"The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact. And most of its rules make sense. Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . . Never mention The Pact to anyone."

Sounds good, right? Well, it did at first for newlyweds Jake and Alice but things quickly got very weird and disturbing after they agree to sign the Marriage Pact, a wedding "gift" to them from a client of Alice's. After signing this contract, they start to wonder if they've made a mistake after Alice is taken away a couple of times for some violations of the Pact rules. The punishment for these infractions was shocking! I wasn't quite sure what to make of this interesting psychological thriller but I did enjoy it. It was indeed thrilling and it kept my interest, and I wondered if Jake and Alice would be able to leave the Pact. The song "Hotel California" by The Eagles came to mind as I read this book. All I could think of was, "you can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave." Although with the Pact, is checking out even an option? Can they leave? If you're into reading creepy psychological thrillers that will keep you reading all night long, then this one is definitely for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Alice and Jake are newlyweds and one of their wedding gifts is an invitation to join an exclusive club of married couples. The goal of the club is to help couples make their marriage last and not be another divorce statistic. Newly married and insecure they decide to join. It seems like it could be fun. The rules for a happy marriage seemed innocuous: surprise your spouse with a gift each month, answer the phone when your spouse calls, take quarterly trips. “Noooooooo” That’s what I wanted to scream at them. You just know this can’t be good. From that moment on, I was glued to the pages and cringing every step of the way. The ending wasn’t what I had expected and I thought Richmond kept the characters true to themselves.

This was one crazy cult. It was designed to bring couples closer together and make marriage their number one priority. The founder and executives that ran this cult had some pretty good ideas. However, I think that they were going a little overboard in their "punishments" for people not following the rules. Infidelity was punished severely and shamefully, and I mean shamefully.

That being said, this was definitely an entertaining read. I spent a lot of the book asking the couple, Alice and Jake, what were they thinking and why they were going along with it. Then I realized that if you didn't go along with it, the penalties were VERY severe.

A very interesting premise that had me yelling and screaming at the characters, a lot!

Thanks to Random House-Ballantine and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

What are you willing to do to keep your marriage alive?
Shortly after their wedding, Alice and Jake receive an invitation to join The Pact, an organization whose objective it is to keep their members' marriages intact because marriage is for life...

I had a love-hate relationship with The Marriage Pact. While it was totally readable, fast-paced and even quite gripping, I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to really get behind the story. I had trouble finding Alice, a musician-turned-lawyer, and Jake, a marriage counselor (how convenient), to be credible characters. She's a lawyer! He's a marriage therapist! And they end up in this situation?? Jake being a therapist counseling couples allowed for lots of "psychological" information and statistics relating to relationships/marriages to be included although I failed to see how his therapy sessions helped the story.
Alice remained quite a colorless character, which is perhaps due to the fact that the entire story is from Jake's first-person point of view.
I also found it really infuriating that nothing was explained. Without wanting to give the plot away, things happened that made me want to know how on earth The Pact could have managed that. From about 60% onwards, it began to turn into something resembling a science fiction story and that's when the eye-rolling really started, and then there was that ending. Typical "and that's it???"-ending.
Now, that sounds very negative, I know. But I did actually enjoy reading this. There was something utterly gripping about it. The first 60% anyway. So, provided you're happy to suspend disbelief and to not question the hows and whys, then this is quite a thrilling and entertaining domestic suspense story, and Michelle Richmond has managed to come up with something quite different in this genre. Well done for that.
I've decided to go for the middle rating here. The first part was closer to 4 stars, the latter part closer to 2 stars, hence 3 stars.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

I enjoyed this suspenseful story. What an interesting concept, that of joining a ‘marriage pact’, a pact which is sold to pre-selected couples to bring balance and fairness to a marriage. Turns out, that there is no way out of this Pact, which is really a cult in which everyone creepily calls each other “friend”. This secret society brings in member couples, dazzling them with glitzy get-togethers but these couples soon learn that there are serious consequences for going against the Pact’s rules. How quickly tides can turn with one seemingly minor mis-step by a spouse like putting in too much time in the office or forgetting to buy their spouse the obligatory monthly gift. Pact board members show up at one’s home, take the offending spouse away and use extreme tactics to elicit fear and punishment, including using strait jackets, electric shock, being flown to a far-away maximum security prison in the desert and being given a choice of walking into a hot, bright cell or a cold, dark cell for who knows how long (but at least they get treated to gourmet prison food!). Throw in some pretty shady characters, ones who at times were hard to discern whether they were good guys or bad guys. Yes, the story can be a bit preposterous but whew, what a ride!

