Ruth is back, baby!!!! This felt like old RW in all the best ways. Reality TV meets deserted island meets strangers having to work together meets whodunnit. A little mystery and a little genre bending. Ah, so good! This felt like one by one but on an island. Absolutely loved it!

I am a huge Ruth Ware fan and I eagerly await her next books so I was thrilled to get an advance reader copy of One Perfect Couple. The setting was a reality show set on a remote island where couples would compete in challenges to see who was the 'perfect' couple. They were told to give up their phones to keep the series a secret. Everyone was beautiful and the island was exotic and all seemed well until the storm hit that cut them off from contact with the outside world... I couldn't stop reading and trying to figure out what was real and what was part of the show. Twists and turns and bodies showing up made this mystery into a page-turning thrill ride!

I'm sorry, but Ruth Ware's books are always so unbelievable and the writing just doesn't do it for me. I find her plots slow & boring, her characters poorly written (and always so unlikable) and the writing juvenile. I'm giving this two stars, because I should not have requested it, as I have not liked a single one of her books before.

The Perfect Couple is the newest thriller by one of my favorite authors, Ruth Ware. This one is set on a remote island. Five couples are brought together to film what they think is a new reality show. Little do they realize how much their lives will change over the course of the next few weeks. Secrets and drama keep this plot moving right along. If locked room mysteries are your deal, then you're going to love this book. Read and enjoy!

Ruth Ware books can be hit or miss for me, but this one was a hit. I liked the locked room/isolated island vibe it had. The characters were varied in terms of development. Some I loved and some I hated, so it kept me reading to see who’d be next. Definitely recommend for those wanting a more updated version of And Then There Were None.

You can count on Ruth Ware to write a reliable thriller. One Perfect Couple will keep you reading far into the night, although the end did fall a bit flat. Lyla is a post-doc virologist; her longtime boyfriend, Nico, is a struggling actor. When Nico is offered a place in a new reality show for couples set on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, he convinces Lyla to go with him. Readers can guess something is wrong with the show, and things start to go badly immediately. The book is told through Lyla's POV, which is a relief. I am tired of the multi-POV books. Through her eyes, we meet the other four couples and the show's director/crew. The book description references Agatha Christie's classic And Then There Were None, but I honestly think Lord of the Flies is a better comparison. Not my favorite book of Ware's but highly entertaining.

Lyla’s boyfriend Nico talks her into going on a reality show. What could go wrong? It will give his acting career a boost.

Of course, things go very wrong when a tropical storm hits the island.

This book is a lot more straightforward in where it’s going than most of Ruth Ware’s other books. Even so, there were connections at the end that were surprising.

#Netgalley #OnePerfectCouple

First line: He is fighting.

Summary: Lyla and Nico are heading for a small island in the Indian Ocean. Having been picked for a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, they are competing against four other couples in challenges created to test their relationships. Nico is hoping to jumpstart his acting career and Lyla is along to support Nico but after the first test everyone is frustrated with the game and each other. But overnight a storm hits the island leaving the contestants stranded on a deserted island. Without their phones, electricity and supplies quickly dwindling the stranded partners see that this is now a game of life and death.

My Thoughts: With Ruth Ware I have a complicated reading history. Some of her books are excellent and others are a big letdown. But her newest thriller is filled with intrigue and tense moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. And as with other go-to authors, I did not read the synopsis of the book before starting this and just jumped right in blind. I find that I like this approach because I have few preconceived judgments.

When telling others about this book I likened it to Survivor/Love Island meets Lord of the Flies meets a very dark Gilligan’s Island. Sounds crazy, right?! It was. The characters are all hoping to get something from this reality show. They arrive on a beautiful tropical resort island. It appears perfect and the TV show could be a simple way to get noticed. Then things are turned upside down and everyone’s true colors quickly come out. There is immediate tension and it continues to build as alliances are formed but rather than being voted off the island, you could die instead.

Lyla was a strong and level-headed main character that is just trying to stay alive. It is easy to cheer for her. However, the other characters are a little more complicated. Where do their loyalties lie? Or what are their motives? It kept me guessing how it would end and who would survive.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a darker beach read on their summer TBR list.

