Wow. That was a whirlwind and I loved it. Absolutely pulled some Lord of the Flies vibes in a Bachelor show-type setting with, of course, a thriller-style twist. A quick read and enjoyable ride. Highly recommended. I've already put in on order for my library!

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware was a fast and entertaining book! It’s not what I was expecting after reading the plot summary - I would describe this as part survival, part reality show, rather than a psychological thriller, but it was entertaining and a nice change of pace for me. Add in a devastating storm on a remote island and I’m immediately hooked!

Ware is a great writer and I find most of her books engaging, well planned, and presented in a way that’s enticing and exciting. Ware did an extremely good job creating a rich sense of atmosphere on the island and I was immediately drawn into the setting and survival in the aftermath of the storm.

Where this story fell short for me was the character development and sense of tension and suspense. While the survival aspect was fun to read, I didn't find the storyline very complex or thrilling. There wasn't much tension, and there was no element of guessing or puzzle-solving to discover who committed the murders. I also felt like the pacing dragged in a few places and the story could have been a little tighter to create more sense of urgency.

One Perfect Couple is a quick read and entertaining. Unfortunately, while I've been a fan of Ware's previous novels, this one fell short for me. I would still recommend it to readers who enjoy survival stories with a hint of mystery, although it may not satisfy those looking for a serious psychological thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Ruth Ware for an advance copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I had high hopes for this one, but I could take it or leave it. A couple - Nico, an aspiring actor and Lyla, a doctoral grad - sign up to join a reality tv show set on a tropical island where couples will compete to show they are One Perfect Couple. A storm arrives the first night and as you would expect, chaos ensues on what quickly becomes a deserted island. Told from the perspective of the person in the aforementioned couple that did not want to join the cast, obviously. This is as if Paradise Hotel, The Bachelor and Survivor had a book baby.

I have enjoyed all of this authors novels. One Perfect Couple is now one of my favorites. I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen next. I"ll be waiting eagerly for her next great novel.


Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery books for my gifted ARC.

*3.5 stars rounded up.

A survival story set on an island twenty hours southwest of Indonesia. Five couples have come to Ever After Island to compete in a new reality TV show competition to decide who is 'The Perfect Couple.' Unfortunately the island is hit by a hurricane shortly after the competition begins and survival becomes all too real.

The main protagonist is Lyla, a scientist whose current research contract is not likely to be renewed. So when her aspiring-actor boyfriend Nico begs her to apply with him to be part of the cast of a new reality TV show, she reluctantly gives in. Nico sees it as his chance to launch his career to the big-time but Lyla figures she'll just give it two weeks before getting herself kicked off the island and she can get back to 'real life.' Neither could imagine how things will actually unfold.

A good beach read to take on vacation--it's entertaining and suspenseful. I am not a reality TV show fan so that part didn't really interest me. It seems like an over-done topic but Ruth Ware does some exciting things with it that kept me turning pages. Sort of a cross between Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new thriller via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

One Perfect Couple is a spellbinding thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, especially in the last 25% of the book.

Lyla and Nico join a new reality show being filmed at a remote island in the Indian Ocean with four other couples. Things begin to go very wrong after an overnight storm. This novel has vibes of And Then There Were None and Lord of the Flies! Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the advanced digital copy of the book.

One Perfect Couple is a survivor thriller more than a psychological thriller. The suspense comes from day to day survival on limited resources and one person in the group is a psychopath with unknown limitations.
Lyla is struggling with both her career and live in boyfriend, Nico. Nico is a struggling actor and sees an opportunity to promote his career through a reality TV game show. Nico begs reluctant Lyla to join him.
Five couples are chosen to compete on a remote island. However, after each challenge one person gets sent home. Lyla plans is to be the second one sent home.
After the first person is sent home, a storm rolls in and causes major damage to the villas, island, and two people are dead. One is a competitor and the other person is part of the production. This sets the ball in motion of disaster after disaster. The rest of the production crew left on the boat the night before the storm. Eight people are left on a deserted island with limited water and food. They join together to come up with a plan to ration the food. When everyone wakes the next morning the supplies have been transferred to one couples living quarters and this sets the premises of the book. Shortly after the water was moved people are dying one by one. Are they accidentally or murder? I smiled when the read the title of the book used to start the barn fire.
3 1/2⭐️⭐️⭐️. Different vibe from other Ware books. Tension and suspense was well written. I read quickly because the tension was overwhelming to find out who and how they would survive. Little scary, I thought how I’d do it and Ware beat me to it 🫣.
Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books/Scout Press for ARC read in exchange for my review.