In this relentlessly paced novel of psychological suspense, New York Times bestselling author Michelle Richmond crafts an intense and shocking tale that asks: How far would you go to protect your marriage?

Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. Their life together holds endless possibilities. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice's prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact.

The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact. And most of its rules make sense. Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . . Never mention The Pact to anyone.

Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples. And then one of them breaks the rules. The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life. And The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule. For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare.




Review:




This is my first time reading this Author and I picked up this title for review because I was just so intrigued by the blurb.




*So there might be some spoilers, I will try to write without giving away key details, but I am not sure if I can.*

What a roller coaster ride!

I was engrossed in this story from page one. I knew that no good was going to come from that box. The story is told in first person from the recollection of Jake looking back on this journey brought about by The Marriage Pact. An intriguing idea to try a keep your marriage together by signing a Marriage Pact especially in an age where divorce is prevalent. What they find themselves in is scary and dangerous. Holy Crap what Jake and Alice goes through is crazy, it sort of reminds me of Scientology, but in that instance we know it exists just not what goes on. In this ultra-secret society or cult like, if you will, they have their own laws and justice system where Big Brother is always watching and you are not sure who to trust. There are some very brutal, graphic scenes about punishment for rule breaking and some of those scenes were hard to read. How Jake and Alice manage to stay together and not die is an amazing thing to me. I am still not sure about how I liked the ending but overall I thought the book was excellently done. Now, it was categorized and Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction. I would agree with the Mystery Thriller, but not really the Women's Fiction part, to me it is much more a Mystery/Thriller with romantic elements, but that is just me.

Be leery of anyone calling you "Friend"!

4Stars

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

I was excited to dive into this thriller. The synopsis sounded unique and utterly terrifying at the same time. I was quickly sucked into Alice and Jake's world. It was a little maddening at times to see what the pact did to people. Alice and Jake wanted their marriage to work and they did things they wouldn't have ordinarily have done, then they realized enough was enough. I enjoyed the fact they wanted to make themselves better and they wanted their marriage. They were also learning about themselves and growing in that way, too. Alice and Jake's story could be anyone you know or yourself and I enjoyed the realistic way they were portrayed. But the unknown, the pact, was a scary thing. I didn't want to put this book down and I had to know what was going to happen to them! I loved that this book was a different concept and it held my attention. If you're looking for something different but engaging, read this book!

What is the secret to a happy marriage? How far would you go to ensure your marriage makes it? What sacrifices would you make?

The concept of this book is exceptional. While it reminds me a great deal of the Stephen King short story Quitters, Inc, the two barely have anything in common. It's more the theme of therapy gone terribly, terribly wrong. This book is desperately original, and I can guarantee people are going to love this. It's definitely chock full of suspense, and has that "can't put it down" factor.

All of that being said, I had so many issues while reading this. So many. The trouble is, as much as I genuinely, GENUINELY, enjoyed this book, it could've been so much better. There were far too many plot holes, and missing bits.

For one thing, there's no build up. Alice and Jake are barely introduced before we're hearing about The Pact. Then, once the danger element is introduced, it's an anvil slamming you to the ground and keeping you there until the end. There's literally no reason for this. A good build-up is everything in a suspense novel.

Speaking of the danger element being introduced, I had a serious issue suspending my disbelief. Jake is a therapist, Alice is a former, decently famous, musician turned lawyer. These are not unintelligent people. Yet they can't be bothered to read something before signing it. And the WTFitude kicks in almost immediately.

There's no grace period. There's no, "Hey, this isn't so bad." No, we get the crazy Scientology vibe straight away, and they're saying, "Well, this isn't so bad" when it's actually going bad. Plot points are opened up, then just left to dangle there. There's not even an attempt to tie them up.

