Ruth Ware has a history of hit-or-miss titles---and this title falls kinda in between. The first half felt like a very slow start --to I prefer Ware's titles that are faster pace and have more suspense. The set up sounds great---a mismatched couple goes on a reality show where disaster immediately happens. It felt like the "set up " took a very long time and the payoff wasn't really worth it. I did enjoy it--but it wasn't my favorite Ware title by far. I would recommend for fans of Ware, but not first-time readers.

Absolutely loved this novel! It was filled with all the classic whodunnit twists and I was left guessing constantly. Loved the setting of a reality show on an island as it adds to the suspense with them not only having to survive a murderer…but the elements!

Whenever I get a new Ruth Ware book to read I find that I have to put my life on hold while I read it. This one is no exception, I read it straight through in a day and a half. Intriguing premise, well developed characters, a fast paced plot and some unexpected twists had me reading late into the night. If you are new to Ruth Ware, start here but don't miss her entire catalogue starting with "In a Dark, Dark Wood". Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an advanced reader copy

A perfect reality show, One Perfect Couple strands couples on an island to determine who will be the perfect couple in the end. Lyla agrees to be a part of the show because it can be a perfect opportunity for her actor boyfriend. Nothing is as it seems. The contestants get stranded on the island after a terrible storm. Then they are in a fight for their lives for survival. Will they survive the elements and each other? This is a fun, suspenseful read that keeps you guessing until the end.

Quick and easy read. I sped through this. I had to know what would happen next. Ruth Ware is an auto read for me, and she did not disappoint.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read a digital ARC of One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware. This adult, mystery, thriller will be published May 21, 2024. All opinions are my own.

Lyla is a post-doctorate virologist in her early thirties whose research and career have hit a wall. Her boyfriend, Nico, is an aspiring actor looking for his big break. When he proposes they join the cast of a couples reality TV show set on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, she begrudgingly agrees. Once on the island, things go down hill quickly. A storm rolls in over night destroying the island and cutting the contestants off from civilization. With limited supplies and injured parties, they're not sure how long they'll be able to survive. To make things worse, the survivors start dropping like flies. It's clear that there's foul play and not everyone is as innocent as they seem. Will Lyla be able to survive and make it off the island?

I really enjoy Ruth Ware's books. She has an interesting style and I appreciate that we get the perspective of the main narrative as well as radio transmissions and diary entries. The first half of the book did move a little slower than I would have liked, but I devoured the second half in a matter of hours. Knowing Ware's style, I was on the hunt for red herrings and questioning everything I was presented. I happy to say that I wasn't able to guess all the elements and that there was still a surprise and thrill at the end. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable, but I think that's okay and connected to one of the themes in the story. Because it did take me so long to get into the story, I'm only giving this one a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The PERFECT Summer read doesn’t exi..

@ruthwarewriter is back! I devoured this book, literally could not put it down. A reality dating show on a deserted island? Say less. When this first started, I thought the amount of characters was going to be confusing - but Ware did a fantastic job of making it easy to follow along and keep up!

There were intense thrilling scenes that had me SWEATING! And the end was 🤌🏻 highly recommend this book, Turn of the Key has always been my favorite of hers, but I believe this one has taken that spot and I’m calling it now - I think this is going to be the book of the summer! Mark my words!

🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️/5

Thank you @scoutpressbooks for the arc in exchange for my honest review. Pub date: 5/21

Great story and plot line. Finished it in one weekend. Was constantly trying to figure out who the murder they were stuck on the island with was.

This was a wild ride. At first I wasn't sure where the story was going as it is centered around a reality TV show, but I'm so glad I kept reading! This had a lot of twists that I didn't see coming. The writing is such that I felt the tense environment amongst the characters and almost felt their anxiety as they navigated being stranded with limited food, water, shelter, etc. Ruth Ware has done it again! This will be a great summer read.
Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for access to this e-ARC.

Just finished Ruth Ware’s, “One Perfect Couple”. It was suspenseful and kept my interest but was not my favorite book of hers, It was slightly reminiscent of “Lord of the Flies”. A group is stuck on a tropical island and how they survive is the main storyline. One person tries to emerge as the leader.
if you are a fan of hers, then read it, but if you have not read any of Ruth Ware’s books, then try another of her books first. I would recommend reading “The It Girl” if you are new to her books prior to reading this one.
Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC.

I read this book in 1 day! What a great read! Fast-paced, twisty, page-turning story! Highly recommend.

Ruth Ware has been touted as a modern day Agatha Christie. This may be true of her earlier novels, butOne Perfect Couple is nothing even close to what Christie would have written. The premise of the novel is that there are five couples filming a reality show and are stuck on an island with a murderer, similar to Christie’s classic And Then There Were None. Unfortunately, Ware has made her characters similar to the lowest of low people who use so much profanity, that they resemble trailer trash. It has been said that people use profanity when they have such a poor vocabulary that they can’t think of proper words to express themselves.

The characters in this novel aren’t the least bit believable or likeable, and hopefully readers won’t be able to relate to them because the characters are such classless people. It may be that the younger generation talks like these characters do, but most of us with any amount of class don't.

Although the story may be a bit interesting, I couldn’t even read past the halfway point of this novel because I refuse to read profanity-laden smut. Ware’s writing talent is lost, and the novel isn’t worth the effort of trying to find a storyline with all the distractions.

