I had a really difficult time with this one. I was intrigued by the synopsis and felt like the beginning was interesting but it went downhill from the there. There were way too many things going on and I found the plot to be completely implausible on so many levels. And the characters were all seriously annoying. This just wasn’t for me.

What would you do to find out for sure whether the person with whom you've chosen to share your life with is willing to be the partner you need?

What would you do if you knew they might not be, but wanted to see just how much they might be willing to do to become that person?

And what if you know that they're imperfect? Is leaving them and starting over with someone else always the right, and most self-respecting choice?

Daisy wants to know the definitive answer to some of these questions, so she arranges for her and her husband Craig to spend seven days in a small town in upstate New York, isolated together in a cabin, undergoing The Eden Test, a series of seven questions devised by a couple who are recognized and acclaimed marriage experts. But both Craig and Daisy have hidden agendas for the trip upstate, and at the end of the week, they won't just be fighting for their marriage, but for much, much more.

It was fun reading Daisy and Craig's journey from a fractured couple to something neither of them expected to become. The plot twists were all pretty good, with only one (and it's a big one) struck me as somewhat farfetched. But not so farfetched that I didn't overall enjoy the experience. It's an easy story to get pulled into. I recommend for fast-paced, light read.

Audiobook note: Very believable, well-pitched narration, giving as effective a voice to male characters as to the female.

It was really good. The kind of book that grabs your interest from the prologue, leaving you almost desperate to know more. When I finished the book, I thought it was great. I mean, I was intrigued throughout the entire thing. I was wondering what the hell was goin on. But then, when putting a little more thought into it, there are quite a few things that simply don't make sense. It was weird and kind of a slow build. Not necessarily thrilling, more a slow build and you know something is meant to be happening soon. It felt as if 80% of the book had been done the same way the scene from Get Out was in the beginning when meeting Rose's parents - shot from afar, enough to see everything going on around them yet still with the sense that something is just a little off. I liked it.

** spoiler alert ** Thrillers require a good amount of suspension of disbelief, but this thriller is asking A LOT.

Too much of this book relies on Daisy being able to predict with absolute accuracy how everyone will act, and it works perfectly for her all of the time until it doesn't as the perfect twist. Not one person was like, uh Daisy no I will not spend my weekend in your messed up dinner theatre production, this is an unforgivable betrayal of your husband? Also, they are struggling financially but you can pay a stipend, expenses, and hotel stay for multiple friends as well as pay for this retreat?

Also, the only way that Daisy gets in touch with her stalker is through an obscure message board for the show that she appeared on, that she knew he would find and post on? And for that matter, what kind of stalker agrees to meet at a nondescript cabin that their victim's husband will definitely be at, too? The whole thing sounds like a setup either to have him killed or for the cops to get him.

A private ambulance service, owned by the retreat foundation, comes to get the bodies. That's incredibly convenient.

Daisy hates guns, but loves setting people up to be attacked!

The thing that *really* got me was Daisy's repeated insistence that her husband not have a gun. In fact, when in a desperate attempt to defend himself, Craig does have a gun, she is shocked saying, " You thought we'd be safer with a gun!?" - UGH YEAH DAISY, I DID! You've set up an entire plot of different men for me to attack and all you've given me to defend myself, and you, are rocks!?

Daisy tells her husband, "Daisy Plus Craig" before the attacks begin because she has decorated a bunch of rocks with this phrase to remind him to grab a rock to hit her stalker with. The lady has literally asked her husband to bring a rock to a gunfight and it's just mind-blowing.

At one point her husband Craig, is baton slapped to the floor by her stalker, Frank. Frank and Daisy have a long conversation and the entire time, apparently, Daisy is just faithfully waiting for Craig - who she has set up, emotionally abused, and repeatedly lied to - and he knows it - to pull himself together and grab a rock to kill Frank with knowing full well that this man has an actual gun, multiple in fact. I just don't buy it and am also mildly amused by Daisy's gun resistance admits the violence.

The Eden Test was a great surprise! I went in mostly blind and found myself caught up in a story that was pleasantly different than expected! We follow a couple on a getaway to save their marriage which quickly turns more complicated than they imagined. Twists and turns abound as mysteries unravel and Daisy and Craig dive deeper into their hopes and dreams for the future.

