As newlyweds, a couple (Alice and Jack) are invited to join The Pact, an organization designed to protect marriage. They accept without knowing the details.

At the first party, they discover that members greet each like this: "Hi, Friend." Ummm, yeah, that's not creepy at all.

They soon discover that The Pact is exactly like The Firm by John Grisham, but for marriage. Eeeek! They also learn that:

"You don't leave The Pact and The Pact doesn't leave you." What? Really? Like ever?

Over the course of the story, the couple was told over and over again that they must "Make peace with The Pact." ... but they don't want to make peace with The Pact because it is creepy, strange, and scary.

So, what happens to Alice and Jake, you ask? Are they able to escape The Pact? Or, do they make peace with their decision and learn to accept The Pact? Read this book to find out.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Michelle Richmond's The Marriage Pact is about a newly married couple, Alice and Jake. Alice is a respectable lawyer, who at one time was in a rock band. Jake works with troubled teens. When one of Alice's very wealthy clients gives them a special wedding present, the trouble begins.


Alice and Jake are invited to join a group, The Pact, whose goal is to help couples stay happily married. At first it seems like an admirable goal, making your spouse feel loved and cherished, doing special things for him like buying presents, and planning trips away. But again, things fall apart.

The Pact has very specific rules, and violators of those rules are punished in very specific ways. At first the punishments seem minor, but repeated violations result in more severe punishments. If you are deemed to not be 'with the program', you are whisked away to be reprogrammed- or worse.

The Marriage Pact is a crazy novel. It's sort of like Scientology in its cult-like secret society, but when Alice and Jake find out exactly what they have gotten themselves into, the story takes off like a rocket. You will find yourself holding your breath and saying "what the what?" is happening here. My heart was pounding at times reading this. It's been awhile since I read The Pact, and I still find myself pondering it. If you thought Gone Girl was nuts, read The Marriage Pact.

One thing I learned from reading both The Arrangement and The Marriage Pact is to be very careful what you and your spouse agree to, you never know where it will lead. The Marriage Pact and The Arrangement read together would make for a very intriguing book club meeting indeed, especially if it was a couples book club

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a PRC. This was one of the best books I have ever read. Impossible to put down and action on every page. Ex musician turned lawyer, Alice and her therapist husband, Jake receive a wedding gift that is mystifying and intriguing. After agreeing to join the Pact, a group that believes that all marriages should work and punishes members who do wrongly, Jake and Alice question why they said yes to this group. What an amazing book, I urge everyone to read it. This was my first book I have read by Michelle Richmond and I'm looking forward to more.

Suspenseful and a lot of fun to read. A very good summer read and if you like thrillers, you'll love this one!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of The Marriage Pact. This is my first book read by this author Michelle Richmond. The premise of married couples signing and having to adhere to such a marriage pact is preposterous. Yet I found the dilemma Alice and Jake were in to be intriguing enough that I was unable to put this book down to get to bed at a decent hour. Not believable, but held my attention.

This book has lots of twists and turns with a huge creep factor. Jake and Alice receive a gift on their wedding day to join something called the Pact, its supposed to help couples maintain a healthy and stable relationship. There are no divorces in The Pact, marriage comes first above all.

Soon this newlywed couple learns that being a part of The Pact is not like joining a club but more like joining a cult. If you don't follow the rules the punishments are severe. How do they know when a couple isn't following all the rules? It seems there are eyes everywhere and infractions are not tolerated.

I had a really hard time following Alice's motivations for joining The Pact as an attorney she breezed through the contract and while her personality was spontaneous it just seemed out of character. Jake seemed very weak in the beginning but seemed to grow stronger as the book went on. I wasn't really sure where the book would lead but I was a little surprised by the ending. Not exactly what I was expecting at all.

If you like suspenseful creepy books that explore cults this is a good one - it definitely kept my attention and kept me turning pages.

One of my favorite books this year! Unputdownable!! Full review to come!

