Everything this author writes is amazing. The twists the turns, the depth, so so so good. I loved this one so much. I could not put this book down. Highly recommend.

I just love John Marrs, and this book didnt disappoint. It's written in different POV's which I'm a big fan of. I also love a good reality TV angle so this book just checked all the boxes!

This was my first book by John Marrs and I loved it! The concept of this book is amazing and kept me interested the entire time. I loved that the POVs kept going back and forth between the couples and additionally information from The Family Experiment show host. I was not expecting the ending and have been talking about this book for the past five days because it is THAT good!

Where do I even start?!?!!? I'm not sure how to even characterize this book. Dystopian? Thriller? Mystery? Fantasy? Suspense? I don't know but wow this blew my mind. Marrs is such a creative writer. This story was unique, futuristic, yet so relatable to today. It's actually quite scary how relatable it is. Could this actually happen in our future? I wouldn't be surprised if it did. I will say, the beginning was a bit difficult to get my bearings because of all the different characters introduced but I eventually latched on and it wasn't that bad. Some people DNF-ed early on for this reason and I would urge you to stick with it. I highly recommend this book! Must. Read. All. Marrs. Books....

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I am a big John Marrs fan. His latest dark, twisty thriller, The Family Experiment, is set in the same universe as his other novels: The One & The Marriage Act.

The Family Experiment follows 10 couples as they create and raise a virtual child (90's kids, think Tamagotchi) from 0-18 in a span of 9 months. The prize is the right to keep their child, or risk it all for a real live baby. While the book is specultaive fiction, I still found the concept very unsettling. With the way our society and younger generations cling to and rely on technology, and a looming irreversible financial crisis, it is not hard to imagine a world where "virtual children" exist as an alternative to flesh and blood. It may be a good "training tool" to get an idea of what parenthood is like, but I find the idea of virtual children creepy.

One of the major characters is Hudson. He is participating in The Family Experiment as a single dad, but his story is largely told in the past twelve years earlier. I like the book in that the contestants all have interesting stories and roles that all tie together in different ways. Hudson’s chapters are the most compelling to me, but also the most disturbing. This book went to a lot of dark places (trafficking, pedophilia, abuse, etc.) not to mention the violations of privacy programs like this must commit to exist. Yikes.

The book was very dark & twisty and kept me guessing until the very last page. A bingeable read for sure., and A must-read for any thriller lover!

In true John Marrs fashion I was kept on the edge of my seat and was blown away by the twists and revelations! I adore his speculative thrillers and this one was another masterpiece! Thank you HTP for this arc! 🫶🏻

Thank You NetGalley for the ARC. John Marrs can do no wrong. A1 is actually making life better.... or is it? A marketing strategy in the form of a tv reality show to launch metaverse babies who are supposed to serve as a solution/comfort to people who want children. This book was fast paced and jaw dropping. I loved it.

The Family Experiment is John Marrs' most recent thriller set in the same dystopian world as his previous books The Passengers, The One, and The Marriage Act. Five couples and one singleton compete in a reality show where viewers livestream the competition and vote on the winner(s). The competitors are given $250,000 to use toward raising an AI child in the ‘Metaverse’ over a sped-up period of growth of 18 years in the span of 9 months. The winner can either keep what is left from the money they were given to raise their AI child AND keep their AI child, or they can choose to receive another $250,000 to use toward starting a family in the real world, but their AI child will be unplugged/destroyed.

I have read The One and The Marriage Act, which were entertaining, however, The Family Experiment is my favorite out of the three. The book is incredibly entertaining, and each couple has their own shocking secret that make the book even more exciting. The chapters are short and there are plenty of twists. The book itself is less than 300 pages, so I flew through it. There was only one couple that I did not find as entertaining as the rest. Also, while the last 30 pages tied all the stories up, I found that it dragged on for me. Overall, it is a great read for someone who enjoys dystopian/sci-fi thrillers with multiple POV’s and short chapters. I would read it again and recommend it to anyone interested in the genre.

