I've always been a fan of Ruth Ware and her writing I've read several of her other books so was excited to receive an arc of this book. Thanks to NetGallery, Edelweiss, Scout Press and Ruth Ware for the e-copy of this book


The book is about a bunch of couples that go on an island for a reality show to find "The Perfect Couple." The first night a horrible storm hits and the couples are left to figure things out for themselves.

Twists and turns throughout the novel a fairly quick read however I did feel it got kind of drawn out towards the middle. The ending definitely made the book worth reading!!

Gosh, Ruth Ware used to be one of my favorite authors. I knew, that by requesting this, I was in for reading subject matters that usually grate my nerves (TV reality shows, actors as main characters). But, I trusted Ruth, and wanted to give it a try. This book was not for me, and I should've listened to my instincts about the plot subject matters. I MISS Ware's gothic, creepy, somewhat dark novels. I just don't think trying to fit into the niche of writing about reality show competitions and the whole last to survive an island story is working. Please bring back your atmospheric gothic novels, Ms. Ware! 2.5 stars.

If I've said it once, then I've said it a thousand times and I'll probably say it a thousand more. I will read literally any take on And Then There Were None. Having said that, when I read this book's description, I was intrigued, but also confused. Like, didn't Ruth Ware already write a take on ATTN? Yes, she did--that one was set at a ski lodge, while this is on a remote island. That doesn't matter to me, though--please read my second sentence again. Anyway, this is actually only barely that--there are closer analogues that I won't reveal for fear of spoiling potential readers. In any case, I enjoyed this quite a lot and I'll read whatever take Ware devises next. Maybe a desert setting?

Thank you Gallery Books and Ruth Ware for the advanced copy of One Perfect Couple in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars rounded up.

As someone who looooves a messy reality TV show, I was super excited when I read the synopsis of this one, considering I'm a huge Ruth Ware fan as well. I wish we would've gotten just a little bit more mess before the storm hit, but I won't fault Ware for it, that's just the Bravoholic in me coming out.

The twist that comes at the end of the book was pretty interesting, I don't want to say too much more about it for fear of spoiling anything.

Suffice to say, Ruth Ware could republish the phone book and I'd still go out of my way to read it!

The Perfect Couple US pub date: May 21

This is my first Ruth Ware book, though I've been meaning to try one of her offerings for a while. In One Perfect Couple, Ware uses a reality TV competition as the setting for a story that has elements of Agatha Christie's classic And Then There Were None. Five couples arrive on an island ready to compete to be the one perfect couple. When a storm comes, everything changes and each contestant must not only fight to survive the elements, but also fight to survive a killer. The characters pretty much follow the stereotypes you would find on an actual reality TV show - the hero, the villain, the tough guy, the nerd, the girl next door, the model, etc. The novel was a quick, decent read, though it does drag slightly in some places. The identity of the killer seemed fairly obvious to me, but there is another twist involving why these people were sent to this island.

Despite some elements being predictable and the And Then There Were None trope being fairly common, I did enjoy this read, and will check out some of her other books in the future. I'd give it 3.75 stars, rounding up to four.

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I loved Ruth Ware's latest about a group of people on an island for a reality show, only to be stranded by a storm and picked off one by one. (I also love Lost and Yellowjackets, so if you enjoy those shows you might like this book as well.) A solid mystery with a satisfying ending, plus lots of action scenes along with some strong female characters.

Ruth Ware dips her toes into a survivalist thriller with One Perfect Couple.
When Lyla reluctantly agrees to go on a couples reality show for her wannabe actor boyfriend Nico, she soon realizes she’s in for more surprises than what the producers are throwing at them. After one day of filming, a storm wreaks havoc on their deserted island a full 24 hours by boat away from the mainland.
The boat the producers were living on is gone and it’s only the couples left to fend for themselves.
As supplies start to dwindle, people become more desperate and things start to get dark. Now it’s no longer just the elements they have to protect themselves from, but each other.
What would you be willing to do for your own survival?

Ruth Ware always has some good surprises in her story lines and this one is NO exception. 4 couples are chosen and whisked off to a remote island for a new reality TV series, only to have it all go wrong on the very first night! Readers will be transported to this remote island and will be cheering for the characters and will see at the end the MAJOR twist that no one saw coming!

