This was like a particularly nasty version of the Stepford Wives ,if some thing sounds too good to be true, you know it probably is and maybe you get what you sign up for but still......I had to read this book having read the blurb on Netgalley I was crossing my fingers that I would be lucky and get a copy, and I am grateful I did.It was a good read and kept me guessing and page turning and kept me up way too late as I wanted to just keep reading another chapter, and then another one, its that sort of book it will grip you and make you want to find out what is going on.Good book well worth a read.

I need to start this review with a warning, do not, I repeat, do not start reading this book when you have lots of other things to do. I had a whole host of tasks which went unfinished at the weekend as I just had to know what happened next in this clever and twisted read.

Alice and Jake receive a mysterious package as a wedding gift from one of Alice’s clients, the locked wooden box is engraved to the lid with two words, The Pact. A few weeks after their wedding they receive a visit from Vivian who unlocks the box and tells them all about The Pact. She describes a community of like-minded people who wish to nurture and help each other build and sustain successful marriages via rules and regulations outlined in The Manual, two copies of which are enclosed in the box. The rules appear to be reasonable and seem to be designed to encourage a healthy relationship. Keen to ensure their marriage is a success Jake and Alice sign up for The Pact.

Initially enthused about The Pact but not taking it enormously seriously they soon realise they’ve got themselves into something very odd and disturbing. Things are compounded when at a quarterly meet up with other members Jake is reunited with an old friend from University who seems to have had a personality transplant since he saw her last; she is timid and seems afraid and is keen to warn him to keep his nose clean.

This is a book full of tension and ominous threat. It starts off slowly, things seem odd, a little weird but nothing too out of the ordinary. A raised eyebrow perhaps at being punished for not buying a monthly gift for your spouse. Then things are ramped up. It’s clear The Pact know things they shouldn’t, but how? Alice’s long working hours are raised as a concern and she is mildly reprimanded, observed and required to undergo counselling. By the time they realise it’s dangerous, it is too late and they are in way over their heads.

The book is written from Jake’s point of view meaning we only ever see Alice through his eyes. She seems to be somewhat of an enigma; she was in a rock band which was moderately successful, she is now rising star at a law firm and despite hers and Jake’s long-term relationship there are still parts of her that are unreachable to Jake and therefore us. I really liked that this technique; as the tension mounts in the book and Alice is taken away (in a very disturbing way) for ‘re-education’ due to a misdemeanour our imaginations go into overdrive thinking about what Alice could be going through.

I really, really enjoyed this book; it was incredibly well written, the characters were fully fleshed out, the plot was clever and quirky, there were twists, suspense and some pretty disturbing events that chilled me. It also made me think, about marriage and what it takes to make it a success, relationships and the use of rules and regulations in modern life. There were parts that felt quite dystopian (although I wouldn’t class it as a dystopian novel at all) and, it felt very creepy and really kept my interest.

On so many levels Jake and Ali e should have known better than to agree to the strange "pact" and all those reasons are played out in this strangely creepy story. If you decide to buy it you will be hugely entertained but it is certainly no light read. Took me a while to decide if I liked it or not but I couldn't help but be intrigued. Such a clever plot with the readers need to find out how far the pact will actually go... we'll read it and you will see it's a long way.

What an amazingly different book. I don't think I've read anything quite like it. Plot apart, there were a lot of interesting insights into marriage. Wasn't sure how it was going to end but, when I did I thought I was going to be disappointed with a tame ending but it wasn't.....in fact I'm not sure it did end.

I thought this was an excellent psychological thriller. Ok, so the premise of a secret cult-type organisation which uses ridiculously extreme measures to ensure the longevity of marriage was a bit daft, but I found myself totally captivated.

Newlywed protagonists Jake, a therapist, and Alice, once a promising singer but now a lawyer, are invited to join The Pact by Alice's client Finnegan as a wedding gift. What at first seems a bit of fun takes a dark and sinister turn from which they can't escape.

The Marriage Pact was brutal at times but, in my opinion, very original. Jake and Alice were exceptionally well-developed, likeable characters and I couldn't help but feel their despair as they sank deeper and deeper into the clutches of The Pact.

I found myself wanting to read at every opportunity - I needed to know if there was a way out.... if their marriage could survive.