And the ending. Yes, the twist was good, and fun. Satisfying? Not really. I didn't see a way to tie the end up satisfactorily, and I think the effort was a good one. I kind of but not really saw it coming, and it played out well in some respects, but really was a let down in others.

There's so much illogical here, it's distracting. And it takes away from what really, REALLY, is a fantastic, original novel. And that's what's disappointing me the most.

It is actually a fairly simple thing to fix, all that needs to be done is inserting some scenes throughout. But perhaps I'm just backseat driving.

Again, all things considered, I know people are going to enjoy this. As well they should. It's a hell of a ride.

What would you do to keep your marriage alive? The Marriage Pact is the answer to that question.
Alice used to be in a band and is now climbing up the ladder as a lawyer. Jack is a psychologist and is setting up a new practice with his partners. Both are very busy in their jobs. When Alice and Jake marry they invite Alice's client Liam Finnegan. Liam's wedding present is an invitation to join an exclusive group called The Pact. Without reading the thick book enclosed of all the rules and punishments, Alice and Jake sign to join The Pact. Little do they know how harsh the punishments can be, they eyes that are constantly watching them, and eventually realizing there is no way to leave The Pact. The Pact is a fast pace suspense/thriller and once you start, you will not be able to put it down. The idea of The Pact was very interesting and to think that people would join this group was really creepy and scary. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Newlyweds Alice and Jake don't think much of it when a client from Alice's law firm invites himself to their wedding and then gives them a mysterious wedding gift. But they soon discover the gift is offering them membership in a exclusive group called The Pact, whose main goal is to keep couples marriage. The Pact comes with a series of strict rules detailed in the group's Manual. Jake, a psychologist, is interested in the institution of marriage and excited to find an organization that he thinks will keep his beloved wife, Alice, a former rock singer turned lawyer, interested and focused on their union. Things change quickly for the couple, though, when the Pact thinks that Alice is breaking the rules. Suddenly, Alice and Jake find themselves stuck in the Pact, whose members seem to go to any lengths to enforce their rules: and to keep their members within the group.

The set up to the book is certainly interesting: joining an exclusive group focused on marriage. It's a secretive society of sorts with a series of rules focused on a single goal: keeping your marriage intact. And if you don't follow those rules: there are consequences, often extreme ones.
I can't deny that this book is very creepy at times. It also causes you to question the sanity of this couple. Why on earth would they sign these documents and join the Pact? Jake, okay, perhaps: he supposedly is desperate to keep Alice. But Alice, for pete's sake, is a lawyer: she has to know that signing anything, even if you think it's a joke (and this is not presented as a joke) could have serious consequences. Instead, she blindly signs because she wants to go to a party?! Perhaps they deserved what they got! (And maybe I'm a little bitter.) The book often reminded me of The Girl Before: another novel where you have to completely suspend disbelief that people would even entertain living life by a series of ridiculous rules to somewhat enjoy the book.

That's not to say I didn't sometimes feel sorry for Alice, or even Jake. I was drawn a bit more to Alice and often wished I could have heard her perspective on things sometimes, instead of just her husband's. Rather, things just seemed so drawn out: so much of Jake ruminating about Alice, their marriage, marriage in general, life, etc. It was a little much for me.

Still, as I mentioned the book definitely has its creepy moments. Even with those, it took me forever to read it. I never felt compelled to pick it up (so much talking and thinking from Jake) and probably finished at least two other books over the 10-day (!) span it took me to read this. I was more intrigued and interested in the last fourth or so of the book and then pretty much let down by the end, so there you have it. There's one good twist in there, and I'm going with a three-star rating, but I'm definitely not in the camp raving about this one. However, lots of people loved this book, so you may enjoy it a lot more than me.

There's a reason this took me 9 days to finish. This is possibly the most frustrating book I have ever read. If I had been reading this in physical book form instead of on my e-reader, I would have forcefully chucked this across the room when I finished it. Like a dent-in-the-wall-worthy chuck. I don't believe for one second that these characters would have put up with everything they went through and, by the end, I felt like I was the one being shipped off to the desert against my will. The injustice of it all! They can't do this to me!! Err..I mean, to Alice and Jake.

