Thanks to Gallery and Simon Audio for the copies of this book!

Lyla and Nico have been together for two years, and Nico is looking to make his big break into acting. When an opportunity comes up to head to Ever After Island on a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, Nico convinces Lyla to sign up. They’ll compete against four other couples in paradise and he’ll get the exposure he needs.

I really enjoyed this one!! I did a combo of listening and reading and honestly thought both formats were great. I always love a tropical storm that strands our characters in a thriller, and it was quite the turning point in this book. The whole cast was perfect for a locked room mystery, and things turn pretty sinister, so there are definitely some trigger warnings. This is a really engaging read with lots of little twists and turns, and while the ending isn’t the *most* satisfying, it worked well for the book.

Oh my goodness I feel like I just read The Lord of the Flies but it was adults instead of kids! Truly so well done!

Five couples on one island going through challenges and tests to see which is the One Perfect Couple. Oh and it’s on a beautiful remote island in the Indian Ocean. Sounds too good to be true right?

When Lyla’s boyfriend Nico convinced her to join him on a remote island for the filming of a reality TV show called One Perfect Couple, Lyla was convinced she would fail purposely so she could get back to her job as a scientist but her actor boyfriend Nico could stay on and finally launch his career. But that’s not what happens. Instead a storm happens, knocking the inhabitants of the island into survival mode. And one by one people start dying…

I loved the sneak peek of the mayday calls in the first part. The diary entries in the second part. And the tie up in the final installment. While not your typical whodunit thriller, this one kept me on my toes still!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the always impressive Ruth Ware for a chance to read this advanced copy. I’m just glad I finished on publication date so I can share my thoughts ahead of the mob of readers who will no doubt love this book just in time for summer (Island?) adventures!

One Perfect Couple is the third book that I’ve read by Ruth Ware, and it’s my second favorite after Turn of the Key. I like Ware’s writing and I think her books are very engrossing and fun to read. I would say One Perfect Couple is more of a survival story than a mystery thriller. This book is like Survivor meets Love Island meets Lord of the Flies. The story focuses on this group of reality show contestants trying to survive on this remote island after a bad storm leaves them stranded. There’s a lot of tension, drama, and fighting between the group. People start dying and one of the group is a killer.

I read this book pretty quickly, but there were some slower parts that I was not interested in. There are many characters to keep track of in this story and some of the characters just got on my nerves. I did think the ending was exciting and I liked the conclusion to the story.

If you like survival stories or mysteries set in remote locations, then you should check out this book.

3.5⭐️

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware follows the main character, Lyla, to a remote island by Indonesia with her boyfriend, Nico. The couple are on there way to film a reality show with four other couples. However; things go wrong. Very wrong.

What I wished would have been different in this novel was the pacing. The “twist” happened too quickly. You know from very beginning that they are going to be stranded because of a storm. I wanted more of the reality television show. The first 50 or so pages of the book had me hooked. I was invested in Lyla and Nico. I was invested in the reality show, but once the reality show was gone, so was my interest. The novel didn’t do much to keep me in suspense; most of what happens was predictable and has been done many times before.

I liked the premise, I liked the characters, I liked the setting—I was just left wanting more.

Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence

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Review of "One Perfect Couple" by Ruth Ware

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of Ruth Ware's latest thriller, "One Perfect Couple," in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Ware’s new book is a wild ride set on a remote island for a reality TV show. Five couples, including Lyla and her actor boyfriend Nico, compete in "One Perfect Couple." Things take a dark turn immediately when a storm hits, cutting them off from the world, and contestants start start to go one by one.

Ware delivers her usual twists and turns, keeping you guessing. The use of diary entries to build tension is a nice touch, adding layers of suspense to the unfolding mystery.

However, the characters felt a bit flat, and I didn’t connect with them much. This detachment made the high-stakes drama less impactful. Some dialogue was also a bit off.

Overall, it’s a fun, fast-paced read. It's perfect for fans of reality TV and locked-room mysteries, and it offers enough suspense and intrigue to keep you turning the pages. While not my favorite Ruth Ware book, it is a worthwhile read for those looking for a thrilling, albeit flawed, summer escape!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I am a big Ruth Ware fan. I’ve loved her previous books. With that said - I was not as impressed with this book. The premise was interesting - reality tv show filming on a remote Island. I did not feel like the characters were well fleshed out and I didn’t find any that I connected with or wanted to root for.

It’s not an awful book, it just wouldn’t be my first choice.

Ruth Ware’s newest psychological thriller is the beach read of the summer, as long as you are safely anywhere but the beach. Five couples are swept away to be contestants on the newest reality TV show: One Perfect Couple, where five people hoping to make the next leap in their show business careers and their (reluctantly) supportive partners battle to prove their love and remain on the island. But when the perfect storm leaves them stranded and disconnected from the rest of the world, Ever After Island turns into a real life survivor.

Ware does a great job of providing fresh twists and turns to a relatively saturated genre. Even when I thought it was transparent, I would turn the page and find a new surprise. One Perfect Couple is a great book to throw into your bag and read wherever you land- entertaining and compelling.

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.