The following is my review.

I'm not sure what to feel about The Marriage Pact. I know I wouldn't want for real, that's for sure!

Jake and Alice are another seemingly perfect couple. Boy there seems to be many of those around. All languid limbs and perfect skins. Can't a main lead ever be short and stocky with a nice face?! Just sayin'!

Anyway they meet, fall in love and do the done thing by getting married. Alice, being a lawyer, invites the enigmatic Finnegan, a famous client (as you do!) just because he mentions that he happens to like weddings. Jake and Alice get married and sure enough top star Finnegan with wife in tow turn up to their rather modest wedding.

Finnegan leaves them an intriguing wedding present in the name of a box. Inside the box the couple learn of The Marriage Pact, an exclusive club for those couples destined for perfection, or at the very least aspire to the perfect marriage. They go along with it and what follows is, well, ridiculous. 'Ridiculous?' I hear you say. Well, yes, for two seemingly intelligent people I couldn't for the love of money understand why they would choose to enter such a pact. In this day and age where everything is at our fingers, especially information and women having choices thrust at them from every angle, kind of goes against why choices are then made for them. 'Follow these rules and you will have the perfect marriage,' but surely everyone's idea of a perfect marriage is theirs and theirs alone?! Am I wrong?

Still, I read on and entered the world of The Marriage Pact aka another cult led by a successful ex female lawyer with her own ideologies that should be put out there to the world. In her esteemed opinion being an expert in all things 'marriage' you understand. Sheep mentality ensues and the rest dear readers is what you can find out for yourselves. I have to say Richmond paints an interesting premise and certainly writes in a way that makes you want to keep reading but I just couldn't get over the stupidity at times of Jake and Alice. Maybe it's just me; it probably is just me.... I'm just not tall and languid enough to aspire to such dizzy heights of perfection. *Looks across at husband* Hhmmmm.

Nevertheless, I got to the end and we're left with a somewhat ambiguous ending. Really? Ok, I guess I'll put on my rose tinted glasses and think .........

And that's where I'll leave it. For something different and that is written well I recommend. If nothing else it's a talking piece and for that alone Richmond has succeeded.

My thanks go out for my reader copy.

Although a promising premise, this novel wasn't really my cup of tea, due solely to the fact that I don't think the intelligent protagonists would have ever opted into the pact in the first place. They seemed to ask almost no questions and didn't think it was weird at all. I liked the writing and characterisation, but feel I would have had to suspend belief whilst reading to actually enjoy it properly. Thanks anyway though!

I enjoyed this book, it was hard to get into at first, but a few chapters in, the pace started picking up. The characters were believable and the storyline was interesting. The love/hate relationship with the pact and the other members and their attitude to Jake and Alice was hard to read without feeling angry on their behalf. I would recommend this book.

Would you do anything to ensure your marriage lasts forever? If so, The Pact may be for you. Alice and Jake are newly weds, and when The Pact is proposed to them, they jump at the chance. After all, who doesn't want their marriage to succeed!? However, some things are too good to be true. Alice and Jake are thrown into a world completely baffling to both them and the reader.

I struggled to put this book down. It's unlike anything I've ever read and has quickly become my favourite read of 2017 so far. Incredible story and writing. 10/10!

I really struggled to get into this book, however, I still did want to read the book to see how everything ended. I didn't expect the ending at all and I am pleased I read to the end to discover it. I imagine if I read this book in a few years time I could enjoy it more.

This was a very thought provoking book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. At first I felt like I was not going to as it seemed to be heavy on the legal texts of the manual. However once I got over that I found that I was very keen to return to it.
Certainly a different slant on a psychological thriller. Very enjoyable.

This is the story of Jake, a therapist and Alice, an attorney, who have recently got married. One of their wedding presents, from Alice's newest client, Finnegan is a box which is entitled 'The Pact', they are both intrigued and following a meeting with Vivian who has come to explain what is involved, they have signed contracts and joined the club which has been brought about by a woman who wants to ensure that marriage is for life and should anyone threaten this then they have to face the consequences as written in 'The Manual'

Told by Jake, the story is intriguing, as it unfolds that all is not as it seems and once you join 'The Pact', how easy is it to leave? I found that even though the plot wasn't always believeable, it wasn't easy to put down as you just had to see what happened next and I could actually see this being made into a tv drama.