I wouldn’t recommend this novel to anyone, and will never pick up a Ruth Ware novel again. I rarely write a bad review and can usually find something good about the worst novel. This one is an exception and is not worth reading. I'll stick to the real Agatha Christie.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This was not in my top Ruth Ware books. Usually she ties all of the strings together from all of the twists and turns. This book fell flat. It might be the premise or the flat characters. Layla and her boyfriend, Nico, travel to a tropical island to be on a reality show called One Perfect Couple. After the first meeting of the couples a tropical storm hits leaving the cast without any contact to the crew or the outside world. Layla must figure out who is sabotaging the other guests and sometimes murdering them. Although Layla and most of the other women are able to be rescued, all of the men parish. The big reveal was lackluster.

In order to give her actor boyfriend Nico a shot at fame, scientist Lyla agrees to join him in a reality show competition where “one perfect couple” has a shot at winning it all. The remote island location seems like paradise until a tropical storm blows through, and the contestants find themselves struggling to survive. Besides their injuries and lack of necessities, they fear one of the contestants is picking the others off one by one.

Ware does such a great job of making each character unique that despite the largish cast, ten contestants and a staff/crew members, I was easily able to keep everyone straight. Lyla made a great fish out of water character as most of the other contestants were used to being on camera.

The novel is broken down into to three parts: the calm, the storm, and the reckoning. The story is told via Lyla’s point of view interspersed with SOS messages and the epistolary perspective of another contestant. When Lyla senses something is off with the show, a secondary mystery is created.

Like Ware’s other books, ONE PERFECT COUPLE is a character-driven page turner. The reality show premise allows the reader to brainstorm ways Lyla might strategize to make Nico’s dreams come true while honoring her own ticking clock agenda. Later her strategy shifts to survival and figuring out who is friend and who is foe.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Scout Press, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Concept, setting, characters were all top notch. Enjoyed the suspense and uneasiness of the journey to and on the island. The female friendships were strong and unforgettable.

I always love a thriller from Ruth Ware and One Perfect Couple is no exception. I recommend going into this one not knowing much about it. It is such a fun read and will keep you guessing until the end.

This is a perfect summer destination high tension thriller!! Five couples are provided a once in a lifetime opportunity to escape to a sparkling luxury resort in the Indian Ocean; the catch? They are being filmed for a reality TV show experience and put through challenges testing the strength of their relationships. Narrator, Lyla, is a London post-doc research scientist who is in a bit of a mid-30's rut. Her younger boyfriend, Nico, is a struggling actor, and she is worried their future together might be stalled. However, when Nico is cast for an upcoming reality TV show that could propel his career, Lyla, begrudgingly agrees to participate in the hopes that a vacation in paradise might be the life shake-up she and her relationship needs.

After a whirlwind onboarding period and a world-crossing plane and then boat ride, Lyla + Nico, arrive at Ever After Island with the 4 other couples and the reality TV show crew. But after the first challenge goes awry and then a freak storm leaves the contestants stranded without their phones, electricity, and limited food/fresh water, the tension escalates very quickly. Ware does a phenomenal job capturing the TERROR of isolation via Lyla's POV and interspersed journal entries written by another contestant. She also utilizes the couple's dynamics to show the varying ways trauma can reveal cracks between lovers and friends, and how being on camera alters one's actions. As each day drags along, the dangers increase, the bodies start dropping, and Lyla must determine who she can trust in her fight for survival.

Fans of locked room thrillers, reality TV shows, and Survivor should absolutely add this one to your summer TBR. I solemnly swear I will never take fresh water access for granted again!! So fill up that 40 oz. Stanley, and dive into this one today.

(Content Warning: read with care if you are sensitive to domestic violence,)

4.5 ⭐️

Nico and Lyla are cast in a new reality TV show that is meant to test their relationship. Early on, a storm hits and it becomes a Gillian’s Island meets Agatha Christie situation. Alliances are made and broken and the contestants’ true colors are shown.

This was a heart pounding thriller - great tension and action writing. There’s a current question making the rounds on social media right now: would you (as a woman) rather be in the woods with a man or a bear? It’s definitely the bear and this book illustrates one of the many reasons why.

Exactly what I expect when I pick up a Ruth Ware book! I do believe the quality of writing is getting even better and I enjoyed the complicated technical stuff that Lyla studies. I'm a believer in learning while I escape. This is a great fast read and I will continue to read everything Ruth Ware writes. The main character was someone I'd like to be friends with and plot moved along at a great pace to keep me hooked. Thanks.

"One Perfect Couple" by Ruth Ware is a thrilling and suspenseful ride from start to finish. Set on a storm-swept island reminiscent of Agatha Christie's classic "And Then There Were None," the novel follows five couples competing on a reality TV show for a cash prize. But when they become stranded on the island, tensions run high and the game turns deadly.

Ware masterfully builds tension as the contestants are eliminated one by one, leaving the remaining couples to fend for themselves. Lyla, the protagonist, soon realizes she's the outsider and must band together with the other women to survive. The pace is fast, and the twists keep you guessing until the very end.

While the plot may feel familiar, Ware brings her own unique spin to the genre with well-drawn characters and a gripping narrative. The last quarter of the book is particularly intense, delivering a satisfying conclusion that will leave you breathless.

Overall, "One Perfect Couple" is a must-read for fans of psychological suspense. Ruth Ware once again proves why she's the queen of the genre with this spellbinding thriller.