I really liked this novel in the beginning. It was an interesting concept having a marriage pact. A set of rules that all couples who believed in it and followed it had to abide by with different levels of consequences. But as I read it I became slightly not so happy. First off, it was indeed to me a long book. But it did keep me reading. Just not all in one fell swoop. The characters were interesting and complimented each other. The couple for which the backdrop of the novel was set for Jake and Alice definitely had some issues that popped up dealing with the threat of infidelity, jealousy, misunderstanding and work getting in the way. Not to mention the ideals behind the marriage pact itself. The use of the marriage pact to police the couples within the group and then to find out that the group itself may be responsible for the disappearance or death of some of its members made you want to keep reading. By the end of the novel you were hoping that Jake and Alice survived. But I am happy that they left the group. Slightly disappointed that they were allowed to leave but relieved that there was no danger to their lives.
The idea behind the marriage pact I salute but the pull on your psyche and your marriage to me were insurmountable. You became part of a cult and all that a cult entailed. And as you read the book you could see the author lead you down that path. And even as you saw the end impact you still walked toward it knowing what you would find. Not a predictable novel entirely but somethings after you put the dots together to me became a fait accompli.
I felt that this was a great read and I would recommend this to people to read.

THE MARRIAGE PACT
Michelle Richmond
Bantam Books
ISBN978-0-385-34329-9
Hardcover
Fiction

THE MARRIAGE PACT defied easy categorization. One should not be surprised. Author Michelle Richmond’s previous novels (not to mention THE GIRL IN THE FALL-AWAY DRESS, her award-winning collection of interconnected short stories) slip and slide across genre lines while providing a feast for those who are looking for something engrossing, challenging, and thought provoking in their reading material. THE MARRIAGE PACT doubles down on promise of Richmond’s previous works in a story which is by turns cautionary, parabolic, and metaphoric.

Richmond’s story is narrated in the first person by Jake, a thirty-something marriage and family counselor who is married to Alice, an associate in a high-powered law firm. It takes a chapter or two for the timeline to settle down just a bit. The opening scene jumps ahead through a third or so of the book before things settle down, as Jake discusses wooing and then marrying Alice, with the two of them combining their lives against the backdrop of San Francisco, where they engage in their respective professional practices. Of the two of them, Alice is by far the more complex figure, at least through Jake’s eyes. Before she attended law school, Alice was a singer-songwriter in a rock band which, from description, one could classify as faintly reminiscent of Robin Lane & the Chartbusters. While her present focus is on the law, Alice likes keeping her hand in her creative endeavors.. Jake is content to admire her art, though her past artiste lifestyle causes him a bit of quiet insecurity, as opposed to the out and out jealousy which Alice experiences. The jump start of the book occurs when Jake and Alice receiving a book titled “The Pact” as a wedding gift. As they quickly learn, The Pact is neither light reading, nor is it a “guide” to marriage for newlyweds, though it does begin with a set of guidelines. These are very easy: 1) always answer the phone when your spouse calls; 2) exchange thoughtful gifts monthly; 3) plan a trip together once per quarter; and 4) never mention The Pact to anyone. The devil, of course, is in the details, and it is the fine print of The Pact which increasingly causes Jake and Alice surprising and frightening difficulty, given that it transforms The Pact into something more akin to a state’s revised code than a twelve step program. Jake and Alice are gently pressured into signing on --- anyone who has ever sat in a car dealership sales office or through an Amway presentation will sympathize --- but quickly come to realize that they have made a terrible mistake with the best of intentions. Members of The Pact are seemingly everywhere, observing the every move of every member. When there is a transgression, such as one partner working too late too frequently, the reaction of the The Pact is swift and sure. We’re not talking about something relatively mild, such as shunning, either. Actual punishment is meted out. Every aspect of Jake’s and Alice’s lives seem to be controlled. Jake and Alice discuss quitting The Pact --- agreement be damned --- but it’s not that easy. Members of The Pact --- who address each other as “friend” --- are seemingly everywhere, and can influence everything from getting a loan to, say, taking business away from that high-powered law firm that employs Alice. Jake finally takes a daring step to remedy the problem, but there is a significant question as to whether it will be enough. Or will it make things even worse?