Obviously, the author did a good job drawing me into the story. The rest of my opinions are a bit split (quickly becoming my usual). I liked the main characters, though I didn't really feel like I got to know Alice all that well. All of the marriage statistics and advice were interesting, although half the book felt like a dissertation on marriage (and who knows how much of it all was true). And I enjoyed the resolution, but I wish it had been drawn out a bit more as it just suddenly ended. Cheers to a well-deserved 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House / Bantam for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Marriage Pact will keep you on your toes wondering what will happen next until the very end. This is one book you don't want to miss.

It sorta reminds me of Scientology. You have this secret society that no one can talk about with all these rules and if you break them or try to get out then there are consequences to pay that could be deadly. Sure there are parts that are not believable but come on it's a book. Not real life.

It's thrilling, suspenseful, and the writing is flawless. The blurb sucked me in but the characters and author's imagination kept me there.

Meet Alice, the lawyer, and Jake the psychologist. Newlyweds, happy and living the dream. Then they receive an odd package from one of Alice's most prestigious clients - The Pact. After talking to Vivian, a member of The Pact, they find out that The Pact has one goal - keep marriage happy. There's a manual on everything: monthly gifts exchanged, mandatory trips four times a year... and do not speak of The Pact to anyone. Never ones to put off a challenge, they enjoy the solidarity of the community... until Alice breaks one of the rules. Punishments meted out to ensure rules aren't broken are more than they ever had expected. No one leaves The Pact... alive, that is.

I flew through this book - an absolute page turner. It reminded me of a cross between the movie The Box with Cameron Diaz and James Marsden (mmm... James Marsden <3) and King's Quitter's Inc. I love reading anything related to cult like societies and this definitely fits the bill. The Pact is larger than anyone seems to foresee and their influence seems to be beyond reproach. Where the author takes you re their punishment had me on the edge of my seat. What is going to happen to Jake and Alice? Will they make it? Together? Separately? What other punishment could possibly be enforced to make them comply? Utterly fascinating. Then the ending... guys and gals, I'm not going to say too much as I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but W...T....F.... It just didn't fit for me. To have all the build up lead to that had me scratching my head and I either need another book to figure out what happens next, or an ending that wasn't ... so... neat? Off kilter? I don't even know. I'm perplexed and confused and felt a bit let down.

I will say this, the author knows how to weave a tale and keep you focused. Told strictly through Jake's POV, we get a real sense of who he is and how much he loves his wife. I mean, no matter how much you know your partner, do you ever really know EVERYTHING? Is there every such a thing as FULL disclosure? I would 100% pick up another book by Michelle Richmond. Until then I'm going to stew on this one for a bit. I'm truly torn on how to rate this one so I'll stick with 3.5 stars due to the ending.

I was originally going to give this one four stars, but I don’t even remember why I took off a star, so five stars it is! I was really intrigued with this one mainly because the synopsis tells you next to nothing, and I am a very nosy person, so I needed to know what was going to happen! I definitely liked seeing from Jake’s point-of-view, since I rarely ever read a thriller from a guy’s point-of-view. I was definitely intrigued with the whole cult-ish vibe of The Marriage Pact, and this book was extremely addicting, especially since it took a lot of twists and turns I really wasn’t expecting. Not only that, but I ADORED the writing. It was very formal, but not so pretentious, you don’t know what’s going on. I’ve just never read a thriller like that before. Also, this one inserted a bunch of facts about marriage, so I learned things! And I also really loved the ending. Basically, this was like Fates and Furies, but with a cult.

When newlyweds, Alex and Jake, receive a wedding gift that invites them into an exclusive and mysterious group for married couples, they are flattered. The goal of The Pact is simple. Keep marriages happy and intact. Seduced by the glamorous parties and sense of community, they embrace The Pact. They are given a manual with all the rules, one being: don’t mention The Pact to anyone. As Alice and Jake try to adhere by their rules, they realize how much different The Pact is and how dangerous The Pact can be.

I love any book that has a cult vibe, so when I discovered The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond it immediately moved to the top of my TBR pile. I loved how this one took the domestic suspense genre and gave it a twist. I was so glad to read something where the conflict lies not between the married but couple, but instead, the married couple against the world. It really was like married people Fight Club.

