This was my first book by John Marrs but it definitely won’t be my last! It started off a little slow for me but it eventually picked up.

John Marrs is an author who has written a few futuristic thrillers now that will raise hairs on his reader's arms with the frightening possibilities of what the future could hold. Whilst this is standalone, there are some mentions of a couple of his other stories with the cars that drive themselves and DNA matches to find your soul mate.

From the off, I wasn’t sold on the sanctity of the marriage act. Couples who get married get better paid, and better benefits and whilst there is a lot on offer to entice more couples to get and stay married, I couldn’t help going through a whole lot of what-ifs. We meet four couples whose relationships are experiencing a few problems and the idea of anyone monitoring my personal life was just horrifying to me.

The four couples are all very different and it was interesting to see how things start to clamp down on them all with unwanted members playing god with their relationships. There was one particular thread to do with widowhood that I found particularly sad and had me tear up. That was how wrapped I was up in the story and my emotions were in turmoil.

The Marriage Act was an engrossing read that had me in two minds on whether I was glad to be married or not. Events that happen in this book were pretty scary and in some ways a reminder of just how much technology has come on but that doesn’t necessarily mean it's for the best. Technology has no empathy for a start although some of the character's actions in the story were also quite horrifying. It certainly gave me more than a few chills reading this book and I love how the author opens your mind to what life could be like in another twenty or so years. Mind-blowing!

This was so good and takes place in the same world as THE ONE. I have loved every book I've read by this author and recommend him all the time.

In a theoretical future society in which everything is controlled by Artifical Intelligence, The Marriage Act
by John Marrs is a chilling glimpse of what could happen when one's personal and marriage life is monitored. A fast-paced, thrilling (although terrifying) read. Unique and thought provoking. I am reconsidering allowing Alexa in our home.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

If you're into futuristic, thriller-type books... this one is for you!! The Marriage Act by John Marrs definitely has me thinking about the book and the concept long after I read the last page.

The books take place in future England. Get this- marriage is now controlled by the government. They feel that marriage is the answer to society and because of this, singles get the short end of the stick. The government can listen in on random conversations in your home, and if they feel your marriage is at risk, they can put you on a three-step plan, step three being a possible divorce even if you don’t want one! The novel follows and switches POVS from four or five different couples/individuals and their involvement with the marriage plus process. This could include couples in a relationship or relationship responders working for the government.

This book was nothing like I have ever read before. The concept was fascinating, and the author thought of EVERY DETAIL POSSIBLE. It did get a little repetitive at points but overall, I breezed through it because it was so different, and I needed more information. Since it read to me like a thriller, I expected the ending to be a little more of a bang. Overall I loved it and recommend it to anyone. This book would especially be great for book clubs to discuss the different topics and concepts. 4 out 5 stars and it comes out May 2nd, 2023.

Big Brother is listening and apparently watching. Those were the main thoughts running through my head as I started this book. At first I thought there were too many main characters and that I would never keep them straight but they were quickly sorted out as their stories move forward. The government is promoting Smart Marriage with all kinds of benefits for those who upgrade - reduced taxes, top notch health care, reduced house and educational expenses. All you had to do was consent to having an audite monitor all conversations. At the first sign of discord they offer "help" for you your relationship. At first it seemed way out there but with the advances in technology perhaps not that far out. John Mars has proven himself a master at these psychological thrillers and if you enjoy feeling on edge this is definitely one for you.
#TheMarriageAct#NetGalley#HarlequinPublishing

This one was not as enthralling as I hoped it would be...I thought the premise sounded like the perfect utopian plot but there were so many character points of views I struggled to connect with any of them and was confused for the first quarter of the book. I ended up pretty bored about halfway through...

I really enjoyed The One by John Marrs so was excited to read another book her wrote. The Marriage Act set in a near-future Britain, where memories of Covid and Brexit still linger, Marrs’ vision of a “Smart” society, in which everything is controlled by Artificial Intelligence is compellingly, terrifyingly real. In this imagined society, happy marriage is deemed the desired state and the country’s route to economic advancement.

