Honestly pretty disappointed with this one. Of course it’s Ruth Ware, so the writing is great and the story is very interesting, but I think there is a really big disconnect between what is being advertised and what this book actually is.
*mild spoilers from here on out* It’s a very different story from what Ware usually writes, which is absolutely fine, it just doesn’t fit with the synopsis. I went into this book thinking it was about these couples going to a desert island to film a reality TV show, a horrible storm hits, they get stranded, and then they all start dying in suspicious circumstances. I thought it was basically just a “And Then There Were None” retelling where there’s someone unknown person on this island picking these people off one by one and they have to try to survive not only that, but being stranded on an island. However, this really isn’t what happens. We know how all these people die (more or less) and we see a few of them happen on the page. This isn’t really a thriller book about a mysterious killer, but an island survival book. It’s really frustrating because we get little hints, specifically in the beginning, about mysterious connections between some of the characters so you’re waiting the whole book for those connections to become relevant and the rest of the story doesn’t really seem to matter. And you can’t even call them red-herrings because the connections do become relevant in the last like five pages of the book.
I think if the book was just advertised differently and there wasn’t that rushed connection at the end, it would be so much better. I usually love Ruth Ware’s books, but this just wasn’t it.

This book was very well written. I loved how the diary entries were scattered throughout but not specified who had actually written them until the end. Started and finished in 1 day!

Finished this one quickly, but not one of my favorite Ruth Ware books. Too much like other books I’ve already read. I was waiting for a big ending twist to make it a little more original but there really wasn’t much. It is an easy read and entertaining enough, so I still recommend you give it a try. It might just be your thing! Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was hooked on this book early on as it had a great Surviver feel with players navigating physical challenges in a remote jungle. Unfortunately, 3/4 into it, it went off the rails, verging into ridiculousness amongst the characters.

Hands down my favorite Ruth Ware book! The pacing of this one made it a one-day read that I couldn't finish fast enough.

Wanna-be tv star Nico convinces his long-time scientist girlfriend Ivy to join a reality tv show with him--it's a a free vacation, but it could really catapult Nico's career. Fairly quickly, it's obvious that the production team is ill-equipped and manipulating the storylines and there is somehow already tension between cast members. As though that's not enough, natural disaster strikes, people wind up dead, and scare resources lead to high tensions as everyone remaining fights for survival.

I loved getting little snippets of each character as the story progressed, even if it did take me a minute to keep all the couples straight. For the plot itself, even with the "villain" seemingly spelled out, there were always little twists that caused hints of doubt to creep in. I was pleased with how this story played out overall. Ware is liberal with giving credit to her sources (she mentions various shows, casting tropes, etc by name), but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment. This would be a GREAT beach reach for the summer!

Overall: 4.5 stars (I really liked it)

I'll tell my students about: language, LGBT+, physical abuse, mental abuse, suicide, trauma, violence/gore/death/murder, drugs

**Thank you to NetGalley & Gallery Books, Gallery/Scout Press for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I have seen so many positive reviews for this one, and was very excited after reading Zero Days last summer, but this one was just okay for me. I was drawn into the story, following Lyla on her adventure into reality TV as her post doc research project is sputtering out. I have never read Lord of the Flies, so perhaps that is the missing piece for me. The ending feels very rushed, considering how slowly the story builds, and I kept waiting for the plot twist that never came. The Joel storyline felt unresolved. I did find it gripping - enough to keep me up until well past my bedtime finishing it up, just wanted MORE.

I enjoyed this read. It was similar in plot to some others I have read but it took a different twist that I didn’t expect. The timeline was easy to follow with the journal entries. I liked the mix of characters and getting information on their backgrounds.

Can Ruth Ware ever do wrong? "One Perfect Couple" pulls the reader into a twisted reality show that feels like a spin of "Lord of the Flies" meets "Yellowjackets" for adults. I immediately messaged my book club and this is slated to be a summer read for us. I cannot wait to discuss the characters! This slow burn quickly turns to a page turner in this thriller/suspense with a nod to Ware's "Woman in Cabin 10" and is a must read! Get on the pre-order list ASAP!

Holy crap this was effed up! I can't even imagine - just wow. As per usual, Ware takes everything you expect based on the book and throws it upside down and backwards with a major twist. This is definitely a keeper.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! This one comes out May 21st!

Wow! This one was fast-paced, and I couldn't put it down. Read it in one day :)

This is reality tv meets mystery meets scary movie. I've read two other Ruth Ware books, but this one is by far the best!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was a wild ride. Survivor shows scare the bejeebers out of me for the very reason that I’m afraid of being stranded on an island and have it turn into what this book is. This book tapped into my irrational fears and my long buried anxiety from watching Lost on tv. 4 stars for scaring me!

