Book Review – One by One by Ruth Ware

My rating:

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay so while it took me a while to get the concept of Snoop, and the layout of each POV, I now reallllllly want Snoop to be a real app. It’s genius. 

That aside, One by One is a tension thriller mystery, with an alpine setting and a snowed-in cabin vibe to go with it. The whole thing is a company retreat for 9 posh people who work at a tech firm, one ex-employee with stocks and two cabin staff. It honestly sounds like a nightmare to me anyway, lol!

The narrators do a good job a giving you quick insight into the world of Snoop and how the relationships all work between the staff there, as well as life in the cabin. The atmosphere of the book really leans into the remote and snowy setting in a way that works so well with the creeping threat of a killer being among them. Plus the threat of nature itself – the avalanche is an excellent tension mounter!

Our POVs are Erin, one of the cabin staff, and Liz, the ex-employee. As the book progresses, we slowly sink into their way of thinking a bit more. Liz is clearly remote, possibly hiding things, and struggles to connect with those around her. Erin is easier to read, but we see earlyish that she’s maybe not quite what she seems. Unreliable narrators abound! However, it works well enough that you can still make good guesses at what’s going on, and also really feel the tension building as the isolation sets in.

I did guess a little bit of the mystery but I don’t feel that it affected my enjoyment of it. I was fairly sure I knew who was doing it, but I really liked how the why of it all played out. Especially the much later additions!

My only real quibble is that I didn’t like any of the Snoop staff who got serious page time. They are rich and obnoxious and it screams off the page. As much as I like the idea of the app, for some reason it meant I didn’t quite enjoy it as much, because I wasn’t worried about any of them dying. I’d have been very upset about Erin or Danny dying though!

Overall a good thriller and a very enjoyable read. 3.5 stars

Buy One by One from Waterstones.

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