Lyla, a Ph.d scientist agrees to join her wanna-be actor boyfriend, Nico on a reality tv program set on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean. He gets kicked off the first day when he demonstrates that he knows almost nothing about her. That night a tropical storm hits, sending the boat away, destroying some of the island, and causing the first death. Things quickly degenerate into a Lord of the Flies scenario as one person dominates, taking control of supplies and behaviors. As the contestants begin to die in a variety of ways, the survivors have to make tough choices about how they can gain control and get off the island.
I don’t want to spoil the ending of this well-written and tightly packed novel.

I have read many of Ruth Ware's books over the years and some I have loved more than others. This was a fun, twisty take on the reality show fascination. We have Nico and Lyla, a happily dating couple of. a few years. They get an opportunity to go on a reality show called the perfect couple, set on a remote island. Nico wants fame and wants to go so Lyla goes for him with plans to bow out fast and get back to life in the real world. But quickly things don't go according to plan and its off from there. As a reality tv watcher this intrigued me. It had several unexpected twists but also had some good insights into the downfalls of reality tv. This was a fast read, with good surprises and some things I expected but overall a good turn from Ruth Ware that I think people will enjoy.

Ruth Ware has hit another home run with her latest novel. One Perfect Couple. It's somewhat like an adult version of Lord of the Flies, with characters you will love and pull for and others that you will dislike immensely. You will find yourself guessing, and eagerly turning the pages for more clues to find out just whodunnit!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Another home run for Ruth Ware—One Perfect Couple was a wild ride. The setting is familiar for fans of reality television, an exotic island getaway, young wannabe influencers and a cash prize promised at the end of the adventure. The competition starts earlier than expected when a harrowing storm changes everything. Now the true endgame is survival, not just the win. Ware’s signature engaging character development gives readers clues that may or may not help answer the question: is anyone supposed to be alive at the end of this show? Get ready to stay up all night to finish—you won’t want to look away.

The whole “And Then There Were None” trope seems to be very popular these days—maybe a little too popular. Still, I wanted to see what Ruth Ware did with her twist on it. I own two of her books but haven’t yet read them, but I know of Ms. Ware’s reputation as a thriller author, and I *do* like the trapped with a killer kind of story.

Let’s get down to it. This is an enjoyable read. The circumstances of the five couples being stranded on the island are entirely plausible. There are some events in here that require suspension of disbelief, but I’ll admit that things are gonna get dicey when you start running out of fresh water and viable food sources.

In the course of reading this story, you will probably want to punch more than one person in the face. You will throw up your hands in frustration at some of the decisions made. You will learn British terms such as “boffin” and “totting” up (scientist and adding/counting up—I learned something new! 😄). One character will say a freak-ton of things in French while managing to look impossibly beautiful while also wholly dehydrated. You may or may not notice that the F word is the only thing the characters will use when they are experiencing literally any emotion. 🙄

Despite all of that, the last quarter of the book is so engrossing that I shut out everything going on around me—music playing, my son laughing and my husband trying (in vain) to talk to me. I was enthralled. I think you will be, too.

Also, at the end, it begs the question…would you do the same? What would you do to stay alive?

My thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Scout Press for the complimentary advance copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Love is Blind/Love Island meets Lord of the Flies. It’s that time for another Ruth Ware book and this one definitely didn’t disappoint! This one holds you to the very end with a few twists that happen in the last few chapters. Overall a very good book with the typical Ruth Ware flair to it!

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge Ruth Ware fan, but unfortunately this one did not live up to her usual writing. This survival story, initially framed as a reality TV show disrupted by a storm, was fairly disappointing with its ending. Despite a cleverly concealed twist, the conclusion lacks satisfaction, and the slow pace failed to capture the intensity of the survival scenario it was portraying.

In Ruth Ware’s new novel she brings the thrill once again! In “One Perfect Couple”, Ruth Ware keeps you on your toes trying to figure out whodunnit!! What should have been a fun opportunity to join a new reality tv show on a tropical island, quickly turns into a game of survival and deciding who you can trust.

I had to sit with my thoughts for a day on this one before I started my review. I have read four other Ruth Ware books and it’s safe to say I’m a fan! I have given four star to all of them. This book, One Perfect Couple starts off with the couple Lyla & Nico who seem mismatched from the start. She is a scientist who is studying viruses and he is an aspiring actor who comes across well to put it bluntly, selfish, vain and less intelligent. He convinces Lyla to go to an island to participate in the realty show “One Perfect Couple”. The book follows the storylines of four couples and the crew that is working the show.

I found myself investing in the storylines and shocked and outraged at some of the players actions. You start connecting with some of the players and rooting for them. All in all I really enjoyed this one. It does touch on sensitive topics such as rape, domestic violence and suicide though, so be cautious if those are triggers for you. All in all I loved this book and would recommend it! Another winner for Ruth Ware.