Do you have to read the other books first? Some readers say one should read John Marrs’ previous books before delving into this one, however, I do not think that is entirely true. I think this book can be read as a stand-alone if you aren’t interested in the others, as the characters in this book and their situations are independent from characters in The One and The Marriage Act.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and @hanoversquarepress Square Press for the pleasure of reading this e-book via @netgalley All thoughts are entirely my own: instagram.com/bookslug_

I’m a huge fan of the author so I always get excited when a new book of his appears on the netgalley shelves. Having enjoyed The Marriage Act, I was ready to settle in and get lost in this world for a while, and get lost in this I did but not in a good way at some points. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite live up to his others for me, but I think it’s more of a me thing and less the book. That being said, the book is very confusing and very Meta so be prepared to take notes going in to be able to keep up with who’s who and when and where stuff is taking place or you’ll quickly find yourself losing track.
A reality show about families of all types who have 9 months to raise a virtual child who’s age progresses years each month so that by the time the 9 months is up they are adults and the contestants have to decide if they want to keep the child or have the prize money to have a child in the real world. You use a VR headset and enter a separate universe to spend time with the child and then you take it off and you’re back in the real world. Each family dynamic was different-there were traditional families, single parents, etc, but none of them were exceptionally likable which made it hard to root for any of them.
It’s an interesting concept and totally John Marrs’ style so if you like his work, you may want to check this one out.
Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Anything that John Marrs writes is something I immediately add to my TBR list. This book, The Family Experiment, was so captivating, so intriguing, that I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely loved the futuristic vibes it gives, and the premise of virtual reality and AI was extremely cool. I loved this book so much.

This takes place in the near future world and apparently in the same metaverse as some of the other books by this author. It was really cool actually. It follows 5 different couples and the ability to have like a AI child, you can create your own child and have it look like you and your partner and you raise it from birth until adulthood.

John Marrs’ The Family Experiment is a read that fans of his previous work will especially enjoy. This novel explores a high-stakes experiment where participants get a chance to "reset" their lives by entering an idealized family simulation. It’s a fascinating look at the complexities of family dynamics and ethical dilemmas.

What stands out is how Marrs weaves in elements from his earlier books. If you’re familiar with The One or What Lies Between Us, you’ll spot some familiar themes and clever nods. The book continues Marrs’ exploration of technology’s impact on human relationships but takes it in a fresh direction with the family experiment.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, which keeps the suspense tight and the plot twists unpredictable. The characters are well-developed and add depth to the narrative, especially Evelyn, who grapples with her own past while navigating the experiment’s moral challenges.

Overall, The Family Experiment is a gripping read that balances suspense with thought-provoking themes. It’s a great pick for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers with a twist. I enjoyed picking up on the small nods to his previous books.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press in exchange for my honest review

THIS BOOK! Marrs is a master, and this? THIS?? This was further evidence of that. He always leaves you with something that haunts you. The story is always tied up nicely, but there's always some gristle on the bone at the end too. Like what??? The intrigue! The storytelling! The way he made me feel something for every character?? The premise was gold, and I'm normally a bigger fan of his intimate, domestic thrillers over this high-concept, but this changed that. It was so. Good. SO GOOD. Read it. Solid, solid 5!

If you have never read a John Marrs book, this one would give you a very good idea of his writing style, at times unfathomable it boggles the mind. A television station is showing a reality show, The Family Experiment, shows 5 couples and 1 single father as they via for a prize that would enable them to pursue raising a family. They are given the task of raising a virtual child through several development staged, newborn through 18, the child will 'jump' ahead in development at certain points, from newborn to 9 months, the contestants are aware of the jumps but as the child grows the development catches some unaware (the single father is raising a daughter, when she reaches puberty and suddenly has breasts he's taken aback). The story follows each couple and the single man through the development jumps, there are also chat room conversations that follow the show and can send red or black hearts to the contestant, too many black hearts and the couple faces elimination. A flashback involving a young boy that had been trafficked to an unknown location where is his kept in a secure building and has to complete certain tasks, those that don't do well are shown the door on the left and are not seen again. Each of the couples have issues that they hadn't disclosed during the interview process, one couple had a child, and they keep that child in a locked room in the basement of their house after she had been accused of killing a roommate. All of the secrets are eventually brought to life. This is a very good book John Marrs is one of my favorite authors, his previous books, The Passengers and The One are also both very good and aspects of those two are mentioned in this one. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Hanover Square Press for the ARC.