I would like to thank Penguin Random House for the approval to read this book, I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon UK & US on publication day.

Thought provoking and gripping.
Alive and Jake are busy professionKs and newlyweds who want their marriage to work. When a wedding guest offers them the gift of joining the Marriage pact they accept. It starts as a simple concept a manual to follow to make your marriage work with other members to support you. Then there is the dark side of consequences should you not follow the manual precisely.
I really enjoyed this book and it is perfectly placed in today's society with high rates of divorce within marriage. At first the pact seems a great idea and something many couples would happily sign up to but then it becomes much darker.
I read this in one sitting and loved it. Would definately read a book by this author again.

Brilliant. This book had me gripped the whole way through. It is a totally unique idea. The writing style is great and makes it an easy read. The characters are well explained and it was easy to empathise with them. It can't be easy having your marriage being policed in that way. I did not notice time passing as I was totally engrossed in this book. I wanted to know the ending. I thought the ending was the perfect way to finish the book.

This book was amazing. The author added the right amount of suspense to leave you thinking about it long after you finished, everything about it pulled you into the story Ms Richmond definitely has a knack for storytelling.
5 Stars from me.

Well this book is really like no other. What a thrilling read that keeps you guessing until the final page.
Would I want to join the Pact? I'm not sure. But this book make me think about the values of marriage and the trials and tribulations. Fantastic plot!

This is a psychological suspense thriller with an interesting premise. In a world where so many marriages fail, what would you be prepared to do to make sure your marriage will be successful? Jack and Alison are given a box as a wedding present from Liam Finnegan, a client of Alice. Once a singer, Alice is now a lawyer and Jake is a therapist. part of a successful psychology practice. Liam asks them questions about their marriage where upon they are invited to join a rich and exclusive group. On returning from their honeymoon, Vivian explains The Pact, and the rules and regulations which aims to ensure that their marriage succeeds. They are presented with a manual with the rules which include that they have to answer every phone call from their spouse, give gifts, travel etc.. Failure to uphold the rules will result in penalties. The Pact was set up by Orla upon the failure of her marriage to support marriages. The story is told through Jake's perspective.

For different reasons, Jake and Alice are drawn to joining The Pact and without looking closely at the contract, sign it. At first, things are hunky dory, Jake and Alice's social life become a string of glamorous parties held by members who refer to each other as 'friend'. However, Alice's professional obligations, like preparing for trial, impede her capacity to adhere to the rules. In some strange and eerie way, The Pact appear to be remarkably well informed on their infractions, and punishments are enforced. Jake meets someone who implies that The Pact are a sinister organisation that controls couples and their marriages. There is only one problem, it is difficult to disassociate themselves from this cultish group. The Pact never leaves you and you never leave The Pact. Jake and Alice have fallen down a very dark rabbit hole.

The novel requires a fair degree of suspension of disbelief to get the most out of the story. However, if you are prepared to do that, then this is a fast paced and entertaining story with shades of the Stepford Wives. Jake and Alice are educated people operating from a place of insecurites and misplaced hopes to surrender control of their marriage to an outside agency and signing contracts without fully understanding what they were letting themselves in for. Michelle Richmond's writing is really good in enticing you into the book and in sustaining your interest through out with suspense. The Pact is a seriously creepy phenomena, I was imagining it being imposed throughout society, yikes! Whilst this not a novel without its flaws, I enjoyed reading it. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

The blurb:

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.

For the first 15% I really didn’t like this book that much. But I carried on reading and I’m glad I did. I was absolutely shocked with what happened (no spoilers) and wow what an ending! 4*

I must admit at first I wasn't sure. It seemed a little like Stepford Wives.
How wrong I was! It very soon became a psychological thriller in its own right. Alice and Jake are inextricably drawn into a chilling nightmare, and struggle to escape.
I don't want to give any more details as that would spoil the suspense.
Well worth a read

Chilling! When presented with an invitation to join an exclusive club why would alarm bells ring? The newly weds were keen to be accepted until they realised the cost of leaving. This story could, worryingly , be reported in current news media as fact.