📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Family Experiment by John Marrs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 465 / Genre: Technothriller

In this latest John Marrs technothriller, people can get an extremely realistic experience of having and raising a child through AI. And to promote this new technology, Awakening Entertainment is airing a new reality show called The Family Experiment, where couples and one single man will each raise a MetaChild in the Metaverse at an accelerated rate over 9 months. The audience gets to watch these families live 24 hours a day and vote for their favorites. The winner will either get to keep their MetaChild or receive £250,000 to start a Real World family via traditional means, IVF, surrogacy, or adoption.

All of the contestants, of course, seem totally normal at first but as the story goes on, their dark secrets begin to reveal themselves. This book was such a binge for me. You never know what’s going to be revealed next. Such a twisty, juicy treat!

Thank you, @NetGalley, @HarlequinBooks, and @JohnMarrs.author for my gifted copy. I loved it!

The book was so wild. It’s like looking in to a dystopian future. It’s set in the same universe as a few of Marrs’ other books. While you don’t need to read the others, they are referenced throughout this book.

I give Marrs a lot of credit for thinking of this idea set in this world. AI and the metaverse scare me tbh, and he did a great job of purposely finding the scarier parts and highlighting them.

Though I appreciated the concept and it was well thought-out, I just didn’t LOVE the book, but I liked it and wanted to know what would happen. To note, there are a lot of characters (multiple couples competing in the experiment) and while each chapter clearly defines the subjects of the chapter, it’s still a lot to keep track of. I personally didn’t really care for any of the characters either. Overall though, a good book with an interesting concept.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you HTP and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chillingly futuristic and realistic world of AI and Metaverse children and reality shows. I couldn’t put it down. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I surprisingly really enjoyed this. I mean I thought I would like it, but it was better than expected. There was a lot of character switching and because this was an ARC the layout was a bit harder to follow, but I really got into the story fast. Some of the content was outrageous and made you shake your head but in a good way. It was obviously fiction, but the way that we are headed in society, I believe that this could actually be a semi-factual tale of the future in many ways. Recommend.

John Marrs never disappoints. I have been wholly invested in this series. Although there was one minor spoiler from The Passengers included in this story, it can easily be read as a standalone.

With so much talk of AI, the contents of this book could really become a reality someday. Like all of this authors other speculative thrillers, this book was sinister and addicting. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley, John Marrs, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my free ebook copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was my first book by John Marrs and also my first dystopian genre read. This book has peaked my interests to read others by John. Especially The Marriage Act, which was referenced several times. I'm interested to see how the two intertwine.

The book starts off introducing 4 couples and one single man as the stars of a new TV show “The Family Experiment”, that takes place in the Metaverse. “The Family Experiment” follows these couples and singleton in a 9 month long journey of parenting a MetaChild, from newborn to 18 years old. Of course, there is prize money involved, and everyone wants it, but one.

At face value, everyone seems fine and like alright people, but quickly we learn they ALL have secrets, and sooner or later all secrets see the light of day.

I’m rating this 4.5 stars, I found myself taking longer to get through this one. It’s definitely a slow burner, but around halfway through I was “mouth ajar”. There were twists that I had not expected, and many times I thought I saw the end coming, but then right at the end, the story threw a curve ball. I really enjoyed that the story was tied up in a nice package. No loose ends.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Book Review🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒
*
Summary- Some families are virtually perfect…

The world’s population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.

But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show called The Substitute. It will follow ten couples as they raise a virtual child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child, or risk it all for the chance of a real baby…

Set in the same universe as John Marrs’s bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate Tamagotchi—a virtual baby
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts- happy pub day to this fantastic read, thank you @htp_hive for the advanced copy! While sci fi is not my usual genre this book was so good! It’s essentially a reality show where each couple raises a virtual baby that grows faster than a normal child. It was so crazy and each couple has more secrets than the next! I really really enjoyed this one, it was my first from @johnmarrs.author and certainly will not be my last! Grab this where books are told today!
*
QOTD- how do you feel about AI? Do you use it at all or do you avoid using it ?! I’m a teacher and haven’t embraced the world of AI, but I have certainly caught many papers written by AI 🫠
*
#thefamilyexperiment #johnmarrs #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #booksofig #booksofinstagram

Love them or hate them, Marrs knows how to write page-turning thrillers. Shocking reads that grip you by the face and keep your eyes glued unblinking (my mind is immediately picturing A Clockwork Orange). And I mean, what more do I want from a thriller? Chef’s kiss.

