This book certainly will not be everyone's cup of tea. But for me, it was a great read. Very fast paced. Very dense story. Would make for an excellent movie.

Seems like some people have quibbles with the characters. Indeed, they were not always likeable. In particular, the husband and wife both had moments in the story where they showed self-centered moronic behavior and a surprising lack of good judgement and/or empathy. But those qualities also made for a great story. You will find yourself having a lot of "what would I do in this situation?" moments while reading this book. Whose to say you or I would not be similarly moronic?

Drawbacks: if you've read the Stephen King story, "Quitters Inc," you know what you're getting into here--which was kind of a buzz kill when reading this book (to be fair though, this book takes things WAY further than King's). Also, this is yet another book where a therapist invites a client into his home like that's no big deal (that is very much not an acceptable practice.) So that kind of bothered me. Lastly, when reading this book, it helps if you don't think too much about logistics (So many missed days of work and personal drama and Jake's co-workers--all trained mental health care providers--just say, "That's cool. hope you come back soon? Hard to buy that.) However these are little issues.

Overall, an exciting find.

Sorry, these are not my favorite types of stories. I like to relax and read, not read about people's stupidity. Or how they get themselves into the mess they create. Sorry. Not for me.

carolintallahassee

I could not get into this novel. It moved very slowly and, truthfully, I lost interest long before I finished a quarter of it. I also could not connect with any of the characters. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam for an ARC for an honest review. Sorry it could not have been more positive.

This was an absolute compulsive page turner. What a fresh story with complex characters. Really well written.

The Marriage Pact
Michelle Redmond
Available: July 25. 2017
Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I can easily see this being turned into a Lifetime movie (since they no longer have Movie of the Week on Network TV) with some graceful editing. It would be a great movie because of the twists and turns and a dramatic (yet predictable) ending. As a book, it was a decent read but I never connected with Jake as a loving husband – he seemed as having a need to possess Alice.
What I loved: The concept of The Pact is brilliant - monthly gifts, spousal appreciation, focusing on your relationship and I think that a lot of marriages would flourish and grow from these types of Pact requirements. A lot of times we take our spouses for granted and are constantly worrying about “me, me, me” that being required to take a step back and get away from the everyday would be a blessing (of course there is that whole financial issue of the trips, the gifts, the being sent to Fernley) but that’s why The Pact is for the wealthy.
What I didn’t love: Let’s debate what’s worse – Jake’s desire to own his wife or the lack of drawn out suspense with The Pact. Jake and Alice seemed doomed from the get go – there never seems to be the blissful honeymoon period of when they are enthralled with The Pact outside of the first day which leads to a very predictable ending.
What I learned: I best be answering the phone when the hubs calls.
Overall Grade: B-

www.FluffSmutandMurder.com

A clearly disturbing story, that really leads one on a goose chase.

The marriage pact is a group this newly married couple join, thinking it is all in fun. what it turns out to be is a nightmare. lots of things that do not make sense since this cult/clique create rules as they see fit and don't feel that the story clears up much at the end. lots of loose ends which makes me feel like this storyline needs lots of tweaking. I just felt like the storyline was weakened since this clique unrealistically had access everywhere to monitor the couples' behavior and even people in high places were known by this clique. Calling everyone "friend" when they were not "friends" - think it really tried to be like a sci fi robot storyline where evertyine complies and does not question the program.

The storyline is high paced but when the finale is revealed what a letdown, was expecting the couple to decide a different path but the ending felt too simplistic.

I was provided with an e-ARC by the publisher, Random House Publishing-Ballantine, via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you.

This is the third novel by Michelle Richmond that I have enjoyed. She is a talented author who knows how to grab your attention at the start and keeps you interested. This novel is no different although it did slow down just past the middle but was still engaging enough before picking up again.

I thought the premise was original with The Pact being a secretive organization whose goal is to protect the institution of marriage by supporting the couple. The protagonist couple is Alice (an attorney and former rock band singer) and Jake (a licensed counselor for married couples and also for troubled teens). They are invited to join The Pact as a wedding gift and they accept not realizing how heavy the consequences are if they do not explicitly obey the rules. I found it hard to believe how naive they were regarding getting involved considering how well-educated they were They showed little judgment or maturity throughout the novel.