The author is a hit or miss for me, and this was slightly more of a miss. I loved the premise, and the plot was definitely propulsive, but there was not enough mystery to it for me.

Ruth Ware is one of my favorites, and her newest one doesn't disappoint. I loved the setting on the remote island, the tension, the fight for survival after a horrific storm. No real twists or wow moments, but great writing and character development. I enjoyed this ARC very much, thanks to #netgalley.

This book comes straight out of a modern day reality show except with the added twist of a storm, being stranded, adventure, and thrills. Lyla is talked into going on a couples reality show with her actor boyfriend Nico. The cast of contestants is interesting and like all reality shows there is sure to be a villain, but who? After the phones are taken away and a storm hits, dead bodies begin to turn up.
Although not my favorite bookby this author, it was tense and kept me reading til the end. There were a lot of characters and at times I had to stop and try to remember who went with who. This was an entertaining book and a fast read.

This was sadly not my favorite. It had all the elements of a story I should love- reality TV, game show competition, suspense and survival… but the marketing is really off here.

Advertised as a “And Then There Were None”-esque thriller with a game show backdrop, it really is more of a survival story, reminiscent of Lord of the Flies.
The pace was VERY slow, and though over time the characters developed into distinct narrative personalities, for at least the first 1/2 I couldn’t tell anyone apart beyond the MC.

I didn’t dislike it enough to DNF, and the ending was okay, but overall it was just too slow for me. It also wrapped everything up in like the last 5 pages, which felt crazy rushed after 100 pages of finding coconuts for water.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this one. I went into this one somewhat blind, I didn't read the blurb, I just saw Ruth Ware's name and was instantly sold. The plot is an interesting one and the twists begin immediately. Lyla is a likeable character as are many of the other reality show "contestants." Throughout the book, I wasn't sure who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. While I did enjoy the story, it's not my favorite of Ruth Ware's books.

3/5 ⭐️

From the synopsis, I was hooked. I thought this book was going to be an amazing, suspenseful book regarding an island where there was a murder/more of a survivor story. However, when they got to the island, what I thought was going to happen simply did not. Every time I thought "this would be a great twist!", the plot did nothing. It was very lackluster. There was so much promise!

I really wish there was a big twist at the ending, or something to make the book feel more redeeming. The book felt like is just simply... ended. Everything that was supposed to be the suspense in the book was so spelled out that it was not a surprise. There was no mystery, no thrill! The premise of the book was good, and the writing was good, which was the other redeeming factor and the only reason I rated higher than a 2 star.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Let me preface this by saying that I am cognizant of the fact that I'm absolutely in the minority on this one. I just....didn't like this. From the description, and having read Ruth Ware before, I anticipated that this would be both a survival story and a locked-room (locked island? lol) mystery. I mean the synopsis literally contains this line: "This...thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them".

What this story ended up being was mostly a survival thriller with an extremely surface level plot (and I would argue little-to-no mystery, and very lackluster survival moments--they never seemed too in peril from the lack of food and water, that was just background to the eh plot).
Also, in the beginning of the story they mention one major clue (That Baz and Connor are intertwined because Connor dated his niece "or something". If that plot point didn't end up being relevant, it would have been weird to throw in, and Ruth Ware has written enough books where I would be shocked if she connected two of the characters and then it amounted to nothing. So that was an immediate giveaway for what was most likely going to take place. But still, I had hoped for more twists and turns and intrigue.
Every death that occurred was immediately solved/immediately explained. The "culprit" was known from about the 35% mark, and then the rest of the story was the characters surviving mildly, and people dying off. Also, Nico (MCs shitty boyfriend) is voted out literally immediately, lol, and then just ultimately dies off-screen on a boat during the big storm that hits the island, which was...a choice.

One other random gripe I had was that I was weirdly irritated by Lyla's strange middle-of-the-road stance on whether or not to kill Connor. She, multiple times, is like "he's going to kill us all" and Connor literally killed Bayer in front of all of them and yet she is like omg we can't possibly kill him first.