I have read many Ruth Ware books and was very excited to read this one. Lyla was a wonderful protagonist - smart, emotionally intelligent, held down a career, but had not-so-great taste in boyfriends. I loved the Survivor element on the island and the tight relationships the women built in such a terrible time. Speaking of which, I felt that each women had distinct characteristics and none were stereotypical of what you would see on reality TV shows. Their relationships with each other were healthy and held one another with strong regard. BUT the ending of this book really fell flat for and dishonored a lot of sweat, blood, and tears that were put in by those who remained. I wished it did more for the characters especially with the themes that were brought up by the dynamic of those on the island.

An atmospheric thriller with nods to Agatha Christi, One Perfect Couple follows a group of reality show contestants as their scripts get cancelled and they’re forced to admit the reality of being stuck on an island. Lyla and Nico are in a rut both job wise and where their relationship is concerned. When Nico gets the change to be on a new reality show to boost his acting portfolio he leaps at the chance. The only catch is that Lyla needs to audition with him, as it’s a couples reality show. After their arrival to the remote island things quickly take a turn for the worse when a storm leaves the contestants stranded on the island. But it’s not just the elements they have to survive. They’ll also have to survive each other.

I used to be a huge Ruth Ware fan, but her last few books just haven’t done it for me. Maybe I read to many thrillers, but her newer books just don’t have the same all-consuming story lines that her earlier books had. This one was no different. What started out as a strong start, quickly lost steam. The entire story was fairly predictable and the only ‘twists’ that happened for me were a lack of twists and big reveals. All our characters felt one dimensional and Lyla, as our lead, tended to ruminate on the same things time and time again. I never felt I saw character growth, and plot wise our final ‘reveal’ and coincidences were a bit too far-fetched, even for a thriller.

The plot promised tons of reality drama, that is never delivered upon. It also felt different than Ware’s previous books, less thrillery and more contemporary fiction with a slight mystery (maybe). I’m not sure how to describe the difference but it was not a traditional Ware book. Overall, it was fine, but nothing that stood out. I was left with quite a few questions and an unsatisfying ending. If you don’t read tons of thrillers, you might enjoy this, it just didn’t rank high on my list.


One Perfect Couple is out now! Huge thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting:
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Loved it! This is one of my favorite Ruth Ware novels to date--a solid 4.5. I was engaged from the beginning and read it in one day! I enjoyed the setup more than I thought I would. Interesting mystery and I was totally fooled by what the journal entries were doing and what I thought they were doing. I didn't even need the final twist, but enjoyed it just the same.Thank you to Scout/Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to share my review.

Ruth Ware delivers another thriller. This book will leave the reader guessing how this story will end. I highly recommend.

Despite her reservations, Lyla agrees to take part in a reality show called One Perfect Couple with her boyfriend, Nico, who sees it as an opportunity to advance his tepid acting career. The filming will take place on a remote island in the Indian Ocean and it’s truly a tropical paradise. But almost as soon as the five couples arrive things start to go sideways and it only get worse.

One Perfect Couple is a thriller/suspense novel that moves along at a good pace. It has a good premise, an interesting plot, and is well-written. The characters are also interesting, although somewhat alike and maybe, for that reason, I had trouble keeping them straight. That’s usually not a problem for me, but in this case, it took me a while to figure them all out.

The ending was a bit under-whelming and it definitely seemed to be a little implausible. But, it did manage to tie up the loose ends. All in all, I enjoyed Ruth Ware’s latest book but would have liked to enjoy it a bit more. It was 3.5 stars for me, but will bump it up to 4 stars. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

One perfect couple

This was an enjoyable read, but it wasn’t particularly shocking or eerie.

I enjoyed the reality style of the story and seeing how the contestants worked together. It might’ve been nice if they had a little more time on the show before the storm. The snippets in the beginning made it seem like there’d be more of a fight to survive between just two people. Conner seemed likable at the beginning until it quickly became evident that he was anything but. I kept expecting there was going to be some kind of twist coming but it never did.

Im still a big Ruth Ware fan and will always be excited for their new releases!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

Ruth Ware has created another thrilling summer read that is nearly impossible to put down. One Perfect Couple is about a reality tv show in hell. I loved the characters -- even the ones that I hated. Plus, the nod to Ware's other novels was great fun. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and was sad to see it end.

