4.5 stars. I am a fan of Ware's thrillers, and always have good fun with them. This especially had a favourite trope of mine, snowed in closed circle mystery.
The employees of a tech start-up goes to a ski chalet to have a meeting/event, and on their first day an avalanche falls and they get stuck in the chalet with no reception.
That's all you need to know :)
This book gripped me from beginning to end. I finished it very quickly turning the pages fast.
Ruth Ware is also tapping into the modern era with her tech concepts in her last 2 books, which makes things more fun and contemporary. I also enjoyed the additional music playlist a nice touch and fun. I must admit I put them on to see what they are :)

It was a highly entertaining thriller with lots of characters, you will have a hard time to decide who did it. Very much recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Ruth Ware for this advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review. An unmissable new thriller, this book will appear on many Christmas wishlists. A tense and atmospheric read.

One by One is another atmospheric thriller from Ruth Ware. Snoop is an app combining social media with music streaming. It allows you to listen to the same music your friends or favourite celebrities are listening to. Ten members of the Snoop team arrive at an isolated chalet in France for skiing and discussions about selling the app. The 5 shareholders could become multi millionaires but not all of them are keen to sell. It is all down to shy, awkward Liz who has the casting vote.
I found this book quite difficult to start with as there are twelve characters immediately introduced, some with quite similar short names. I also found a lot of the descriptions of their characters, dress style etc quite cliched. I enjoyed the novel after the difficult start but can’t say its my favourite Ruth Ware book.

Ruth opens by introducing us to seven characters in rapid succession, the founders and employees of tech company 'Snoop'.
On all accounts it was a big info dump in the form of a paragraph summary of each person, I had to read it through twice to let it sink in.

From here we switch back and forth between the perspectives of Liz the outsider of Snoop and Erin the chalet host as a corporate getaway turns horrorshow.

I always like survival thrillers. The tension of impending death from being trapped away from civilization with limited resources heightens the pace. This can be said of One by One however I would have likes a third POV, there are several times the characters split up and we never know what happens with the others.
I know it isn't entirely relevant to the plot but it streamlines the story where I think there could have been more red herrings or better character development.

Compared to previous titles I've read by Ware, the reveals in One By One are not especially thrilling. Erin's in particular left me disappointed.
Yet the concept of Snoop was very imaginative and fantasticaly modern, I even wondered whether Ware could sell the idea!

The ending, as often is with this author, is a neatly tied up package. One By One is a stand alone murder mystery ski trip great for a cosy afternoon read.

Shareholders and Directors of a new music app called ‘Snoop’ head off to a snowy retreat in Saint Antoine. At stake is a billion dollar buyout which would make some millionaires, or leave some of them in the cold. As tensions rise, an avalanche hits, and their chalet is cut off from the outside world.
One by one someone is picking off their enemies.
How far will someone go to get what they want?

The writing style and atmosphere of the setting is amazing. There was no better location for this plot than a desolate and snowy terrain. I’m not the type of reader who gets sucked into a story. I can usually fairy easily put a book down when I need to, but this book kept me up!:) The beginning of this novel really intrigued me because it had strong Agatha Christie vibes and yet the reference to this app seemed a little Black Mirror to me I was really hooked.
Strong character ties are a big part of enjoying a book for a lot of people and it definitely resonated within this book, especially with Erin and Danny.
Erin was such a well thought out character. She has struggles and a hidden past that you uncover. Also, she’s a strong woman with a killer survival instinct.
Although in my opinion I enjoyed some characters which I felt were individuals in their own right, there were a few who I thought offered very little to the story.
It’s a locked-room mystery and I think some characters were just there to serve the numbers and keep you guessing. 3 or 4 of the people in this novel to me were really one dimensional and had absolutely no personality which meant i didn’t care if they died. The plot twist at the end and reveal was good I enjoyed it. I think if you read quite a few locked-room mysteries you will 100% get it though. It’s a twist thats been done before but I enjoyed how it was done!
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a quick and short locked-room mystery. It’s good this isn’t coming out until were probably all out of lockdown😂.
So overall, this is a 3.5-3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️kind of read for me. Great setting, great twist.

-Just want to point out that this review has been shared to my Goodreads and my Instagram.

I absolutely loved The Woman in Cabin 10 (def recommend it too!) but wasn’t so fussed with her next one and was worried about this. OH MY GOD! This is fabulous. I saw some negative reviews and can’t believe it! It’s not like a book I’ve read before and I have read Lucy Glory’s which is also good. But this is superior. Frankly it even beats Cabin 10. It’s really clever. It jumps between 2 people keeping you guessing and it’s tense. I am really looking forward to her next novel. This is a serious talent.

This review will go live at the link below on 20 July:
Hi and welcome to my review of One By One! Who the hell reads about skiing, frostbite and a chalet in the Alps whilst in the throes of the first heatwave of the year? This gal! And kudos to Ruth Ware for making me oblivious to the heat for a few hours!