Parts of the story and phrases were repeated several times as we bounced around in time, but it made the plot very easy to follow with no second guessing how we got where we were or why. It didn’t overly bog down the writing and the pacing worked well.

I loved Daisy as a character and wanted the best for her so parts of the story had me conflicted, but I definitely needed to keep reading and find out what happens and the ending was worth it even if it was a little rushed.

Would definitely recommend picking this up for some drama and suspense in something a little different than I’ve read before!

A Marriage Retreat Like No Other

A Marriage Retreat Like No Other

Daisy, a very special actress, surprises her husband, Craig, a writer (sometimes) with a surprise getaway. Their marriage is in trouble. Craig is a womanizer, a cheater and Daisy keeps many secrets. Married just two years, Daisy plans a getaway in upstate New York very different from their Brooklyn residence. Craig had other plans; he was meeting his present mistress, Lilith in Cabo San Lucas.

Before leaving, Craig thinks it is best to drive up to the getaway place and tell his wife he is leaving her and then drive to the airport. Instead, this remarkable author has created a place with a remote cabin and they are there for almost a week to take the Eden Test. Their marriage proves to be a bigger challenge and there are explosive scenes.

Strenbergh’s prose is excellent as he creates a glorious psychological thriller that will not insult the reader.
There is enough tension to keep the plot moving. This is no paradise. They are in a small town where the townspeople hate the city folk. In the meantime, they are given “Seven Days, Seven Questions, Forever Changed” as the basis of the Eden Test. The questions are decidedly exasperating and challenging. This novel evolves from marital behaviorism as part of a mystery.

Is this an entrapment or a quest for pure commitment. A little of both, I believe. Sternberg does not miss a beat with the questions, such as “Would you die for me?” Would you change for me?’

Some of the scenes were crowded with obvious antics and hyperbole, but the book is deftly written and chilling in many parts.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this pre-published copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and FlatIron books for the advance digital copy of The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh in exchange for my honest review!
I really loved this one and highly recommend it if you’re a fan of domestic suspense thrillers! It was a really fun and twisty read. I didn’t really know what to expect with this book at first but ended up enjoying it so much! The plot was unique and I was hooked in right away, it had me turning pages like crazy and needing to know where the story was going and how it would end. This was so well written and truly an unputdownable domestic suspense novel with an ending you won’t see coming!

Daisy and Craig's marriage is on the rocks. So unbeknownst to Craig, Daisy signs to the two of them up for a couples getaway known as the Eden Retreat, where couples spend a week in a remote cabin answering seven questions over seven days to help them assess the state of their relationships. Craig overcomes his initial skepticism and gradually embraces the getaway, having little idea that there is more than meets the eye to Daisy's plans for the getaway. As the questions and skepticism from local townspeople who don't seem that excited to have interlopers in their town increases the pressure on the couple, the two must confront how far they are willing to go to save their marriage.

This is a terrific thriller -- it kept me on the edge of my seat as I raced through the book to see what would happen.

Highly recommended!

I wanted to like this book but was disappointed. It’s so painfully obvious that hat is happening from the early stages of the book that anyone living for a mystery or psychological thriller will be disappointed/ hate it. If you really think about it after reading…it’s kind of disturbing.

I wanted to enjoy this but it never untangled and it felt disorganized at several points. Also, most of the story line was just all over the place. Thrillers can be a lot of fun *if* they are organized well..


Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Daisy and Craig's marriage is struggling. In an attempt to save their marriage, Daisy books a seven-day retreat at the Eden Foundation. Set in a remote location, the Eden Foundation is supposed to give couples one question a day to answer to help them determine if their marriage can survive.
However, upon arriving to the retreat, they soon realize that things are not as they seem.
This book was a phenomenal read with amazing twists, a truly unique plot and stellar character development. Sternbergh delivers a masterful story and through the mystery and suspense will have you turning page after page. Enthusiastically recommend!
Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this book but it was honestly just okay. I went in expecting the experiment/test part to be a lot more interesting, but I felt like it was greatly overshadowed by the wild reveals. Honestly, I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone I didn't know personally because of the miscarriage part of the plot. I just don't think it was accurately or sensitively written, and that should be acknowledged before reading this book. A middle of the pack domestic thriller that didn't quite live up to the hype for me.

