The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh is an over the top thriller! I usually love a good thriller but I think I was expecting something different from this one. It’s about a married couple, Daisy and Craig, who stay at a secluded cabin in the woods to save their marriage. It was just one thing after another that was too unbelievable. The audiobook narrator Carlotta Brendan was really good! I really enjoyed her narration but the plot and pacing didn’t work for me. The backstory was revealed so slowly. I liked the small town setting even though there were a lot of characters. The whole will they or won’t they stay together was interesting throughout but ughhh that ending!

Very interesting concept for a book, but I could predict exactly what was going to happen before it did. I still wanted to see how it would play out but it ruined the experience a bit for me.

TW: Cheating, language, drinking, smoking, use of p-word, bullying, toxic relationships, fighting, violence, sexual assault, sexism, physical abuse, domestic abuse, abortion talk, miscarriage

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Daisy and Craig’s marriage is in serious trouble. That’s why Daisy has signed up for The Eden Test, a week-long getaway for couples in need of a fresh start. Yet even as she’s struggling to salvage her marriage, it seems Craig has plans to leave her for another woman. In fact, his bags are already packed—long before he arrives to meet Daisy in this remote cabin in the woods of upstate New York.At first, their week away is marked by solitude, connection, and natural beauty—and only a few hostile locals. But what Craig doesn’t know is that Daisy, a slyly talented actress, has her own secrets, including a burner phone she’s been using for mysterious texts. Not to mention the Eden Test itself, which poses a searing new question to the couple every day, each more explosive than the last. Their marriage was never perfect, but now the lies and revelations are piling up, as the week becomes much more than they bargained for…How far are they willing to go?
Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Pages: 336
Rating: ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Enjoyed the authors writing
2. Wasn't bored
3. Story flowed

What I Didn't Like:
1. Book is predictable
2. Plot holes
3. Questions get lost and forgotten along the way
4. Hated the characters

Overall Thoughts:
Oh Craig is a piece of work. He was trying to break up with his wife on their anniversary so he can go away with the woman he's cheating on her with.

I keep getting this weird impression that she has hired all these people to act like they are apart of the test but she's teaching him a lesson.

Question One.
Would you change for me?
Craig decides to not go with the woman he's been cheating on his wife with and instead stays with her to work on their marriage. Question one is really just test one; will he cheat on his wife with the waitress he meets at the dinner. He passes this test when he stays with Daisy.

Question Two.
Would you sacrifice for me?2>
A hunter randomly is in the woods and hunting. Craig approaches the man and confronts him. The man takes off after acting like he doesn't know how to get back to the road, asking if they live there, and says he knows they are apart of the Eden test.

Question Three.
Would you fight for me?
Weirdly they get this question right after she gifts him a knife from her grandfather. Also before they set off to go to a bar. Of course the hunting man is there and there's a confrontation between the hunter and a woman he is hitting on. Craig says it's not their business but Daisy goes to the hunter to tell him to stop bothering her.

Okay, so after the point where you were almost beat up at the bar is your sign to go home. Why stay in this town that the guy that threatened you promised he'd see you later. He knows where you are staying.

Daisy's stalker being to find her by looking through year after year of action programs in schools. I guess this guy had no job and no life. Do you know how long that would take someone to do? There are 600 acting programs that offer drama degrees, so yeah it would take a while. Of course they continue to stay at the cabin.

Oh, and I just love how easy books make out like it is to get a new name/ID. Did she get a fake ID? Did she legally change her name? How did she legally get married?

It feels weird that the hippie people would have security when them and everyone else has said there is no dangers. I bet he's not even employed by them.

Love the way the author wrote;
"Most of the students on stage crew were straight weirdos, the kind of kids who wear Columbine trench coats and ride unicycles and learn to do yo-yo tricks.>
Like wtf would you put that in? What was the point of adding that?

Daisy just being so annoying and full of herself.

Daisy explains that she left in a hurry but she randomly grabbed her grandfathers knife.

Plot what's that? Guess we are just going to drop that stupid question plotline.

Cool Craig just manages to change his whole personality in 3 days. One minute he's going to be leaving her for a new woman and he has cheated on her so many times, but now everything is okay.

I just love how they were threatened and then they act like nothing happened. Craig continues to leave her alone. I get for whatever reason not wanting to leave this whole test but leaving her wife alone and alone makes no sense. Omg and then there is a scene where the hunters are coming to the cabin and Daisy and Craig are being told that if they file a police report nothing with happen...... Okay what about you just go home. You don't live here so you aren't being forced to stay. Just pack up and go. They aren't even doing the test thing so why would they stay. This plot is stupid.

Of course Daisy really was behind everything. Shocked! What a terrible group of main characters. I guess there was zero paper trail for the people she hired. And they get away with it.

Final Thoughts:
Absolutely no surprises in this book. If you've read a thriller than you know where it's going. All the characters sucked.