In One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware we meet Lila a virologist trying to make a new vaccine for the chicken baba virus and getting nowhere. In the middle of this frustrating task is when her boyfriend Nico asked her to go on a reality show he is an aspiring actor and believes it will help launch his career. Despite her misgivings about the producer in the whole show in general she goes anyway and hopefully she will live to regret it. The group is Lila her clueless boyfriend Nico, Dan and his best friend Santana, bear in his French girlfriend angel, Academic Joel and his Instagrammer girlfriend Romy and last but not least is The very young Zana and Much older You Tuber Connor. The first day on the Island the games begin and Lila is shocked when Nico is the first person asked to leave the island she is even more bewildered when she is told she has to stay in the water villa with Joel and because the producer runs the show like a bully they comply. That night a horrible tropical storm rolls through and they wake up to a devastating scene but the biggest problem is the yacht and the only way off the island is gone. As days go by one Buy one tragic events are eliminating contestants but instead of being kicked off the show they’re losing their life not to mention one of the contestants has taken it upon their self to be the dictator of the island and dares anyone to challenge them. Let me just say there were some technical things with the story like snakes on an isolated island and a villa smack them in the middle of the ocean but besides that this book was awesome I love books with game tropes especially horror and thriller and I believe Ruth where did a great job. As far as the couples ago some of them didn’t even seem like they really belong together but I digress opposites attrack and it made for an awesome read. This review is long enough so I will just say read the book I definitely recommend it it was so so good! Not to mention the great ending that ties the whole thing up I thought that was a brilliant twist and well done Miss Ware. I want to thank gallery books for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Lyla’s at a crossroads with her career as a virologist. So when her boyfriend Nico suggests being on a reality TV show to jumpstart his career, she agrees. Five couples competing to see who is the perfect couple. That one decision will have deadly consequences.

This is a thriller with And Then There Wes None vibes, but it is also a deep dive into relationships, things that happen to us, and what we are willing to do about them.

I have long been a fan of Ruth Ware’s writing and I look forward to her newest release every time they are announced.

What’s not to like with an influencer/reality TV cast stranded on a very remote island? Through in our average person, Lyla, to give us the realest of opinions as the main character, and you’ve got a recipe that I’m here to watch unfold.

Things are definitely not as they seem on the deserted island that Lyla and her TV castmates find themselves on. Those castmates aren’t exactly who they seem to be either. Throw in a horrible natural disaster and this thriller adds in a level of survival tension that kept me coming back for more.

There are certainly some unlikeable characters in this book, but I think that’s what makes it so interesting to read. It’s pretty spot on to what makes me what to watch reality TV, so naturally it worked for me in book form.

I really enjoyed the popcorn thriller vibes of this one and think it will make a fabulous summer read!

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to Scout Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

Thanks to Gallery Books and Scout Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

Five couples head to a remote Indonesian island to compete for a cash prize in a show somewhere between Survivor and Too Hot to Handle. The couples all have their own motivations to be there and of course reasons to break up. The director is hoping to catch it all. But then a massive storm sweeps in leaving them alone and two people dead. They have to try to survive and figure out how to get saved.

I think I may have had it with reality show based thrillers. This one took a bit of a turn midway and that kept me going but I feel like the trope has been done to death now. I would also say this one dips into horror quite a bit as well, there were some graphic violent moments that were hard to read. I liked the inclusion of a diabetic character, we definitely don't get that enough and I loved how it played into the story. This one had a few good twists but I didn't love the way it wrapped up.

This one is excellent! Lyla, a scientist and Nico, an aspiring actor, are all set to join the cast of a new reality TV show, “One Perfect Couple.” Even though she has serious reservations about the experience, Lyla decides to try out with him. They compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana on a resort in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Things begin to unravel and soon they are fighting for their lives. Ruth Ware has such great style with these dark, gothic mysteries. This is a page turner as we become drawn into the world of the contestants. Tempers flare as rations get depleted and the body count rises.
Ruth Ware is the queen of suspense. You don’t want to miss this one!