One Perfect Couple is thrilling and intense in parts and I really had high hopes for this locked-room, deserted island thriller. However, the way it all gets tied up at the end greatly disappointed me and ruined what could have been a 5-star read. What stared out as an intriguing, unique reality show that promises drama with its premise of mixing up couples to find one perfect couple gets destroyed when a disastrous storm hits the island, making it a game of survival. Who will win? Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for the advanced copy on exchange for my honest review.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware is a good fit for readers who enjoy suspenseful stories about survival and uncovering the truth in unexpected situations.

Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctorate research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure her contract will not be extended, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. This is the big break she needs! A whirlwind preproduction process later, Lyla finds herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, 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, Joe and Romi, and Connor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize.
Alas, not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start going wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to reach the boat and crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. Tensions run high and fresh water runs low. Then, one by one, contestants start to die. Lyla suddenly realizes she and Nico are trapped on the island with a murderer on the loose…and nowhere to hide.

This was my first Ruth Ware book. I enjoyed the suspense of this book, however I felt it started to drag on halfway through. I was anxious to see how it ended and was finding myself waiting for it to end just so I could find out what happened.

After taking a day to ponder, I'm ready to dive into my review of Ruth Ware's latest, "One Perfect Couple." As a devoted fan of Ware's previous works, I approached this novel with high expectations, and I'm pleased to say it didn't disappoint. Set against the backdrop of a reality TV show, we're introduced to the mismatched duo of Lyla and Nico, whose dynamics quickly draw you in. Ware skillfully navigates the intertwining storylines of four couples and the behind-the-scenes crew, keeping readers on the edge with shocking revelations and unexpected twists. While the book delves into sensitive topics like rape, domestic violence, and suicide, it's done with a careful hand, serving as a reminder to tread cautiously if these themes are triggers for you. Overall, "One Perfect Couple" is a gripping read that had me invested from start to finish, reaffirming Ware's status as a master storyteller. Highly recommended!

While the book was entertaining, it didn't keep the suspense for me. I felt disappointed that I never found out what happened to one character and that the villain had such an anticlimactic demise.

Another Ruth Ware that I thoroughly enjoyed!

There were a lot of different characters but the voice that was given to each one helped me to keep them all separated, they had unique traits as well. The descriptions and intensity of how and what each person was going through on the island was so well described it sucked me in ~ I was able to feel their pain, happiness, sadness, and joy.

Close to the end I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen, but in true Ware fashion I was completely wrong. This was a great read!

Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

This one was entertaining but it also felt so similar to a lot of other thrillers. I need a little better concept.

This book was soooo good! Intense, terrifying and utterly gripping! I love Ruth Ware and this latest book from her is sure to be a hit.

I could not put this one down. Let me tell you that I love my sleep, and I rarely stay up late reading books, but I stayed up reading this one because it was very hard to find a stopping point. It has everything you would want in a thriller: fast pace, an evil bad guy, strong women, and major suspense and action. It reminded me the entertaining anxiety I had while reading Stranded. Definitely recommend and is now one of my favorite Ruth Ware’s.

This one was tense. Scientist Lyla (never call her a doctor or she’ll spend a whole paragraph ranting about it) and her wannabe actor boyfriend Nico, get the chance to go on a Love Island meets Survivor reality show. They’re in the middle of the Indian Ocean without any contact to the outside world when a storm changes everything,

There were times when the tension was palatable but also the build up of the story dragged and the climax was fast. The inserts of the radio messages and Zan’s diary broke it up a little but it felt more like interruptions than anything.

I didn’t really care for anyone and Lyla wasn’t exactly the most loveable protagonist. An entertaining thriller/beach read. You’ll certainly appreciate what you have after reading this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book!

One Perfect Couple is Lord of the Flies meets The Bachelors meets Agatha Christie. Ruth Ware can be a hit or miss author for me, but this one was enjoyable all the way through.

