I love the plot twist and woah Freida brings. I am usually good at guessing where a thriller is going but McFadden gets me every time!

Freida McFadden's One by One had a gripping premise of a vacation gone wrong, but the execution felt silly and contrived. Claire Matchett and her friends quickly lose their way in the woods, but instead of tension, the plot spirals into absurdity, leaving me shaking my head more than holding my breath.

The characters were unlikable, making it hard to root for anyone's survival. Claire felt flat and reactive, and the rest of the group blended together, lacking any depth or charm. The subplot of Claire's troubled marriage and infidelity kept my interest, but it only barely.

Ultimately, while the pacing kept me reading, the ridiculous plot and forgettable characters detracted from the potential thrills. It was an okay read, but I wanted much more.

TL;DR: A silly plot with unlikable characters made it hard to engage. The marriage troubles added some intrigue, but it barely held my attention. A quick read that left me wanting more depth and tension.

I love Freda McFadden’s books. They are always fast paced and easy to follow. With that being said, this wasn’t my favorite. It was good, but I found the plot a little predictable. Would still recommend.

Loved this book! It had me hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the push and pull. All of it… couldn’t put it down!

This one had me flying through the pages and guessing (incorrectly) the whole time! I would highly recommend for a quick thriller.

I’ve read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and while it wasn’t the most well-written thriller I’ve read, there was just something so addictive that I couldn’t get enough of it. So of course, I was very excited to receive an ARC of this book in the hopes that it would also have me riveted.

It did not. 

This book was the silliest thing I’ve read in a long time – and not in a good way. 

When I say these characters were one-dimensional, I swear my baking tray has more depth than they do. They are defined by one trait only; they have no other personality but that one thing. 

There is also no consistency in the details given in the story and it is glaringly obvious. It shows a lack of care, a lack of effort, and a lack of editing. 

The plot was ridiculously bad, with clues that made no sense. The final twist in the end was equally ludicrous and left me even more disappointed. 

Literally, the only good thing about this book is that it was short. 

1/5 stars – I literally can’t rate this any higher even if I wanted to.

Happy reading ~

Six friends go on a trip. Who’s going to be the one who comes back? One by One is a fast paced thriller about 3 couples taking a trip to a secluded hotel in the woods. We find out quickly that their car breaks down and they are forced to walk the way there in the woods. The situation turns dire when someone or something starts hunting them. This book was a really good palate cleanser. It kept my attention the entire time. As per usual Freida style, it does have a big ending plot twist. I would definitely recommend for someone who does read a lot of thrillers, or is looking for a good palette cleanser after a long book. I’m giving this a solid three stars.

Good fast read with a good twist! Loved the secluded aspect of this book, would absolutely recommend to others!

One by One was another amazing book from this author. I will read anything Freida McFadden writes. I can always count on her books for their wild twists and turns that keep me up way past my bedtime.

One by One by Freida McFadden is a very intense, fast-paced thriller that kept me hooked from the start! I've been reading so many heavy series lately that have taken me a while, so this provided me with a great change of pace. The plot follows a group of friends who head into the woods for a week-long vacay, where they start disappearing one by one. Freida does an amazing job building suspense and throwing in unexpected twists. I loved how the story kept me guessing until the very end. It’s a quick, easy read (writing was kind of meh but story was great), perfect for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers with lots of mystery. I'd definitely recommend it if you’re into stories that'll keep you on the edge of your seat!

A BIG thank you to NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read One by One for free in exchange for an honest review.

Yet another incredible Freida McFadden book that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. With every book, you think you’ve figured out the plot but then she does a 180 and completely blows your mind. I always, always, always recommend Frieda to my customers and this one will be given the same treatment. Loved it from start to finish.

Another classic Freida McFadden! I loved the setting of this one - out in northern Colorado, deep in the woods. I also loved the And Then There Were None vibes of each of them disappearing every day. However, the story was a bit unbelievable even for McFaddens standards and a little repetitive with the "I'm gonna get killed and not go home" every chapter lol. Regardless, I can always count on one of her books to get me out of a reading slump!

The premise of the story sounded intriguing. Claire, and her group, go on a much needed vacation but on the way their can breaks down. They have no reception so they must hike the rest of the way to their hotel when one by one, they start getting offed. This was a shorter novel and I was interested but the story fell a bit flat. I wanted more detail or explanation on some things. However, the suspense balanced that our. My other issue was most of the characters weren't really likeable, including Claire. If you're looking for a quick read that's suspenseful then this might work out for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC!

What a ride.

This thriller kept me guessing the entire way through!

Freida never fails to deliver a page turning novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Hollywood Upstairs Press for my DRC!

Great thriller kept me hooked the whole way through. Great writing and plot. Love this authors work and unpredictable till the ending

Freida never fails to deliver. Another masterpiece by one oy my favorites. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy!

I have always been a big fan of thrillers and near the end of last year, this author Freida McFadden started to pop up on my radar and I found myself enjoying her psychological thrillers except of course for the one book that was a DNF for me. I was looking forward to One by One as it features one of my favourite thriller tropes - yes, it's been done a thousand times in books and movies, but the whole revenge-based killing off - one by one, is a trope that I have loved especially when the author does it right which is what Freida did in her title "One by One". The book starts with three couples heading off to the woods for a week's holiday in a cute Air BNB Cabin. It is a breakaway that everyone longs for, especially Claire and Jack. The thing though is Claire and Jack aren't married Claire is married to Jack's best friend Noah. For the past few months, Claire and Noah's marriage has started to disintegrate and fade away. Claire is on the verge of asking Noah for a divorce and has gotten them separate bedrooms. The thing though is that Claire has been cheating on Noah with Jack- the one who got away during their college years. On this trip we have Claire and Noah, Jack and his workaholic wife Michelle and Lindsay -Claire's college roommate and best friend and her new Plastic surgeon boyfriend Warner. What happens though when Claire's minivan breaks down in the middle of nowhere and now the six of them have to hike to the cabin. They better be careful though as someone is killing them off one by one. Who would want to harm them and is one of the six a killer? Find out in this great 5-star thriller by Freida McFadden "One by One".

I literally read this book in a single day. Six people (three couples) stranded in the woods are disappearing or dying one by one. Who is behind this? The story reminded me of a modern-day version of ‘And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Christie. I liked the “anonymous” flashback chapters which gave us insight to the person’s childhood and thoughts without telling us who it was. The characters were fairly well developed with a lot of underlying drama between them that was slowly explained throughout. I was very motivated to finish the book just to figure out who did it. Parts of this book were formulaic and predictable but I was totally surprised by the twist and reveal. Overall this was a quick and fun read! Thank you to NetGalley for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 ⭐️


This wasn’t bad per se it just didn’t hit the same as some of Frieda’s other books for me. Some of the twist at the end got me but otherwise the book seemed a little predictable and kind of dragged until the end

Frieda McFadden has quickly become one of my favorite authors but unfortunately this book was a miss for me, Personally I worry that the rush to publish so many books has had an impact on the creative process and it’s more about quantity then quality.