4/5
Excellent Ruth Ware thriller.
I loved the premise of a couples retreat game. The characters were well developed and complex. Would certainly recommend

Pre-order this new book by Ruth Ware! Lyla and Nico agree to be a part of a new reality show on an exotic island; Lyla is stalling in her science career and is reluctant to go, while Nico is positive it will jumpstart his acting career. Very quickly, something is very wrong on the island. There is a monster storm, then contestants start dying. To say more would spoil the excitement. This is a captivating and heart pounding book. The characters are clearly written and memorable. I really enjoyed this gripping new thriller. With thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this ARC. My opinions are my own. @ruthwarewriter

Another great story from Ruth Ware. A reality TV competition gone horribly wrong leads to a real fight for survival, as the characters are forced to contemplate what they will do to make it off the island.

I think my students will like this one, a relationship reality show gone wrong, turned into more of a survivor show with lack of supplies and people dying mysteriously as they find themselves abandoned on an island after a big storm More of an adventure show than character driven, so a bit more superficial than her other books in my opinion

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this advanced reader copy. I absolutely love this author, so I am shocked at how painful this was to read.

The characters were all annoying and immature which I believe is a large reason why I didn’t really care what happened.

Sad day.

I think this book might be my new favorite book by Ruth Ware! If there's one book destined to become the season's hottest sensation, it's this gripping masterpiece that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!

From the moment I started the first chapter, I was gripped by the electrifying pace and the mesmerizing tale of Lyla and Nico, thrust into a reality contest that quickly morphs into a battle for survival.

As Lyla, the brilliant virologist, and her dream-chasing boyfriend Nico navigate the treacherous waters of this reality show, the tension escalates with every turn of the page. The first challenge leaves tempers flaring and alliances forming, but when an unexpected storm isolates them from the outside world, it's every person for themselves.

What I adored about this novel is how it starts with a slow burn, luring you in gently before unleashing a whirlwind of suspense and intrigue. And let me tell you, once it kicks into high gear, there's no turning back! Ruth Ware's mastery shines through as she weaves a narrative so immersive, I found myself holding my breath in anticipation of what would happen next.

But it's not just the pulse-pounding action that kept me glued to the pages—it's Ware's skill in crafting characters that feel utterly authentic. From Lyla's strategic maneuvers to Nico's aspirations, every emotion and motive rings true, drawing you deeper into their world.
And can we talk about the clever meta twist of this being a reality show within a novel? It's like Ware is inviting us to play voyeur alongside the characters, adding an extra layer of intrigue to an already captivating story.

"One Perfect Couple" is amazing suspense book with immersive storytelling, and unforgettable characters. Trust me when I say, this is the ultimate thriller that deserves a spot on everyone's must-read list!

In order to give her actor boyfriend Nico a shot at fame, scientist Lyla agrees to join him in a reality show competition where “one perfect couple” has a shot at winning it all. The remote island location seems like paradise until a tropical storm blows through, and the contestants find themselves struggling to survive. Besides their injuries and lack of necessities, they fear one of the contestants is picking the others off one by one.

Ware does such a great job of making each character unique that despite the largish cast, ten contestants and a staff/crew members, I was easily able to keep everyone straight. Lyla made a great fish out of water character as most of the other contestants were used to being on camera.

The novel is broken down into to three parts: the calm, the storm, and the reckoning. The story is told via Lyla’s point of view interspersed with SOS messages and the epistolary perspective of another contestant. When Lyla senses something is off with the show, a secondary mystery is created.

Like Ware’s other books, ONE PERFECT COUPLE is a character-driven page turner. The reality show premise allows the reader to brainstorm ways Lyla might strategize to make Nico’s dreams come true while honoring her own ticking clock agenda. Later her strategy shifts to survival and figuring out who is friend and who is foe.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Scout Press, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Ruth Ware’s new book is about a remote island where five couples arrive to compete to see who is the one true couple. Even before they arrive, things are muddled and not as they should be. As the book continues, the characters find themselves in many “Lord of the Flies” moments.
I’ll first start by saying I read this book in one day. The good part of that means it was interesting and I was drawn in. The negative of that, it was almost too easy of a read, you could skim or even skip over chunks and still get the story.
It’s worth a read, I love the direction her books are taking. More action and events happening than previous novels. The ending fell a bit flat for me and loose ends were haphazardly tied together.
I would recommend this book as a fun read. A beach read. A vacation read.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Gallery Books for an advance copy of this thriller that takes place on a tropical island that has been cut off from civilization and civility, leaving a couple who thought their relationship was their biggest problem, struggling to survive.

