3.5 stars
That PLOT TWIST though. (Or should I say multiple plot twists?)

To be completely transparent, this is my first thriller/suspense read, as well as my first Frieda McFadden book, so that might differentiate my review from those of the more ~seasoned~ thriller readers. But from scanning through some other reviews, I don't think I'm alone in my opinions.

The publisher description of the premise of the book is very accurate: six friends lost in the middle of the woods, "struck down mysteriously, one by one."

The writing is easy-to-read, and fast-paced; there is not much thinking power required to get through the book, which is great for someone who was about to fall into a reading slump (like I was). In fact, I finished the book in the span of a few hours split between two days.

At first my review was teetering between a 3 or a 4 star rating, just because I thought I could see a lot of the plot points coming. But I think that was Freida McFadden's intention: lull the reader into a false sense of security only to pull the rug out underneath them at the last second. When the reveal finally happens in the last couple chapters, my jaw actually dropped. Again, maybe more experienced thriller readers would've seen the ending coming, but I highly doubt it. And the more ingenious part was the fact that the plot twists just kept coming, all the way through the epilogue.

For those wanting to find their first easy thriller read, One by One is definitely a great place to start. It's especially good for those who don't care for supernatural elements in plots, like me. But don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean this book won't keep you on edge. Let's just say that I will definitely be avoiding the woods for a while in the foreseeable future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sharing this digital e-ARC with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

6 people
6 days
6 person minivan
666 is the number of the devil. And so it begins ...

This was a quick, fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Six people start off on what should be an east journey and it ends up anything but. Chapters alternate between Claire and “Anonymous”. Anonymous is the problem, but we don’t yet know who that is. I guessed only part of the end. I thought Claire was a bit whiny, not the sharpest pencil in the box. I found most of the characters likable and one character I wanted to shoot myself. The pace was steady, but started a bit slow. Overall, I liked the book and I’d recommend it if you aren’t looking for a complex, intellectual thriller.

3.5 ⭐️'s
As a huge Freida McFadden fan, I was disappointed in this book. The twist was grand, per usual, but I felt like I was being drug along and didn't get a strong sense of the individual characters.
Anonymous was really a great surprise.

Three couples plan a week at a remote hotel in Northern Colorado. Claire and her husband, Noah, take a break from parenting their 2 children and their distressed home-life. Noah's best friend, Jack, and his workaholic wife, Michelle, attempt to get away from the hectic schedules they have. Lindsay, Claire's best friend, college roommate, and Godmother to her children, brings her boyfriend, Warner, to round out the group.
Tension is high from the start as Claire and Noah have been fighting, driving her to have an affair with Jack. While Jack is unhappily married to his disagreeable, divorce attorney wife no one likes. Lindsay is excited to get away with her new love, feeling like he may just pop the question on this wilderness getaway.
When the van breaks down just a couple miles away from their destination, tragedy and terror are not what's expected as they 6 begin to trek through the unfamiliar remote area trying to get to the hotel.
No one predicts that 6 will not return when the drama unfolds. Friends are not who they seem, loyalty is not where at the core, and the secrets shared are not all forgiven.

First Freida McFadden book I’ve read, and WOW! The last quarter of the book, I could not put it down. It also read pretty quick once you got into the plot. What a plot twist at the end! I honestly was not expecting any part of that, which is hard for me to find in a book. I ended up not knowing who to root for at one point - there are no particularly lovable characters in this book, so although I didn’t feel any which way about each person, I just was itching to know what the heck was happening and who was going to be affected next. I know this is a popular author, so I’ll have to pick up more of her other works and give them a try!

I have read several Freida McFadden books and unfortunately this one was not one of my favourites. I found myself slugging through this one and found the twists predictable. I was craving Freida’s typical blindsiding plot twists, but felt disappointed by this one. I will still read everything she comes out with because I love her easy to read writing!

I absolutely devoured this book, one sitting and done. I loved it.

I did notice that this is an older Freida book that's being re-released, and the page counts are different. I did go back and read the existing version but I found no differences, thank goodness, because this book is perfection.

How much can you trust your friends? Your partner? Yourself? A group of friends sets out on what's supposed to be a romantic vacation that turns deadly as they are picked off, you guessed it- one by one.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am a total sucker for these types of books. This isn't a locked room, but it might as well be because the wilderness begins to feel inescapable. It had me in a chokehold.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital ARC. My opinions are my own.

And my opinion is that if you are even the slightest thriller fan, this book is a must.

McFadden does it again! You may think you have the story figured out, but you never really do. The suspense is top notch. This book is not my absolute favorite she's ever written, but it's top 10 for sure. The plot will have you on the edge of your seat and you will be unable to put this book down until you know exactly how it ends.

Have you ever been SO invested in characters that you finished a book in one day?! Yeah, me neither until reading 'One by One'.
This book took ahold of me from the opening chapter and never let go! So much thought and character building went into this to make it truly griping!
A MUST READ

4 stars! ---- Freida truly, can do no wrong.

Summary:

A week of relaxing, hiking, hot tubs and getting away from the city sounds absolutely perfect to Claire Matchett. It actually might be a chance to try to repair her damaged marriage with her husband Noah, and to finally enjoy some time with some of their college best friends. However, when Claire’s minivan breaks down on a dirt road several miles away from the cabin they are expected to stay at, and no one has any cell service, they quickly realize that their relaxing vacation just turned into a deadly nightmare.
As the 3 couples navigate deeper into the desolate, haunting woods, one by one, members of their group are struck down. Is a wild animal on the loose? Or is someone in their group the hunter?