Elements of THE MARRIAGE PACT faintly reminded me of a number of literary works from ROSEMARY’S BABY by Ira Levin to “Quitters, Inc.” by Stephen King, but it is very much its own story. One might find their suspension of disbelief challenged, wondering why Jake and Alice don’t just quit, and fight the consequences. There is a certain personality, however, that actually welcomes the sort of authority that The Pact provides --- look at Jim Jones’ followers --- and when that factor is considered, what occurs in THE MARRIAGE PACT doesn’t seem too far-fetched at all. After reading THE MARRIAGE PACT you may not be inclined to sign anything without a lot of thought, and without reading that fine print. All of it.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2017, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

A fantastic psychological suspense novel. I love the characters and was fascinated by the authors' creativity. Alice and Jake thought they found the perfect solution to having a perfect marriage. But how far can one be pushed to strive for the perfect marriage? Alice an ex rock singer and Jake a counselor for teens and recently started marriage counselor are finding themselves in strange predicaments that may cross the line of going to extremes. Can their expertise help them find a way out of the escalating predicaments or will it be too late for either of them.?

This book captured my attention from the very beginning. I appreciated the opposing and honest view points of the main characters because they offered realism for me. I didn't think the story lagged at any point and wasn't overly descriptive as some stories are. I really enjoyed this read and recommended it to my friends.

Thanks for the early opportunity!

A FRIENDly psychological thriller focusing on marriage that keeps you in suspense unable to put the book down! I just had to know if Jake & Alice will or will not survive The Marriage Pact!

Jake - The Therapist - & Alice - Former Rockstar turned Corporate Lawyer - are newly married and given this 'opportunity' with all the glitz and glamour promising that their new marriage will last and never end up in divorce. All they have to do is sign on the dotted line and they have to follow 'The Manual' and their marriage will strive...

I loved the book being from Jake's point of view along with details from his psychiatry career and his mindset. Michelle Richmond does a tremendous writing job keeping you in suspense, while also intrigued with what could happen next. I enjoyed the relationship of Jake & Alice being two hard working professionals while juggling with their careers, new marriage, and then the implications of joining The Marriage Pact!

This book is great for newlyweds, 7-year itch marriages, and relationships all the like. It actually has some great marriage advice that I will use most definitely in mine, thank you Michelle Richmond!

I am giving 4 out of 5 stars to The Marriage Pact. Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Bantam, for the Advanced Reader Copy. I loved the premise of this book and was so drawn into the crazy idea of a Marriage Pact. I did feel that there were points where the story seemed dragged out, some information seemed unnecessary but it certainly did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I thought this was a great book and would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a fast paced, suspense filled story. I will admit that I personally found myself disappointed at the ending (specifically the very last chapter), although I understand why it had to end that way. I was hoping a sequel could be written had it gone the other way.

The Marriage Pact follows the story of newlyweds Jake and Alice and their introduction into the world of The Pact. Jake, a therapist, tells the story of how The Pact has come into their lives and turned it upside down. Jake’s wife Alice was once a musician in a well-known band but gave up that life to pursue a career as a lawyer. Alice finds herself working on a case for a prestigious client, Finnegan, who winds up invited to the upcoming wedding of Jake and Alice. His presence is welcome and enjoyable and his gift will change the lives of Jake and Alice forever.

A mysterious package containing a locked box arrives on the door step one day with no note, no instructions. Eventually, Pact member and Friend, Vivian, comes to the house and explains that Jake and Alice have been nominated, well vetted, and accepted into The Pact. While Jake is apprehensive, Alice seems thrilled for this secret society and is very eager to join. Wanting nothing more than to please his new wife, Jake agrees to join and they both sign their contracts. They are given The Manual and told to read it all, to know it all.

The Manual lays out the rules, responsibilities, and consequences for Pact members. The rules mostly make sense. Always answer your spouse’s call. Don’t snoop through their email or belongings. Give a gift once a month. On the other hand, consequences seem a bit over the top. Misdemeanors and felony charges can be brought against Pact members for breaking rules and not following through on responsibilities and directives set forth by The Pact. But what really happens when you break a rule? Jake and Alice don’t have a clue. How could The Pact even know if you check your spouse’s email? How would they know if you didn’t answer a call? What if you were busy? Alice is the first to find out exactly what those punishments are.

The story follows the missteps and mistakes made by Jake and Alice. It follows their desire to escape The Pact. Friends warn them that no one leaves The Pact. No one leaves alive anyway. Jake and Alice are scared to death of what might happen to them but escaping simply does seem impossible. How can the great leader, Orla, stand for this? How do this make a marriage last forever? Find out how Jake and Alice survive this new lifestyle and be prepared for a twist you won’t see coming.

