The Family Experiment is the perfect "next book" in the John Marrs speculative fiction universe. Set in the same world as "The One," "The Passengers," and "The Marriage Act" where the economy is in crisis and couples are struggling to create the families they'd like. Luckily there is a new reality show called The Family Experiment where five lucky couples and one single dad have a chance to raise a MetaChild in the Metaverse. Over the course of 9 months, the metachild will age from newborn to eighteen years old. A constant live stream will air to the public who can vote on different challenges and send hearts to to approve or disapprove of parental behavior. Full of twists and draw dropping turns, and Marrs' typical cliffhanger chapters The Family Experiment is sure to thrill and excite all fans of speculative fiction!

I absolutely LOVE John Marrs and this world he has created! I’ve been hooked ever since reading The One! I find I do have to pay extra close attention towards the beginning of the books until I get the characters down, or I’ll get them mixed up pretty easily, as it switches perspective every few pages. This book was so twisty! I could not put it down! I only have one book left to read from his “speculative thrillers” and I ordered it the second I finished this book! Onto the next! Can’t wait for more in the future!

Unfortunately, this didn't work for me as well as his others like, The One and The Marriage Act. You can feel the typical John Marrs in it like the others however, the plot and characters were not as well developed as his other books. I will say, I think part of my lack of enjoyment has to do with the the whole baby thing, that's just not my favorite trope. Knowing John Marrs though, I thought it would still create a creepy and thrilling experience. There are a lot of people out there who will enjoy it, so I hope they give it a chance. I'm not done with John Marrs, this one just didn't work for me the way I hoped it would.

5 ⭐️

I enjoyed this book so much. Everything comes together so well from the characters, their lives past & present. I loved getting to switch between the contestants storylines and the sci-fi elements. So good. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller mixed with Sci-Fi. 10/10

The Family Experiment follows different couples on their journey to parenthood. Impress the viewers and win the competition and keep your virtual child or collect a check to help start your own biological family. This experiment puts their parenting skills to the test while they’re being live streamed by viewers. Each contestant seems to be harboring their own secrets that could mess with their chances of winning.

This is the fifth and final book in Marrs’ speculative thrillers that are set in the same universe as “The One”. This was such a good one, and I enjoyed the direction he took this clever story. I enjoyed the short chapters and thought that the pace was great. Each chapter has me wanting to keep reading to find out what happens next. This story was wild, and a little scary to think about. I would definitely recommend this one!

Unfortunately this was not for me. I struggled to connect with any of the couples- and it was hard to keep track of who was who. I’ve loved John Marrs books in the past, but I couldn’t find my groove with this one.

“The Family Experiment" marks my introduction to John Marrs' writing, and I must say, it left a lasting impression, despite my usual inclination away from sci-fi genres.

Marrs seamlessly blends elements of thriller with a thought-provoking exploration of scientific innovation and its ethical implications.

What immediately drew me in was Marrs' ability to create a gripping narrative that kept me on the edge of my seat. The suspense builds steadily as the story unfolds, weaving together multiple perspectives and intertwining plotlines that converge in unexpected ways.

As someone who typically avoids sci-fi, I appreciated how Marrs grounded the speculative elements in a relatable human drama. The ethical dilemmas posed by advancements in technology and the pursuit of scientific progress felt not only timely but eerily plausible.

"The Family Experiment" is more than just a sci-fi thriller; it's a cautionary tale that raises profound questions about the intersection of science, morality, and the essence of humanity itself.

In conclusion, "The Family Experiment" exceeded my expectations and piqued my interest in Marrs' other works. If you're looking for a novel that challenges the boundaries of genre while delivering a suspenseful and thought-provoking story, I highly recommend picking up "The Family Experiment." It's a testament to Marrs' skill as a storyteller and his ability to engage readers, even those who are not typically drawn to sci-fi literature.

John Marrs does it again. I loved his typical twists with the inclusion of AI . A series of contestants have the opportunity to play “The Family Experiment,” a game show with a virtual child. At the end the winner can choose to keep their AI child or use their winnings to help them grow their human child .

This had me shook for pretty much the entire book. The book bobbed and weaved constantly and left me in a state of shock. I could NOT put this down and now I wish I had read "The One" and "The Marriage Act" before reading this one since those two were referenced a bit in this one. I definitely plan to go back and read those two since this book was AMAZING. I loved the writing style, the mixed media, the plot, and the character dilemmas. Everything was so well plotted out and shocking that I could have kept reading this book for another 1000 pages and wouldn't have been bored. This is an easy 5 star and I can't wait to read the backlist of John Marrs.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book.