Thoughts:

If it’s a Freida McFadden book, there’s a very high chance that I’m reading it – so a huge thank you to Net Galley for the copy of One by One. Although parts of this book are very unlikely, and some characters frustrating beyond belief, the writing is always so well done, and the storyline completely absorbing. And the ENDINGS! The endings always leave me completely in shock. It’s always the least expected. I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a good summer thriller.

Another great book by Freida McFadden! A story about going on a vacation with friends that turns into such a good mystery/thriller read. I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to everyone.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this early.

I really enjoyed this book and breezed right through it.
I loved thinking of and adjusting my theories all the way through this book, and I was so disappointed in myself when I found out that I was so close to the truth but still very wrong. Still, I didn't mind being wrong at all because this was such an entertaining read.
All of the characters were fully fledged out and likeable in their own way so I loved reading about them.
The one thing I don't love is the fact that it has an open end, but that's a completely personal thing. I just enjoy knowing how things end.

The one thing I love about Freida McFadden books is that I never see the ending coming. The whole time I was reading she had me guessing and completely thrown off as to what was coming next. This was a great, fast paced thriller that I would definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of One by One by Freida McFadden.

Claire is reluctantly taking a trip with her husband and two other couples. Her marriage isn't great, she'll miss her kids, and she doesn't blend well with all of the people going. There is one secret reason that she's looking forward to the trip though. However, all of that is derailed when the van on the way to hotel breaks down. How lost are they? And if they can't get help, could they be in danger?

I love McFadden's stuff. I don't want to call it fluff, but it really does go down easy. She never makes you work too hard on the plot, and the twists and turns are always a fun ride. Great for something suspenseful and exciting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ONE BY ONE is a psychological thriller by bestselling author Freida McFadden. This suspenseful mystery novel had me hooked from the very first page. It kept me guessing all the way to the end.
When these three couples leave for a vacation, they had no idea of what awaited them. Their car breaks down they find themselves stranded and lost in the woods... but worse than that...they suspect that they are not alone...and what or who is in the woods with them has no intentions of helping.

freida is such a queen! another amazing fast paced book with so many twists and turns! I loved the way it was written and couldn't guess the plot till the end! would recommend and one of the best books I read from Freida McFadden!!!

(thanks to netgalley for this arc!)

One by One is a fast paced thriller of 3 couples that are heading to a remote retreat vacation and instead find themselves broken down and lost in the middle of the woods. Strange and seemingly unexplainable things begin to happen to them one by one. When faced with exhaustion, dehydration, and hunger, this friend groups secrets start to be revealed and they begin to question and suspect the people they thought they trusted the most.

I have read a handful of Frieda McFadden books. Her stories are fast paced, have short chapters, and always leave me suspicious of every single character due to all of the twists and turns!

One by One had everything I know and love about Freida’s books. This one felt a little flatter to me on the twists and turns than some of her other stories so it doesn’t rate as high as some of her others for me. But it was still a great, quick, suspenseful read that had me on the edge of my seat!

3.5/5⭐️

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review

Claire is looking forward to their trip and spending time with their friends, but it doesn’t start off how she hopes. Noah is at her from the beginning and she’s starting to think their marriage may be over by the time they arrive home.

The GPS stops getting a signal and so they use a hand-drawn map to guide them. Then the minivan breaks down. The six of them decide that they have no choice but to go the rest of the way on foot. After spending hours trying to find their way, they know they are definitely lost. One by one they are gone, but at the hands of whom/what the rest don’t know.

Each chapter is from someone’s perspective; however, I did not anticipate the identity of the perspective of ‘anonymous’. Freida McFadden does it again—I will be recommending this novel along with others to my friends, co-workers and students.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #OnebyOne

I have read several books by Frieda McFadden and enjoyed them all. This one was no different. This book had me thinking about it all day waiting to get back to it. I finished it in just over a day because I just couldn't leave it alone.

Three couples set out to have a relaxing week at an Inn but someone has other ideas. As they wander around aimlessly they are picked off one by one. The story is told mostly through main character Claire but there are a few chapters told by anonymous and the revelation of who anonymous was blew me away. The ending still has me thinking about it.

If you like domestic suspense with an unbelievable ending this is a must read for you!!

Well done Frieda McFadden. 👏

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This was another great fast-paced thriller by Freida! It hooked me from the very beginning and I just HAD to figure out what was going on. I devoured it in just a couple of hours! I had so many different theories and my “whodunnit” guesses kept changing throughout the book, which I love! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an eARC of One by One in exchange for my honest review!

I've been on a roll with Freida McFadden's thrillers, with every one of them turning out to be suspenseful and twisty tales that I either like or love. One by One is no exception, trapping me in the claustrophobic woods with a group of people whose hostility and suspicion grows over the course of the plot to keep me on my toes. While I wouldn't say this is doing anything particularly groundbreaking with its thriller tropes or creating the most fleshed-out characters, that doesn't take away from how engaging it is and from the tension that I feel through Claire's POV as she interacts with the people around her, including her neglectful and crabby husband whom she just might divorce very soon. I also like the quick flashbacks that this gives us for an anonymous character in order to add a bit more mystery to the story. It all builds up to a satisfying third act that I don't see coming, with the last few pages leaving us on quite the ominous note.

Overall, I'm officially rating One by One 3.75 out of 5 stars, which I'll round up to 4 stars on Goodreads. I'll most certainly continue to dive into more of McFadden's work, including The Housemaid (yes, it's still on my TBR pile).