This book was a total mind-bender. What starts as a seemingly innocent idea—a pact to protect marriage—quickly spirals into something dark and unsettling.

It had me questioning loyalty, control, and how far people will go for love. Twisty, thought-provoking, and a little creepy—in the best way. I couldn’t put it down!

Alice is a successful attorney making her way up the ladder in a corporate law firm, shedding her former life as a singer in a rock band. Jake is a psychologist who has recently started a partnership with some friends.

Alice and Jake are newly married. One of their wedding presents is an exclusive invitation to a mysterious group called The Pact--focused on successfully nurturing marriages. On the outside, it looks like a good plan for their relationship since they both want a successful marriage, but one broken rule makes them question everything.

Broken rules lead to punishments, some of which are so bizarre and creepy that they make Alice and Jake question their membership in The Pact. On their journey, they learn just how far The Pact will go to enforce their rules and the lifelong commitment they've made to their marriage and the group.

What a strange book! I couldn't put it down though because I needed to know what happened.

4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the opportunity to review - this was different from expected, and I appreciated the journey the author carried us through.

Wayyyy too long. Wayyyy too slow. It started out interesting but then it kind of dragged on and even the "exciting" parts weren't very attention-keeping. And that ending? No thanks.

I was unsure going in but this kept me gripped. I couldn’t wait to hear the rules and punishments. Great psychological thriller for sure

Felt underwhelmed. The story was decent. It brought minor interest at the beginning. Then as it progressed it didn’t live up to expectation.

Eerie, well paced and thought provoking. This book checked every box for me. I will definitely look for more from this author

The Marriage Pact is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the dark and mysterious world of an exclusive marriage society, unraveling secrets and enforcing deadly consequences for those who break the rules.

I love a thriller but this wasn't for me. I didn't enjoy the writing or the character/story development. It felt underwhelming. Overall, there are better thrillers out there worth the time to read.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. This suspenseful thriller rings all the right bells for its genre. I felt it started out strong but lost some of it's steam in it's ending.

The synopsis was what hooked me. However, when I went to read it, it dragged more and more to the point it was really just so unbelievable that I had to shelve it in my DNF pile. Thank you for the early access though!

Well, this book had a lot of potential...the premise is actually really interesting and it's what caught my eye when I was browsing NetGalley. But, sadly, I don't think the execution was well done. First of all, this book is LONG. Maybe not in pages, but it feels like it stretches: the more you read, the more you still have to read. It honestly felt like it was neverending, and there wasn't a point to it all of the unnecessary side plots and repetitions of stuff that was plain 20 pages ago.
I thought Jake was extremely naive and too gullible and I couldn't connect with Alice (I don't know why I just couldn't like her...I felt like Jake was putting all the effort and was way more in love with her). Also, I can't get why they still were so much in love after the whole ordeal. If I were in this situation, the first horrible thing they did would make me forever hate my partner instead of getting me to be closer to them.

The narrative in itself is tiring after a while, there isn't an obvious climax so the impact of the final chapters felt flat for me - it's all the same, linear, monotone, so I only know I was getting to the end because of the % of ebook left. I wish the ending was different as well, it would be not only ironic but really interesting. The fact that <spoiler> there were no real consequences for the Pact </spoiler> irked me too. At least, if the author went with the second choice of ending, it would've made sense. As it was, it was both too easy and too unsatisfying. There were a lot of loose ends too, like <spoiler> what the hell happened with Eric, Alice's former bandmate/boyfriend? It's said that he disappeared, but then nobody mentions him again, especially after Alice is cleared from the cheating charges, and Jake realizes they were only rehearsing. It's hinted that The Pact made him disappear, but since it was proved they were not having an affair, I supposed they were going to release him? Unless he was already dead, but the author should have at least hinted at it? And what about the couple who disappeared? The spouses who conveniently died so their widows could marry someone inside the Pact? If Orla never meant for it to happen and Neal & the others were doing it behind her back, it should be also mentioned. And if Orla knew, we should see that too, maybe know what truly happened to these people. Instead, it's forgotten inside that rushed and very anti-climatic ending.</spoiler>. I think that, instead of wasting time with subplots that led to nowhere, to chapters with Jake's unnecessary intake/factoids about marriage, that stuff should've been better explained, and developed.

A thriller that's not really a thriller, left me frustrated and craving something at least enjoyable to read after.

This book is a slow burn. The beginning seems like mostly backstory, but without it, the entire story wouldn't work. And the story DOES work.

Keep reading.

Then it's like WOW...how could this happen? Does this happen? Oh geez, what if we're all living in a cult and don't realize it? Yikes. Read the book. Pay attention. Stay out of cults.

Mic drop!

this was a fun and exciting read. When newlyweds Alice & Jake enter into "The Pact", they think they have found a fun and interesting group to be with & help their marriage stay strong. That is, until one of them breaks the rules of the pact. Then, well, you have to read to find out. I loved it!

First off, this book has no place in reality. So if you're one of those people that needs to read something that could/would realistically happen, this isn't the book for you. The Marriage Pact is fun and a super entertaining story if you just take it at face value. It's fictional psychological suspense. It starts off a little slow but then takes off. The ending is truly ridiculous but still fun.

This is the story of Alice and Jake. They get married and receive a locked box at their wedding. Afterward, their box is unlocked and they're invited to join "The Pact." Aside from the crazy contract that they had to agree to and sign, at face value, the Pact seems lovely-gifts to each other every month, quarterly trips, etc. You just have to keep to the pact and not break any of their rules. Well, things are going great until they break a minor rule. Then another...and then the you know what hits the fan.

Initially, it felt a little Stepford-ish, but then quickly moved to feeling like Jake and Alice were living under the company from The Firm-the Grisham novel, that is. Their every move is known and they can't get away with anything. Overall, if you can suspend reality, you'll enjoy this book. I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How far would you go to protect your marriage? -----An intriguing question in this day and age where a marriage can end in annulment / divorce after 55 hrs.
This has been on my shelf for a while and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. It kind of reminded me of the movies The Gift and The Stepford Wives. Very Good thriller and the storyline drew you in and kept you invested in the outcome.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley & the publisher to read and review.

This was an interesting thriller, as we follow Jake and Alice through the experience of a very unusual wedding gift that is designed to help keep their marraige strong. I was engaged and interested to see how it would all end, although I felt it got a little long in places.

I found this topic very interesting at first, but as I continued to read on, I found the whole premise and plot to be a bit unrealistic and I had a hard time believing it. Suspending my beliefs didn't work for me on this one.

This was a thrilling intense read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author does a great job in leaving things so uncertain pretty much the entire novel - I was left with a strong feeling of dread the whole time of reading it and yet I absolutely had to know how it ended. Not only did I find this enjoyable as a thriller, I also appreciated the deeper subtexts. I highly recommend this one.

While I admit that the book was captivating and exciting, the end left me feeling like the story was unfinished. I would’ve been interested in having the end of the book list provide a section of The Manual. The book did have a unique style in relating marriage statistics, and I’ll admit it even made me reflect on my own with some of the rules of The Pact. I couldn’t really connect with the characters, I still don’t really understand Alice. Yet, I did find the story to be intriguing and I found myself continuing to read and uncover the secrets that lies ahead.