Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - One by One

Entertaining, but not great. I predicted the whodunnit within the first few chapters and the big cast of characters we don’t really get to know. They were just kind of surface level and faceless. So I feel like this story had so much more potential that it didn’t make happen, which is a shame to be quite honest.

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allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I stayed up all night reading this book because it freaked me out so much. In case this was ever in question, I will never be going skiing ever. Not even for the hot chocolate. I can get that somewhere less terrifying and avalanche-y.

I try to be upfront about the fact that I'm an idiot about solving mystery/thrillers. My problem is that I'm so suspicious of literally everyone that no single suspect stands out as particularly murderous. It could just as easily have been Sally with the teddy bear in the nursery, for all I know (ok, that actually sounds very sinister... do not sign me up for that book). I'll think I've noticed something highly suspect, and then a character has the same idea almost immediately, a sure sign that it is too blatantly obvious and I am in the process of being outsmarted. The dual POV had my two brain cells working mighty hard trying to recall who knew what (including me, let's be honest). It was a fascinating approach to storytelling, and as those trapped in the chalet are picked off one by one, I found myself glancing backwards at what the two protagonists had seen and heard to try to find gaps and deceptions.

So basically, I was indeed very ~thrilled~ by this novel. I was on edge for almost the entire thing, both before and after the murderer is revealed. I also appreciated the wrap-up/wind down time at the end to see how the surviving characters react to the truth and move forward.

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justnei's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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xx_coco's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This was my second Ruth Ware book, and a much better experience than reading In A Dark, Dark Wood. When members of a tech company called Snoop are snowed in by an avalanche during a staff outing, secrets and old grudges come to light. During the destruction of the avalanche, one of the Snoopers goes missing and is presumed to be dead. Tensions rise as the group begins to wonder if it was a freak accident, or if there is a killer amongst them.

The first half of this book was painfully slow, and the multiple points of view didn't work to further the plot until the last half of the story. For the most part, it was just little snippets of what everyone was thinking about the drama of a potential merger until after the avalanche happens. It felt like it served mostly as an introduction to all of the characters so we have an idea of them before the conclusion of the novel, when those individual points of view actually matter in relation to the mystery. Most of the characters were pretty insufferable, with the exception of Erin and Danny, who were the only two not involved with Snoop.

It was pretty easy to work out the "who" in this book fairly early on, but the motivation for the murders comes much later during the extremely tense last quarter of the story when all of the pieces fall into place. The feelings of isolation do a lot of work to create a fearful and anxious atmosphere where anyone would feel a bit helpless. The last bit of this book redeemed quite a few of its earlier flaws, this is when the multiple points of view really works for this book and creates tension you could cut with a knife.

I'm not sure diving further into each of the individual characters would have fixed the issues I had with this one. It may have helped create some ambiguity so the killer wasn't as obvious so soon though. It's more of a personal comment, not an objective one, but the idea of Snoop did annoy me and the follower counts for each POV change was repetitive. Overall, I enjoyed this read well enough and it's a good atmospheric choice for the colder months.

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lisasf2f04's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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