I couldn’t put this book down!! I needed to know what was gonna happen and how they got stranded on the island. And so many people were dying! The intrigue!!

The ending was a bit meh and left lots of questions, but the ride was fun!

Ruth Ware is amazing, I always enjoy reading her. This one fell a bit flat for me and the ending felt a little lack-luster, so it isn't the usual five stars from me. Still this is a very enjoyable summer read.

DNF!!! First, Ruth Ware, you are a better writer than this! I tried to so hard to get into this one because of the author, but alas…locked room type mystery is not my jam. I know, those of you who have read my reviews before are screaming at me “you know you don’t like locked room mysteries! Why are you punishing yourself and those of us who read your reviews?” To be fair, I gave this a fair shot at 200 pages read. At that point it felt like I was reading the transcription of a meteorologist’s storm report. I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters, and…summer is too short to keep reading something I don’t love. Hopefully other readers will enjoy this more than I did, but it was not for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest (maybe too honest) review.

Lyla, along with a variety of other contestants are taken to a deserted island to participate in a reality TV show, One Perfect Couple. A storm the first night puts everyone in danger and knocks out their communication with the mainland. As supplies dwindle and tempers flair, the contestants just want to make it off of the island alive.

I am a long-time fan of Ruth Ware and her writing, but although I enjoyed this book it wasn't my favorite of hers. As with her other books, this is sold as Ruth Ware's take on a classic. In this case, the classic is "And Then They Were None," but it reads more like Ruth Ware's take on the Lord of the Flies meets Survivor meets isolation thriller. I can't get too much into why without spoilers, but I think I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't considered that comparison while I read. The characters, like most of Ruth Ware's books, are interesting and engaging (although it did take me a while to get them straight because they all got introduced at the same time) and the plot in the end was interesting especially when you are trying to figure out what is going on. (I also appreciated the reference to The Woman in Cabin 10.)

If readers have already read Ruth Ware, I recommend this, if they haven't I would recommend another one.

Ruth Ware is a favorite author for me, and I was so excited to get this arc copy to read.

The story is described as a modern day And Then There Were None, taking place on an island. The premise is several couples competing on a reality show for a final grand prize and being awarded the "one perfect couple." The main character, Lyla Santiago, is convinced by her longtime boyfriend Nico to join the show as he is an aspiring actor and believes this will jumpstart his career. Lyla is a scientist/virologist and did not want to do the show, but desperate to make things work and disappointed with the trajectory of her own career, she compromises to help the partner she loves love.
When they get to the set of Ever After Island, they meet four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana. Each of the couples has their own unique stories, and each of them have their own reasons for being on the show. However, after the first challenge on the show causes chaos, many are left wondering if this show is worth the drama. It gets even more chaotic when an overnight storm leaves the cast stranded. The show has now become a life-or-death situation. This story was interesting, a lot of the book was the reality TV show and havoc the storm wrecked on the island and the people stranded. The twists were a little different from Ware's other books and really reminiscent of the novel it has been compared to, And then There Were None. I think a lot of people will love this book. Its pacing is a bit slower than I wanted it to be, but besides the pacing, it was a good read and one I think my students would enjoy.

It pains me to write a less than stellar review for a Ruth Ware book, but I’m going to have to for this one. It was just meh. And that just doesn’t live up to her standards and what I’ve come to expect of her stories. It was equal parts Survivor and The Real Housewives and yet somehow the characters were one dimensional and the conflict is superfluous. The premise was interesting but this was written more for the YA genre it felt like it me.
A group of up and coming actors are chosen to film a reality show on an island on the Indian Ocean when a storm comes through and maroons them there and kills some of the production crew. The “twist” was predictable-which was disappointing when you’ve come to expect much edgier stuff from the author.
It’s hard to say much more without spoilers so I’ll leave it at that. Not to say that I won’t read what she writes next, because I surely will with the hopes that this was just a one time miss for me. It wasn’t terrible it just wasn’t what I’ve come to expect and love from Ruth Ware.
Thanks to Scout Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Thank you Ruth Ware for the first engaging thriller of my 2024 summer. This book has nods to Agatha Christie, Lord of the Flies and has a reality tv theme show tossed in. Sounds like an interesting concept? It was!

Lyla the scientist is dating Nico, the wannabe actor who is in need of a career boost. Nico is approached to join a couple’s reality tv show set on a remote, uninhabited island in the Indian Ocean. His reluctant girlfriend, Lyla agrees and they join four other couples on the island. However, shortly after arriving at the island a hurricane unexpectedly hits and it quickly becomes survival first.

Lyla is the narrator of the story and she’s very likable and relatable. Reading about her actions to survive kept my interest. There are 10 characters total in the island and it is easy to keep track of who is who from the beginning. Some characters survive and some do not. There were a few twists and I had several theories in my head as to how it would all end. There was one plot point I felt that wasn’t properly addressed but overall I found this to be a book I did not want to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is not the first time that Ruth Ware has written a book borrowing from Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, and she has done better previously (e.g., ONE BY ONE). This time around the setting is a remote Asian island, and there is a reality show theme. Reference to "real" reality shows like The Bachelor and Love Island are scattered throughout the book, just in case we didn't get the connection. The characters come in sets of two, the couples that are vying to be the last standing, and therefore, the perfect couple. There will be tasks, and a social environment is set up where the contestants must both work together and compete against each other.

