This novel was a quick read, even with a premise that required you to suspend belief. Newlyweds, Jake, a therapist, and Alice, his attorney wife enter into a contract to put their marriage first. But this is not the contract of marriage, but the required entry of an exclusive club where you can only join through invitation. Joining the club requires married couples to agree to an endless list of rules and if any of those rules are violated, the appropriate punishment is vetted out.

While I did not find it plausible that an attorney and therapist (especially one who does marriage counseling) would ever enter into such an agreement, once Jake and Alice become part of this group their loyalty to each other and the group is tested in a variety of interesting (and somewhat shocking) ways. Both Jake and Alice are written believably, while many of "The Pact" characters are rather two-dimensional. I like Richmond's use of short chapters and setting (novel takes place in San Francisco and the Nevada desert) to move the plot along. If you are looking to read something with a bit of the unexpected, then this is your book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

I could not stop reading this book once I started it!!! The Marriage Pact is a very intense book. There is so much suspense and twists and turns throughout the book!!!! Very fast-paced! I loved it!!!

The Pact is a kind of elite club for a select few, you can only join if members of the club invite you and believe you would be a good candidate. It's sole purpose is to help you succeed in your marriage. It has had great success stories and stats for those couples who are in the pact. The way to a successful marriage is to follow some basic steps such as every month you purchase your spouse a gift of any can, every 3 months one spouse plans a trip/gateway to get some alone time etc. Some of these steps seem useful and nice and makes sense for keeping a happy marriage, but others....
And that is when our main characters start to question what they joined and agreed to. This book does a good job of testing love a relationships and trust. There are consequences for not following the rules and the methods of these consequences are unique. They tested our main characters and made you wonder if this will actually keep this couple happily married or will it set them against each other. Why was this Pact even created to begin with, and was the original founder aware of what is currently happening.
This book had me all over the place, thinking this is a cult, this is crazy, what in the world is happening, why is this okay. If one more person says "Friend" I'm going to loose my mind. I thought this was very well put together keeping you intrigued the whole time. The characters actions were not predictable and many times I was not sure if they were going to be on the same page on the different scenarios they were in or if it was going to pull them apart. Would them straying apart have even more crazy consequences?? I kind of predicted a part of the ending but that wasn't a huge plot twist guess so that didn't bother especially since I was not sure what the couple was going to do next. I just found this Pact (cult) so crazy but you just have to keep reading because you have to know why. The Pact run their own rules and their rules only and you just don't know who you can trust. I definitely think this is worth a read if you like domestic psychological mysteries because this messed with my head while I was reading it.

I started this book shortly after I received it and I wasn't able to get into it. I will try again, maybe it wasn't the right fit for me at the time. It sounds like it would be a very good book but again, nothing caught my attention in the first part of it...

This is by far one of the craziest books that I have read so far this year. As a wedding gift, Jake and Alice receive a membership into "The Pact" which is an exclusive club in which one of Alice's clients belongs to with his wife. Jake and Alice think of it as an adventure and sign up. Soon, The Pact is running their lives, and not for the better. This book starts off slow and a bit dull but then it becomes very addicting and you must know how it all ends. This story is just crazy, creepy and highly suspenseful!

I enjoyed this book. It grabbed my attention and held it through to the end. I was guessing from the beginning.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This story wasn't for me. The concept intrigued me at first and there is definitely some suspense but I didn't like the characters, not even the protagonist couple, and I certainly got tired of The Pact.

I don't want to give anything away, so talking about why I didn't enjoy the story is difficult. To me, the whole driving force of the novel, this pact that is supposed to ensure a happy marriage, turned out to be silly, inconceivable, at times so far fetched I had to stop reading, and just very over the top. The book synopsis also promised a sort of slow build up - the couple being seduced into the pact by the glamorous members, their parties, and the fun they have until one of them breaks a pact rule and things turn sinister. In my opinion, this slowness (in a good way here) didn't happen. At least the husband started questioning things right away and he felt at the very least socially uncomfortable at these parties. I think this book could've benefited greatly from the plot being actually what it pledged to be. Lots of thrillers are fast-paced and it is good that they are, but this story would've been perfect for an almost leisurely pace where the reader, along with the protagonists, discovers what The Pact is actually about. A building crescendo, where the pace might speed up at the end, would've felt more authentic. I do believe that is what the author was trying to do, it just didn't come across right. What did come across is the author's knack for prose. Michelle Richmond's literary voice is well-fitting for mysteries and thrillers and I think I will read other books by her.