This was my first read by this author and I would definitely read him again. I found the premise to be intriguing and it had enough little twists to keep me captivated throughout. Our couple Daisy and Craig have some hurdles to jump in order to prove to each other...and themselves...that they belong together. The Eden Test provides them with an opportunity to really delve into their psyches and learn so much more about each other. However, there are so many secrets and other issues that threaten to throw them off course. I enjoyed this read and yes there are several triggers here including cheating, miscarriage and domestic violence. There is only one thing that I would have loved to know but I won't say as it may be considered a spoiler. 7 Days, 7 questions, Forever changed.

If you like books that delve into obsessions and cheating, this is for you. A remote marriage retreat that makes couples answer seven questions, it should make couples come out stronger, right? No.

The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh

Daisy and Craig’s marriage is in serious trouble. That’s why Daisy has signed up for The Eden Test, a week-long getaway for couples in need of a fresh start. Yet even as she’s struggling to salvage her marriage, it seems Craig has plans to leave her for another woman. In fact, his bags are already packed—long before he arrives to meet Daisy in this remote cabin in the woods of upstate New York.

At first, their week away is marked by solitude, connection, and natural beauty—and only a few hostile locals. But what Craig doesn’t know is that Daisy, a slyly talented actress, has her own secrets, including a burner phone she’s been using for mysterious texts. Not to mention the Eden Test itself, which poses a searing new question to the couple every day, each more explosive than the last. Their marriage was never perfect, but now the lies and revelations are piling up, as the week becomes much more than they bargained for…How far are they willing to go?

Coming out on April 25.

2.5 rounded up. I honestly hated this book but not enough to dnf it. I mainly read female authors and switching to this a domestic thriller from the eyes of a male author. It was a tough transition. The fmc is so cliche and so superficial in her description. Then we are supposed to believe she’s a mastermind in the end with little character development. Same with the mmc. He’s basically described as an unfaithful resentful dusty. There’s nothing likeable about them. No other character is created and basically the story just drags on.

I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about this book. I did fly through it and it was entertaining, but I'm sort of just feeling a little punked? I actually wanted to experience this isolated marriage test and instead, I felt like I was reading a book where I already knew the ending and it wasn't what I was hoping to read.

A lot of the plot and character reactions just didn't make sense to me. While Craig and Daisy were revealing their secrets and plans, the other was just rolling with the punches as if it was just another Tuesday away from the city. For some reason that really stuck out to me as more unrealistic than the over=the=top storyline. Overall, this was a quick-read, but a little too unbelievable and predictable for me to love. I will shout out the snake scene though because that legitimately gave me a nightmare.

Thank you @netgalley and Flatiron books for an advanced reader copy! I appreciate it.

Great premise, weird execution. The characters weren’t very likable, and the majority of events were incredibly far-fetched. At one point the wife decided to wash a blood stain out of a sheet, and she washes it in the lake next to the house instead of in the house itself? And it actually gets the stain out?

It also would have benefited greatly from some medical fact checking. To take a traumatic event like a miscarriage, attribute it to domestic violence, and have it cause future medical issues is egregious. Most of the events of the book stem from this weird scenario.

This is an easy, quick read if you’re looking for looking for that, but be ready to suspend all disbelief.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a generic domestic thriller? Do you like thrillers that spell out the plot for you and don’t have any twists?

Pre-reading:
The cover is pretty. I’m not sure why I wanted to read this one so badly, but here we are.

Thick of it:
The driver’s in the wrong business then.

It’s funny that the book brought up Gatsby though because the cover weirdly gives me Gatsby vibes.

This book is already too repetitive. (Repeat ad nauseum until the end.)

Lily and Daisy huh? (Nothing comes of this.)

Half drunk on two glasses of wine?

My mind also went to Friends, and I hate that.

Oh right, Janus, the two-faced God. Neat!

Antagonyms

Just a moment, though. Are all those really antagonyms because they don’t feel like it? Also, shout out to this book because the example you Google for antagonism is cleave.

Am I the husband?

I don’t see how weather is an antagonist though.

I just don’t understand these domestics when they’re like trying to win back their partner. The second somebody doesn’t want me, I want them to go.