Richmond is able to create two incredibly likeable characters in Jake and Alice. They complement each nicely and were very realistic. She also was able to create such a well put together and fast paced plot. I was engaged throughout and was continuously worried about Jake and Alice as they navigated their way through The Pact. Truly, at times, it became super creepy! I couldn’t believe the lengths that the members were willing to go. I read this one as a buddy read with Danielle from The Blonde Likes Books and we were continuously messaging each other with our worries.

I did feel like the ending was a random and kind of out in left field for me, especially in regards to the general tone of the book.

Overall, I loved this book and would highly recommend it!!

A contemporary novel with a different and interesting blurb.
A story of love in reverse: how to define whether a marriage will work or not? Is there any secret formula for certain couples to stay together until death apart them, while others divorce for whatever reason?

The Marriage Pact is a mix of comedy and suspense.
The story already begins leaving the reader intrigued. Jake wakes up on a plane being driven to Half Moon Bay, not remembering how he got there.
From there, the reader wants to know more about this adventure and how the couple will behave to the end.
Intriguing reading.
3,5 stars

I had a hard time getting into this novel. I just had a hard time believing a lot of what was going on. If you can get past that, then I think you can really enjoy this thriller.

Very middle of the road. Not bad, but not great either. I never really connected all that well with any of the characters, and the plot didn't offer anything very shocking. The concept and the execution thereof, however, was fascinating. It would be so easy to find yourself in Jake and Alice's shoes. The ending was good but felt a little too pat given everything before it. Decent read. 3 stars.

A big thanks to Bantam Books and Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

How far would you go to keep your marriage perfect? THE MARRIAGE PACT by Michelle Richmond is about the picture perfect newlywed couple, Jake and Alice. They are presented and opportunity to join an exclusive and mysterious group called, The Pact. Seduced by the group, Jake and Alice take the plunge and join, but when rules are broken they will learn the hard way - The Pact is for life.

Alice is a successful lawyer and her husband Jake is a psychologist. Living in newly-wedded bliss, they receive a wedding gift from some of Alice's prestigious clients. An invitation to join The Pact. The opportunity to join The Pact is incredibly enticing, they have one goal, to keep marriages happy and intact. There are simple rules to follow: always answer the phone when your spouse calls, exchange thoughtful gifts monthly, plan a trip together once per quarter, and the most important, never mention The Pact to anyone. Fight Club vibe, anyone?

The couple is really enjoying being apart of this community. Everyone is close and their marriage is happy. However, when Alice breaks one of the rules they learn that there are punishments and most importantly, The Pact is for life. Throughout the story, we learn along with the characters that The Pact has influence and reach everywhere and there is no escaping them.

This was a great psychological thriller meets domestic thriller. The cult vibe is even better - I find cults to be incredibly fascinating and Michelle Richmond did a great job capturing the eeriness and the seductive qualities that a cult provides. Who wouldn't want to be a part of a group like that? How hard is it to comply with their simple rules? I will say that the ending definitely felt like it came out of nowhere. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it yet. It definitely left me with some questions and needing some more closure.

Overall, this was a great and unique domestic thriller. If you're a fan of cults, domestic thrillers, and an element of psychological thriller, then this is one you need to pick up! I loved this book and think it's another highly anticipated summer 2017 release that lived up to it's hype!

I give this 4/5 stars!

Alice and Jake are newlyweds who get sent a seemingly well-meaning, if odd, gift-an invitation to join The Pact. The Pact is a group of married couples dedicated to ensuring that all their marriages survive and thrive.

Alice and Jake are in love, and want their marriage to succeed, so they accept the invitation. But they soon realize that what they signed up for is far darker and farther reaching then they had ever imagined.

This is one of those books that keeps you with your heart in your throat. There is so much suspense, and the book manages to ride the fine line between horror and thriller, keeping you in a constant state of heightened fear for the characters.

There are so many amazing twists and turns in this book as well. One of the big reveals at the end took me completely by surprise.

Richmond has also created a very unique book, which is always exciting when an author is writing in a very popular genre. I loved that I never knew where this book was going, which just upped the suspense even more.

The very end was absolutely fine, but just didn't pack the punch the rest of the book did.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book, as the subject matter could have verged into cliched or cheesy, but Richmond made the story so unique and suspenseful, and even scary. I would definitely recommend this book.