ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware

Rating: 4 / 5

ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware was one of our November picks for the Saturday Booksta Club buddy read that I help host on Instagram. I have enjoyed quite a few of Ruth Ware’s books, so it was one that I was eager to get to!

ONE BY ONE follows a group of coworkers as they head into the French Alps for a working ski trip. As the workforce behind Snoop, a music platform that allows you to listen along with and snoop on the listening of celebrities, friends and strangers, they have a lot to discuss and plan for. A luxury chalet with a personal chef seems the perfect location to mix business and pleasure.

Things take a bad turn when a day out skiing turns into an ugly storm and an avalanche hits which cuts everyone off from the nearest resources. Worst yet, not everyone made it back to the chalet and it soon seems that there is something more sinister going on than just a natural disaster. As more disasters strike, the suspect pool becomes more limited and surviving the weekend more tenuous.

This book hooked me in from the very beginning. From the prologue, you’re immediately told how many of the group survived, but you’re left to wonder what exactly happened and who made it out alive. I was reading this in the midst of the height of the election distraction and at a time when focusing on print was tough, but this one kept me engaged throughout.

The book itself is split between two POVs. Erin is an employee of the chalet and is assigned the task of making sure the guests’ stay is perfect, so she provides a true outsiders perspective. Erin has secrets from her past as well and this time at the chalet is digging them up Liz is a former employee of Snoop, but someone who has been asked to join this trip for initially unknown reasons. Liz is also very much an outsider, someone frequently forgotten in the grand scheme of things, but you quickly get the sense that there is more to her story.

This is one of those books where you will want to yell at the characters at times to don’t do the stupid thing they’re about to do, as you keep flipping the pages because you have to see what is coming next. There were some things about the ending that I didn’t love, but overall this was a quick and fun thriller read and one I would recommend!