3.5 stars
Lyla and Nico are picked along with three other couples to join a new reality show set on an island. Lyla is reluctant to go but wants to support Nico’s dreams of getting noticed on tv for an acting career.
After arriving to the island, the is a terrible storm that immediately switches everyone’s priority from winning the reality show to surviving on the island.
People are getting injured or killed each day. This story isn’t exactly very suspenseful or have twists, but more a tale of survival. It is well paced and has a variety of interesting characters. The ending ties things together but it wasn’t really the type of ending I’d hoped for.

⭐⭐⭐.5

Lord of the Flies combined with a reality dating show equals Ruth Ware’s latest novel One Perfect Couple.

Lyla and Nico join the cast of The Perfect Couple. While Nico is clamoring for exposure to boost his acting career, his girlfriend Lyla isn’t quite sure. She is a scientist and doesn’t crave the limelight. After her research takes a pause, going to Ever After Island with Nico becomes Lyla’s plan. She intends to get kicked off the show early and let Nico soak up the sun.

Ever After Island is picturesque and the resort is untouched. When a storm hits and wreaks havoc on the island and the participants, Ever After becomes more like the island from Lord of the Flies. Characters reveal their true colors and people start dropping like flies. The participants shift to survival mode as they try to identify the killer.

The storyline quickly shifts from dating show to real-life survival. There are moments of teamwork and some of the characters are more endearing than others, but the story felt drawn out and I wanted a resolution sooner than I got it. Letters/journal entries throughout the book are confusing until the end and I wasn’t sure how they connected to the overall plot. One Perfect Couple is not my favorite Ruth Ware novel, yet I will keep coming back, knowing that Ware is great at building suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Ruth Ware for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story is narrated by Lyla. Lyla's boyfriend talked her into being part of a reality show, "One Perfect Couple.' Five couples will be taken to an island where they will be put through challenges to determine who is the perfect couple and it does not need to be the couple that came together. Lyla is a practical woman, a scientist and her younger boyfriend a struggling (and failing actor.)

The trip becomes something more right away and when a storm blows in and destroys a lot of the island, contact with the crew is lost and people start dying, it becomes something terrifying.

As with all Ruth Ware books, the ending is rarely what you think it will be. I stayed up way too late last night so I could get to that ending. This was a good read.

Thank you Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Gallery Books Scout Press for my #gifted copy of One Perfect Couple!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

You had me at reality TV show. Ruth Ware has once again delivered an amazing psychological suspense and this one is going to be the perfect summer read. It is atmospheric and there is so much tension and I really enjoyed it. The book focuses on fives couples on a reality TV show on a remote island, where Lyla and Nico are the main characters and are completing against the other couples for a cash prize. Not long after they arrive, a storm cuts off the power and access to phones, making survival on the island difficult. With tension high, the stakes literally become light or death.

I can always count on Ware for some good twists and turns in her books and she certainly delivered with this book. I really found this book to be so fast paced and I found myself flying through the pages trying to make it to the end to find out what happened. This would make a great book club read over the summer!

🌴Psychological Suspense
🌴Reality TV Show
🌴Fast Paced
🌴Atmospheric
🌴Remote Island
🌴Lots of Tension

Posted on Goodreads on May 16, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 17, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 21, 2024
**-will post on designated date

One Perfect Couple has two things that I love:
1. Ruth Ware’s writing and twists that she is known for
2. Vacation/Paradise gone wrong

Imagine, you’ve been cast in a reality tv show that is a cross between Love Island and Survivor. If you accept then you get to spend an all expenses paid trip to a new resort on a remote island in the Pacific with your significant other. Would you accept? In Ruth Ware’s world, I absolutely would not because you know that craziness is going to ensue on that island. In reality, I would contemplate it!

This book was a good thriller and perfect to pick up for those upcoming vacations this summer!