The Marriage Pact was a gripping story into a potential society designed to keep marriages together, and spouses attentive to one another. What starts out to be a happy time for Jack and Alice's life together, quickly becomes a horrid adventure filled with consequences for those who fail to follow the rules. This story is filled with twists and turns that caught be by the throat. The characters are well-developed and sympathetic. And once I started reading, I was hooked!

This was a very original, extremely disturbing read! It was a bit like watching a horror movie, wanting to hide behind something every time you knew the character was making a mistake. Would recommend to anyone who wants a thrill!

I very much enjoyed this book! I went in blind, so I really had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. The story and the characters kept my attention and while parts seemed somewhat unbelievable, I found myself completely invested in the story.
I wish the ending left a little less to the imagination (I need answers!) but overall I really liked it!

This book was creepy but didn't quite hold up for me. I can suspend belief but it was a little too close to a non-legal The Firm for me to really get into the story. It wasn't a bad book and I would read others by the author but I felt it went over the top and fell flat. A solid but average story.

The Marriage Pact is a gripping journey into an all-too-possible society designed to keep marriages in tack, and spouses happy and attentive. But what starts out to be a new adventure for Jack and Alice's new life together, quickly becomes a disastrous prison filled with harsh consequences for couples who don't abide by the rules. This story is filled with twists and turns I didn't see coming. The characters are well-developed and sympathetic. And once I started reading, I was hooked!

I really liked this thriller. Jake and Alice are asked to join The Pact upon returning from their honeymoon. It seems pretty straightforward at first, but turns out to be a cult. The punishments for not following the rules can be severe. I couldn't put this down. I had to know if they would disentangle themselves from the pact or if they would end up dead. It was pretty surreal, but we live in a world with Scientologists, so really anything is plausible. I definitely recommend it.

Holy heck!! Wow, I could not put this book down. Who doesn't want their marriage to be the best it can be and last forever. If you were about to be married and were given the option to join an exclusive club that promises you the opportunity to have a better marriage wouldn't you do just that? Be careful what you wish for as things are not always what they seem to be. This book gives the marriage line "till death we do part" a whole new meaning. Pull up a comfortable chair, grab a blanket and this book and hold on tight cause it is going to be a bumpy ride.

My first book by this author and what a riveting and intriguing read! Jake and Alice get more than they bargain for when they join the exclusive group The Pact. It kept me on the edge of my seat many times and I had many OMG! moments! Enjoyable read.

Based on an interesting premise, this novel explores what it would be like for a marriage to operate within a community of accountability and based on laws with punishments for infractions like not going on quarterly trips together or working too much. It also explores why people get married and whether they should fit marriage into their former lives, start a brand new life or try to intertwine both. I liked the marriage facts interspersed throughout the book, and the ending kept me guessing. I also liked the idea of marriage being a compromise where both partners give and take. I didn't like the use of the F-word throughout the book, the sexual content or the violence. However, it is a thought-provoking book that will haunt me for a while.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. Alice and Jake receive a wedding gift, a locked box. Little did they know the marriage pact that sounded so good would turn their world upside down! The pact reminded me of Scientology....very creepy, very controlling, psychological warfare to the nth degree! The characters are faced with so many challenges during their first few months of wedded 'bliss'. The book is rather long, in my opinion, but you are intrigued by the author to see how this ends, or better yet, will it ever end for them? This bizarre thriller is unlike anything I've read, you will be intrigued and find yourself thinking of the characters throughout your day!

The book is a quick read if you can stay with the silly plot. The Pact is a secret organization taking extraordinary (and outlandishly cruel) measures to ensure the marriages of their members succeed. This is an equal opportunity Stepford Wives supercharged. It could have been good but instead was “over the top” with its senseless torture of violators of its excessive rules. And the end was total nonsense.

I received a copy of this via #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

After months of trying to read this book I finally gave up. I could not get into it and didn’t finish it. It just was not something I like. I do usually like a good thriller but this seemed like a couple who made way to many wrong choices.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me have a copy. I’m sorry it just was not my kind of book.

A great suspenseful, twisting look into a relationship between a wife and husband that want it to be perfect.

This is the kind of book that will keep you up all night thinking...but I have to say this the ending!!! Gasp!! WTF!! Why would you end it like that!!
I can say after 26 years of marriage I will never go to counseling. lol!!

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.