Ruth ware is never a disappointment. One Perfect Couple was a great book with lots of twists. There are many characters in this book however the main character Lyla is the narrator. She keeps it easy to keep all the characters separate.

Several couples travel to a remote island to play a game show. On Valentine’s Day a big storm hits the island and forces all the contestants into survival mode. Who survives and who dies?

ONE PERFECT COUPLE is Agatha Christie meets LORD OF THE FLIES meets...dating reality TV? I'm not too familiar with the names of those shows, but you know what I mean! I really enjoyed this survival thriller set on a remote island in the Indian Ocean.

Lyla is a scientist whose wannabe actor boyfriend Nico talks her into participating in an upcoming reality show where they compete with four other pairs to be named the "perfect" couple. When they first get to the isolated island location for filming, they notice something is not quite right. Next, a terrible storm hits the island and chaos ensues. Then, it's truly a fight for survival as dead bodies turn up one by one.

There was a big cast of characters, and it took a minute to remember who's who, and who goes with whom, but ultimately they each had a unique voice. While this was an entertaining, escapist thriller, it also touched on the seriousness of bullying and domestic abuse. This was a page-turner that I flew through in record time. I also loved the little nod to THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10.

I enjoy reading all of Ruth Ware’s books. She does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing and turning pages.

This story was setup as a reality tv show and the plan changed quickly. As the remaining cast was left on the island after a storm they try to make contact with the main island. Although the bad luck they continue to have makes it a challenge.

This is a great summer read!

One perfect couple is actually a suspense filled nail-biting thriller, though totally not what I expected it would be. The concept of being on an island playing a game to be the one remaining couple... is absolutely, far reaching but pretty interesting once you really get into the book. Not my favorite Ruth Ware text but definitely true to her style.

Wow. This book escalated QUICKLY. The desperation and horror of being stranded on a deserted island with dwindling supplies was so well written that I had a tension headache when I finished this book, which by the way was within a few hours of starting it because I couldn’t put it down! There’s a very clear villain in this Lord of the Flies-esque story and they’re definitely someone you do NOT want to be trapped on an island with.

Five couples sent to a remote island to compete in a reality show. When a storm hits, the island and contestants are left in ruin. This novel is full of suspense. But it also shows how much power we each have, it shows the bonds that forge when in scary situations. It shows women rising to the challenge to do what needs to be done!

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review:

I am a huge Ruth Ware fan and this one reminded me of why. This is the perfect summer thriller that can easily be devoured in a day or two.

I never knew who to trust or what the motives were, but it all tied together perfectly. The diary entries made me very suspicious of a particular character for a while and the explanation for them blew me away. The overall reasoning for all of it taking place isn’t something that crossed my mind as a possibility and I loved that!

I love Ruth Ware stories! This one is another winner. Five couples joined together on an island, a survival type show in the make. Only it has turned into a horror story with people dying one by one. A major storm has trapped them on the island, and dying seems the only way to be voted off the island.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
Release Date: 5/21/24
Format: ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thriller May continues with Ms Ware’s upcoming release One Perfect Couple! After learning the premise was a group of reality tv show contestants stranded on a remote island, I was a little nervous this was going to be a carbon copy of her One by One but in the sun instead of a snowy setting. I have to say though, I was very pleasantly surprised with this book!

Ware’s more recent releases have been a little flat for me but I probably liked this the most out of her last 4 or 5 books. I wouldn’t say it is a shocking thriller full of surprising twists, but it definitely had me anxious and determined to find the outcome for our characters on the island. I think it would have been better if it was a smidge tighter/about 30-40 pages shorter, but overall a good read!

I would absolutely recommend this book for folks who enjoyed the TV show Lost or the girl power vibes in The Last Housewife. Big thank you to @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

4.5 stars - Truly, Ruth Ware saw me in my time of need and rescued me from my reading slump. This was so deliciously paced & had me hooked throughout. I'd describe this more as a suspense take on Lord of the Flies rather than a mystery thriller in the vein of And Then There Were None, so caveat there in terms of expectations. But that being said... this just worked for me! Including the commentary on red pill MRA internet culture

A group of reality show contestants arrive to an island paradise with their significant others. When a tropical storm stands them, things begin to take on a Lord of the Flies vibe.

A quick read. The semi-suspense kept me reading. The twists were a little underwhelming but I still enjoyed.

Turn of the Key is still Ware's best in my opinion. Otherwise, she's consistently a 3 star author for me. Plots with potential but always seem to fall a bit flat in the end.

A fun read that follows couples on a remote island to test their love story. But when a storm takes over, the tension rises and maybe the people on the island are not who they say they are.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

Hey there! Just finished Ruth Ware's latest thriller, and I couldn't put it down! "One Perfect Couple" had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Lyla's journey from a rut to a tropical paradise quickly turns into a nightmare as she and her boyfriend, Nico, find themselves stranded on Ever After Island with four other couples. The tension among the contestants is palpable, and when things start to go wrong, it's a race against time for survival.