The Family Experiment is a slightly terrifying read showing the distant future where you can virtually care for a child. Exploring AI’s impact on this futuristic thriller gave me all the scary thoughts. The book is centered around a reality show with couples competing and raising their metaverse children.

An all-around crazy read with shocking twists and entirely bingey. Highly recommend to any fans of futuristic, speculative thrills. I don’t recommend this being your first Marrs book though, since there are A LOT of references and spoilers to his other books that take place in this same universe.

I loved John Marrs's book The One, so when I saw this book I knew I needed to request it, and I am so glad I did. This futuristic techno thriller set in the same universe as The One, and was certainly hard hitting and disconcerting, especially considering a version of this could potentially be our future given the alarming pace and rise in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, designer babies, and genetic engineering. Not to mention the global demand for the most controversial, dramatic and sensationalized reality TV possible. This book took so many twists and turns and provided so much to think about, it is the type of story that stays with you and pops up in your brain to contemplate long after you finish it.

As a psychological suspense thriller, The Family Experiment more than met all my requirements - it was shocking, dark, exciting, fast-paced, addictive, and contained a multitude of gasp-worthy twists. As a drama it was chock full of toxic relationships, backstabbing and betrayal, emotional upheaval, and juicy secrets galore. This genre may be my favorite and this book was perfection.

I think this is one of the best thrillers I have read in a while that is using the reality tv trope, it is just so horrendous and good. As I am not a fan of reality tv, the commentary this novel provides is a prime example of why I stay away but why so many people are drawn to it. The flashbacks to twelve years earlier, breaking news stories, live chats from viewers at home, chapters following the fallout and outcry after the conclusion of the show are so good and help to build the intrigue.
In the beginning we are introduced to the metaverse the meta-children inhabit in this novel, which their parents were able to visit, experience, create, and explore and it did remind me of Ready Player One, which helped me make sense of it all going forward. The age jumps, designing your dream home and dream life, and escaping-from-reality, were also similar role-playing games. Of course, this virtual world was much more advanced, and realistic – and of course, much scarier! I enjoyed the different POVs from all the contestants and their take on the game and then as we got to the end, wow! Just WOW so many twists and unreliable narrators, some of the story lines blew my mind and were so much more than I had expected. The book was wonderful and I high recommend this novel.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC to review.

The Family Experiment by John Marrs - Author

For those like me who LOVED The One, this is a similar setting with a chilling almost Hunger Games vibe, that revolves around a significant issue in regards to a growing number of people’s inability to start their own family …and their desperation to do so. This crisis is so significant, it inspires a reality tv show called “The Substitute”, which follows different couples as they raise a virtual child from infancy to the age of eighteen, condensed into a nine-month time period, within the metaverse with a virtual reality headset.

What draws viewers in? They can submit reactions to the couple’s actions, send gifts to help the couples, sabotage the couples, and all of this unfolds live. What do they win? Their only chance at parenthood… the right to keep their virtual child or $250,000 to start a real family of their own.

John Marrs has truly outdone himself, this is by far his best yet. The way he ends every chapter with you almost cursing him for leaving you hanging, his outstanding attention to detail that made reading this feel like you’re watching an eerie sci-fi movie, and the genius plots and twists he creates are impeccable… I could NOT put this down!

Thank you Harlequin for providing this book to me for review consideration via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you HTP, The Hive, and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

The Family Experiment is a standalone novel that takes place in the same universe as The One, The Passengers, The Minders, and The Marriage Act. I really enjoyed the previous four, so was super excited to have the opportunity to read this one ahead of the release!

John Marrs does speculative fiction meets thriller meets Sci-Fi in such a smooth and accessible way. It was near impossible to put this book down. The chapters give us the perspectives of a variety of characters, and nearly every chapter ends leaving you hanging off a cliff or with the drop of a major bomb.

