Book Review: One by One by Ruth Ware
One by One
Author: Ruth Ware
Narrator: Imogene Church
Published: September 8, 2020
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: October 18-30, 2020
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?
An off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?
Jessica’s Review:
One by One centers on a up and coming new social media app called Snoop, where you can do just that: Snoop on whomever you want and listen to the same music they are listening to at the exact same moment of time. (You can keep your information as private or public as you want). This app is supposed to be the ‘next big thing’ and has a possible high selling price, if the shareholders want to. And there are mixed feelings about selling the company.
A certain number of employees of the company attend a retreat at a chalet, but there is an avalanche and one of the members goes missing, and they presume this person is dead. There is also no power and things keep happening and well… others start dying and no one can really trust anyone. Everyone seems to have ulterior motives.
We have two POVs: Erin- the host at the chalet (and thus the one in charge of the people and her resort) and Liz- an employee attending the retreat. Through both of these perspectives we see the dynamics of this company and why everyone becomes a suspect.
Though the story is more of a mystery than a thriller, in fact it really is less than thrilling. When we find out who the killer is it wasn’t anything really earth shattering and I finished it to see what would happen. I think this was an instance of too many characters in one story. There was really no one to root and cheer for. It also became a story of who is going to die next and how? If you put all these people in one small place with no power, not much food, and nowhere to go of course paranoia will start running rampant.
Ruth Ware is an established author and I enjoy listening to her books. The narrator Imogene Church is wonderful as always. Ware and Church have become two names synonymous for me. (Such as Mary Kay Andrews and Kathleen McInerney- I also love that dynamic duo!) Some of Ware’s books have not been totally for me while I have really enjoyed others. This is an author I will keep reading!