4/5 STARS Syopsis: "Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide. When the co-founder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a week-long trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further…one by one." The month of October I am participating in a thriller/spooky book readathon hosted by Angie of @readwithangie. Go check her out on Instagram, she's awesome! She created a bingo board with different prompts on each square. The goal is to complete as many squares as possible in the month of October to be entered to win giveaways from Angie. One by One fulfilled the "read a book by a new to you author" square. Ruth Ware is a name that I see quite frequently on "bookstagram", and from what I can tell her work is pretty popular. I've never picked up a book by her just because I'm not the biggest fan of thrillers (I like being able to sleep at night). However, I am very happy I ended up reading a book by Ruth, because I really enjoyed One by One (even if my biggest fear is being buried alive in snow lol). One by One is set at a cozy, yet luxurious chalet in the French Alps, where the employees of Snoop are holidaying for a week. You can tell that these are very elite people, based on the fact on where they are staying, and the chalet even comes with live-in staff, Danny and Erin. I can imagine it feeling very peaceful up there tucked away in the mountain, secluded from everyone. To me, mountains are also very ominous, you don't know what to expect from them and what they hold. They contain wondrous beauty but can also be the cause of tremendous terror. Unfortunately for those in the chalet, the latter would be the case for them. Ruth Ware writes this story from a dual point of view, having the readers read from the perspective of Erin, one of the staff members that stays in the chalet, and Liz, a former employee of Snoop. Erin's job is to serve the guests during their stay at the chalet, and that means most of the time she is a fly on the wall. She is basically invisible to the guests, and she definitely overhears plenty of interesting, eyebrow raising, conversations. When it comes time to survival though, she is the one to take charge and direct the group. Which seems suspicious to some.... Then we have Liz, who wants to be anywhere in the world other than in that chalet with her former employers. Half the time the rest of the group forget she is even there. She is a nervous wreck and is obviously wrestling with some secrets that she just wants to let out. Why was she invited in the first place if she wasn't employed with Snoop anymore? Guess you'll have to read to find out. What is supposed to be a fun company holiday, turns into a fight for survival as an avalanche leaves them separated from the rest of the world, as well as members of their group ending up murdered in their rooms. They definitely need to work as a group to survive, but how can you work together when you know one of the others is the murderer? I enjoyed that I pretty much questioned everyone at some point, and that it wasn't predictable who the monster among them was. If you are looking for a lighter thriller, I highly recommend One by One. It never got to the point of "omg I can't hang", but definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and burning through the book to get to the ending. I look forward to reading more books by Ruth Ware, she just might be a new favorite author of mine (to be determined after reading more of her books).
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AuthorHi, I'm Genny! You can always find me with a book in my hand. Dystopian, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction are among my favorite genres. I hope you enjoy the reviews I provide and can help you pick out your next book! Archives
October 2020
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