This is a psychological thriller with twists and turns that is mostly fast-paced and has an interesting ending.

The premise of the book may seem a bit far-fetched, and at points it was a bit crazy, but I thought it was interesting and, for the most part, it kept my attention. I liked the contrast between the Pact and that of the main character being a therapist who also worked with couples. I've often thought that with the divorce rate in our society being what it is, that many people go into marriage without a lot of resources or tools that could make them successful. Even being fictional, this book gave some food for thought.

I found the premise of this book incredibly interesting, but the delivery fell short for me. The characters are hard to connect with, and the story drags in some areas and then is incredibly rushed in others. I alternated between skimming to try to get through slow sections and then feeling like I blinked only to discover that a big reveal or significant plot shift had happened almost without my notice. It feels a bit over-narrated. The protagonist goes through mundane details of what he's doing, but there's no real feeling in it and you still can't relate to him on an emotional level. While some of the story elements felt hard to believe, I think I could have still gone along with them and enjoyed the book if the characters were more relatable.

Newlyweds Alice and Jake are given the wedding gift of an invitation to join The Pact. The Pact is a group of like-minded couples who want one main thing - to make marriage work. The rules of The Pact are contained in The Manual, and each couple must read, understand, and basically memorize its contents. This seems a bit strange, but some of the rules don't seem so terrible - always answer the phone when your spouse calls, surprise your spouse with a gift, mandatory getaways - until more and more details of The Pact's inner workings emerge. Alice and Jake start to realize The Pact isn't quite what it seems after being subjected to some of the required "punishments" because they didn't play by rules. What can they do? No one EVER leaves The Pact....

The plot and the story had me in the beginning. I couldn't put it down as I wanted to find out what The Pact was all about and the consequences for not following the rules. I found it a bit slow in spots and some of it seemed a bit of a stretch. Three stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! What a book. Days later and I am still talking about this book. What would you do to make sure you have a good marriage that lasts? This book is a physiological thriller but maybe not in the normal sense. I found the idea of the Marriage Pact to be quite interesting and some of the things that you have to do from the manual I think everyone couple should adopt in real life. I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to know more about the Marriage Pact. I enjoyed this book a lot.

Honestly, I was a bit lost in my read I just don't understand some bits. I kept on turning back to look what I've might missed and unfortunately, my brain can't register it. Sorry, this book wasn't for me.

Is marriage forever? In The Pact, it is. No one has ever left the Pact. The sanctity of marriage depends on it. Intriguing story that keeps the reader guessing, what will the Pact do next.

Great story line interesting and different however I felt it ended rather abruptly.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. Alice and Jake receive a special gift for their wedding. It is an invitation to join "The Pact," a highly exclusive club that helps support couples in their quest to stay married. In fact, no one in the Pact has ever divorced. It sounds promising to the newlyweds so they join. However, the Pact is not as it seems, and the newlyweds are in for a wild ride as they try to navigate the rules and regulations of the Pact. This is a very suspenseful story and totally unique. I found it a very captivating story!

Riveting nd suspenseful drama. Richmond is a gifted story teller. Some descriptions are unappealing,but overall an excellent story.

Newlyweds Jake and Alice appear to have it all - well-educated with good jobs, fairly well-off, and in love. Jake proposes to Alice at a particularly vulnerable time; Alice's father has died and she is selling her childhood home. Now she is truly an orphan; her parents both dead and her only brother a suicide. He wants to be married but he questions if Alice is as deeply committed as he. Her background as a rock singer provided her with a life/lifestyle that is far different than the one they have now as a corporate lawyer (Alice) and psychologist (Jake). This dichotomy supports their foray into the marriage pact.

On the surface, the gift of membership to the pact appears ideal. The mission of the group is to protect and value marriage. The rules seem simple: always respond to a text/phone call from a spouse, give small monthly gifts to each other, plan quarterly mini vacations to keep the spark alive. The consequences, which neither Alice nor Jake really believe, are rather dire. The mysterious nature of the group and its members adds to its appeal to Alice and Jake.