Welcome to Ever After Island, a secluded island, where Baz is recording a reality TV show with five couples. Five couples go in and one couple comes out that’s the goal. Nico convinced Lyla to join him on this reality TV show to help boost his acting career, but Lyla was reluctant to take this journey with him.
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The first day in and they find themselves stranded on the island with the weather holding them captive. The weather wasn’t part of the plan, but it played a vital role.
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One Perfect Couple starts off slowly but once the storm arrives on the island the pace begins to build. The story moves at a steady pace. It reads much like the show Survivor. Except there were no challenges. This was eight individuals trying to survive long enough for help to arrive. Meanwhile food and water were scarce. With dehydration a huge factor temperaments were at an all time high. They knew no one was looking for them because they told family and friends they’d be unreachable for six to eight weeks.
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Ruth Ware writes a story about survival. It was originally written as a reality TV show with five couples competing against each other. That all changed when a storm hit the island.
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The ending was underwhelming. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking the game was still being played. I guess I didn’t want to accept their reality. The twist of information was cleverly hidden but like I said before it was kind of disappointing that it happened that way. There was no satisfaction with that ending. I couldn’t even rejoice with the outcome. It was bittersweet.
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The writing was slow and arduous. Reading survivor stories just doesn’t carry the sane weight as watching them. Maybe had I gone into thinking this was about survival instead of a reality show then I could’ve done a better job of feeling the words differently.

This author! What a roller coaster ride. Even though I’m not a reality show fan, I’ve seen enough commercials and this story is very believable. Very suspenseful and nail biting. The setting is easy to imagine and the characters/contestants bring a variety of personalities both good and bad.

One Perfect Couple is classic Ruth Ware. Suspenseful and set on a deserted island, this book follows five couples who embark on a reality TV show to try to determine whether they are with their soul mates. Friendships are born and true colors are revealed. Cut off from family and loved ones due to an unexpected storm, the survivors need to figure out what and who are important to them.

This is my second book by Ruth Ware and I am completely taken by her ability to plot and weave the threads of her books.

Lyla is a young scientist who has become the breadwinner in her relationship with her boyfriend Nico, who is looking for his break to become a star. When he is offered a role in an upcoming reality show called One Perfect Couple, he nags and pouts until she agrees to go. Of course, Lyla starts realizing things are not quite as good as Nico portrays them to be, and after meeting the other couples, a storm hits the island resort where filming takes place and things start going badly.

As with The It Girl, you can't trust anything - or anyone - in this book. There are agendas at play and the most innocent message can have a completely different meaning under another light. The denouement is as always, full of shocks and reveals that had me going back to the beginning to see the seeds that had been carefully planted by Ms Ware. I am diving into the backlist until her next book comes out.

One Perfect Couple
by Ruth Ware
Pub Date: May 21, 20024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.
The reality show motif is not my favorite but the book turned out great.
There was a big cast of characters, and it took a minute to remember who's who, and who goes with whom, but ultimately they each had a unique voice. While this was an entertaining, escapist thriller, it also touched on the seriousness of bullying and domestic abuse. This was a page-turner that I flew through in record time. I also loved the little nod to THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10.
Gripping novel!
4 stars

One Perfect Couple is one of those books where a group of people find themselves stranded in a tropical island. These books throw a group of people together … each with their own issues and then mayhem ensues . I’ve read books similar to this where there is a secluded cabin and avalanche … you get the picture.
The basic premise is that 4 couples are going to this island to participate in a reality tv series … to determine who is the perfect couple.
A big storm hits the island almost immediately and it goes from Love Island to Lord of the Flies.
As a frequent reader of Ruth Ware … in my mind there was going to be some mind blowing twists… and I kept waiting for them…and they never really delivered. The plot was pretty straight forward … even until the end. I did enjoy the cheeky reference to The Woman in Cabin 10.
All in all … familiar story that didn’t bring anything new to the genre.
Thanks net galley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was hesitant about this one. Reality TV is just not my thing so to read a novel about a reality TV show just didn’t sound enticing. But it is by Ruth Ware so that was enough for me to at least give it a try. And I’m glad I did. I think One Perfect Couple just might be my favorite book from this author to date.

Five couples are selected to compete on a reality TV show to see who is the Perfect Couple. When they arrive on the isolated tropical island, not every thing is as they expected. Not all the equipment is working and it is not yet clear exactly what the competitions are going to involve. When a fierce tropical storm hits the island on their first night there, all communication with the outside world is cut off. As supplies run low and tempers run high, they all must do what every it takes to survive. But can they?

There was a full cast of characters but the development was such that it wasn’t hard to keep everyone straight. They were all very realistic, some you wanted to cheer on and other the kind you loved-to-hate. A real page turner that kept you on the edge of your seat in anticipation of what would happen next. All Ruth Ware fans and mystery/thriller fans alike will not want to miss this one!

I have not always liked every Ruth Ware novel, but I did enjoy One Perfect Couple. Admittedly, I had a tough time putting down this book, once I got to the half-way point. One Perfect Couple is the second book that I have read lately using a reality TV show motif. The plot begins for 5 couples, who will be deposited on a remote island, where they will undertake a series of challenges that are designed to determine which coup[le is best suited to one another. That is the premise, but that is not this novel. How all of that goes wrong is the plot, which I am not going to spoil for readers.

I liked that there were a lot of twists and turns and that nothing was as it seemed. Halfway through the novel I was sure how this Ware's novel was going to end. I could not have been more wrong. I did enjoy One Perfect Couple very much. There is a 3-part structure, where in part 1, everyone is introduced and dropped off at the island. Part 2 is the complication--a storm, and part 3 is the resolution and how that happens. And how the resolution takes place is witty and full of twists. I am recommending this novel.

Thank you to the publisher, Scout Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, and to NetGalley. The above is my honest review.

Ruth Ware is consistently one of the best authors in the psychological thriller genre and this book is no exception. The ensemble cast of characters makes for a wild ride from start to finish, and I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I loved how the plot unfolded and how strongly I felt about the characters--bad and good.