With AI becoming more and more prevalent in our real world, this book was so compelling. All the humans in this book were basically awful or had done something awful, no one and nothing was as it seemed. There was twist upon twist upon twist right up until the very end.

The Family Experiment by John Marrs was a blast to read. Exciting from start to finish.
Once I opened my kindle and started to read The Family Experiment by John Marrs I was gripped and could not put it down.
An interesting and unique concept that will have you flying through the pages.
A story about the future of AI. And Marrs absolutely killed it!
The world and technology here is wild. It’s entertaining.
A great thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat! The pacing was fanatic, and I couldn't get enough. I will be reading more by Marrs very soon!

Thank You NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to Hanover Square Press and John Marrs for this ARC.

Give me speculative fiction, especially centered around AI, and I am a happy camper. For some reason, these storylines always pique my curiosity and hold my attention, and “The Family Experiment” was no exception.

John Marrs has this incredible ability to take a commonplace problem that our society currently faces and turn it on its head. In “The Family Experiment,” we encounter the issue of the inability to have a child. But fear not; you can now pay a monthly fee to raise a virtual child in what amounts to a Tamagotchi-like experience but with VR. To launch this product, we get front seats to a TV show where six couples compete to raise their AI baby over nine months. The last one standing based on public opinion gets to choose between their kid or the prize money. If that scenario doesn’t scream Black Mirror, I don’t know what does.

The twists, reveals, and character development were incredible. The ethical questions posed in every single chapter had my brain working overtime. I had discussions with my non-reader friends about some of the issues in this book, which raised even more questions. I love books like this: they get you to think about situations you may have never contemplated before and help shape your worldview.

The first 25% of this book was slow-moving since I was trying to keep track of all the couples and characters. Each couple gets a chapter POV for each of the nine months, so it can be a lot to keep track of; however, once you get to the second month of the reality competition, each couple is instantly recognizable by their signature issues and personalities. I also found that around the 30% mark is where the pace picked up. The end dragged on, especially around Hudson’s POV, but I understood why Marrs included all this information.

This book is set in the same world as “The One” and “The Marriage Act” and is truly immersive and thought-provoking. While it contained a few Easter eggs from Marrs' previous works, it can certainly be read as a stand-alone. Overall, “The Family Experiment” was an addictive thriller that posed the existential question: What does it mean to be a family?

John Marrs is one of favorite thriller authors. The way he crafts the speculative thrillers is truly so impressive. His books give you a mix of black mirror, the virtual world and some sadistic and twisted characters.
•
I love that this book gave the reader a truly unique reality show, a plethora of POVs, as well as interviews and chat rooms -- all making for a gripping story.
•
Although this wasnt my favorite out of all his speculative thrillers…I did enjoy the twists, the "game" aspect, the incorporation of AI. I just found it hard to keep up with all of the characters. And this was a bit more of a slow burn. Still enjoyable!

Once again John Marrs has left my jaw on the floor with this one.

Set in the same timeframe with nods to his other hit novels "The Marriage Act", "The Passengers", and "The One", "The Family Experiment" takes you through the trials and tribulations of become a parent but with a whole new take. This child isn't real....it's AI and it's all for the sake of Reality TV.

11 contestants made up of 5 couples and 1 single parent will battle it out for 9 months on a 24/7 live streaming television series where their goal is to raise the perfect family from new born to 18 years old. The catch? Only one pair of contestants can win and if you don't, your Metachild is deleted forever. However, the winner will also get a choice take the prize money, have their Metachild erased forever and start a family in the real world or they can keep their Metachild and carry on.

If you are looking for a TRUE page turner, this is the book. Every chapter ended with cliff hangers to keep you on edge and keep the pages turning. I truly could not devour this book fast enough. Every character developed in their own unique ways. You hated some and you loved some. But overall by the family experiment finale I was screaming Chapter 39! Stories were told, secrets were shared, and let me tell you THE TRUTH CAME OUT!

Overall, I really did love this book but I think if the end would have ended with the ending of the finale and didnt recap the year after i think i would have given this book 5 stars. I understand most reality shows do this to not leave views wondering what happen to the contestants but with all the drama and thrill of this book i think being left with a bang would have been even better rather then neatly tied up with a happy ending bow.

