Thank you so much to HTP for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second John Marrs book, the first being THE ONE. I struggled with parts of that book (unpopular opinion, I know) but was very hopeful that this one would be different for me.

I think this is a me-issue at this point and not an issue with the book so much, but I just struggle with the writing style. I'd still recommend checking out other reviews because I'm definitely in the minority here.

This book is available now!

Thank you @hanoversquarepress for the @netgalley of this dystopian fiction novel which was published 5/2! Swipe for Amazon synopsis.

I love me some John Marrs and this is in the same world as THE ONE and THE PASSENGERS which I’d recommend reading first if you can for some back story but it isn’t necessary. Both are v good.

This takes place in a world where the government incentivizes marriage and punishes those who remain single but it’s really just a way to further control society. For example, Alexa-like devices are placed in homes fo monitor communication between spouses to make sure their marriage is successful. It’s very Big Brother/1984. The chapters rotate bwt different characters/couples- a social media influencer, a woman who wants a divorce and is a member of an anti government activist group, a “relationship responder” with secrets of his own, and a government official who’s facing a crisis of conscience.

May was a tough reading month for me so it took me a while to get through this but it’s not at all because I didn’t enjoy it. I thought it was an absolutely fascinating premise. My only compliant is maybe I would have wanted a little more in the ending.

Unfortunately this story is not my favorite by Marrs. I was very excited as I LOVED THE ONE by him but this was hard.

There are so many characters to keep track of and the audio doesn’t help either. I had to restart this from the beginning at least 8 times.

John Marrs does it again. This book has such an interesting premise and it was very intriguing to read. I didn't really care for any of the characters, however, I enjoyed the book and wanted to see what would happen with their relationships. I liked how John brought in some of his other books such as The One and Passengers in this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

I just finished reading the Marriage act. I had a hard time putting the book down. You really felt the couple’s struggle and life. You can almost imagine this happening in the world with all the AI that is popping up.

Seamlessly integrating with The One the Marriage Act shows what can happen when you allow the government fully into your marriage and how things can go wildly out of control. As always John writes an enthralling book.

Set in the future, The Marriage Act explores the benefits and huge cost to government controlled marriage contracts. This book follows four couples in their struggle to find their way in a marriage that is constantly monitored and controlled b the government.
Good read. Scary concept as we continue moving toward AI.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press in exchange for my honest review

The Marriage Act

Definitely say “I Do” to reading The Marriage Act! It was a very interesting and unsettling futuristic read, that explores the idea of integrating smart technology to monitor real human relationships. The way the author depicted the components of the smart marriage, I thought was very well done. The use of graphics in the form of posters to help advertise the new smart marriages were fun to read when incorporated into the novel. The alternating perspectives between each couple showed how these smart marriages can affect couples very differently. This story was filled with family struggle, love, loss, heartbreak, jealousy, fear, and for some hope, that with a little help, it can piece a relationship back together, but at what cost? The negative effects start to creep up quickly for some, and the decisions some characters make carry heavy consequences. The shocking turns in this book make it a great read, and keeps you interested until the very end!

This book had me in a chokehold over the few days I read it. I am a big fan of John Marrs’ novels and this did not disappoint.

I enjoyed the shorter chapters and similar formatting to a previous book and the Easter eggs from his previous novels. (I would recommend reading The One and The Passengers before this one, but it’s not necessary).

The characters felt real and the situations felt eerily plausible. Overall, it was just so fun and I loved the twists and turns! I would have like to known a little more of the outcome of one particular POV at the end (you know… the one person who didn’t have a plan B?).

Either way, I loved this! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for early access to this awesome book!

Thank you NetGalley, Hanover Square Press, and John Marrs for the advanced copy of The Marriage Act in exchange for my honest review.

I *loved* The One so I was super excited Marrs released another book in that universe. This was an excellent book with a diverse cast of characters. I didn't find it hard to follow any of the storylines, so I commend Marrs for that, it can be hard to pull off with that many POVs.

So many times throughout reading this book I thought to myself "this is utterly insane, no one would ever agree to something like this," and then I remembered the times we're currently living in and decided that probably wasn't accurate.

I look forward to reading whatever Marrs comes up with next!

This was a thriller that had a lot going on! There were quite a few characters to keep track of, and it was not your average run of the mill thriller. THE MARRIAGE ACT is dark with a futuristic concept. I found it to be compelling, but you have to be into this type or concept. It kept me interested and gave me chills. I recommend this for readers that are looking for something thrilling and different.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
John Marrs quickly became a favorite when I read The One. Sadly, I havent read more from him but I was ecstatic when I found out he was coming out with a new one! Aside from this one, I still wanna read The Passengers by him. All his work is apparently set in a futuristic universe bound by technology. Very Black Mirror vibes, which i totally love!

Thank you to HTP Books for my review copy!

