I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
One by One by Freida McFadden Published by Poisoned Pen Press on April 2, 2024
Genres: Thriller
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads
One by one, they will get what they deserve...
A night spent sleeping on dirt and leaves is not how Claire Matchett expected to spend her vacation.
She thought this would be a break from the stresses of work and raising her young children. A chance to repair her damaged marriage. A week of hiking and hot tubs with two other couple friends. It sounded like heaven.
Then Claire’s minivan breaks down on a lonely dirt road. With no cell reception, the group has no choice but to hike the rest of the way to their hotel. But it turns out the woods aren’t as easy to navigate as they thought.
Hours later, they are lost. Hopelessly lost.
And as they navigate deeper into the woods, the members of their party are struck down mysteriously one by one. Has a wild animal been hunting them? Or is the hunter one of them?
But as more time passes, one thing becomes clear:
Only one of them will return home alive.
I’ve read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and while it wasn’t the most well-written thriller I’ve read, there was just something so addictive that I couldn’t get enough of it. So of course, I was very excited to receive an ARC of this book in the hopes that it would also have me riveted.
It did not.
This book was the silliest thing I’ve read in a long time – and not in a good way.
When I say these characters were one-dimensional, I swear my baking tray has more depth than they do. They are defined by one trait only; they have no other personality but that one thing.
There is also no consistency in the details given in the story and it is glaringly obvious. It shows a lack of care, a lack of effort, and a lack of editing.
The plot was ridiculously bad, with clues that made no sense. The final twist in the end was equally ludicrous and left me even more disappointed.
Literally, the only good thing about this book is that it was short.
1/5 stars – I literally can’t rate this any higher even if I wanted to.
Happy reading ~
