Ruth Ware has another blockbuster on her hands. This was a fun read, a bit of Survivor, a bit of The Bachelor, and a bit of Lord of the Flies. A reality contest where 8 couples go to an island in the Indian Sea for a 10 week competition, to determine who the "one perfect couple is." Well, that's the premise anyway. The story goes off in a completely different direction almost immediately after arriving on the island when a typhoon hits. It becomes a contest for survival. I'm not of the mind to spoil the story, so I will keep it to this - the book is fast paced. It has several twists and turns, and a satisfying end. And Ruth Ware throws in a fantastic easter egg to her first hit book. I'll let you find it.

Thank you to the publisher Simon and Schuster, and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy. I predict this will be a fantastic summer beach read when it hits book stores in May.

One Perfect Couple follows five couples on a trip of a lifetime for a new reality show. Before they know it, rather than fighting for the game....they are fighting for their lives. The book begins slower as it follows Lyla thru her worries and fears regarding her job, relationship, and this new adventure she doesn't even want to be on. As the competition goes as does the heartbeating in your chest wondering what will happen to Lyla, Santana, Dan, Connor, Nico, Joel, Romi, and Zana. Who will live and who will die?

Hard to find a book that captures my interest from page 1 to the end but this one managed to do it. I had so much fun reading this one, I couldn't wait to pick it back up when I stopped but yet, didn't want it to end. Definitely one of my top 10 thrillers for the year and would make a great beach read!

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love Ruth Wares books and look forward to every time she releases a new one.

This was probably my least favorite so far. It was a bit far fetched and I didn’t love any of the characters. By the end of the book I was letdown and just frustrated that it wasn’t as good as I had hoped..

One Perfect Couple is the latest adventure thriller from Ruth Ware. It’s less of a moody psychological thriller than many of her titles. This one is a disaster thriller on a deserted island. The suspense and paranoia is ramped up by flashes into the demise of the islanders’ future. The setting adds to the fear, as the stranded travelers fight to survive.

This would be a fun beach read for those with dark tastes (like me). ❤️

This is now officially my new favorite Ruth Ware book. It is one of those books that you keep thinking about hours and days after finishing it...caused a large book hangover!

Several couples are invited to participate on a reality TV show. The only catch is that it takes place in a deserted island that is only accessible via a 22 hour boat ride. Shortly after the game show kicks off, a massive storm destroys the island and the couples are left stranded and alone.
As the book continues it is clear that there are massive dangers not only from the island but from each other as well.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

One perfect couple:
Colorful characters! Lots of adventure! Plenty of twists and turns! However, too much swearing. It was offensive to me & took away some of the joy I had reading this delightful thriller.

Rounded up to 3 stars. I have enjoyed some of Ruth Ware's other books, but this one was a let down to me. One Perfect Couple starts painfully slow and fails to deliver on its intriguing premise of a reality TV show turned survival thriller. The transition feels forced, the mystery lacks suspense, and the characters lack depth. The reveal and "shocking twist" at the end was underwhelming. While some may find it amusing, I was disappointed and believe it fell short of Ware's potential.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

Another wonderful read from Ruth Ware! Fascinating story arc and definitely had a real reality tv show feel throughout the book. Thank you for allowing me to read One Perfect Couple.

If Ruth Ware wasn't already an automatic Netgalley request, Ruth Ware writing a dating show thriller absolutely was! Ware's latest thrilled places an overworked virologist, Lyla, and her washboard-abs-empty-head actor boyfriend Nico on a survivor-meets-love-island dating show on a remote tropical resort in the Pacific Ocean miles away from civilization. What could possibly go wrong??

This wasn't my favorite Ware by a long shot - beleaguered by unusually predictable plot points and unsatisfying loose ends - but still manages to capitalize on classic overblown dating show personas to create roiling tension between the last people you'd ever want to be stuck with on a desert island. Very much has the energy of "what if you put 10 TikTok beauty influencers on Survival and then unleashed a natural disaster of epic proportions". I didn't connect to any of the characters expect a few near the end, and found Lyla in particular to be fascinatingly dense: who of all people would be likely to agree to a sketchy dating show on a remote tropical island without apparently reading any of the contract or the fine print? Naturally, a PhD level virologist!

Still, like all of Ware's thrillers, I literally could not put it down until I got to the bottom of the cryptic journal entries and radio dispatches AND I failed to guess about 1/2 of the plot twists so that has to count for something. Ware's books may be hypnotically formulaic, but I'll be damned if she doesn't lock me in every single time.

3.5/5
While off to a strong start, I found the last quarter or so to be a missed opportunity if not disappointment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books and Scout Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Ruth Ware is a guaranteed great read every time and One Perfect Couple was no exception. Lyla and Nico are a couple in need of something in their relationship as it’s feeling stale, and when Nico gets the opportunity to put them on a reality show, they may have found a solution to reinvigorate things and jumpstart his acting career. Unfortunately things turn very Lord of the Flies and we get enmeshed in a thriller that is complex and fraught with twists and turns the reader cannot anticipate.