We are introduced to the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which encourages people to sign up to a “Smart” marriage, with DNA genetic matching available to assist individuals in finding their perfect partners (gave me GATTACA vibes). Inducements include lower taxes, cheaper mortgages, and access to better healthcare, amongst other benefits. In return, couples must agree to have their every move tracked by IA and enter mandatory counselling if IA identifies discord in their relationship.

Far-fetched maybe, but it’s a premise that holds an unnerving kernel of plausibility; enough at least to set your antennae twitching. Marrs has clearly done his research about the potential scope of AI and presents a very convincing case; seductive detail adding to the sense of authenticity.

The narrative — a multiple POV, following four couples as they navigate the pros and cons of their smart marriages — is a delicious slow burn, and I found myself wholly invested in both the characters and their stories. I saw much of the Marrs I’m familiar with in the use of ever shortening chapters towards the end to increase pace, which ultimately builds to a frantic, shocking conclusion.

It was a great read, but I was left wanting more. All the way through, I was waiting for the various strands to come together or at least to intersect, and oddly, they never do, instead remaining separate and distinct. This absence of homogeneity in the narrative both bothered and baffled me. Only a niggle, perhaps, but it did detract from my overall enjoyment. It won’t, however, stop me reading more by Marrs in this genreThank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

It took me a while to get into because I couldn't keep the characters straight but eventually I got into this and couldn't put it down. This story was wild with every one tied together somehow and so much craziness. The end was really well done.

I'm not usually a sci-fi fan but Marrs can write a good one!

Thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of John Marrs, so it pains me to say I did not really enjoy this book. I found it rather shallow and not up to the author’s usual standards. I think part of the problem was that there were too many characters going off in too many directions with connections that were tenuous at best. My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

4.5
I Really enjoyed the experience of reading this. At first, I was concerned about the number of perspectives that we were getting - often with multi POV there are some great characters and others that you slog through to get to the good ones. Here, each chapter was short and punchy - plus each POV was so entirely different there was no chance of getting confused. Major Black Mirror vibes of course, but also gave me the same feeling as reading Blake Crouch (the ones I liked...) - less hard science, but the same sci-fi thriller effect. The way it was written made it a very fast read, because it was hard to ever put down at the end of a chapter. The decision between 4 and 5 stars often hinges on the ending for me and tbh this one didn't floor me, but that doesn't take away from the rest of the positive experience I had reading this book.

Wow, John Marrs just continues to surprise, scare, astonish, alarm and entertain! What if marriage was a law? What if you were overtaxed, under-funded for health care, forced to live in a poorer neighborhood if you are unmarried? And all the perks went to married couples? I couldn't put this book down. But I may have to disable my Echo Dot.

The formatting of this read made it hard to get into, but once I got into the quirks of the document, I was good to go. I found the first half to be very slow, but the story really picked up in the second half. There were a lot of storylines that were initially hard to follow, but also created a great wholistic review of a dystopian world. Overall, I did enjoy the story.

Thank you to NetGalley.com and Hanover Trade Press for access to this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. (3.5* rounded up).

In the not-so-distant future, the Marriage Act in the UK incentivizes cohabiting as a couple by providing benefits such as better access to healthcare, lower interest on loans, and preferred housing. In exchange, couples consent to being monitored 24/7 by artificial intelligence that evaluates the health of their relationship, and flags any relationship problems for immediate repair. Single people and couples who choose not to upgrade to a Smart Marriage have no access to enhanced benefits, but also aren't monitored in their daily lives. Naturally, this causes political and social conflicts.

I didn't realize when I began this book that it is set in the same future as "The One" - where people have one true DNA Match. I felt pretty much the same about this book as I did about The One. I liked the short chapters and rotating characters experiencing different facets of the dystopian society, but I was definitely more interested in some stories than others. I also found parts of this book almost a little too dark, and some of the plots were confusing as there were so many characters to keep track of. I did enjoy the read and it went quickly. It's scary to think of the possibility of how accurate this type of society could actually be.

John Marrs does it again! The Marriage Act is unique and interesting, as well as thought provoking. I love how immersive Marrs writing is, and how each of his books builds on his prior stories. Great read! Highly recommend!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have loved all of this authors books and this one too! Highly recommend any and all of his books. Must read author!