The creators of the Snoop app, their employees and one ex-employee have convened in a chalet in the Alps that can only be reached by a funicular. What could possibly go wrong? Well for starters, they have an important decision to make and they’re not quite seeing eye to eye. There’s also history between some of members of this party, and more than a few have something to hide. Then one of them disappears during a ski trip, and there’s an avalanche effectively snowing them in.

One by One alternates between two points of view: Erin’s, the hostess of the chalet, and Liz’s, one of the guests. The shortish chapters and the change in POV keep the story going at a swift pace, as do the many questions that are raised throughout, and the hint of secrets to be revealed.

I have read every single one of Ruth Ware’s novels, and I especially adore The Death of Mrs Westaway and last year’s The Turn of the Key. The reason why I ranked those just a bit higher than her previous ones is the Gothic vibe they both have. It’s this modern-day Gothic feel Ruth Ware excels at and it’s precisely that vibe that I missed in One by One.

One by One is taken in another direction, and especially the first two thirds of the story read like a modern-day Agatha Christie. It reminded me of And Then There Were None (incidentally one of my favourite Christies) but with corporate intrigue and lots more snow. And for those first two thirds or so, One by One stays on the beaten track. Excellently written of course, but still, part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop and for One by One to sneak off-piste. I would love to tell you a lot more, but I can’t, because spoilers.

Atmospheric, tense and claustrophobic, One by One is a great example of the locked room trope done right. I enjoyed trying to solve the puzzle, and even though my money was on the right person, certain reveals still came as a bit of a shock. Recommended to any and all mystery fans.

Huge thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

What do you do when you get an ARC of the new Ruth Ware Book? You drop everything immediately and get reading obviously!

The book follows a group of employees from an app called Snoop who travel to a snow chalet for a weekend away. They’re looked after by hosts Danny and Erin.

I really enjoyed the claustrophobic atmosphere and the setting but I have to admit, I love Ware’s books but this missed the mark for me. The book had WAY too many characters - I found it difficult to keep up.

I managed to suss things pretty early too but I did really enjoy the writing, the suspense and the setting.

Not the best thriller I’ve read it ages but definitely worth a read as I think I’ll be in the minority with this one! Definitely one for fans of Agatha Christie and Lucy Foley

One by One was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and i am so glad it didn't disappoint. Writing about people gathered in a closed environment where murders start happening is not new, and therefore not easy either. That's why, it was a great achievememt that Ware pulls it through so spectacularly.

Set in a chalet in the snow covered peaks where Snoop's core group, plus one ex employee, have come on a holiday, this novel is atmospheric from the start. We are given the story from two perspectives- Liz, the ex employee who is uncomfortable being here and Erin the chalet employee with a past she is hiding.

This corporate retreat starts going wrong almost as soon as they reach the chalet because they realise they haven't booked a room for Liz. This, in a way, sets the tone for their entire retreat which gets bleaker and bleaker as people start dying, one by one. To make matters worse, they are caught up in an avalanche that cuts them off from the surrounding world.

This book, like her previous, was high on atmosphere. The tension, discomfiture and the building dread is so palpable, it oozes from her writing. And the skii chase scenes towards the end did set my adrenaline pumping! I also loved how she made it easier to remember the characters, by introducing them Snoop style. In a novel like this, it becomes the plot's demand to have lots of characters and it can be confusing. But Ware minimized this by using the introduction technique.

I did feel though that the book was a tad bit long. The last few chapters could have been shortened, although that would have diluted the moral dilemma and the reader's feelings towards the killer as well. All in all, this is my favourite of all Ware's novels so far.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Random House, UK for their kindness in providing me this ARC! Posting the same on Goodreads as well.

Snoop - the latest app. The hipster staff of this cool London startup set off for a team holiday - to a ski resort in the Alps. The story is told from two perspectives - Liz - a former Snoop employee who doesn’t quite fit with the team’s aesthetic & Erin - the chalet girl. Both of the girls have secrets...but then doesn’t everyone? But who is hiding a deadly secret? Erin & Liz are trying to work it out before it’s too late.
This is the 3rd of Ruth Ware’s novels I have read and it’s probably my favourite. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None - a modern day whodunnit. I really enjoyed this one - it did not disappoint. Thanks @netgalley for my ARC.

I'd never read a story set at a ski resort before and i loved the different element this added to Ware's story. It was as if the setting was a character in itself and a dangerous, menacing one at that. I was concerned at first i'd struggle with so many characters being introduced at once but after a few chapters i was following them and their story easily. They were such distinctive personalities it wasn't hard to keep track of them. A group of people gathering at a ski resort with hidden agendas was an intriguing idea for a story and it was even better than i'd hoped. I was constantly changing who i thought was the killer and what the motivation could be. A very, very good book.

Loved this book! So atmospheric and such a great, threatening mountain setting - really keeps you guessing from the beginning to the end. Never a dull moment!

