With Metababies, you have the opportunity to customize every aspect of your child. This groundbreaking concept will be introduced through The Family Experiment TV program, hosted by Autumn Taylor. Over nine months, eleven childless couples will engage in raising interactive children within the Metaverse, navigating challenges where viewers can reward or penalize their parenting efforts. The ultimate reward? The option to keep their virtual child or the chance to welcome a real baby.

John Marrs consistently delivers innovative and thought-provoking narratives. If you’ve read The One and The Passengers, you can expect a similarly engaging experience with this latest work. The scenarios presented are chillingly plausible, raising important ethical questions and urging us to approach this evolving landscape with caution.

The story is conveyed through the distinct perspectives of the selected parents, each possessing rich and complex backstories. Readers will find themselves empathizing with some while observing the distressing unraveling of others' lives. The tension is expertly crafted, featuring moments that elicit both suspense and surprise.

One character, in particular, is both intriguing and enigmatic, drawing readers deeper into their narrative. As the plot unfolds, the question of the ultimate objective remains compelling, with unexpected twists that keep the audience engaged. Additionally, the clever and humorous inserts throughout provide insightful social commentary, enhancing the overall reading experience.

This books is a great blend of dystopian world and reality show elements. We are following different couples raising computer generated kids, and the cherry on top is that its being streamed live by the whole world.
John Marrs always has the most unique ideas and the implementation is done well. The changing povs and the exciting story building kept me hooked.

The Family Experiment by John Marrs is a standalone science fiction thriller which takes virtual reality to a new level with A.I. and shows it all on a reality tv show. While this book is technically a stand alone it is set in the same world as the author’s previous titles and does have some elements carry over into the story but can be enjoyed on it’s own. The story in The Family Experiment is one that changes the point of view between multiple characters in the present timeline with a slight bit of looking back into their pasts over the course of the book.

The Family Experiment is a reality television show that is going to give it’s lucky participants the chance to win either their own A.I. child or the opportunity to have their own child in the real world. The group of couples, and one single father, are going to be raising their virtual child with all the trials and tribulations regular parents endure but only in a virtual world with the eyes of the world upon them while doing so. The experiment has been shortened to nine months with the virtual children progressing from infants to eighteen in that time frame and for those involved this is their last grasp at having their own families.

I was slightly hesitant to pick up The Family Experiment by John Marrs to begin with hearing that there is ties to his other books which I have not read but hearing so many good things about the book it really got my curiosity piqued. I really didn’t need to worry though as the story was perfectly understandable not knowing what I was missing with my rating only lowered a bit as it’s a slow starter getting to know so many characters in the book. Definitely a page turner though as it goes on and one I’d recommend checking out if the future of A.I. is of interest to you.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

John Marrs did it again! Another very Black Mirror-like book that had me fully entertained the whole time. There was so much drama and so many secrets in each family, I would def recommend this book!

I tried to give it a chance but the AI was too real and freaked me out. Also the child dying in the first chapter was a little much for me. Didnt get past 20%.

This was my first novel by John Marrs and it was so freaking good!! I don't know how he comes up with his plots, but they're addictive. I love his take on AI and reality TV, it starts out harmless and then takes a serious turn.

This novel was extremely difficult but thought provoking and life altering. A reality show allows teams to compete at raising an AI child to win the chance to have a real-world family. The chapters alternate between the teams who all have different reasons for competing and so many outside AI circumstances. Every chapter ends on a cliff hanger that requires you to read through a few more chapters to return to the same team which therefore makes the read very fast paced. If the metaverse child is so real, minus the timeframe of growing up of course, how does it not "become" a real child? How can they just shut it off? I ended this book in tears for so many reasons, but I do not think I can go in depth without giving too much away. All I can say is read it but be prepared for emotional pain and a lot of questions.

The Family Experiment by John Marrs is speculative fiction at its very best - original, dark and wickedly clever. I was utterly captivated by the way Marrs melded reality TV, AI and a terrifyingly plausible future

What I particularly loved about this book was the way Marrs incorporated issues that are very much an issue in the present day, and carefully twisted them to make them part of a speculative future. He's created a terrifyingly plausible world and I'm excited to read more of this books that inhabit that world.

