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.

Really enjoyed the fast paced mystery. I was left guessing the entire book. I'm glad the characters were a bit older as well as it made the experience seem more real.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter and I binge read it in a matter of hours. There is just something about Freida McFadden writing that has me flying through her books.

They do all follow the same formula & I found this one in particular terribly predictable! As in, I called it from the first “death”, but that didn’t make the story & experience any less enjoyable.

I appreciate the opportunity to review this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. Freida has not disappointed me yet. It never ceases to amaze me the way she can continue to come up with twist after twist for story after story. This book is set in the woods, which normally seems predictable, but it didn’t end as I thought it was going to. Another 4 star read!

Freida McFadden is the thriller Queen! She is absolutely amazing at keeping me glued to her books.
This book goes along the lines of picking people off. All the books I have read from her were based off of one main character so it was different seeing a group of people being the main focus.

I love Freida McFadden books. I like that they are all quick reads you can finish in 1 to 2 sittings. I enjoy the truly messed up twists at the end and have fun trying to guess what the shocking surprise ending will be. This one did not disappoint.

This was just an ok read for me. Not McFadden’s best work. The premise is one I’ve read before, a group heads out for a trip, but events happen and the bodies pile up. Clair our main character was sorta of boring and I figured out what was happening early on in the story.
No real thrills or surprise in this book like other McFadden books I’ve read.

"One by One" by Freida McFadden is a gripping thriller. The story is filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and well-developed characters that keep you hooked from beginning to end. Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers, this book is a page-turner you won't be able to put down.

As per usual, I binged this whole book in one sitting. There is just something about the way that Freida writes her books that just sucks you in. I really enjoyed this one. It was fun and twisty, This book kept me guessing the entire time and I was completely shocked with the ending. This is such a fun and fast paced book that would be perfect for a rainy day read! As always, love Freida and can't wait to read more of her books.

As with all FMF books, it drew me in and I read it in one sitting. Are her books the most realistic? No. But that's not what I need from her. I need an escape from reality and that's what you get. It's thrilling and exciting and a great read.

This one was another fail for me.
2.5

I found the characters boring and the whiplash of twists near the end predictable as this has become a Freida McFadden staple. It's almost to be expected that the first and even second reveal are actually red herrings, waiting until the literal last couple pages for the final shoe to be dropped.

I'll still binge all her books tho.

Thank you to NetGalley and PoisonedPen Press for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of One by One. Wow. This was a thrill of a book to read. So many twists and turns I couldn't put it down.

This is a middle of the lane book for me. It starts quite goood and it keeps you on your toes but because there is little character development all of them feel flat, boring and its hard to distinquish them from eachother. I very much like the Anonymous chapters so it helped keep my attention. While I didnt predict the book I think my dislike of the characters was the major issue.

"One by One" is a super gripping mystery where a bunch of strangers get stuck in the woods. Things get crazy as they figure out one of them is a killer! The twists and turns are wild, keeping you guessing till the very end. The author, Freida McFadden, keeps it easy to follow, but you'll still be totally into the story. If you love mysteries that make your heart race, this book is a total must-read!