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Thanks to Netgalley, Flatiron, and Macmillan Audio for this gifted copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had heard lots of hype around this book with only a little bit of foreknowledge, but I found this audiobook engaging. I am not usually one to pick up a suspense or thriller book, so I was excited to give The Eden Test a try.

Overall, I found Sternbergh's narrative to be straightforward while still holding back some of the final reveals. It was not the most intellectually dense or literary text I have read, and even though it was not quite the genre or style that normally appeal to me, I did find the book kept my attention and interest! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys an easy but well-constructed suspense story.

Brilliant premise, sharply written. Really enjoyed this one. I like that it's an unusual storyline. Very good.

Incredible story of the tests a couple will go through to find their way back to one another. Fantastic and exhilarating #domesticsuspense novel!

I love the narration by #CarlottaBrentan!

Thank you, Adam Sternbergh, MacmillanAudio & netgalley for my #audiobook! All opinions are my own.

The Eden Test is a domestic thriller about a couple on the rocks who take a retreat focused on healing their relationship. Full of twists and turns, this goes in unexpected directions.

I both loved and hated the twistiness of this book. Initially, the twists were good and kept me interested, but toward the end they just got too far out there. I know that the author was trying to keep things shocking, but doing so by creating implausible scenarios kind of ruins things.

I did like the main couple and appreciated that they weren’t picture perfect. I liked that it showed them having problems and having to work to keep their relationship alive.

I will say that while the whole ending was not obvious, the who the bad guy was was very easy to figure out. The main character only references the bad guy quite a few times throughout.

All in all, if you enjoye a good domestic thriller and are capable of suspending disbelief, you may enjoy this one.

3.5 stars!

I thought the premise was so interesting, and what a wild ride I went on! I highly recommend the audiobook format, which pulled me into the story I think even more, and loved the narrator.

*many thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and Flatiron for the gifted copy for review

I listened to a bunch of this book but unfortunately did not get connected to the characters, the plot or the narrator. Sorry

review in this post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrjZm2bADZD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I am a massive fan of The Blinds and was so excited to read The Eden Test as well. However, I found this to be quite underwhelming, predictable, and anti climactic. I didn't love the test itself and could not root for either of them separately or together.

This audiobook kept me on my toes! I found the beginning and middle to drag a little bit but the ending made up for it. What an interesting concept from Sternbergh!

The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh was an interesting read about a couple trying to save their marriage. I like the concept of this book, but was really hoping for a bigger plot twist at the end. Worth the read, but a slightly disappointed.

I really liked this book! The writing format was easy to follow along with as an audiobook and the narrator did a great job of keeping the attention of the listen throughout the story. I would definitely recommend this book!

I wasn't sure what to expect cracking this one open, but wow was this better than I could have imagined.

With a marriage on the rocks, Daisy takes drastic measures and signs her and her husband, Craig, up for the Eden test. Seven days, seven questions, and at the end of the seven days your marriage is either over or stronger than ever, just stay out of the orchard.

In a town that calls these Eden visitors "City-its" it's no surprise Daisy and Craig have some run ins or two, but two dead bodies seems shocking. Wound together in a way that slowly snaps the pieces together, this shocking and imaginative read was as entitcing as the apple that lured Eve.

This was a good domestic suspense story set at a marriage counselling retreat in the deep deep woods. Of course the cabin is creepy and the locals are menacing. Both partners share big secrets from each other. How the story plays out is satisfying but not shocking. The voice actor did a good job. Three stars.

Such an interesting concept, I really enjoyed this one. A married couple, Daisy and Craig, are struggling and so they head to a week-long retreat to participate in ‘The Eden Test’, where they go through a series of seven questions and by the end they will apparently either be stronger than ever or perhaps no longer a couple. Daisy and Craig set out and little does Daisy know but Craig’s bag is packed to go be with someone else. However, Daisy has a few secrets of her own, and the test itself is not easy questions, which you probably figured from the potential end result. They stick it out and the ending was not what I expected. I will note this starts off with a prologue that mentions bodies so it’s definitely not a weekend without casualties….

As I said, this was an interesting concept and I was curious as to where it would all go. It was a tad out there but not unlike most thrillers I’ve read, and overall it was a very enjoyable and great read. The audio was great as well, with Carlotta Brentan doing a great job of building the suspense throughout and until the end.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC to review.

This book was your average martial thriller; it was entertaining but honestly I’m not sure I’ll think of it much after reading it. I cant even remember the characters names as I write this review. It was entertaining while I was reading but definitely not memorable

I listened to the audio version of the book and really enjoyed it along with the narrator. The Eden Test was a chilling and suspenseful read. The characters were relatable and added to the realism of the story. The idea of a deconstruction of a marriage in a thriller is intriguing, and the book was emotionally impactful as well. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to others.

I wanted both of these characters to die. I hated them both. I've seen this story described as a big swing, and I'd say it's a big miss; several strikeouts in a row.

I received an advance audio copy. All thoughts are my own.