The world building, the characters, the reveals and the twists are so well done that this book is crying out for a Netflix adaptation.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I read The Passengers by Marrs a few years ago but it still feels like yesterday with how much of an impact it left. So, when I saw a new novel called The Family Experiment was coming out I had to request it. I love speculative fiction and Marrs hasn’t let me down. Just like the first novel I read by him, I just know this plot isn’t going to leave me anytime soon. I’ll definitely be thinking of this story weeks from now wishing I was still in this world. As our AI tech and possibilities grow, scenarios like Marrs has crafted are possible, which is scary. 10/10 will read again and look for more by Marrs.

The Family Experiment is a Sci-fi thriller where there's a hot new reality show where people can experience parenthood through having and raising a child in the Metaverse. The winner of the show gets the choice to either keep their Metaverse child or win the money to start their own real life family.

This book was an incredible fast paced sci fi thriller that kept me interested all the way through and had surprises all throughout the book until the very end! If you are a fan of Black Mirror, this book definitely gives off those vibes. This book touches on many relevant topics that are of interest of me. Topics such as, the behind the scenes toxicity of reality tv show, ethics in AI and machine learning, and the unexpected downsides that can come with technological advancements.

Overall this was a really thought-provoking, interesting, and jaw dropping book and I would be interested in reading more from this author. Thank you Netgalley for the e-Arc!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade publishing and John Marrs, of whom I am a die hard fan, for providing me with the ARC. I have always found his speculative fiction some of the harder books for me to enjoy, but I push through and I usually like them. Unfortunately, this one really missed a mark with me. I didn't even finish. I kept coming back to it, and even read The Good Samaritan in between (loved btw), and every time I went back to The Family Experiment it just didn't grab me the way I really wanted it to. I loved having connections to The Passengers in there and the premise itself was an amazing idea. Something about the delivery felt just flat and I hate saying that about my homie John. This is the only book of his that I've read that I didn't finish or eventually fall heavy into.

I think John Marrs brain needs to be studied. Can he see into the future? Because the concept of this book was simultaneously outlandish and yet… I could see it happening in the near future.

All of John’s books grab me immediately and I can’t put them down, but something about this one was different. Maybe because I was reading it while I myself was pregnant, I don’t know. Initially I struggled to keep up with all of the characters, but once I got them all down I was completely immersed! I enjoyed this one so much, but I would definitely recommend checking triggers before picking it up.

I swear John Marrs has been time traveling.. how does he come up with this Shyte? I'm so impressed by the detail of what I believe will be the future. This book is truly a psychological Thriller in every sense of the word, the movement flowed with each chapter. The characters, you love or hate them, or you hate them then love them. Depends on which ones!! Thank you Sir John Marrs for another fantastic story!!

John Marrs does it again! It's bonkers and it took a twist that I didn't see coming. John Marrs is quickly becoming a favorite author!

Read for Not Your Mom's Boozy Book Club

I recently read The One by this same author and thought The Family Experiment was another super unique speculative fiction. I loved that both exist in the same world and there were several Easter eggs throughout of the previous book. While The One was about several people who signed up to find their DNA match, this book was about several people who have signed up to be on a reality television show. In this show, each couple (or single person) would receive a "meta baby" to care for in a virtual reality world. The show would be broadcast and viewers would then vote for their favorite parent. At the end of the show, the winner(s) would have to choose to keep their meta child, or delete them and receive the financial means to have a child in real life.

While I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as The One, I still really liked it. I enjoyed the multi POV and they were easy to differentiate. There were plenty of plot twists and shocking moments throughout which kept me wondering what was going to happen next. My main complaint is with the pacing, as it did seem to drag on toward the end. But overall it left me excited to read more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

John Marrs is always a winner for me. While this won't be topping the list of my favorites of his, this is definitely one worth reading. It certainly fits into the world Marrs has created with books like The One and The Passengers. For me, it just wasn't quite as good as those previously mentioned.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for providing me with an eARC of The Family Experiment in exchange for my honest review!