Told from multiple perspectives, The Marriage Act is a dystopian picture of what our world would be like if marriage was a contract made not just with your spouse, but with the government as well. Couples can choose to enter a "Smart Marriage", which allows an Alexa-type device to be installed in your home that monitors your marriage. It is supposed to be a way to head off any marriage issues before they start, and enter you into counseling as needed, as a way to preserve marriages. In return, couples who choose a Smart Marriage enjoy better housing, benefits, tax breaks, and schools. It also makes it virtually impossible to leave a bad or unhappy marriage.

I can't honestly say I had any "favorite" characters because most of them were kind of awful, but some of them you can definitely relate to and have sympathy for. This book gets MESSY in places, similar to "The One", but it just doesn't hit for me as well as "The One". It was still super enjoyable if not a tad long.

I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

John Marrs has smashed it out the park yet again!

The Marriage Act returns us to the world of his previous books, ‘The One’ and ‘The Passangers’, two of his best books, The One, where you find your soulmate through dna and The Passangers, where driverless cars are the norm.
Now AI has infiltrated marriage’s and the British government are pushing couples to upgrade their marriages to ‘smart marriages’ through the Sanctity of Marriage Act.

With advantages such as better healthcare, better homes, tax breaks but with the benefits of a Smart Marriage comes the Audites, the mandatory Artificial Intelligence- powered personal assistants installed in all Smart Marriage homes to monitor their relationships through listening to random conversations. If the AI devices determines that a marriage maybe heading in the wrong direction it can dispatch a Relationship Responder to stage an intervention and save the marriage.

The book follows the lives of several couples as their marriages play out, some coming under scrutiny as well as supporters of the FFA, ‘Freedom for All’ as they oppose the government’s Smart Marriages.
As lives play out across the pages the stakes get higher and things begin to spiral out of control, culminating in a very clever ending.

Even though the subjects from the two other books are brought up in this book it doesn’t mean that you have to have read them to fully understand or enjoy this book. There is a little bit of backstory explaining everything you need to know to be fully invested in this storyline.
But, personally I would definitely read them at some point as they are amazing books!

The writing is flawless, they plot line very clever and combined it culminates into a highly captivating read.
It is the best book I have read all year – it is that good!
I can’t wait for his next book and I really hope he takes us back to this version of the world 🤞

Book Title: The Marriage Act
Author: John Marr
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing
Genre: Dystopian Thriller
Pub Date: May 2, 2023
My Rating: 3.2 Stars

“The Marriage Act is part of a Netflix series; which is set in the same world as the book "The One". However, I am not a movie fan so wasn’t sure if I needed to read “The One” prior to this read.
I have only read a few John Marr’s novels. My very favorite was "What Lies Between Us” a dark twisted psychological thriller ~ which is my kind of a book!

The Marriage Act is not a psychological thriller but a dystopian thriller set in the not distant future
The premise of this story is one that married couples sign up to a Smart Marriage.
Their daily routine is recorded and monitored by their smart watches and the house ‘Audite’. They are given tips and notifications if the couple's recordings find anything of concern. Then the Relationship Responder comes in, who lives or spends a lot of time with the couple and provides support or advice where needed.
Note: I do remember the 1997 TV reality show “Big Brother” – where strangers are isolated in a house that is cut off from the outside world and viewers observe how they coexist. Then, of course, George Orwell’s movie “1984” -Big Brother is Watching you! )

There are a lot of characters in this story ~ I found some interesting and some not so much. My favorites were Luca and Noah.

The his “Acknowledgments’ author, John Marr tells us that this is the first time that the idea wasn’t based on his own idea but in this case came from is husband John (yes his name is John as well).
They are sad about friends of theirs who are splitting and everyone described them as a “Forever Couple’. The idea came to other John – what would relationships be like is we were all recorded by our own home-tech devices?
Then Marr saw that a study had been done at a London business school where home listening devices would be used to interpret couple’s arguments in an effort to come up with solutions to relationship problems. Thus “The Marriage Act’ was planted into his very vivid imagination.
.
Want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing –Hanover Square Press for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 2, 2023

This book is a terrifying look at what could happen to us. It opens up lots of discussion areas for student about AI, government influence and power, social media. It is told in the many voices, those working with the government and those fighting against it. Couples of all ages and sexuality and throw in some mystery and murder and a lot to be absorbed in. 4.5