
Member Reviews

Calling all reality tv fans! Ruth Ware delivers a storyline that is part Love Island, part Traitors, sprinkled with a little Survivor and a bit of Castaway with twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. The unputdownable book had me reading well into the night. If you are looking for a story set in paradise with a good plot twist, look no further!

Five couples are stranded on a remote island while filming a reality T.V. show--not all of them will make it out alive.
Lyla, a scientist struggling with her career, is dating struggling actor Nico. With the chance of a lifetime to film a reality show in the vein of Love Island, Nico persuades a reluctant Lyla to film with him. However, after they arrive on a beautiful island in the Indian Ocean, a hurricane hits, turning the relationship-themed show into one about survival. As a result, relationships flounder, power dynamics shift, and chaos ensues, leaving only the strongest to survive.
While there are multiple characters, the sole narrator, Lyla, makes it easy to keep track of each one. Had multiple perspectives been shared, there would have been too many voices, which would have diminished the tension and suspense.
The reader is also privy to one contestant's diary.

Ruth Ware has this unbelievable ability to write books that you can’t help but read in one day. They’re addictive & make you forget all responsibilities you have for the day. One Perfect Couple is one of her best yet & a standout thriller for 2024. Read this one & thank me later. But cancel your plans when you buy it!!
Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books & Gallery/Scout Press for an ARC copy of this book.

Thanks to Gallery Books, Scout Press, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
Publishing May 21, 2024!
This is a really fun, suspenseful read. It’s like And Then There Were None meets Love Island, with a little bit of Lord of the Flies in there. 5 couples travel to a remote island off the coast of Jakarta to film a reality show with a cash prize. Things quickly go off track and the cast finds themselves stranded, with no way to communicate to shore and no way to get off the island. What follows is a look into human behavior, with some banding together, some taking power, and lots and lots of suspense and murder.
I read this book in a day and really enjoyed it! It will be a great summer read.

After she learns that her current science research gig is likely over, Lyla agrees to join her boyfriend Nico as a contestant on a new reality show. A Love Island meets Survivor hybrid, the show pits different couples against one another to find out who is the "perfect couple." But when a storm strands them on the island without the production crew, food, or water, and people start dying, the games become all too serious.
I've been in a reading rut lately, and this was am excellent way to get out of it! A fast-paced thriller with a interesting few twists - some I saw coming and some I didn't. Ware alternates from Lyla's point of view to other ephemera including mayday calls on a radio and an (anonymous) diary of someone on the island - which don't always give the same version of events that Lyla does. I read it in two big gulps - half one night and half the next day. Super fun.

Another amazing book by Ruth Ware. Love Island meets Survivor! I literally could not put this book down and read it in one sitting. I cannot wait to recommend this book next month. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy.

I'm wondering if Ruth Ware is capable of writing a novel that I'm not compelled to devour in a single-sitting. What makes her villains truly scary is that they could be someone you already know and you don't have to be stranded on a desert island to be in danger.

One of the best recent stories by a great thriller writer. Really enjoyed the writing style of this book with the main narration coming from one character while being interspersed with diary pages and transcripts from other characters. This becomes especially interesting as the stories from both sides do not always match. Well written allowing the reader to wonder how they would react under similar circumstances. This thriller will leave you guessing until the very end!

Ruth Ware has always been a favorite of mine. This book had all the mysterious twists and turns that I have come to expect from the author. The premise of the reality show was a little "out there" in my mind, but it made for a great imaginative start. The characters were a diverse group of people who found out that fighting for survival meant figuring out who you could trust and what everyone's motives were. The continuous action in the book kept me reading "just one more chapter." I appreciated how the author tidied everything up in the end and did not leave me wondering. This book definitely has me questioning my next trip and if someone asks me to be a part of a reality show...I'm not so sure!

I think this is probably my favorite Ruth Ware book to date. I really enjoyed the character, Lyla, she’s smart, brave, and loyal to her friends. All those characteristics are what she’s going to need if she is to survive on the island. There are twists and turns that you don’t expect, I liked the different perspectives, the radio calls, and the diary entries. If you liked The Woman in Cabin 10, you will likely like One Perfect Couple.
Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Never underestimate Ruth. This story started out kind of wobbly for me, but that’s the point? It’s such a good thriller to read over a slow weekend. I don’t want to give too much away because it’s a wild ride and twisty AF peruse of this author. The way it all comes together…it’s worth it for part three: the reckoning alone. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley I highly recommend for thriller fans!