What a bleak little dystopia I've treaded through under the guidance of John Marrs, whose work had been on my TBR pile for a few years, but only now have I actually taken a dive into it. The Family Experiment gives off a Black Mirror air as it sharply satirizes reality television and navigates the incredibly messy, complicated, and toxic layers that family dynamics can possess. It can grow so pessimistic that I find myself rearing back from the book sometimes and going, "Ugh, why am I continuing to spend time with these characters, the majority of whom fall on varying levels of the Dickweasel Scale?" Props to Marrs for giving these characters the fleshed-out and believable writing that they need to remain compelling (especially Cadman and Issy), because if they'd been clumsily handled, they could have irritated me too much and pushed me into DNFing the book. And when the whole narrative wraps up, I'm quite satisfied with where it leaves us. There's one character in particular who... well, I'm not rooting for them, exactly, but they enthrall me with the darkness in their soul, and I appreciate how the conclusion to their arc represents a strange sort of karma.

There's something I do need to comment on, though, and that's revolving around the choice to include an AI-generated headshot of Marrs at the end of this book. Yes, it's a headshot that's based on a selfie, so the author's note claims that this route avoids the plagiarism that's inherent in generative AI. However, such plagiarism will always be present with these AI engines, and even putting that aside, generative AI is hurting our environment with every single image that's being whipped up. To make it clear, I am NOT calling for readers to boycott this book because of the AI headshot. I'm simply bringing attention to it as someone who vehemently rejects all usage of AI and has been particularly appalled by how willing Hollywood is to let it infect the industry.

Overall, I'm officially rating The Family Experiment four out of five stars, and I'm looking forward to checking out more of Marrs's books.

What a twisted, addicting novel. My first by John Marrs but definitely not my last. Marrs took two things I actively avoid (AI and reality TV) and made a compelling novel that starts out innocuous enough but grows in depth and darkness.

Similar to The One, The Family Experiment follows a lot of characters, weaving their tangled webs in short chapters, revealing breadcrumbs along the way. Something about this one worked less for me. There were a few too many perspectives and it was tricky for me to keep track of them. And the storylines were kept a bit too close to the chest for too long. Of course the twists and the ending were shocking in their own right and gave you alot to think about regarding the state of the world and having children.

3.5/5 or 3.75/5

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this book and give my honest opinion

to everyone who says this is Sci-Fi or far-off dystopia, I don't think so, I think this is closer to reality than we all like to admit unfortunately

the premise of this book is that 11 contestants (5 couples and a single dad) get to experience having their meta ( hyperrealistic baby) where they wear their VR sets and haptic suits and experience every little feeling and whimper. for 9 months they would be broadcast live, and the months have development leaps, that by the end the child would be 16 years old. whoever wins gets, either 200K to help them have a real baby, or get to keep their meta child.

PROS:
1- the idea is new, fresh, interesting, and close to our soon-to-be reality ( I hope not)

2- the book keeps you going because you would like to know what happens, but also because of the great way John Marrs managed to include small reveals at the end of every chapter, he managed to keep me just hooked and eager to know more.

3- as mentioned, there are multiple reveals , and a good backstory for every character/couple that keeps you interested, but nothing jaw-dropping, or a massive twist! which is understandable! even the "biggest twist", I honestly saw it coming halfway through the book, the last chapter revealed a character that was a happy surprise.

4- my favorite was the mixed media in the book, and the most favorite was the live chat of the audience commenting on what was going on!

5- I liked the dark theme in the book, that one big idea that relates to child trafficking and everything else that has to do with the "show" and the people behind it.

CONS:
1- the book is slower than most, and it dragged especially the ending, it felt like a Hercule Poirot ending (where he explains exactly how they did it) however, it was useless, we could easily guess what happened, and/or a few sentences by the end of that relative chapter would have done the job!

2- there were too many characters, and I did post about how it took me a while to remember who is who ( about 40% in), it could be a 'Me' problem!

3- I disliked all characters, and did not feel or root for anyone! surprisingly the only side character I wanted to know more about was Issy (the locked child)!

4-also much of each development stage showed us bonding, and i honestly did not care much about that, i know it is part of the premise, and the plot to make us understand how the parents act and all, but it simply did not do it for me!