Thank you @scoutpressbooks for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

Lyla and Nico get selected to join the cast of a reality show on Ever After Island where they will compete against 4 other couples to see who is the perfect couple. But shortly after their arrival, a huge storm takes out the power and leaves one person dead, and another seriously injured. As the days pass and the situation becomes more dire, people start to end up dead and it is becoming clear one of the contestants is to blame.

Ruth Ware is an instant purchase for me. I flew through this book and really enjoyed the characters and the quick pacing. I appreciated that the story was all told by Lyla's POV because it made it easier to keep track of all the characters. I also loved reading the journal entries and Zana's recollection of events.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was Everyone is Watching meets The Last One meets Lord of the Flies. A group of seemingly unconnected couples is sent to a remote island in Indonesia to compete in a brand new reality show called One Perfect Couple. Our main character, Lyla, is a scientist and has no desire to run on the beach in a bikini competing with influencers and actors, but since her boyfriend, Nico, is an aspiring actor himself, she decides to support his endeavor and join him. Literally nothing goes as planned, especially when they are all stuck on the island after a major storm, and their biggest worry shifts from looking bad on reality TV to making it off the island alive.

I know people are going to give this low ratings, but I enjoyed every minute of this survival story. The characters were so well developed; I was so anxious for all of them and had no idea what direction the story would go in. I couldn’t put this book/audiobook down, and I love that the ending wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I’ve read a lot of similar thrillers, and this one definitely had a fresh ending. I actually really liked the ending, but I’m not sure everyone will agree. I know people are going to give this low ratings, but I enjoyed every minute of this survival story. The characters were so well developed; I was so anxious for all of them and had no idea what direction the story would go in. I couldn’t put this book/audiobook down, and I love that the ending wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I’ve read a lot of similar thrillers, and this one definitely had a fresh ending. I actually really liked the ending, but I’m not sure everyone will agree. The Easter egg of her mentioning The Woman in Cabin 10 at one point was also clever.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, page-turning read with twist after twist, this is NOT it. However, if you want a perfectly paced survival story full of character development and reality tv drama with a solid ending, this is the one!

Thank you NetGalley & Gallery books for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Finished this book in 2 days. Overall a fun read. Couples end up going on a reality show when a storm hits the island and they lose communication. They have to work together to survive despite limited water/food. Alliances are formed and secrets come out. Ruth did a great job of diving in behind the scenes of how reality TV shows are formatted and now everything looks perfect on the surface. Read this if you're a fan of survival/reality shows. I did love how Lil, the main character was a scientist as it offered a fresh perspective.

Scientist and academic Lyla reluctantly agrees to appear on a reality TV show with her struggling actor boyfriend Nico, about five couples sent off to a deserted island to see who will win a cash prize. Instead, the contestants find themselves trapped after a storm hits the island, taking out communication and leaving food and water in short supply. Then, cast members mysteriously die one by one.

Fast-paced, atmospheric, and sharply written, this pulled me in from the start. With a nod to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Ruth Ware turns paradise into an ominous, inescapable trap, with growing dread as the situation becomes increasingly dire. This isn't a mystery, though. It is a story about a fight for survival with lots of danger, drama, and power struggles. Told in the POV of Lyla, with another contestant's diary entries interspersed, there is a large but shrinking cast of characters. As tensions and suspicions escalated, I rooted for Lyla and a handful of characters as much as I disliked others. The setting was vivid, and the island conditions were brutal. I found this hard to put down.
There was a fun easter egg in this too. The contestants attempted to signal a passing ship with a makeshift beacon by fueling it with pages of a book found in one of the huts. The book happened to be another of Ware's books, The Woman in Cabin 10, which I thought was a clever touch. This action-packed book is an entertaining summer read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Scout Press Books for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Having this be my first Ruth Ware book I've read, I was not disappointed at all. The mystery, drama and tension was exciting! I felt the sense of trapped from the characters and it made this so much better.

While this wasn’t my favorite Ruth Ware book, I still enjoyed all its drama & tense moments. I appreciated the narrator who kept me on track with all the interesting characters, & I thought the journal entries were a nice touch. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This was a great read. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were developed and the story line was great.

This was my second Ruth Ware book and it was a bit of a disappointment. I didn’t find the book all that thrilling and there were no big twists to shake it up. All of the information was pretty much there. I wish I enjoyed this one more but to me it just dragged.