6 couples competing in a reality show to raise a baby in the "Meta-verse." Everyone has a story--different reasons for being on the show. And everyone has a secret.

I stayed up until 2:30am to finish this book because I absolutely couldn't put it down.

What I really love about Marrs' work is that despite it being futuristic technology, it's not so far off from our own that I could totally see all of this happening.

Because there are so many characters, we don't get a deep-dive into each of them. However, each has many secrets to reveal as the book goes on, so that by the end of the book, I was so engaged with them that it didn't matter.

The plot was riveting and I felt like I literally couldn't put this book down.

Marrs did refer to The One, The Passengers, and the Marriage Act in this book. Some spoilers for The One, but none for The Passengers (as far as I could tell). I haven't read The Marriage Act yet, so not sure there. But as of the time of reading this book, I'd only read The One, and I didn't feel like I was missing out on any plot or information. I think it's just to give you the background of -- these worlds are all the same.

Overall, man, I wish I could erase my brain and read this book all over again. The twists and turns to get where we got were incredible.

This was, by far, a 5 Star read for me.

Set in the same universe as his other novels (although not part of a series), John Marrs once again has us questioning the nature of humanity in The Family Experiment.

I really enjoy John Marrs’ creepy, slightly dystopian stories…*just* far enough in the future to be believable and a bit frightening when he shows the intersection of the dark side of technology & evil. I love the multiple POVs & short, cliffhanger chapters that keep me turning the pages long after my bedtime.

★★★☆ 3.5/5 stars

⟡ 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 :
-dystopian/speculative fiction
-artificial intelligence
-tons of suspense
-moral quandaries
-large cast of characters & POVs
-completely original & interesting plots

⟡ 𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 :
I loved getting to jump back into this world. The writing style is the perfect blend of sci-fi & suspense, with short chapters that end on cliffhangers, tons of epic twists & the use of mixed media like chat rooms, news clips & interviews.

Like with all the other books in this series, there were lots of characters & story lines. But in this book, I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of everyone.

I think my biggest issue with this premise was believability. DNA matched partners, Self driving cars, & Alexa-like technology listening devices in our homes - these were topics had a level of possibility to them. Raising a completely virtual child in a hyper realistic metaverse was just hard for me to relate with & buy into.

That being said, I did have a lot of fun reading this. I thought it was so interesting & unique. I do love the way Marrs has built this futuristic world, & I will definitely be reading any more books set in this universe!

*technically* these can be read as stand alone, but I highly recommend reading them in order of publication to really appreciate this world Marrs has created!

Here’s my ranking of Marrs’s speculative fiction novels:
1. The Passengers
2. The One
3. The Marriage Act
4. The Family Experiment
5. The Minders

Thank you @htp_hive @htpbooks
@netgalley for the ARC!

A few years back, I was enticed to try The One by John Marrs and was blown away by how insightful and eerie it was. While fiction, it was all too possible and all too horrifying. The Family Experiment followed suit. This book explored the idea of raising AI children, and it was premised on a tv reality show where couples (and one singleton) were competing to raise their “child”. This in itself was an interesting concept, but as the story unfolded, all of the secrets hidden within its layers were phenomenal. This was another wonderfully executed novel by John Marrs, and I would highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this arc!

Creative, futuristic story from a brilliant author. It took a while to get the characters straight in my head but I promise everyone and everything makes sense in the end. The twists in every chapter kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading. The ending completely blew me away. Keep them coming sir!