A review by podanotherjessi
One by One by Ruth Ware

tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

There really wasn't much in this book I liked. It used a lot of tropes I don't enjoy
unreliable narrator, villainous monologue
and one that I think is actively harmful
the murderer was just traumatized/was neurodivergent!
. The pace of the plot was so incredibly slow; the mystery doesn't even start until nearly halfway through, and up until then it was just corporate squabling. The murderer gets revealed and then the book keeps going on forever! Not to mention the shallow characters and the repetition of the phrase "one by one" just so we know exactly where the title came from.

As an additional note, I tried reading this physically along with the audiobook, and the changes between the two made it nearly impossible. Whole phrases were deleted or added by the audio.
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