This was my first Ruth Ware book and it was just ok for me.

I disliked the characters and the men were sexist and it seemed like they were better than the women.

I was anxious and wanted to see how it ended so I did finish the book

Ruth Ware books are usually a hit for me, and this book joins that list. A great example of roles people often find themselves in society.

I wasn’t able to finish this before the publishing date which sucks because I was so excited to read this.

I enjoyed this and the writing style, and the story was compelling. I am very interested in reading this author’s future work and this was a very solid thriller. Would definitely recommend to others.

Enjoyed this one more than her last but still not my favorite of Ware's books. This is a locked roomed (island) mystery and a story of survival all in one. I did enjoy how everything connected at the end, giving it an extra star.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. Ruth Ware is an author I typically jump at to read, but recently her books have fallen a little short and this one was no exception to that. The survival island books have been done over and over again and this one didn't offer anything new and exciting. I was really hoping for a big plot twist at the end to salvage the story, but there really wasn't one, so I was left unsatisfied. This one was just ok.

Ruth Ware is so hit or miss for me. I love some of her books, and really don't others. This was one of the ones I didn't love. It drug out way too long the more mundane part of the plot. Then went off the rails on this kind of reality thing but also not plot line? It didn't feel like a mystery or a thriller in my opinion.

More of a 3.5. I have enjoyed other Ruth Ware novels but this one fell short for me. There were plot holes and it lacked a twist that I like with thrillers. As the contestants were killed off one by one, the reader tends to lose track of them and a lot of assumptions are made without any backup. And then the story just kind ended.

Ruth Ware is a hit or miss author for me and unfortunately this was a miss. Initially, I was intrigued by the plot — but started to lose interest due to a LACK of plot and unlikeable characters.

I really enjoy reading Ruth Ware. I would not call this a psychological thriller. It was more of a survivalist novel. I kept waiting for a big twist, but everything was so straightforward. Baz setting everything up to embarrass Connor wasn't enough of an reveal for me. I expect a mystery with Ruth Ware and this book just didn't have it. It was still a good read. I would recommend to patrons who enjoy thrillers.

Not at all what I expected.

Well, finally, this is over. What a nightmare of a read. Despite being lured in by the synopsis that pretended to relate to reality television competitions, the book was basically a bad episode of a survivor show. With totally nasty, hideous characters and a very disjoined narrative. The writing was terrible and repetitive, and the book was way too long. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I tried, in vain, to understand why others liked it but I can't relate. There were so many missed opportunities for the author to use the setting and the show concept, but those were ignored and missed. The motive for the whole experience was so lame it strained the last bit of my credulity.

I listened to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. Usually, this approach makes me enjoy a book more, but in this case, the narrator's voice and the way she expressed the characters put me over the edge. The mispronunciations (such as her saying inchulin for insulin) and the very bad French accent, not to mention the male character voices grated on every last nerve. Hard pass for future Ware novels. I've tried and now I'm totally done.

I love Ruth Ware. This was a fun reading journey. The reveals throughout the book weren't big or catchy which made the pacing of this book a little hard. This would be a good book club pick or a quick pool read.

I find Ruth Ware to be highly inconsisent in the quality of her works. This one was a total dud for me. Everything about it falls flat from the unlikeable characters to the lackluster concusion. I just cannot recommend this one unless, like these characters, you are stuck on a desert island and have nothing else to read. Even then you might want to skip it and go play in the sand or something.

I've enjoyed previous books by this author and have enjoyed then. I enjoyed this one as well but it did not do as much for me as some of her others. I'm not sure I can put my finger on why it didn't grab me as much. I still enjoyed it plenty but it fits in the "pretty good" but not "great" category.

Was this review helpful?

This one was just okay. I think it's missing something in the plot to make it really engaging. I do like this author, though, so I will read more from her.

Love Island meets Lost and Lord of the Flies in this thriller about a group of reality contestants trapped on a deserted island, Lyla is convinced by her boyfriend Nico to set her career aside and join the show for a few weeks, but when they show up they realize they have been sold a vision that doesn't truly exist. After a few short days, a storm rolls in, and Lyla and a group of other contestants are trapped, lost to the outside world. When tensions run high and contestants start dying, Lyla realizes the dark side of reality TV is darker than she thought.

This was a good thriller but I wanted something more from it... we seemed to fast forward past the reality TV aspects that could have made the book incredibly dynamic (ironic statement), and focus only on the survival of the cast. Ruth Ware is fantastic at writing characters you want to save... or push off a dock into shark infested waters.

I love a Ruth Ware book, and I really enjoyed this one, but it was not my favorite of hers. With that said, this book kept me engaged and had such an interesting premise. I really enjoyed the suspense throughout.

This book was so good! I really liked the concept and the reality show part was an added bonus. This book had a lot of plot twists and I confess that I didn’t see most of them coming! Many times I thought I had figured out what was going on and I was so wrong. I really enjoy Ruth Ware’s writing and this was no exception

I have enjoyed all of Ruth Ware's novels, and One Perfect Couple did not disappoint! It was fast-paced and had me on the edge of my seat anticipating what would happen next. It was reality tv meets Lord of the Flies with characters likeable and not so likable. Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for the ARC!

This one is really a wild ride! Lyla and her aspiring actor boyfriend Nico are recruited to star in a new reality TV program. The premise is that four couples will be sent to a remote tropical island and subjected to a variety of trials and challenges. One player will be eliminated each week and the partner of the eliminated person will have the chance to "couple up" with one of the other contestants, if they so choose. The idea is to determine which couples are in solid relationships, and of course, for lots of drama to happen between the participants. Lyla is working as a research scientist on one short-term contract after another. She has no interest in participating, but she knows Nico thinks this will be his big showbiz break and will lead to offers for more acting work. She reluctantly agrees. When they get to the island, they discover that it's "not ready for prime time." Much of the infrastructure is still under construction and many of the cameras and microphones that are being used for filming don't work. The cabins where the contestants stay are all on the small island, except for one that is out in the water, connected by a rickety walkway. The newly paired couples will get to spend time here to after eliminations to see if they want to stay with their current partners or move on to someone more interesting. The crew stays offshore on a yacht when not filming, but can monitor the couples through the cameras. After the first person is eliminated, there is a massive storm. The yacht is no longer visible, some people were killed and injured during the storm, and everything is damaged. As the people who are left await rescue, things begin to take a dark turn when they realize the food and fresh water on available to them won't last long. And soon someone begins to exhibit extremely disturbing behavior.

I really was on the edge of my seat for the whole time! This book is very compelling for so many reasons as the people struggle for survival, both from the hostile (but beautiful) environment and also from each other. Really a page turner! I couldn't wait to see who made it off the island and how they would accomplish it!