Lyla, a microbiologist in the UK, and her aspiring actor boyfriend Nico join 4 other couples for a reality TV show called One Perfect Couple on an island in the Indonesian Ocean. After night 1 tensions are high, but an overnight storm takes tensions from bad to horrible.


If you enjoy horror, thrillers, and survival instincts, you’ll love this book by Ruth Ware! I felt the characters were well chiseled and many were likable. I loved the ending.

A solid 4!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting of a reality show is appealing and modern. The pace was quick enough to hold my attention, which tends to be an issue for me. Considering I am a young couple this book featured what felt like my peers, so was easy to connect to the characters and get invested in the outcome.

I love a good tropical setting thriller and this one definitely had that. It was enjoyable, just somewhat uneventful. There were no big twists or anything. I liked that the diary entries were explained at the end. Character development could have been a little better. Worth the read but won’t be one I think about for a while.

I loved this one so much! It was not at all what I was expecting but nevertheless it was amazing. Less of a mystery and more a thriller about survival with a feminist slant. I will definitely be recommending this one.

Read this one on a tropical vacation and it was the perfect setting for inhaling this book. Ruth Ware can be hit or miss for me but this one is a hit. I loved the sense of place and the ways in which the women banded together throughout the novel. The blurb harkens to Agatha Christie, but I really did not see that many similarities between this, and And Then There Were None. Although if you do know that story, you may be able to figure out the ending quicker than some other readers. That being said, I wasn’t disappointed, even though this is technically a popcorn thriller. It just goes down easy!

What an entertaining thriller! I loved the different timelines and the journal entries sprinkled through. I also appreciated that it was mainly from one character’s POV, it helped me keep track of the timeline easier.

I didn’t like the ending for one character—it felt like the author kind of forgot about them and then was like “oh shoot, lemme tie this up real quick!” However, the pacing was good and the character development by the end was satisfactory for me.

Overall, this is going to be a great summer book. Perfect to read on vacation because you won’t want to put it down. One Perfect Couple gets a 4/5 from me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a fast paced thriller set on a remote island following a group of couples who are there to film a reality show. Things go terribly wrong and chaos ensues as there is a murderer among them. Lyla is our main character but I found I didn’t care deeply about any of the characters in this book. I was rooting for their survival but I wasn’t deeply invested in it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I’ve always been lukewarm/underwhelmed once I finish a Ruth Ware novel, yet I’ll knock my chair over to request an ARC of hers when one is released. Can’t explain it. Welp, this one I REALLY liked. It was fast paced yet fully developed. I could have done without the very last twist but all the twists prior really had me. I was misdirected and second guessing until the very end which I loved. Couldn’t put this down- highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Lyla, appeasing her aspiring actor boyfriend, agrees to join 4 other couples on a paradise island to participate in a reality TV show. Things take a turn when after a storm, they are stranded with dwindling resources and must figure out how to survive.

This book was an interesting read. There was definitely thrill, shock, and awe. The ending was a little lackluster for me. Also I wish there had been a bit more character development in some of the couples. It would help me to understand the reasons behind the actions and behaviors of some of the characters.

Overall I think this was an engaging read. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

One perfect couple. As a person who loves reality TV, this plot is so fun. Reading part 1 of this book was like sitting on my couch eating popcorn watching these characters' relationships implode but also knowing they aren't all getting off this island alive... this book, in true Ruth Ware fashion, is full of heartbreak and surprises! I had so much fun reading this one.
Thank you Netgalley and Gallery for the ARC!

Although a little slow, this was a fun read! I genuinely was invested in a handful of the characters, especially as we neared the end. I do wish we had spent more time with them to know them on a deeper level outside of our narrator, though.

The DIARY. I LOVED that aspect of the story. It really brought everything together in the end.

I have conflicting feelings about the ending as a whole. I understand the narrative the survivors had to take and I appreciate that. It just isn’t fair! Also, I was happy to see all the puzzle pieces fit together. The text messages were a bit off. The content of them left me even more confused about that relationship.