Nearly all of the characters are social media stars and/or actors looking to raise their visibility through participation in the show. The one anomaly is the character through whom much of the book is told, Lyla, a research virologist who is included as the plus-one for Nico, a down on his luck actor. All of the characters meet on a yacht that will take them to the remote island, and they begin their jockeying for position immediately. Shortly after they are left on the island, a massive storm rolls in that separates them from the boat where the crew is being housed. When the storm wears itself out, not all cast members are alive and it seems that the LORD OF THE FLIES action on the island ensures that even those remaining may not make it to the end.

The characters are well portrayed, and their personalities play various roles in developing the action. As Lyla tries to reason her way through the situation, helping the remaining characters avoid further harm, she is stymied by knowing very little about each one of the other competitors nor even about the premise of the competition they have entered. Neither she, nor anyone else, has any basic survival skills, making it unrealistic that they survive at all with a murderer amongst them.

There are plenty of wholly-engaging fast-paced action scenes, and these keep the pages turning in spite of the very hefty dose of suspension of disbelief that is necessary to read this book. As the book draws to a close and Ware provides the characters and the reader with an explanation for the entire setup of the book, there will be many readers who just aren't willing to suspend disbelief quite that much. I am one of those readers. The book is a fast read, and one that holds the reader's attention in many places, but it ultimately falls flat without a reasonable premise.

This book won't keep me from reading upcoming Ruth Ware books, but I can only recommend this one for those who don't require much depth or complexity in their reads but prefer fast-paced action-driven books. It is not Ware's strongest offering.

Thrillers have been hard for me recently, but I love reality TV in my books, so I picked this up. WOW. Ruth Ware has done it yet again. This was fun, fresh, and kept me guessing. Perfect for your summer beach bag!

If there's one thing about me, it's that I love a Ruth Ware book! This book started off a little slow for me and took me a bit to get into, but once I was in it, I was so into it. I love shows like Love Island and Bachelor in Paradise, so this was a fun book to dive into. Mystery, suspense and tense situations made for one entertaining book! Thanks so much for the ARC, NetGalley and Gallery Books.

A deserted island, a storm, a large cash prize, and a reality tv show- add all of that together with nods to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and you get One Perfect Couple. A dazzling summer thriller with a fast pace that's sure to be a huge summer smash hit.

This is, as all of Ware's books are, a must read. The vibes from this book are absolutely amazing and perfectly geared towards a summer read, or are strong enough to whisk people to the tropics from wherever they may be.

Ruth Ware is one of my must read authors, and there's a reason her novels wind up on the majority of my recommendation lists. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

I am a huge fan of Ruth Ware books. "The Woman In Cabin 10" is what got me back into reading years ago. Unfortunately this did not do it for me. There were so many characters I had a hard time remembering who was who. I did love the concept and the setup. I was truly afraid for the characters on the desert island. I felt like it was missing a big twist.

I appreciate that Ruth Ware mixes up her themes and even her writing style from book to book. But “One Perfect Couple” seemed to be trying too hard to seem hip and happening by taking an easy swing at reality TV dating shows. The first chapters were almost unbearably cute, after which the book took a sharp turn for the very dark and even gruesome. Although “One Perfect Couple” was probably my least favorite of Ware’s works, I’ll concede that in the end, .i wasn’t sorry that everyone didn’t die.

Ruth Ware is always hit or miss for me and this one was a miss. The first part of the book is gripping but it hits a lull halfway in and never really recovers.

HOLY COW!!!!! This took me a little longer than most books to finish for the simple fact that I DIDNT WANT IT TO END! I did because I wanted to know the ending but wow was this a great read. Lyla was such a likable character and I enjoyed reading from her point of view. I can’t say enough good things about this book. Definitely my favorite by Ruth Ware (and I’ve read them all!)

One Perfect Couple sends couples to a remote island in Asia for a reality television show. Lyla is less than thrilled when her boyfriend, Nico, asks her to be part of the show with him. Nico is an aspiring actor and hopes the show will help his career, so Lyla reluctantly agrees. How bad can spending a couple of weeks on a beautiful remote island really be?

Doing what Ruth Ware does best, the sinister plot twists and turns. Some of the characters are a little underdeveloped, but I really enjoyed the plot. One Perfect Couple was a book I couldn't put down because I wanted to see how it would end. There are several characters I supported and several I loved to hate. There are a couple of unanswered questions, but overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this entertaining thriller.

Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with.

Hard to go wrong with a Ruth Ware mystery.
I did enjoy this as I have all of her novels but I had trouble concentrating on the story. Probably because I loathe reality shows like this and even though the prospects of someone killing the over privledged, impossibly gorgeous people tickled me.

Recommended.She is a master of her craft.Worth your time.

Thanks to Gallery Books and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

As a fan of reality shows, I enjoyed the premise a lot. It was a good stranded island mystery with a bit of a twist. Rather than keep the 'killer' reveal for the very end, it gets to this much earlier and instead adds intrigue with the diary, prologue, and the characters' survival with this known threat on an island on their own. Ruth Ware has been one of my favorite authors since her early work and I was pleased that her latest continued the train of truly enjoyable novels.

Lyla is a scientist who agrees to go on a reality tv show on a beautiful island with her actor boyfriend Nico. They plan for her to leave early and let Nico get a chance at fame. This plan goes south on the first day. A storm leaves the contestants stranded and fighting for their lives.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book but felt like something was really missing from it. I am not sure what I expected but I felt like the story was dragged out and then rushed at the end.