Woah. Holy Cow! What a PAGE-TURNING, INTENSE and GRIPPING thriller! Seriously UNPUTDOWNABLE!

I could NOT put this book down! It had me completely mesmerized, intrigued and at the edge of my seat! Truly enjoyable.

This is actually the 3rd or 4th Island competition type book I’ve reviewed so far this year and it held its own!

Several couples embark on an adventurous journey to a foreign country on a very secluded Island to star in a reality couples competition show. Unfortunately, a deadly and horrific storm maroon them on the island with limited rations, water and a dying radio.

When the competitors start to go missing or end up mysteriously dead, one person is to blame. That person has taken control of their water and food and life saving medication. As the survivors start to dwindle, they forge an alliance to solve their problem, indefinitely.

Will the survivors be rescued or will they all meet their demise?

If you loved any of Ruth Ware’s other books, you will definitely enjoy this one! New to Ruth Ware? Fans of Frieda McFadden, B.A. Paris and Riley Sager will want to read this EPIC book!

The queen of crime, Ruth Ware, returns following Zero Days and The It Girl with her latest summer sizzler whodunit, ONE PERFECT COUPLE —In the theme of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, with a contemporary modern take on a classic, following the cast of One Perfect Couple, a new reality show billed as Survivor meets Love Island.

Five couples are trapped on a storm-swept island, and a killer among them.

About...
Lyla's latest project has ended, and she is unsure if your contract will be extended. Her boyfriend, Nico, an inspiring actor (who is always waiting on the next big break bringing in no money), wants her to join him for the cast of the new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple.

Lyla thinks they can have a romantic holiday on a tropical paradise island—but things are not as expected.

They will be boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples
~Bayer and Angel
~Dan and Santana
~Joel and Romi
~Conor and Zana
—to win a cash prize.

Lyla is not happy to learn that she and Nico will be matched randomly with the other couples. So much for the romantic getaway! Him with another woman and her with another man?

Things take a bad turn on the remote deserted island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. A violet storm rocks the island, and the cast and crew are separated, cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean. They have no phones and are unable to contact the crew. Panic sets in. It is SURVIVAL TIME.

The tension is high, and their water supply is running low. This game show is real, and the stakes are high - it's life or death. Then, the contestants wind up murdered. They are trapped on an island miles away from help with no way to communicate with the outside world. Lyla will have to live her worst nightmare. Who is the killer among them? Who will be the next victim? Who will survive Ever After Island?

Thoughts...
ONE PERFECT COUPLE is a captivating, fast-paced, modern-day emotional, psychological thriller whodunit with classic vibes from Agatha Christie. In true Ruth Ware fashion, she will keep you guessing with diary entries interspersed between chapters. Grab this one for the summer beach bag!

Recs...
If you like reality TV shows, Survivor, Love Island, locked room mysteries, tropical remote islands, high stakes, action, and fast-paced suspense.

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for a digital advanced reading copy for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
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PUB DAY REVIEW // ONE PERFECT COUPLE

4/5

say hello to THE summer thriller!!!!

Love Island meets murder? SIGN ME UPPPPP

I binged this one in like 24 hours - it had me on the edge of my seat and the survivor thriller plot was SO captivating!!!

Each character was quite entertaining and boy oh boy was there DRAMA galore!!

I thought the premise was absolutely PERFECT for a beach read!! Gimme a reality tv storyline, all day every day please!!!

It was OH SO FUN to play whodunit on who the villain would be! (because we alllll know producers loooove a villain!)

The twists and turns were done well BUT I just wish the ending packing more of punch!

SIMONE SAYS READ THIS IF YOU LIKE

locked door mysteries
reality tv gone wrong
remote setting
bingeable fast paced reads

thank you to gallery books for an early copy!

would you ever compete on a reality tv show?!