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
In world of driverless cars, finding your match through DNA testing, comes The Marriage Act. When marriage was thought to be the answer to a better society, it becomes a law where the government can meddle with marriages and are intervened at the first sight of conflict.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫/5. This was a lengthy read with multiple characters involved. It took me a while to get through, but much like The One, each chapter is short, ending in a cliffhanger. I really liked that about it even though the jumping from the many characters to the next and the similar sounding names could be a little challenging. It would be good to read the prior books to have a better understanding of the setting, but isn’t absolutely necessary since the author describes the futuristic world very well. Because of the similar feels it had with Black Mirror, I really enjoyed it! Pick this one up if you like dark satirical themes of technology and are a fan of the show!

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘖𝘝𝘴

Many thanks to the publish and NetGalley for the advanced copy!
This was just ok for me and the main reason was the fast jumping through POV’s. I LOVE short chapters. But when it switches to a different character every other page and within that POV you have 3-4 other characters, it makes it really hard to not only keep track of everyone, but form connections to them.

The concept was new and innovated which did keep my interest, although it was a bit far fetched.

I loved The One but this missed the mark for me.

Marrs is a successful British author and his books include "The One" which is being turned into a Netflix series, "The Passengers "and "Keep it in the Family". This new book is set in the same near future world as "The One" and "The Passengers". A right wing government has decided that being married is better for people and single people are taxed and charged fees (mortgage interests etc.) at a much higher rate than that charged to married couples. In addition devices in the home monitor the relationship and send warnings to the government when the AI thinks the marriage is in trouble. We follow the lives of four couples who run afoul of the system in various ways. This is a very thought provoking story that takes technology that is mostly available to today and presents a world in which the misuse of it can change our lives. Many of the characters are not likable, but in spite of that it is a fascinating book with a strong ending.

John Marrs can do no wrong in my eyes. Everything he writes blows me away. I tend to read a ton of romance and mystery but generally steer clear of sci-fi. I love that John Marrs writes genre bending books that make you forget about the genre and just appreciate the amazing writing!

The Marriage Act poses the question, what would happen if the government were given control of your marriage...or lack of? As with most of his other books, this one has lots of characters and different storylines all going on at once. Everything slowly comes together and *boom* blows your mind in the way only Mr. Marrs can. 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing Hanover Square Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

John Marrs is a favorite. He can make me see two sides of the coin like no other. The Marriage Act is a story that brought a unique storyline with the cleverest of plots.

Political intervention into the lives of couples in a not to distant future shows how easy it would be for people to let others in to their most private aspects of life, just for a leg up in the world. A system that hears every word, every argument between yourself and your partner makes for a tense society.

Marr’s explores this unique concept and all its many facets in a thought-provoking manner that really captured my imagination. It also made me glad I never caved to getting an Alexa system!

Fantastic story from Marrs as usual.

This is my fourth by the author and I really enjoy his sci fi books and love that this is set in the same world as The One and The Passengers! The Marriage Act was a tougher one for me to enjoy though and I found myself not fully invested in the characters/couples/story lines. I'll continue to read what he writes though! . Thank you for my copy!

This was my first read by John Marrs and I thoroughly enjoyed his dystopian look at relationships ruled by the government under the careful watch of AIs. Thought provoking. Will be looking to read other titles by John Marrs in the future.

If you read The One by John Marrs, this book takes you in the same fast forward direction as that book.
The British government has declared that married people are the best and would receive better homes and cars if they signed up to be wed through The sanctity of marriage act. The only caveat is that you agree to be spied on by the government’s AI software that’s installed in your home (Echos we’re mentioned as a very old similar device w/o the spyware technology) and your wedding bands had listening/tracking devices to make sure your marriage stays on track!

We track several couples dealings with the AI technology and how and why it can go so wrong when a bot decides your marriage is on shaky ground.

Another fascinating twisted story that John Marrs weaves!
Be careful of your words Big Brother may be listening!

Thank you @HTPbooks @Netgalley for my gifted copy.

Excellent speculative fiction that will make you pay much closer attention to what's going on in the tech industry and the political arena.

In the near future, in Britain, The Sanctity of Marriage Act is law. Everything possible is done to encourage marriage and those who sign up are rewarded while those who refuse are punished. Everyone is strongly urged to marry and to get the maximum benefits by agreeing to a Smart Marriage. A wide chasm between the haves and have-nots has formed and growing larger every day. The government controls the lives and relationships of those citizens and monitors them 24 hours a day. Several couples whose activities and communication indicate that they are in trouble will soon learn just how far the proponents will go and how impossible it is to escape.

This was super good and I really enjoyed it. It is sort of a companion to the previous novels by this author, The One (DNA love match), and The Passengers (autonomous vehicles). The character development was excellent, and the writing style and pace were perfect. I had such a powerful reaction to the situations that occurred in the novel and fearful about how much of the plot could be taken from the headlines today. Scary stuff here. As someone who is very leery of AI and its potential for misuse, my fears were not alleviated but heightened. I am already also concerned with government intrusion and overreach into personal and private life. This was all too believable and the absolute chill I felt while reading the last paragraph was undeniable and alarming.

What a great discussion this would create for book clubs and I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press for this e-book ARC to read and review. Don't miss it!