What is the making of a fabulous read? My thoughts changed on this book. It has always been a book which keeps me riveted and unable to put down. This book is there! I was unable to stop reading. I absolutely had to find out what was next. I was snatching 3 minutes here, 5 minutes there. Intense is an understatement. All of that being said…I did not figure out, until I was half way through this book, what I did not like. This is a five star read! I can't put it down right??

The problem is….the characters. They do not act the way they should. Alice and Jake are highly intelligent people. Alice is an attorney and Jake is a therapist. They basically sign up to be in a cult. Yes! The Marriage Pact is a cult and a vicious one at that. These two "highly intelligent" people fall right into the trap of the Pact. They do no research. They never stop to think. They just blindly follow and sign everything in front of them…she is an attorney!! SHE KNOWS BETTER!! And Jake is no better….he does whatever Alice tells him to do. These two just didn't fit the cult followers to me.

All of that out of the way. This is such a psychotic read! I was all over the place. I was mad, frightened, gasping for air and almost cried…TWICE!! The intensity of the feelings that pass through the reader during this novel is above and beyond. This is a non stop and crazy story. Do not miss this. It is worth every crazy step!

"The Pact had the mysterious draw of those things that both repulse and attract you at the same time" – The Marriage Pact

2.5 stars. I found the premise interesting, but didn't find that the overall execution worked for me. It started out ok, but quickly became a little too unbelievable for me. I didn't get why a lawyer wouldn't have read the contract they were signing a little more closely. And I didn't get how the Pact could really expect a lawyer (or a psychologist for that matter) to blow off work at a moment's notice. A little too much shock value with the consequences as well. I also wasn't really into all the ramblings about marriage. It was a quick read, and the writing style was fine; just didn't really enjoy the story as much as I hoped I would.

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 subtext - references and parallels to The People's Temple and Scientology. I highly recommend this one.

Ummmmm.....no. Just no. 99 Chapters of NO.

Look, this had the potential to be an awesome book, it really did. The premise is amazing and the writing is really good; much better than the first book I read by her. The problem is that its 432 pages of the same thing over and over and over again. And while I will not put a spoiler here, the end was so infuriating and unbelievable that I was furious at the time I had put unto reading the previous 98 chapters to just get to T H I S.

I know I am in the minority of disliking this book and that is okay.

I loved this book! It was full of mystery and intrigue, action and adventure, while also conveying a deeper question. What is marriage to you? Do you have what it takes to consistently put someone else's needs before your own? This book had me thinking about what I would do if put in this situation. Would I be able to make those hard choices. The end didn't really surprise me the way I expected it to. Orla was definitely a surprise, though. Overall, this was an amazing read that I couldn't put down.

‘The Pact’, an exclusive group for married couples, has a purpose that seems harmless enough: ensuring a happy marriage that doesn’t end in divorce. This is to be achieved by following the manual, which contains a list of rules that must be followed. If the rules are broken, consequences—the severity of which depends upon the rule(s) broken—will be meted out. Jake and Alice think joining The Pact is a wonderful idea, until rules are broken and they find out how far the group is willing to go to keep its members in line.

I have a morbid fascination with books that involve cults or cult-like groups, so obviously I had to read this book. It was a given The Pact wasn’t going to be a nice group to be involved with, and trouble was bound to come in a hurry when Jake kept putting off reading the entire manual, as he was meant to do. (Dude… hello? You’re definitely going to break rules if you don’t bother to read about all of them!)

Jake and Alice both end up breaking the rules (at different times) and find out the hard way why that’s a bad thing to do… and the reader finds out just how twisted this little group can be. Some of the consequences they were subjected to were more upsetting than others, but there were a few that inspired me to shout at the book when I read about them. (Anything that gets a loud reaction out of me is well written, in my opinion; kudos to the author for making it happen!)

This was a gripping read, with an ending that I found to be very satisfying. I really enjoyed this book, and definitely recommend it!

I received an advance review copy of this book from Bantam via Netgalley.

This was the first book I have read by this author, and I was not disappointed . The novel follows the basic premise of a couple, newly married, receives a gift from their wedding that entices them to join "the Pact." The rules seem simple and easy to follow and the social gatherings and lavish parties thrown are enough to keep people engaged in the group. However, things turn dark when some start not following the rules. This book takes you through twists and turns that you would not anticipate, into the dark "other side" of relationships and social groups that will keep you hooked.