As much as people want it to be, life is not a reality show. There are no roses, no perfect mates, no wacky trips, or wacky tricks. Life is sometimes exciting, most of the time drudgery. To make a relationship work, takes work. And time, and energy. What if though, a show was looking for contestants. To find a perfect couple. Sure things are a little rough now, but this might be the perfect spark to bring everything back to the inferno that was, not the embers it is now. Plus a free vacation, other cool people. What could go wrong? Let the high jinks prevail. This being a Ruth Ware novel One Perfect Couple, these high jinks might include murder, and a narrator who might be playing a little loose with the truth.

Life is not proceeding on the course that Lyla expected. Lyla's postdoctoral work has hit a dead end, putting her job at risk, and her relationship is probably about to suffer the same fate. Nico, her boyfriend is an aspiring actor, who has yet to get a solid role, and the magnetism that was once so strong seems to be getting weaker. Nico gets an offer to join a new reality show, One Perfect Couple, and Lyla thinks this might be a great, at least they will be doing something together even if it doesn't work out. Somehow they both ace the auditions and soon are jetting to Asia, destination an island in the Indian Ocean named Ever After Island. There they meet their fellow competitors three other couples, and the show begins. Which does not go well. After a bad start, a storm blows through wiping out all ways to contact the outside world. Soon resources are starting to stretch, as are patients, and things get much, much worse.

A story that has a lot of familiar elements, however this being a Ruth Ware book, there are a lot of twists and turns. Ware is really good at creating and developing characters that seem real, and react to things as a normal human would. No breathless stares, no wasted words. Including the idea of this being a reality show is kind of amusing as the characters are being observed by readers, which adds a nice meta influence. Ware has a real strong narrative sense, able to control the tension that while feeling uncomfortable and concerned for the characters, one really can't stop turning pages. The promise of one chapter before bed is truly not possible.

There are a few surprises in here, and I don't wan to give anything away. A really good story that can serve as a good jumping on point for new readers. Fans of course will love this, and want more.

Lyla's life is not going how she planned. Working a temporary job that will run out when they lose funding, she's feeling uncertain. She thought she knew where her life was headed but now she's not sure. When her boyfriend, Nico is given the opportunity to be on the new reality show "The Perfect Couple", Lyla immediately declines. Nico explains they both have to attend, all or nothing. Lyla jumps. Life isn't what she wanted right now so why not give it go. They're whisked away to a private island where they'll compete against four other couples to find out who's the strongest. The show isn't all they hoped for though, between the cast of characters and the ever changing twists, Lyla is beginning to think this is more than she bargained for. After the first challenge, emotions are already running high when a storm strikes leaving a path of destruction in its wake. This couples game show just turned into a game of survivor. Who will make it off the island alive?

Ruth Ware is queen of locked room mystery. A beautiful island paradise and a group of characters set to destroy each other. This story felt more high stakes drama vs true thriller. Was I captivated and engaged, absolutely. I was invested, the tension was on point. Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy.

Another great read from Ruth Ware!

Several couples are chosen to compete on a new reality tv show, “The Perfect Couple”. They are taken to a tropical island, where they will be eliminated, one by one, and test their relationships with games and challenges….or so they thought. After a powerful storm moves through the island on the first night, tragedy upon tragedy strikes the couples. It becomes a test of survival, but will any of them survive?

Ruth’s writing style has already been a favorite of mine, so it was no surprise that I loved The Perfect Couple. I was intrigued from the beginning and couldn’t put the book down. I was immediately drawn to every character, wanting to know more about them and their back story. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a great psychological thriller!