I don't know, this was just not at all what I was expecting. Every "twist and turn" was so spelled out for the reader--there's even a portion at the very end where the characters are just re-explaining the gist of why the culprit was the culprit (this information could have been woven into the actual narrative and plot of the story, but instead it's just sort of spelled out for the last few pages).

Was this horrible? No. Was this as good at the synopsis made it out to be? Also no.

Another creepy and engrossing book by Ruth Ware. I always expect a book I can't put down and this one doe not disappoint.
A couple go to an off the radar island for what they think is a reality tv show.
Things go sour very quickly. Then they get worse.
A tad Lord of the Flies and a ticking clock for survival.

Enjoy. I sure did.

Book Title: The Perfect Couples
Author: Ruth Ware
Publisher: Gallery Books-Gallery Scout Press
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 400

Story starts in London in dreary late January with Lyla Santiago a scientist with a PhD and Nicholas Rice aka Nico Reece an actor working making ends meets by working as a barista’; Nico sees an opportunity to bring attention to his acting ability that also includes Lyla. Plus promises a lush tropical paradise with palm trees, coconuts, and lovely little villas where the contestants will stay.
A ‘Couples’ reality show’ at a new resort on a remote island in the Indian Ocean; where five couple will complete challenges to find the “One Perfect Couple!
The five couple are:
Nico (28) – Lyla (32);
Conor (31) - Zana (22);
Bayer (28) - Angel (28);
Dan (25) – Santana (25) and
Joel (33) - Romi (31).
However a storm has the couples facing dangers from both the island and each other.

It is me or does this sound very similar to other stories of getting stuck or left on a deserted island?
However this is a story by storyteller Ruth Ware – so it is going to be different ~ Right?

This is my ninth novel by author:, Ruth Ware. She is an author who is either hot or cold for me. There are stories I just love but then there are stories that were okay...
I especially liked " The Turn of the Key", ""The Death of Mrs. Westaway" and "The It Girl" which were all HITS with me!

Truth be told~ I am as much of a fan of reality shows as I am of excessive f-bombs – in other words – Not!
I knew going into this that it was a reality show on an island but expected more from Ms. Ware’s creative mind!

I started out liking Lyla but the characters turned out to be annoying, immature and unlikeable- which sometimes makes for an interesting story- not so much in this case.
.
Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books –Gallery Scout Press for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 21, 2024..

So I've discovered something about myself. I like the "And Then There Were None" trope. You know, the go somewhere deserted and then people start dying. But why? And are they connected? Why this group of people?

Well I am all for a book that is this storyline set across the backdrop of a reality TV show that feels part Survivor, part Love in the Wild, part Love Island. I immediately liked Lyla, a struggling scientist whose actor wannabe boyfriend, Nico, practically drags her onto One Perfect Couple. It's an up and coming TV show on an up and coming network but as Lyla (and the reader) quickly figured out, there was a lot the producers weren't being on the up and up about.

And then things start going wrong. Not the least of which is a monster storm that injures some, kills others, and makes everyone stranded. When reduced to needing basic needs, man's true carnal nature comes out. As Lyla quickly finds out and witnesses.

This book does touch on domestic violence so readers should be made aware of that. However, it is a crucial part to the end storyline that left me pleased. I know a lot of readers are going to enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4! If Love Island and Lord of the Flies had a baby--this one was a page turner! With no access to their devices or the outside world, five couples head to a remote island to compete in a reality TV dating show for an undisclosed prize. But things aren't what they seem...

Our protagonist, Lyla, is not typical reality TV contestant. She is a scientist, feeling down on her luck recently with work AND her love life at home with boyfriend Nico. When Nico, an aspiring actor, begs her to join him for this chance of a lifetime on a reality dating show, she gives in. What does she have to lose??

When a violent storm leaves the cast stranded without contact with the crew, the couples have to figure out how to survive more than just silly reality show challenges and petty fights.

While I was excited to pick this book up at any given opportunity, I found myself wanting more from the ending. It fell a little flat for me, and I was expecting more of a twist from Ware.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review!

I love Ruth Ware, and this was no exception. I wasn't a huge fan of last year's release so I was concerned for this year's, but this one blew last year's out of the water! Twisty, vibrant and full of secrets, this one really kept me guessing until the very end.