with character development. Great read!

Let me start by saying that I am
A huge fan of this author but this book did not do it for me
This thriller is very much like every other thriller and not what has come to be expected from the author I had to check part way through that I was in fact reading a Ruth Ware book because it was so predictable which is not how I would describe previous works.
I enjoyed the ride even though I was increasingly agitated at the wound getting more character development than any character and I grew weary of reading the same line about our main character not being able to cry.
All in all, it was just ok for me and I realize I will be in the minority so I will recommend this book to others even though I had been expecting much more
Thank you netgally for an advanced opportunity to read this book

CONTENT WARNING: blood, murder, gore, grief, PTSD, mention of domestic violence, mention of stalking, police brutality

Although this is a bit different from Ware’s usual style, she completely nailed it with the Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Fugitive vibes—they came through loud and clear in this book. I was pulled into the story quickly, and was surprised that the tech stuff wasn’t overwhelming.

Jack (Jacintha) Cross and her husband are penetration testers, working together to identify any weak spots in the physical and online security systems of companies. Jack handles the buildings, while Gabe hacks into the computers. But when a job goes wrong, Jack has to deal with an issue that delays her, and she comes home to find her husband murdered, and she’s the prime suspect.

She quickly goes on the run, convinced that she’ll be able to find the real killer on her own, rather than trust the police, who don’t seem to believe her and aren’t investing much other than trying to tie her to the murder. And the evidence does seem to be pointing towards her as the main suspect.

Jack’s search was exciting and full of action, and while I was able to figure out some of the reveal, I was surprised by a lot more of the information presented towards the end of the book. I couldn’t put the book down, and this one was definitely a hit. Ware even managed to make the tech information manageable for people who aren’t tech-savvy, like me.

Another heart pounding, page turner and suspenseful novel by Ruth Ware!! This time taking on computer hackers Ware is at her best. Thanks for the advanced copy!!