A review by readguy25
One by One by Ruth Ware

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

I enjoyed One By One quite a bit. It wasn't perfect, but it was easy to read and had a fun story to boot.

First, this book is absolutely a page turner. I applaud Ruth Ware for creating such an accessible read, as this could easily have became convoluted for the detriment of the story. I was able to breeze through most of this book in one day (mainly due to reading it on a flight, but whatever).

The characters were all pretty unique and I was able to delineate each one from the others. I'd say my favorite character was either Danny or Erin, and I was obviously rooting for them once the story got rolling. Erin, specifically, felt like a pretty good vehicle to drive the plot through.

Liz was a mixed bag for me, mainly because for most of the book I thought she was incredibly annoying. Having to read half the book through her point of view was a bit tiresome at times, specifically hearing about just how anxious she was and how socially inept she was. As the story progresses and the tone shifted, she became a complex character compared to her one note personality in the beginning of her arc, which was appreciated.

Spoiler

I think she ended up being a good villain, for the most part.

I felt that the twist was well executed, for the most part. I was doing my fair share of guesswork while reading through One By One, trying to suss out who the killer was,

Spoiler

and the subversion of Liz being the killer was a fun surprise.

I had small inklings that it could be her, but my focus was obviously on red herrings like Topher.

The writing was a bit simple, and it was admittedly distracting at points. This has the plus side of being a very easy to read book, however, so it really is hardly a knock on the book. I'm not reading books like this to fawn over the prose or try to delve into deeper meaning, these books are meant to be more akin to watching a daytime TV show, and it should be treated as such.

This book accomplished everything it sets out to be, which is a beach read with a gripping story; nothing more, nothing less. If you're on vacation (maybe a ski trip, perhaps), pick this book up to read while you're out there. It'll provide some nice entertainment for you!