Detritus SIN

I’m glad they’re telling me how the other words are antagonyms.

If she’s not drinking, she’s pregnant. (Yup.)

It’s giving wannabe Gone Girl.

Patina

Ted Bundy mention

coterie

Runners in thrillers. They’re always runners.

Detritus sin againnn

They kill the psych couple and the crime brings them together but like fake kill. I dunno this book is dumb. I don’t care. (Nearly, I stopped making predictions even. This book is a plodder.)

I don’t think I like domestics. They’re too toxic. Just break up, you losers.

Portent

Garrulous

Frankie boy is the ex. (Yup.)

Is any of this supposed to be a plot twist? I thought we were supposed to know she was scheming this whole time.

This is dumb.

Post-reading:
This book is like every bad domestic thriller ever. We’ve got a cheating husband that for some reason the wife still wants. She’s got a toxic, murderous ex. Somehow revenge murder is the answer. I’m tired of these storylines. They’re dumb. They’re not clever. This book plods along and spells out the plot for you. There’s no whodunnit to figure out. There are no shocking plot twists. The only shocking thing is that no one thinks to call the police. It’s wannabe Gone Girl. The characterization is cardboardy for the mains and nonexistent for everyone else. The plot doesn’t make a lick of sense. I guess Lillian just blips out of existence? We never find out what the actual therapy questions would be. For some reason she has a list of words in a Scrabble box? There is literally no point to this? Other than to maybe tell the audience what an antagonym is? Somehow the main character has multiple fake identities and managed to afford grad school? It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but I will not recommend this to anyone.

Who should read this:
Predictable domestic thriller fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-OG domestic revenge thriller
* The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose-predictable domestic revenge thriller

Seven Days. Seven Questions. Forever Changed.

Daisy and Craig have been together for three years and married for two of them. Not a long time but apparently it's long enough for the two to grow apart. Daisy has a plan to fix that.

Welcome to the Eden Test.

In the middle of the woods, in upstate NY, sits a cabin. Here Daisy wait's for her husband to arrive on their anniversary. They will spend a week here. Everyday they will receive an envelope asking the couple a question to which they must answer honestly. By the end of the week they will either decide to remain together or they will decide to go their separate ways.

Craig isn't thrilled. The last thing he wanted to do was to come home from work to find a note from his wife requesting he meet her at some cabin in the woods more than three hours away. He just wanted to grab an anniversary dinner and call it a night. See, Craig has a big day tomorrow, he's jetting off to Cabo San Lucas with his mistress after breaking the news to Daisy that their marriage is over. Luckily their flight doesn't depart until tomorrow evening so with a little adjustment of his plans he'll have to break the news to Daisy at the cabin in the morning and then off he goes. Freedom at last.

Not so fast, Craig, because this trip has been meticulously planned by Daisy and it's a trip some would die for.

Holy moly! This book was excellent. So. Much. Suspense. I love books like this where I have no clue what's going on and I mean that in the best way possible. Everything right from the get go seems a little off, like nothing is what it seems, and it isn't. Not by a long shot. The isolation of being alone in the middle of the woods, the creepy locals that seem to be watching them and threatening them, not to mention the apple orchard that they have been warned to stay away from. The tension was palpable and I was flipping the pages desperate for answers. To say the reveals were surprising would be an understatement. Adam Sternbergh is a damn fine writer who weaved a devious web of a book and I was his prey that was caught in it's silky snare - and I enjoyed every minute of it. ALL. THE. STARS!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for my complimentary copy.

This was a pretty wild story. I read Sternbergh s book THE BLINDS when it first canme out and really liked it. This one was very different from that one but I equally enjoyed it . This is a domestic suspense with plenty of craziness. Also be aware that this has some triggers that may bother you such as details of miscarriage. Daisy plans a couples getaway for her and her husband in a secluded cabin in the woods. Her husband is having an affair and plans on leaving Daisy, but Daisy wants to see if they can rekindle their marriage. They both have secrets that they keep from eachother. While there, the couples are given daily questions and challenges. Each question is more crazy than the last. The trip starts out as a peaceful retreat, but turns out to be way more than they expect. Although this book was a little predictable, I still was very entertained, there were some good twists and it was fast paced which is a plus.

Out April 25

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads and Amazon once it publishes.