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware is about five couples who are supposedly picked by the luck of the draw. These couples would participate in a survival type show until only one couple is left. These two would become “One perfect couple.” There are many different adventures and changes in personalities as the days progress. As I read, it seemed as if two different authors were writing the one book. This was not my favorite Ruth Ware book and I usually devour them. Not this one - it was actually tedious at times, although I will continue to read her books.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an early e-book to read. This review is entirely my opinion.

#Gallery Books, #Ruth Ware

One Perfect Couple is Ruth Ware’s ninth novel, and it strikes the perfect balance of her trying something a little different yet retaining the action-packed energy that makes all of her books so enthralling. This one is less mysterious than her first eight books, instead focusing on a more survivalist arc. However, it has key elements that still make it feel like a Ruth Ware book: a strong narrator, a locked-room (or in this case, remote island) sense of isolation, a limited number suspects, and a fast pace.

From the beginning of Lyla and Nico joining the new reality show One Perfect Couple, things just feel off. Maybe not everything is completely above-board? This show must be cutting corners in some ways, and they haven’t been totally up-front about certain rules or even how the show works. And what’s up with the guy in charge, Baz? Even between the other eight contestants, there seems to be tension.

The first day on the small, remote island doesn’t go that well, with some little twists and turns that ramp up the suspense surrounding the show. But things quickly go from bad to worse when a storm strikes the island, leaving the contestants stranded with no way to contact the outside world. Suddenly, the whole premise of surviving on an island feels a lot more real! But will Lyla and her fellow contestants band together to sustain themselves until help can arrive? Or will it turn into a fierce competition for resources as the days slowly pass?

One the one hand, One Perfect Couple becomes much more of a survival story than the author’s other books. Sure, characters in those previous novels had to survive difficult circumstances, too, but here’s it’s much more intense. And on the other hand, there’s still an element of someone you can’t trust, someone who isn’t afraid to inflict harm on others. But what can the characters do about this rogue person they’ve been stranded with?

One Perfect Couple is a swift read, action-packed, and completely engrossing from start to finish. Ruth Ware fans will love it for its intensity and pacing while also enjoying something a bit different from her other books. It’s most comparable to her second novel, The Woman in Cabin 10 (which, incidentally, is referenced within this book’s narrative), or perhaps One by One or Zero Days, but with a refreshing tone and setting. This book is a win for me, and as always, I can hardly wait for whatever Ruth Ware writes next.

Lyla, a scientist in her early thirties, is feeling unfulfilled by her career and unsure about the future with her model/actor boyfriend, Nico. When Nico gets cast on a reality TV show called One Perfect Couple and begs Lyla to join, she decides to give their future one more shot and joins him. From the beginning she has misgivings about the show (why is everything so rushed? Why are they so mum on the details?), but Nico’s smile and the lure of a beautiful Indonesian vacation sell her on the idea. While things start out picturesque, a tropical storm changes everything and Lyla and her companions go from competing to be the perfect couple to competing to survive.

One Perfect Couple was a suspenseful thriller that kept me turning the pages. While it was a bit uneven in parts and longer than it needed to be, the characters came alive on the page and the descriptions of the tropical island were lush and vivid. My main complaint is that I was waiting for a twist, and when it finally came it fell a bit short of my expectations. On the whole though this was an enjoyable read and one that I anticipate will become a movie in the near future. This would make a fun summer read and would be perfect for the airplane or the beach.

Ruth Ware is one of those authors who never disappoints. I love an adventure story about being stranded on a desert island, and this one throws in a psychopath on the loose! Very fast-paced and fun. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner for Ruth Ware! Setting: a beautiful remote island near Jakarta. Characters: 5 couples for a reality tv show entitled One Perfect Couple. Plot: A severe storm hits the island the first night cutting off all communication with the show’s crew and leaving the contestants with limited supplies. And then the bodies start piling up! Ending: who survives and who dies? Does anyone make it back to the mainland? Read and find out! Thanks to the publisher and #Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read the ARC of this Ruth Ware book on Kindle before it's publication date in exchange for my honest opinion.