Absolutely loved this book!! John Marrs is so brilliant. This whole concept was so interesting and every page I was just desperate to know what would happen next. Thank you so much NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Hanover Square Press for sharing this wonderful sci-fi journey’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. GO READ THIS BOOK!

I am a huge fan of Marss, especially his writing in the The One universe. This was my least favourite of those. I still give it 4 stars because this author really has a way with words, but I simply couldn't get as immersed in this one as I have with the others.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I’ve absolutely devoured other John Marrs books and while the premise of this book intrigued me, the story got a little too out there for me. I enjoyed it but wouldn’t rate it as highly as his other books.

This book was soooo good! I dont really even want to give any of the plot away because going in blind was awesome. It is a sci-fi book which I don't typically gravitate towards, but I love John Marrs. The story is told in different perspectives of families participating in a reality type show where they raise virtual children. These children do not exist in the real old, only the virtual world. So while each family is raising a virtual child, they still come back to the real world and have to deal with real world problems - all while the whole world watches.

The plot was unique, I loved how it all tied together and I liked the references to his other sci fi books (while I don't think you need to read those first to understand this book)

overall, I recommend it and gave it 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the E-ARC.

At this point if John Marrs writes a 10 page grocery list, I will be buying it and reading it.

The twists in his books are insane. Not only does he have multiple twists in the same book but also those twists have twist!!! I feel like I turn into an owl when I read them. I have to keep turning my head all over the place so I don’t miss anything.

They are extra terrifying because they can very much happen.

This book is in the same universe as “the one”, “the passengers” and “the marriage act”. They are interconnected standalones. You don’t have to read them all but I suggest you do. They are all amazing.

In a future not that far ahead, the cost of living and raising a family is ridiculous. A lot of people can’t afford to start a real world family. In steps the family experiment. A tv show where a handful of picked families will have the chance to start a metaverse family. With gloves, headset, full body suits, and glasses you can experience raising a child that is fully AI. If you win the game you get to keep your child and raise it. You can decide when it ages and how long it stay in that age. But it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. Every single family has secrets.

This books is absolutely amazing. I gasped multiple times. I exclaimed profanity’s multiple times.

I highly recommend any John Marrs books and especially the ones set in this universe.

This is a book with a premise that is not as far-fetched as one may initially think: the possibility of a virtual child. The story could really make readers think about how companies could use AI and the ethics surrounding it. The writing is solid, and there are enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged in this dystopian novel which is not your typical sci-fi story. It will make you think, and it may make you feel uncomfortable. It's an interesting take on the possibilities of technology and how, or if, it should be used. Since the characters were on a reality TV show, there are advertisements, viewer chats, and news breaks included in the story, which make it more interesting.

I thought this book was interesting, the end was not what I was expecting at all. The characters were interesting and I wanted to know how things turned out for them.

John Marrs does it again. This book had me hooked after the first few pages. The idea of the family experiment is crazy something I’d never think of. Kinda of crazy to think in the future this could be a thing that happens maybe. Once you understand the experiment then you start learning their pasts and secrets, I couldn’t stop reading. If you like his other books you’ll definitely like this one.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc

Love John Marrs and always look forward to a new book that takes place in this universe! Creepy and sad at times but couldn't put it down!

The Family Experiment is a unique, thought provoking, and entertaining work of speculative fiction. With short chapters, multiple POVs, & lots of twists and turns, this near-future psychological thriller was such a fast paced read; I simply couldn’t put it down.

Set in the same universe as The One and The Marriage Act, this story follows several couples/singles as they compete in a reality tv game show, in which they raise a metaverse AI baby in a virtual reality simulation over the course of 9 months. At the end of this timeframe, only the winning couple will be able to keep their AI baby.

The Family Experiment takes a serious look at a wild interpretation of advanced AI technology. It touches on repercussions to the job landscape, the economy, and ethics all will delivering interesting characters with juicy secrets, exciting plot twists, and lots of drama.

I can always count on a John Marrs book keeping me entertained. This sucker kind of scared me. I think I'm going to be in the closet with my tin foil hat after this one.

Netgalley in exchange for review.