John Marrs you are truly an incredible author and an absolute legend. I'd thank you, NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity read this ARC and give my honest review.

Whoa! What did I just read? This book! I'm sitting here stunned, and I can't stop thinking about the story. I'm officially a John Marrs fan now, and The Family Experiment is a book that I won't forget.

The short premise of this book is that there are families everywhere that can't have kids for one reason or another in the future. With AI, a company decides to create MetaBabies in which families can pay to choose how they want their child created and then "visit" them in the Metaverse with the help of a VR headset. On top of that, the company creates a reality TV show that has ten couples competing, over the nine months, as they raise their child, who grows into an adult during those nine months. The TV audience decides which couple will win. The winner will have the choice to keep their AI child or take the money to try to raise a human child in the real world.

This mixes two of my favorite topics right now: AI and reality tv. I'm intrigued by both topics lately. The book was a little confusing at first as you try to learn the different characters that are competing. Once you have that down, and you will, the book is a never-ending thrill ride.

It is a book filled with drama, comedy, suspense, and science fiction. I found the different characters incredibly interesting, and Marrs did a great job of including all different types of couples and problems that are faced in the real world.

Just like any reality tv show, you find yourself cheering on your favorite couple. Your favorite might even change as you learn more about their stories.

So, who wins the reality game show called, "The Substitute"? You 'll have to read the book to find out.

I gave this book five out of five stars. I couldn't put it down. John Marrs also wrote The One, and I can't wait read that one next.

Thank you to NetGalley, John Marrs, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

This one unfortunately did not hit the same way other John Marrs books have in the past 😕

I really wanted to like this one. The premise was interesting. The story was there. But for some reason I just kept reaching for other books, or only reading for a few chapters and then putting it back down.

It felt a little slow to me. There’s nothing wrong with a good slow burn, but I felt like the pay off at the end wasn’t worth how tedious the beginning and middle were. I also felt like it started to really drag towards the end. Which is weird because I did appreciate the nice and neat wrap up to everyone’s story. I think I was just very done by the end of the book and I wanted it to be over more quickly.

This will not stop me from reading more John Marrs, he is still an auto-read author for me! I just think this one wasn’t for me and that’s okay.

Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

John Marrs consistently provides unique and engaging reads, and if you've read "The One" and "The Passengers," you'll know this for a fact. His latest book is just as twisty and thought-provoking, raising important issues that make you reflect deeply. Marrs creates scenarios that, while imaginative, are terrifyingly believable.

The plot of his newest read is clever, packed with INTENSE tension, and filled with shocking, jaw-dropping moments (some sneak up on you when you least expect it). Marrs' writing style is outstanding as it, seamlessly blends the drama of the reality show, audience reactions, and the lives of the main characters. Mixed media writing is something I always love, and the articles, chats, and texts incorporated really help tie the whole reality TV aspect together. A MUST read for anyone who has an interest in reality TV, AI technology, or sci-fi in general.

4.5⭐️ rounded up. I really enjoyed this installment of this sci fi universe. I appreciated the tie ins to the previous books in this collection as well.

This book has a very interesting, unique premise and as always, John Marrs did a great job on the execution of this wild idea.

This story is compelling from start to finish and I didn’t want to put it down. Most of the chapters end on bomb shells, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I can’t wait to see what John Marrs comes up with next!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HTP books for the opportunity to read this advance copy!

In our version of the world, virtual reality is becoming more popular and more interactive. Why shouldn't someone have a virtual baby if they don't want or can't have one on their own? To roll out their new product, the company sponsors a reality tv series highlighting several families competing to show the world they deserve their own child. As a person who is not a fan of reality tv (The Amazing Race as the exception), this sounded just about right for the voyeuristic overly social media influenced world we live in! No part of this story sounded unplausible. But, as Mr. Marrs is the master at highlighting, there are always glitches (in the Matrix - lol!) with the advancement of technology. What is behind the creation of a virtual reality baby and family? You have to read it to believe it! The only issue I had was with the pacing. The story felt done at about 85% of the book. The last part cleaned everything up, but didn't have the intensity of the first part of the book. I wish it had been more condensed and/or included somehow earlier in the book.