I keep hearing that this book is a modern day Agatha Christie "And Then There Were None" mystery. It's not quite there, but a few of the characters do end up dead one by one.

This book is not as good as the Ruth Ware books I have read previously. The characters are untrusting of each other and just make a bad situation worse with all of their arguing and controlling.

Picture this - four couples are hired to be on a reality show named, "The Perfect Couple". They are taken to a remote island with a new resort (that is not even finished yet) to film the show. Contestants are going to be eliminated one by one and returned to the mainland. The partner left behind will be paired up with a new partner until only one guy and one gal are left - The Perfect couple.

After the first elimination and new pairing a huge storm smashes into the island and those left have to rely on each other for survival. One of the survivors is extremely controlling and therefore things go badly quite quickly.

The story is told from Lyla's point of view. She is the one person who didn't want to do the show but did for her boyfriend Nico. Her plan was to mess up and go home after two weeks, while hoping Nico would do well and kick start his acting career.

ONE PERFECT COUPLE follows five couples participating in a reality TV competition on a remote island. Lyla agrees to take two weeks off work to support her boyfriend's desire to be on the show. She figures on being quickly voted off the island to head home. The first challenge doesn't go as planned and it sets tempers on edge. When a bad storm hits unexpectedly, people are killed and those left have no way off the island and limited supplies. They need to rely on each other, but not everyone is to be trusted.

This was compared in the blurb to Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and I think that set me up to want different things. While there is a bit of a one by one trope going on here, there really isn't a mystery. For the majority of the book, we know exactly what is going on. There are a few snippets of radio calls from the island asking for help and some journal entries about what is going on which add a little bit of intrigue, but I didn't ever feel like there was much of a mystery element.

This book wound up being more of a survival story than a thriller and I think if that is what you are looking for and you're willing to suspend some disbelief about the decisions these characters make, this will work much better for you. Even though this didn't go the directions I had hoped, this was a really easy book to read.

ONE PERFECT COUPLE just came out yesterday!

A lush, tropical island is the setting of a newly pitched reality show, and Lyla is convinced to try out by her boyfriend Nico. Nico wants more exposure to launch his acting career and although a reality show is the last thing Lyla wants to be a part of, she agrees for Nico's sake. Nothing is as it seems, however, and the moment they leave for the island things just spiral further and further out of control. Now the reality show is a real-life game of survival and they aren't all going to escape alive.

This is my seventh read by this author. I only have a couple of her backlist books left to read. Her books rarely fail to entertain me, and this one is no different. This story is told in third person and follows virologist Lyla as she accompanies her actor boyfriend to a deserted island to film a couples reality TV show that he hopes will give him his big break. This narrative is interspersed with conflicting diary entries from one of the other contestants that provide an entirely different narrative lending a slight unreliable narrator effect though not enough to trigger my weariness of this trope.

There are 5 couples competing under rather ambiguous and suspicious circumstances. My last two reality TV show themed thrillers were flops for me due to TSTL characters and their inane actions, but I found this group to be filled with characters with more realistic conflicts. With so many characters to keep track of, I admit that I never got a feel for a couple of them, but since some of them were quickly picked off, it didn’t really matter, not unlike an actual reality show. As the story progressed, I came to feel an actual connection with several of the remaining contestants as they fought to survive despite the actions of others and their environment.

