BOOK REVIEW: One by One

One by One by Ruth Ware
Publication Date: September 8th, 2020

Hello. I am here to talk about another Ruth Ware book, what a surprise. Since she is the only Mystery/Thriller author on my auto-read list, I tend to mention her a lot. But it’s for good reason! This was my fourth Ruth Ware book, and it was just as satisfying as the last three. One by One follows a company retreat gone horribly wrong. Eight coworkers are trapped in an isolated skiing chalet after an avalanche rocks the mountainside. As the corporate food chain collapses, all thoughts are on personal survival at any cost.

What I Like:

• I quite enjoyed the dual POV’s! Initially it was a tad confusing, since there’s so many character introductions. Once you know who everyone is, it’s great. (RIP me listening to the audiobook though.)
• Speaking of the audiobook, Imogen Church was once again a fabulous narrator! She really brings Ruth’s characters to life. Like, each character had a distinct voice, varying across a range of accents.
• Even if the introductions were rocky, I always end up enjoying a larger cast of characters. This set was quite the collection. I truly enjoyed the characters’ range of reactions to the events of the book. I lowkey wish there were more than two POVs, but then where would the mystery be??
• Shoutout to all the winter sports that were mentioned! I grew up skiing, and now snowboard, so I loved seeing all that familiar lingo in a book.
• I absolutely loved the setting! The snowy chalet in the Alps was the perfect winter vibe for a Southern Californian who is lacking seasonally appropriate weather.
  • Also, thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic of characters being trapped by an avalanche.

What I Didn’t Like:

• There wasn’t a whole lot of suspense, which made the pacing lackluster. Like, I was interested and entertained, but had no problem setting it down and coming back later. I don’t know about you, but I associate thrillers with page-flipping suspense. This felt more like a puzzle.

Recap

Basically, you should read Ruth Ware’s books. They’re like Thriller+. There’s great suspense, but there’s also a lot of  supporting plot. (Also, tricky things going on behind the scenes, but no spoilers.) I can’t wait to pick up my next Ruth Ware read, but maybe not too soon. I don’t want to run out of books.

4.5/5 stars

xoxo, Bree