Ruth Ware does it again! She writes incredible characters and an exciting story that kept me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Five couples are vying for the prize on reality TV show “The Perfect Couple”. It becomes all too real once a storm comes through, making them fight to survive. This is a slow, suspenseful read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

I don't typically read the current flux of reality TV thrillers, but since it's Ruth Ware I made an exception- and I'm glad I did.
Ware's customary great writing is here, but the fast-paced, terrifying action is different from her usual creepy, twisty mysteries.

Thank you Netgalley, Scout Press/Gallery Books for this exciting digital review ARC by a legend.

✨My love for thriller books started way back when with Ruth Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood.  I have read every book she’s written and have loved them all. Save for her last.  While it had so many amazing reviews, for some reason it was just not for me.  BUT THIS ONE!! Whew!  This one kept me utterly glued to the pages!
 
✨The tension was UNREAL!  The very real sense of danger lurking around every corner had me on the edge of my seat, and I could not stop reading late into the night so I could finish. 
 
✨I loved the slow burn start that drew me in then quickly thrust me into a rollercoaster ride of hair-raising suspense.  The tropical sunshine reality TV show became a fight for survival, and I could not turn the pages fast enough!
 
✨This will be the perfect summer beach read for thriller lovers!  You won’t want to miss it. 
 
🌿Read if you like:
✨Agatha Christie
✨Isolated settings
✨Weather disaster stories
✨Reality TV
✨Survival stories
✨Strong female characters
✨Tropical settings

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware is an amazing thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. This story follows five couples trapped on a storm swept island as a killer stalks among them. Lyla is at a crossroads in her life, when she and her boyfriend Nico are selected to participate in a reality TV show called One Perfect Couple. What starts as a chance for adventure and a cash prize quickly turns into a fight for survival as the group finds themselves stranded on a deserted island. The author’s storytelling is masterful, and builds tension with each and every page. The characters are well developed, and their interactions feel authentic, adding to the suspense of the story. With its fast paced plot and twists and turns, this book is the perfect psychological suspense read!

While I liked this more than Ware’s last by a mile, it still was missing the pizzazz of some of her earlier works. While this had a good suspenseful pacing, I wish we had more of the game itself before the storm as the book then became solely a lord of the flies survival story, which frankly isn’t something I really care to read. The ending “twist” didn’t feel like a twist at all, which left me feeling underwhelmed. I’d rate this just mediocre, unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5!!!
Thank you Net Galley for Ruth Ware’s newest thriller One Perfect Couple!!! This thriller was not like any other book I have ever read, centered around a reality TV show where couples are sent to a lavish resort with Villas on an isolated Island. But things don’t go exactly as planed when a storm hits and all communication is shut off. Can they survive with the little supplies they have?
I really did enjoy the gripping plot line and the scene was set up perfectly by Ruth Ware’s talented writing.

Ruth Ware has written another pulsating thriller. To date, this is my favorite of hers and I highly recommend it if you enjoy the slow unwinding of an intense story.

A new reality show is being filmed on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. Couples must compete in tasks where each week one person must go home and their other half must spend the night with another contestant. But before the show can really even begin, a massive storm blows through and wreaks havoc on the set and it now becomes about survival. With limited food, limited water, and no way to call for help, they must work together to survive, but not everybody will make it home.

The descriptive nature of Ware’s writing makes the reader feel as though they are right there in the middle of the action. Though there were many characters, it was easy to keep track of who was who because each of them had their own voice and each was distinctly unique.

For me, this is a 5-star read and I am grateful to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

3.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and Galley Books for the ARC ebook to read.

A psychological whodunnit thriller that takes place on a remote and deserted island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Nico and Lyla will compete with other couples for a chance to win a cash prize on a new reality show. Things don’t go as planned and it soon becomes a test of survival for these contestants.

Things start to go awry quickly after a major storm hits the island and a killer stalks among them. I found the second half of the book to be more fast paced.

This was a quick read and it was a good read, however I have enjoyed some of her other books more. I did like the setting of the story and it was easily pictured in my mind of what the island looked like. I think if you are a fan of reality TV shows, you may find this a better read than I did. I do like Ruth Ware’s writing and storytelling and look forward to more from her.

Loved it! This book mixes “Lord of the Flies” with the reality show Love Island which is a sentence I never thought I would write! It was entertaining and unique. One addition I would make would be to add in the brochure that describes the characters as a key in the front of the book. When the characters were first introduced I had to flip back to remind myself of their descriptions and it was especially tricky because so many of the characters fit the influencer niche.

One word for this book: intense!! In the best way. As a fan of some reality TV--I've watched every season of Survivor--but not many others that are about surviving on an island, I am still familiar with the format that this book's show is based on and it truly felt spot-on. I definitely liked that the intense situation's timing (within 24 hrs of the show's start) was perfection as the characters/contestants don't know each other well as they face the unexpected challenges of the rest of the book. Every character is fleshed out. Every character is an integral and interesting part to the story that gives it more depth. I liked the issues that are addressed and I appreciated how their story wraps up. It was a wild ride. I feel like I was on that island and am still recovering myself!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an ARC of this book.