It isn't long before the specter of consequences appears. Despite the fact that Alice is an associate in a corporate law firm and Jake is a partner in a relatively new psychology practice, both manage to get unexpected time off with few ramifications. Intense pressure from bosses or partners is curiously absent.

I gave this book five stars because the concept is well-defined and the plot has lots of unexpected twists. It kept me guessing.

Is there a secret to a long and happy marriage? Is there one thing, a group of behaviors or conditions, which could ensure that a couple can weather the stresses and strains most marriages encounter and stay married until death do them part?

If you ask Jake and Alice whether they wanted their marriage to last, and believed it could, they'd say yes, although perhaps somewhat dubiously. While Jake, a successful therapist, grew up in a home where his parents' relationship was strong (and is still going), Alice, a singer-turned-lawyer, had a fractured home life, with a family whose demons ate them alive. While Jake saw proposing marriage as a way to hold on to Alice, she saw it as an opportunity for the security she never experienced.

Right before their wedding, Alice works on a case involving a somewhat-famous musician named Finnegan. In the flush of pride at the case's successful outcome, and the anticipation of her wedding, somehow Alice invites Finnegan and his wife to her and Jake's wedding. Surprisingly, he accepts, and the couple is a sweet addition to what turns out to be a beautiful day.

Finnegan's wedding present leads Jake and Alice to an organization called The Pact. The Pact has one simple goal: to ensure marriages succeed. Supportive of that goal, Jake and Alice agree to join. While at first they are dazzled by the parties that their fellow members through, and the fellowship of the group, it's not long before they realize that while some of The Pact's rules—you must give your spouse gifts for no reason a certain amount of times each year, you must plan a non-work-related vacation for just the two of you once a quarter, always answer the phone when your spouse calls—seem innocuous, no infraction of any rule is tolerated.

As Alice's work schedule heats up and she must spend more time at the office, she quickly runs afoul of The Pact's rules. When one minor infraction leads to another, she and Jake realize that this group isn't quite what they imagined it was. And when Jake learns from an old acquaintance some of the measures The Pact uses to ensure marriages succeed, he knows that they need to break their commitment to the group. But The Pact never leaves you, and you never leave The Pact...

I found this concept really intriguing at first, and Michelle Richmond's writing, which I so enjoyed in her previous book, Golden State (see my original review), definitely kept me turning the pages. But the further I got into the book, the more I didn't like it. I just found the whole concept of The Pact and its means to an end utterly preposterous, and I found it really hard to believe that a lawyer and a therapist would so willingly allow themselves to be controlled by a group like this.

Reading The Marriage Pact reminded me a little of reading some of Stephen King's books in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. Not that there were elements of horror in the book, but that I felt Richmond, like King, had such a brilliant ideas for a book and then little by little, it went more and more off the rails until it was just completely out of control. And while I can handle that in certain books, because of the way this book was rooted in such a solid concept like marriage, suspending my disbelief so completely just didn't work.

I may wind up in the minority here, so if the plot as I've described it intrigues you, definitely give it a shot. I'll still be waiting for Richmond's next book to come along. And perhaps I'll pick up a few rules from The Pact, at least as suggestions...

NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for this review.

Alice and Jake are in love. They are pretty much the perfect couple. After their wedding, they become part of the Pact, an exclusive, secret group that seems simple enough: keeping marriages happy. However, Alice and Jake quickly realize that this is more about glamorous parties when one of them breaks the rules.

Okay, the idea is really cool! It makes for great psychological suspense. However, some of it just seems so far fetched and impossible. I kind of got the sense that the author was unsure how to end the book because of that. I started off really liking Alice and Jake, but as the book went on, I wasn't too keen on them. Admittedly, the cult aspect was interesting, but again, it just seemed not plausible. Good writing though. I am torn on this one.

The Marriage Pact was extremely well-written and I could hardly put it down! What an interesting concept for a book, and very well-executed. The characters were believable, with just enough interesting back-story to make it seem real. The tension built gradually until the finale which kept me guessing right until the end.