I loved the premise of this and the female relationships. I also loved the twists, especially at the end. If you’re ever wanting a smart thriller, Ruth Ware is a must read, and this book is no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this boo in exchange for an honest review.

I say it constantly: Ruth Ware books are always such a good time. She’s an auto buy author for me, so I would have requested an ARC for this book regardless of what the premise was. But THAT PREMISE!! Pitched as “And Then There Were None” meets “Love Island”?? Perfection! No notes!

I would say this book is more of a thriller than an actual mystery, which I wasn’t exactly expecting. But it did its job and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Would absolutely recommend.

Lyla, a virologist whose post doctoral research is looking like a failure, is persuaded by her wannabe-actor boyfriend Nico to participate in a new experimental reality show called The Perfect Couple. Though everything seems idyllic at first. a tropical island locale, other interesting, congenial participants, a plan to get kicked off the show early, it's not long before everything goes awry. A major storm ravishes the island and the yacht that brought everyone there is nowhere to be found. As casualties begin to amass and supplies start to dwindle, the group soon begins to break down into a Lord of the Flies scenario as Lyla and the others try not to become the next contestant permanently removed from the competition.
This story was different from most of Ruth Ware's previous novels, but the writing was engaging and immersive throughout. Though many of the characters began as typical reality show tropes, they develop and deepen as the peril of their situation ramps up. Some who were likeable at the start take a turn for the worse while others who weren't so sympathetic to begin with become much more layered and impressive as the book goes on. This was an intense and exciting thriller that had a few surprises up its sleeves. 4.5/5*

This is one of the best books I have read in quite awhile, like at least six month's. This is one of those reads that you start rooting for an individual and by the middle it changes and the end is just something you did not expect at all. I will be recommending this to everyone! Great great read. I wanted it to keep going on.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such an easy read and was difficult for me to put down. A great thriller that had some unexpected twists.

Know your enemy.

They may be wearing an all too familiar face.

Ruth Ware injects One Perfect Couple with an intense White Lotus vibe marinated in the reverberations of every reality and competition show out there. One Perfect Couple wears a smug face that checks over its shoulder every nano second. Being safe seems only an illusion.

If it's too good to be true.......it probably is. Lyla Santiago deals in scientific facts. She's working on her post doctorate and the scientific results of a previous researcher seem a bit sketchy. She's not sure that the grant will continue to be available.

Frustration sets the stage for weakening her steady resolve when her boyfriend, Nico, comes home with an off-the-wall proposition. He's an on-again-off-again actor. Nico thinks this will be his big break. His agent has presented him with an opportunity to try out for a TV reality show with a cash prize. Nico promises that the entry as a couple will only last for a couple of weeks. Then they can bail. Lyla loves Nico and eventually agrees.

Ever After Island is located like a blip in the Indian Ocean. It's taken six hours to get there from London. There are four other couples involved besides Lyla and Nico. Lyla is already feeling uncomfortable by the looks of these beauties. Baz, the producer, assures them that all will be well. It's a tropical paradise......until it's not.

Ruth Ware starts to rev the engines with an unexpected tropical storm brewing. There's also a storm brewing amongst these contestants. Personalities and preferences begin to reveal themselves. Ware knows how to insight high anxiety in her characters. She's a master. But this bevy of competitors aren't about to take prisoners. The stakes are far higher. Does life actually prepare you for the fight of your life? Perhaps not.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Simon & Schuster and to the talented Ruth Ware for the opportunity.

Wow! I enjoyed the twists and turns of One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware. The plot is unique and the characters were well developed. Our library will purchase this book when it releases.
I appreciate the opportunity of an ARC

Lyla a brilliant scientist is dragged by her not as aspiring our of luck and work boyfriend onto a game show on a deserted island. It is a couples competition. What could go wrong? She gets to the island and meets the other couples and it seems a little shady -the production team and the island itself. Enter the crew setting off to sea, bad storm that comes in and people start dying. As the survivors wait for help to arise they become increasingly concerned about one members quest for control of what happens and also the supplies left on the island. People continue to die under suspicious circumstances and the supplies become and issue and when if ever will they get off the island? I found myself throughout the book trying to figure out who the bad guy was and thought it was too easy who they were factoring it to be. I wont ruin the ending or whether anyone survives and if they do if they get off the island. This one kept me guessing. I was a major Ruth Ware fan prior to this book and i continue to love her writing and the suspense!

Overall I enjoyed the story- I finished it in a day and a half. There was a very small twist at the end that was not what I was expecting but I’m not sure I loved it. More could have been done with character development and some things were not explained enough to the point it felt rushed (ie Joel).