I'm a huge fan of Ruth Ware but this wasn't my favourite book of hers. Unfortunately, it was a but formulaic and felt like the author was just ticking boxes. Fingers crossed her next book is back to her usual standard.

I haven't read much by Ms Ware before, but still enjoyed One by One. There was lots of mystery and intrigue, and entertained me until the very end. Recommended for anyone who loves a good read.

Ruth Ward us one of my favourite authors! I love her writing, and this did not disappoint. So good, the plot, the writing, everything!

I kept pushing this book back in my list because I have seen some very conflicting reviews since the time the book has been published. I have really enjoyed two of the author's books and the oppressive environment that the author tends to paint very vividly, and I was unsure if I was ready to gauge this one.
It turned out to be a hit with me. The writing was so smooth that I had to finish the book in two sittings. There are too many voices that were given priority (I felt) even if the actual narrators were just two women. This is probably the only thing that I felt a little off and maybe that I swung back and forth with my guesses, not really making a landing before the big reveal(s).
We have a team from a startup who have decided to all vacation together in a chalet. The only downside is that there are bad things in the offing, not just natural but planned as well. First, we know the ending (sort of) and then are taken back to understand the events that led to the first information. The individual characters stood out and had their own plotline, independent of the deaths in the narrative. This made reading an easy exercise. I would not want to talk about the actual happenings because it is the book's foundation and should be first encountered within its pages.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Dear Random House.

Firstly, thanks very much for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Unfortunately, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be reading and reviewing this title due to the large number of titles that I currently have on my shelf, and my inability to read them all. For this reason, I've decided to tidy up of my Netgalley shelf and I won't be able to read and review this title for you as I had hoped to do.

I hope to be able to read and review further titles for you in the future, and I wish both you and the author every success with this title.

Thanks and Regards
Kim

I was hesitant about reading this book before I got it just because from the outside it does not look like much that would interest me, however I can truthfully say that it did not disappoint in the end. I read this for the literally dead book club, and I think it made great use of the fear that we all have of isolation. Though the characters were not the best to read about it was overall a very good take on a classic type of story.

This book was a disappointment at so many levels. The character development, the plot, and the way it was put together. Probably my least favorite Ruth Ware

A great, pacey thriller. I enjoyed the flipping of narrators and I like that actually there was still story that developed after the big reveal of who done it. I enjoy Ruth Ware as an author and this did not disappoint.

I love Ruth Ware’s novels and this was no exception. Fast paced and twisty, I love how this book made you suspect everyone at some point!

The characters in this are something else and Ruth paints them brilliantly in this book. You can’t help but loath some of them and their privileged ways but then that lends itself nicely to the outcome.

Whilst I was able to guess who the killer was, this didn’t ruin the book for me and made me all the more curious as to how the story would actually end.

Another Ruth Ware win for me and can’t wait for some more!

This was my first book by Ruth Ware and I am genuinely sorry to say this but it was extremely predictable. I have nothing positive to say about this book.

There seems to be a trend at the moment for books based on the premise of a group being isolated with a killer in their midst, and having read quite a few I wasn't sure if I would enjoy another. However the characters in this book were interesting, the story was well paced and I loved the setting. It all worked together really well and I was pleasantly suprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed this book I found it a bit slow to start but once you got use to the characters it was good,

Really kept me guessing and had me enthralled after the first chapter. This is the first book I have read by Ruth and I’m now after others. Thank you

This was an overall enjoyable story, but I struggled to get into it. I did like how it kept me guessing and was a lot less predictable than other books of this genre.

This novel follows a group of people who all work on the Snoop app (a music streaming service that allows you to listen to what someone else is listening to at the exact same time as them) as they arrive at their holiday chalet in Saint Antoine. The novel is narrated by Erin, who works at the chalet, and Liz, a former employee and now share-holder at Snoop. The group all seem to have strong personalities and it seemed from the start that there would be fireworks. No one predicted that there would be an avalanche that would isolate the group at the chalet with no means of contacting the outside world. And then a murder happens! I love a closed circle mystery and this one was a fun read. I did spot whodunnit very early on but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story as I wanted to know how and why! This was a good read on a cold winter’s day and I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. One By One is a locked room thriller and my first venture into Ruth Ware's work, which I unfortunately was not a fan of for the most part. I thought the characters were hard to keep track of or invest into, so when they inevitably start dropping like flies one by one (!) there is very little tension created. Only a couple of characters felt really developed, the others distinguished really only by race, sexuality, or hair colour. This made them feel like tropes or tokens rather than fleshed out enough to care about them.