I like this book, it was fast paced and kept you guessing. I did have a bit of trouble remembering everyone, I had to keep going back to remember. Would definitely recommend.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
@RuthWareWriter
Pub date: May 21, 2024

It’s no secret that Ruth Ware is one of my favorite writers. There’s nothing she’s written that I haven’t devoured and left no crumbs. With One Perfect Couple, I think she’s achieved another brilliant masterpiece that I will be singing the praises of for a long time to come.
This is told from the perspective of Lyla, a reluctant participant in a new reality web series, One Perfect Couple, joining along with her boyfriend, Nico, who wants to advance his stagnant acting career. There’s four other couples participating and each brings something unique to the story.

The setting is the chefs kiss and one of my favorites – a deserted island that at first feels like paradise but then hit by a storm and everything goes sideways. The couples are cut-off from the mainland and must work together to survive until help arrives. Seems like a good plan but there’s a nutter among them and they’ll have to use all their wits if they hope to survive.

When I tell you I was whipping through the pages, believe me, I was WHIPPING through the pages! I think I went through every emotion possible while reading this fast paced thriller and it is as tense as the day is long. I fell in love with the characters (well, most of them) and became invested in them so quickly.

There’s so much more I’d like to say about this unnerving psychological thriller but I’ll leave that for the reader to discover.

Tense, thrilling, brilliant!

My thanks to @GalleryBooks for this gifted DRC!

Ruth Ware's 'One Perfect Couple' takes readers on a thrilling ride unlike anything she's written before. In this gripping novel, five couples vie for a prize on a reality show, only to find themselves stranded after a storm. With echoes of 'Lord of the Flies,' Ware masterfully crafts a story of survival, betrayal, and the struggle for trust. References to classic literature add depth to the narrative, making this a must-read for fans of suspense and intrigue.

Ruth Ware has taken her writing to a whole new level in her latest thriller. Several couples go on a reality game show set on a remote, deserted island. A storm wreaks havoc on the island the couples must face dangers from both the island and each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and found it to be a refreshing and interesting page-turner. I loved the survivalist aspects and the multifaceted dynamics between all the characters. The ending was satisfying with several twists.

I’m a big fan of Ruth Ware so I was excited for this new release. At the beginning, I went into this book thinking it was going to be a typical murder mystery thriller; however, it quickly turns into an examination of relationships and the characters’ own personalities and strengths. While the hero(es) and villain(s) are pretty clear from the start, the plot events still managed to keep me intrigued. The writing is strong as always, you could feel the tension and desperation of the characters. There was one plot line that I didn’t think got resolved in the end, but the ending as a whole was satisfying. (4.25/5)

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

4.5⭐️ I’ve read every Ruth Ware, and this one was near the top of the list! At first I thought *𝘩𝘮𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘳.. 𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦..* but I was pleasantly surprised how unique the storyline felt. I loved the reality TV aspect, and I felt like I was really watching it unfold. Though I can’t say the ending was my favorite, it still deserves a great rating. I really didn’t want to put it down.

Thank you to the publisher , Net Galley and the author for the opportunity for review. My review opinions are my own.

I was captivated by this book and read it in one night. It is a very exciting read with a shocking conclusion. The charactes are richly drawn to the plot, the mystery is intriquing from the beginning and the build up of suspense kept me reading. The remote island setting adds to the suspense of the book ., I highly recommend this book for all who enjoy thrillers. A fun read that will lead you far away from life until you finish and leave you wishing it never ended. A excellent read by Ruth Ware. Well done to the author. Bravo !

Finished this is one sitting! I really enjoyed it. What a freaking slap in the face the ending was for the characters. I wasn’t a fan of how rushed the ending was but overall this book kept me engaged and thoroughly entertained throughout. It delivered so much action.

One Perfect Couple is another must read book by Ruth Ware. This is very different from what she has done before. The book revolves around a 5 couples who are competing for prize on a new reality show. Layla is in a rut with not only her job but with her boyfriend Nico, who is an aspiring actor. The other 4 couples are Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana. The cash prize will go to last couple standing. Each week there will be a challenge where one person will be kicked off the island. The remaining contestents can choose to recouple with someone other than their significant others. The first night goes downhill when they discovered after a powerful storm has blown through the island that they are stranded. With limited supplies of both food and water they must now work together to survive. However there is a killer among them and now they have to make sure they can trust each other. I just read Lord of the Flies in book club and this had so many vibes from that book. Ruth Ware even mentions The Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and The Woman in Cabin 10. I absoultly loved this book.