Ware's storytelling is as gripping as ever, and I found myself completely immersed in the twists and turns of the plot. The characters felt incredibly real, and I couldn't help but root for Lyla as she navigated the dangerous challenges thrown her way.

If you're a fan of psychological suspense, "One Perfect Couple" is a must-read. Ruth Ware has once again proven why she's the queen of the genre. Trust me, you won't be able to put this one down!

Many thanks to Ruth Ware, Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! It leaned a little in the campy direction, as far as Ruth Ware's books go, and the premise seemed like it could be totally unbelievable, and then the more you read it the more you realize that this scenario could absolutely happen in this day and age. I loved hating the characters I was supposed to hate, and rooting for the ones I liked and wanted to survive. It was very "Ten Little Indians" and "Lord of the Flies" inspired, and I think setting it in the world of a reality TV series was genius and added a lot of fun to the story.

One Perfect Couple can win it all, that is if they survive.

There is high suspense, and all is NOT what it seems on a remote island filming new reality show, One Perfect Couple. Each couple will compete in challenges with under-performers sent packing. What an eclectic batch of characters, each hoping to jumpstart fame and fortune by appearing on the show.

The reader becomes trapped on the island after a storm tears-apart its landscape, stranding the participants. Everyone is vying for survival, and motivations reveal themselves unleashing a vicious villain amongst them. This book oozes with tension, its angsty and chaotic.

Buckle-up, you are in for a wild adventure in the Indian Ocean.

Thank you, Gallery Books | Gallery/Scout Press

Ruth Ware's latest thriller, "One Perfect Couple," delivers an exhilarating ride with substantial character development. Lyla, a scientist, finds herself persuaded by her aspiring actor boyfriend Nico to join a reality show competition, vying with four other pairs to claim the title of the "perfect" couple. As they arrive at the remote island filming location off Indonesia, Lyla notices something is just not right about the whole situation.. When a violent storm strikes on their first night, chaos erupts, plunging them into a struggle for survival.

With a sizeable cast of characters, it initially takes some effort to keep track of everyone, but each character eventually emerges with a distinct voice. There are numerous twists and turns, ensuring a gripping, page-turning read.. "One Perfect Couple" deserves a spot on your summer reading list!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware was a fast and entertaining book! It’s not what I was expecting after reading the plot summary - I would describe this as part survival, part reality show, rather than a psychological thriller, but it was entertaining and a nice change of pace for me. Add in a devastating storm on a remote island and I’m immediately hooked!

Ware is a great writer and I find most of her books engaging, well planned, and presented in a way that’s enticing and exciting. Ware did an extremely good job creating a rich sense of atmosphere on the island and I was immediately drawn into the setting and survival in the aftermath of the storm.

Where this story fell short for me was the character development and sense of tension and suspense. While the survival aspect was fun to read, I didn't find the storyline very complex or thrilling. There wasn't much tension, and there was no element of guessing or puzzle-solving to discover who committed the murders. I also felt like the pacing dragged in a few places and the story could have been a little tighter to create more sense of urgency.

One Perfect Couple is a quick read and entertaining. Unfortunately, while I've been a fan of Ware's previous novels, this one fell short for me. I would still recommend it to readers who enjoy survival stories with a hint of mystery, although it may not satisfy those looking for a serious psychological thriller.

This is not my favorite Ruth Ware book but at the same time it's not the bottom of the list either.

There was really only one narrator which made this book easy to follow (there were the glimpses of the radio transmissions and the diary which all make sense at the end) but this book was lacking something.

Maybe the lack of more sufficient background made this book harder to fall in love with any of the characters and that's why it was challenging for me to love it? Perhaps it's the whole character of Connor or the not knowing what exactly happened to Joel or Dan. I would have liked Zana to kinda fill in the pieces towards the end and helped make the ending better.

Either way the ending felt kinda lackluster to me.

Thank you to Ruth Ware and Gallery Books for my copy of One Perfect Couple!

In this juicy new release from suspense queen Ruth Ware, a deserted island after a destructive storm sets the stage for “One Perfect Couple,” where five couples travel to compete in a reality TV show.

Things between Lyla and her boyfriend Nico could be a lot better, to say the least. So the pair decide to try something out of their wheelhouse, a televised romantic getaway/competition on an Indonesian island. On the first night after arrival, however, a storm blows through, taking with it almost everything except a small supply of food and water.

“‘Love Island’ becomes ‘Survivor,’ and one person in particular is set on being the last person standing,” reads a Kirkus review. “Ware offers another take on the locked-room mystery, but this time, her focus is less on creating a creepy atmosphere of dread, as she did in earlier novels, than on showing the absolute brutality of which some humans are capable.”

"I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.