I also really wasn't a fan of the chapter format or overarching social media factor because it simply didn't play enough of a role in the plot itself to be relevant. Too much space is devoted to 'Snoop' given it only has one real steer in the story. The last quarter or so of One By One is the strongest and saved the rating from divebombing for me; I enjoyed the snowy setting, the suspense, and how the revelations unfolded, but other than that I really didn't click with this one, unfortunately.

One by One by Ruth Ware

A group of funky young things from the music app 'Snoop' go to stay at a luxury Ski chalet in the Alps on an executive business meeting.
Things are strained between the group from the get-go and then an avalanche hits and things really start to go pear-shaped (murder-shaped).
If I hadn't known that this was a brand new book from Ruth Ware then I honestly think I would've had to have checked my lists to make sure that I hadn't actually read this one before, based on it's synopsis.
This sub-genre of the mystery/crime thriller, whereby a group of obnoxious friends go to stay in a luxury hotel/house/lodge/teepee and are then trapped by inclement weather whilst an unknown assailant picks them all off one by one, has been done to death already.
So I was a bit reticent before starting this book and wasn't at all surprised that it's had such mixed reviews.
But you know what? I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are a hell of a lot of cliches and predictability, but despite all that, I really found myself enjoying this book.
The alternating of narrators kept it fresh, the levels of anticipation were pitched high and the back-stories were interesting enough (although again, quite predictable).

* Thanks to Random House Vintage and Netgalley for the ARC.

When a group of colleagues get snowed in at a scenic mountain chalet after an avalanche they think their luck couldn't get any worse, right? Wrong!
Their bad luck is only just beginning.
Tension rises and so does the body count. The group must figure out who the murderer is before its too late.
This book fell kind of flat for me. For one, there was too many characters to keep up with them all. I figured out who the killer was by around 60% and overall it was kind of boring.
I enjoyed it while I was reading it once I got into it and it kept me guessing until it was obvious how it was going to end.
Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

One by One is a cosy novel, perfect for those winter nights. The novel begins by following two characters and their journeys that bring them to the luxury cabin, in St. Antoine. After an avalanche cuts the guests off from the village below, it’s not soon after when guests keep disappearing one by one.

POV
Interestingly Ruth Ware uses several perspectives in One by One. Readers follow the perspective of Erin, the chalet host and Liz, a shareholder in a tech company. Having two perspectives is a new structure for Ware’s novels. However, these perspectives are vital to the plot and the development of her characters. Both perspectives are needed to demonstrate a staff’s point of view, as well as a guest in the lodge. As the novel unfolds and clues are given to the reader, he dual perspectives are used at times to compliment the plot twists. This is certainly a new technique that Ware has explored well within her writing of One by One
Characterisation

Although Ware writes crime novels, I cannot help but acknowledge that my favourite characters hers are humorous. My favourite character in this novel was Danny. His passion and personality are clearly shown through his actions and dialogue. Danny adds a humorous touch to even the darkest of scenes. At times he can be relatable and sometimes acts like he is projecting the readers thoughts onto the page. Perhaps this is why his character is so amusing…

Location and Setting
A significant detail that continues to be shown in all of Ware’s novels, is her use of setting. Whether it’s Northumbrian forests, a stately home or the French Alps, Ware always uses her setting carefully and strategically. The Earth’s elements always seem to provide good ground for a crime novel and what better setting for One by One than the French Alps? Furthermore with the use of skiing jargon and a little bit of French sprinkled in, emphasises the research that has been taken to deliver such mesmerising landscapes and scenes.

As winter still settles amongst us and many of us are working from home, what could feel better than reading a novel with people stranded in one cabin that are beginning to get a little cabin fever.

Whether you find this read as escapism or as relatable is entirely up to you…


Personal note: I just wanted to say a big thank you for letting me read this book! I absolutely love reading this author and loved reading this over the winter months.

2.5. I usually love books by Ruth Ware however, I was left disappointed after finishing this one.

The concept of the story wasn’t original however it’s one that I usually tend to enjoy. Big house, several people, someone dies, then comes the anticipation of trying to solve the murderers identity. A basic storyline yet one I usually devour and enjoy trying to solve. That being said this one didn’t draw me in. I found none of the potential victims particularly likeable therefore wasn’t overly fussed about them being killed off one by one. I also managed to work out who the murderer was pretty quickly, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I did think that it was pretty obvious. Plus points were I did like the characters of the chalet hosts and I did enjoy finding out what tragedies shaped the female host into behaving how she did. It also probably didn’t help that I’d previously read The Chalet a couple of weeks before reading this and it was pretty similar and a much better read in my opinion. An ok read overall but nothing overly exciting or interesting and rather boring and mundane in parts. However, Ruth Ware still a great author in my opinion and it won’t put me off reading any of her future releases.