Recommended to thriller fans that enjoy isolated or deserted island settings, reality show drama and the themes of And Then There Were None.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

Although this was a quick read, this was not my favorite by Ruth Ware. I didn't feel really connected to a lot of the characters and I felt like it dragged on just a little in some spots. I also was hoping for more twists and surprises. 3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

Ruth Ware is forever delivering the best suspense novels and this one will keep you reading until the end. 5 couples are picked for a new reality show set to take place on a desert island WAY off the coast of Jakarta. A terrible storm hits the island after the first day and the couples are left stranded as the yacht that brought them to the island, has disappeared.
This was a cross between And Then There Were None and Lord of the Flies. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Love Island was never so cutthroat.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this e-arc.*

Ruth Ware is one of my favorite authors!
And One Perfect Couple was hands down my favorite book by Ruth Ware!
All the stars for this one!
Ware did an absolute stunning job here.
You have all the ingredients needed and the book keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The characters are well crafted, the twist and denouement at the end is striking.
There was not a dull moment throughout the novel. The setting was magnificent.
She transports you to the island along with these characters.
Absolutely recommended. If you're looking for an intriguing page turner that gives you the chills, this is it!
A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.
Ruth Ware is a superb suspense writer!

Thank You NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Oooo this was a fun read! I love how Ware crafted the story and made it so engaging and clausterphobic. This one is pretty straight forward - I kept waiting for a big twist but it wasn’t really needed with the way this was crafted. The characters felt real as I know some people would totally buy into the premise of this show for the chance at fame. While this is very different from her other books, I enjoy the uniqueness and it’s a great summer read.

I read this on a beach and it was a great popcorn thriller for vacation! One Perfect Couple follows Lyla and Nico who are cast on a reality TV show set on a remote island near Jakarta. Soon after filming begins, a storm hits the island and the cast of the show is stranded. It did not feel like Ruth Ware's typical style of thriller, but I didn't mind that. I enjoy when authors explore the genre and try new things. Something that worked really well was that even though there were a lot of characters to keep track of, the story was mostly told through Lyla's POV, so it felt less overwhelming. The storm happens right away and so does the drama and it does not let up until the final page.

Ruth Ware is an author that I will blindly read anything she puts out without knowing anything about it. She never disappoints! Lord of the Flies was the book that sparked my love for books that are on the dark side. This book had that same feel and I loved it! I'm also a HUGE fan of reality, so double win for me!

Lyla research has stalled and she is pretty sure she won’t have a job shortly. So when her boyfriend Nico tells her they are being chosen to go on a new reality show “One Perfect Couple,” she finally allows him to convince her to do it. She is wary of the show and the show runners, but she will do this for Nico and hopefully get eliminated early. When a storm comes through and leaves only the contestants on the island, things begin to look dire. The boat hasn’t come back, and their water and food rations are dwindling. Will they survive being stranded on this island?

Ruth Ware knows how to write a crazy thriller, and this one was no different! From the start this reality show seemed sketchy as hell, but it was worse than anyone could have expected. 8 people trying to ration the water and food they have of course led to mayhem and certain folks deciding they were “in charge.” I did this one on audio and I just could not stop listening to find out what was going to happen. This one kept me on my toes for sure and if you are looking for a fast paced thriller this summer I highly recommend! Though maybe don’t read it if you are vacationing on a deserted island!

“.. 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 - 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭.”⁣

One Perfect Couple is a suspense filled summer thriller about 5 couples chosen to participate in a reality game show, called One Perfect Couple, kind of like Survivor but with the focus on couples relationships. The game takes place on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. However, after a hurricane hits the island, the contestants are left with little food and water, no electricity and no way of getting help from the mainland, which is several hours away. Competitors started being eliminated but not in the way they originally had planned. What started out as a game to gain fortune and fame, quickly turned into a battle of life or death and survival.
Most of the book is told through the FMC POV except for a few journal entries. The book is divided into 3 parts. The first part was a little slow but it picked up once they got on the island. There were several “red flag warnings” and foreshadowing given in part 1 which piqued my interest. Most of the characters were arrogant, selfish, unlikeable and unreliable for most of the story which made for a great binge worthy thriller.
I love reality shows, so I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a pretty quick and easy read and kept me guessing in anticipation of what would happen next. However, I felt like it lacked depth and complexity, and the ending was too abrupt for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Ruth Ware for granting me early access to The Paradise Problem in exchange for an honest review.