I recently read a novel that had a very similar premise:

'A party/group of friends goes to a remote hotel. Suddenly, a blizzard/snowstorm/extreme weather event takes place and the party/group is stranded together with hotel staff. No one can communicate with the outside world. Then - seemingly out of nowhere - someone dies. Oh no! Wait! It's murder! But who did it? Read more to find out.'

'One by One' didn't feel very original as a result of me having read this other novel. However, when it hit its halfway point, it gained momentum and became better. More original.

A few things bothered me about it throughout though:

1. The characters were not very well-rounded. Miranda, Ani, and Tiger all read like the exact same person with a few tiny stereotypical differences about them. They came off as all having the same vacuous personality.

2. From the very beginning, the 'guilty party' was very obvious/apparent to me. As a result, there wasn't a big reveal at the end of this story. No surprise twist or revelation. It was more like, 'OK, yes, the person I thought was guilty is indeed guilty".

3. The last 10% was a bit of a pointless add-on.

Why am I giving this three stars then? Well, because the second half (barring the last 10%) was fun to read and I enjoyed it

Although I found this book engrossing and wanted to keep reading to the end, it did feel somewhat generic and in need of something more to make it really outstanding. The plot centres on two characters, Erin and Liz, the first a ‘chalet girl’ looking after a ski chalet, and the second a member of a group of guests from a tech startup company staying in the chalet. It is clear from the start that there are explosive tensions within the group, and these set off a series of terrible events. The denouement is reached well before the end, and the ending itself is a little formulaic. There are some really striking descriptions of place, but not all the characters came across as distinct individuals, and some of the action was pretty far fetched. Credit to the author though for keeping this reader engaged right to the very end.

Ruth ware is one of my absolute favourite authors. I was so excited for this one and it absolutely hasn’t disappointed.
I have loved absolutely everything about it and have devoured this book in just one sitting.

Ruth Ware’s sixth thriller maintains a lot of the fun from The Turn of the Key with the added thrill of the French Alps setting.

A Spotify-meets-Twitter app company called Snoop takes a business retreat to the French alps amid a big decision in their company’s future. Snoop, which allows users to listen to music at at the exact same time as friends and celebs, has been offered a buyout worth £12 million. The company is split and as they mix business with skiing, they begin to be murdered one by one.

While once more maintaining a trapped setting in which the characters have no escape and no idea who they can trust, Ware went for a bigger costliest than usual in this one and I’m not sure it paid off. They countless characters were dumped with their brief work bios at the beginning of the book and even by the end I found them tricky to truly distinguish or know any deeper than surface level.

Unlike The Turn of the Key (my favourite Ruth Ware to date), I found that my predictions of who would be murdered were accurate and my knowledge of the murderer unravelled a little too soon, probably due to the choice of split perspective.

That being said, One by One was far from a disappointment. The setting truly made it an atmospheric book, with skiing and avalanche risks posing excellent plot devices for disaster and accidents. The holiday-meets-business vibes meant for a suspenseful and tense read, with conflicting interests and motives all round. One by One should appeal to fans of The Turn of the Key, In A Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman In Cabin 10. Although it doesn’t have the punching twists of The Turn Of The Key, it’s sophisticated and darkly atmospheric.

I’ve also made a guide to Ruth Ware in which I discuss each of her books, rank them and talk about One By One a little more.

Yet again Ruth Ware has written an absolute cracker of a book. This book will hook you right in from the first chapter and you won’t want to put it down. Well that was how I felt reading it.

I love whodunits, especially those by Agatha Christie, and I'm usually sceptical of any other authors who attempt something similar... but Ruth Ware pleasantly surprised me.

The beginning was a little slow, but very atmospheric. I loved the setting of the French ski chalet. The snow and the dark nights made the novel claustrophobic and tense. Initially, I wasn't quite convinced by the company Snoop and it's employees, but once they were shut in the chalet with no escape, the office drama was gradually revealed and I was hooked. I was desperate to finish this in one night but an early start at work stopped me and I devoured it as soon as I got home the next day.

This book was the definition of a page turner for me and I really recommend it to anyone looking for a modern whodunit.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Omg, that was sooooo good!!! If I could have read this book in one go, I totally would have! As it is it took me 2 days, which isn't bad to be fair!

It had me hooked from the first page and I enjoyed trying to figure out who dunnit! It was really well written and I personally felt myself sharing the characters fear, anxiety and I could really the picture the isolated scenery (talking of which I hope I never find myself isolated in a place like that! That is scary especially with a murderer on the loose!)

Thank you to Ruth for creating such a thrilling book!

If you like a good thriller, then I highly recommend this to you!

Oooh yes I love a lockbox mystery and I blooming love a SKI CHALET MURDER. Ruth Ware is on top form in this.

Very similar vibes to The Possessors by John Christopher but less heebie jeebie alien monsters.