I am a huge Ruth Ware fan and truth be told; I have read almost all of her books. She always captures believable characters and delivers tension, drama and despair. Her books are easy to read, will grab your interest and dish out a shocking ending that will satisfy. This new addition to her book list was no exception. I love a good "locked room" thriller," especially when the locked room is a remote island.
Several couples travel to a remote island in the Indian Ocean to film a new reality T.V. show. There they will compete in challenges and as they come up short, they will be eliminated and sent home. The show is called "One Perfect Couple," and the couples will come in relationships but possibly leave as singles or in new relationships.
Lylah is convinced by her wannabe actor boyfriend, Nico, to participate in this chance of a lifetime! (For him!) Lylah is a scientist whose post-doctoral research isn't going great. She reluctantly agrees to audition with her boyfriend and is shocked when, in a whirlwind of interviews, she and Nico are chosen and immediately shipped off to the film the show.
Within the first few days, Lylah is having second thoughts and tensions rise as the competitors get to know each other and the challenges begin. Then a horrific tropical storm hits and leaves the contestants out in the middle of nowhere with little food, water and supplies. The characters reveal their true natures as they struggle to survive the unexpected. Every good TV show needs a good villain, after all.
I do like a good reality show, and I love a good thriller. This was absolutely captivating for me. I worried there may be too many characters as I began, but it was perfect. I enjoyed every twist, turn and tropical shock as I read. The perfection of the weaving of the web of tensions and backstabbing was well thought out and illustrated to a T. Thank you, Ms. Ware and the publisher, for this excellent read. 4 stars

I was very excited to receive an ARC of Ruth Ware’s latest novel. I had only read one other book by this author, but was intrigued that the main character’s name was Lyla as I have a daughter named Lila! This book is a reality TV show gone wrong and boy or boy was I thankful to be on the mainland during my vacation when I read this and not on an obscure island!
This book kept my attention from the start as I found Lyla and Nico to be an unlikely couple, but enjoyed seeing them get to the show. I think it would have been worthwhile to provide just a bit more about each couple in the first section of the book. Following the storm, you saw some of the true personalities come out and it was very interesting to see the connections to Connor and Baz by the end. All in all I would absolutely recommend this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for my thoughts. Publication Date: May 21, 2024
Genre - Mystery & Thrillers

Another hit from Ruth Ware! Scientist Lyla agrees to go on a reality tv show to help out her struggling actor boyfriend Nico. Before long they’re on a remote island with other couples competing for a cash. Then a storm knocks the power and they are stranded.
I really enjoyed this one and read it in about two days. The dynamic between each couple and within the couples was compelling. I was interested in how everyone interacted and how they dealt with being stranded together. All in all, this is a solid thriller that Ruth Ware’s fans should enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Gallery Books for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for this eARC!
I have no doubt this book will be an instant bestseller. It will easily appeal to Ruth Ware’s many fans and other readers of mystery/thrillers. The plot is original and well-paced and the characters are engaging. Readers will be on the edge of their seat until the very end.

I enjoyed One Perfect Couple the latest from an author who seems to be hit or miss for me but who delights most readers. This one is set on a desert island with various couples competing for a proposed tv series similar to Survivor. Lyla somewhat reluctantly goes along with her actor/reality star wannabe boyfriend with the hope of being eliminated in the first round. There are the normal reality show shenanigans, intense storms (literally and figuratively). Total elimination (literally and figuratively) for some contestants and the game becomes survival. Thoroughly readable and fun

Ruth Ware has done it again! Another thriller i absolutely could not put down.
This one was a slow burn! It starts with a couple- Nico and Lyla- who decide to go on a reality show together set on a secluded island. There is a bad storm and the contestants get trapped with little food or water. This creates the perfect atmosphere for tension between the cast mates.
It took me about 25% of the book to really get into it, but once I was invested I struggled to put it down! There was no crazy twist but I really appreciated that it was a more straightforward book that still had me guessing and engaged. I really enjoyed how much character development there was for the main character and that I really felt like I knew her. I do wish there had been a little more to the ending- it felt quick.
Overall- this is a great thriller that will keep you turning pages! Definitely recommend. 4.5 rounded up.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

AHHHH this book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!!! It’s the kind of book that’ll make you stay up late reading under your covers because you have to know what happens next! I was sooo pulled in. It was very suspenseful without being super scary. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience of reading this book.

Ruth Ware’s newest thriller takes readers to a beautiful island with a location so remote it takes 20 hours to get there by boat. The premise is easy enough: fame-seeking couples take part in a reality show in a tropical paradise to try to win fortune and fame. As this is a thriller though, it obviously cannot be that easy. After getting stranded on this island, things go from bad to worse and readers are just along for this incredibly unhinged ride. Food and water rations are just the start of the chaos for these characters.

One Perfect Couple will make you second guess any interest you ever had in joining a reality tv show. The book has many unexpected twists and turns as a group of contestants try to survive a reality tv show set on an island. The ending left me a little unsatisfied but the book is a good read.