Reality television. Social media. AI. Is everything we see the truth or do people cover up what they’re really like? In this John Marrs novel you’ll meet a couple families competing on a new hit tv show for a chance to win money to have a child. They’re living in a future drove by AI, in a real-world poverty stricken world. With less real world experiences to be had, they can live a whole “exciting” life behind their virtual headset to travel, live ocean-side, and have a virtual child. But is a virtual world really what’s best?

This was an exciting read with actual twists you don’t see coming!

I really enjoyed the back and forth of characters and how well the author ties it all together.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my review.

Marrs' exploration of virtual parenthood in an economically challenged world is captivating and chilling. The fast-paced plot, combined with the reality TV show format, keeps readers engaged. Despite numerous characters and twists, Marrs ties everything together seamlessly. This book's scariest aspect is its plausible reflection of our near future. Highly recommended for those who enjoy speculative fiction with a dark twist.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Hanover Square Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, John Marrs. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

In the not-so-distant future, the population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. A growing number of people can no longer afford to have families. For those desperate enough and for enough money, clients can create a virtual child that lives in the metaverse and is accessible through a VR headset. To launch this project, the company creates a reality TV show to pit 5 couples and 1 single man to see who provides the best parenting. The virtual children go through an accelerated growth pattern, going from birth to age 18 in a 9-month period. Of course, viewers can watch all the interactions, giving red hearts for good parenting and black ones for bad behaviors. Of course there will be monthly challenges the contestants must face. And the prize? The winner can either keep their virtual child or take the prize money to be able to have a real world child. What could go wrong?

John Marrs is the best at speculative fiction - you can easily take reality up a notch and imagine these dilemmas. This will keep you glued to the pages as each of the contestants secrets, motives and behaviors slowly reveal themselves. Also included are news headlines, social media clips, as well as the back story of this concept, and plenty of twists that will leave you gasping. With AI seeming to seep into our current world, this is a scary, eye-opening look into a potential future.

Imagine living in a world that is overpopulated and in such economic despair that people can no longer afford to start and raise a family. For those who still want a chance at parenthood, advanced technology can now provide them a virtual child in the Metaverse for a monthly subscription fee. And what could be better to launch this new idea than a 24/7 live reality TV show called The Substitute! The show features 5 couples and a single father as they raise their virtual child from birth to 18 in a matter of 9 months. The winner gets a choice to keep their virtual child or risk it all for the opportunity to have a real child.

While there are a lot of characters in this story and a little of twists in each chapter, John Marrs has done an excellent job making it easy to follow and tying up all the loose ends. The scariest part of this book is how close this may be to reality!

I would like to thank Hanover Square Press, John Marrs, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but I found it to be rather interesting. This was such an interesting concept for a book, and I enjoyed going through all of these scenarios. Great book!

4.5⭐️ the fifth book from Metaverse. A sci-fi thriller that did not disappoint. I hope there is more as the human and AI world is very entertaining. And a bit scary. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

The world's population is getting too large, which has lead to jam packed cities and an economic crisis, which has caused huge issues in the UK. Many people don't have the money to start and raise a family, causing them to seek an alternative.

This is where a initiative called Virtual Children comes into play. For a monthly fee you can create your own virtual child and raise it in the metaverse. All you have to do is put on a VR headset and you're transported to a world where you virtual child is.

In order to launch the Virtual Children the company behind it has created a reality TV show called The Substitute. Ten couples will raise a Virtual Child of their "building" in a condensed nine-month period. The child will grow from birth to the age of eighteen and the winner will either get to keep their virtual child or decide whether they want to roll the dice and try for a real baby.

I was so excited when I found out The Family Experiment was set in the same universe of The One. That was the first book I read by John Marrs and it was one of my favorite reads of 2023. Now that I know The Marriage Act is also in this universe I'll definitely be reading that next! But I digress...

Like The One, The Family Experiment was a wild ride and I loved every last minute of it. Each couple was fascinating in their own right and harbored secrets that I didn't see coming.

A common theme in the books that take place in this universe is that while technology can be great, there are definitely areas where we can take it too far. The things that happen and that are revealed because of this technology can expose and exploit us in ways we could never expect.

These things and more happened to the characters in this book and I found each story to be captivating. Each chapter is from a different couple's point of view and left us on a cliffhanger and wondering what was going to happen to them next. It was extremely hard to put The Family Experiment down.

With this book, John Marrs has cemented himself as an auto-buy author for me and I can't wait to read more of his work! I highly recommend The Family Experiment and look forward to talking about it with others when the book is officially published.

This was just not the book for me, but not because it’s a bad book. I am just not a fan of sci-fi or dystopian themes. However, this was a very interesting story that even I could appreciate.

John Marrs is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me. I fell in love with his speculative fiction novels after reading The One a few years ago and have devoured each one since. The Family Experiment is no exception. It follows a similar format to his others in this loosely connected series where there are several characters that each have a different experience with the newest scientific development. In this case, there are several families who are chosen to participate in a 24-7 live streamed reality show where they are given fast-aging AI children. The children don't really know that they are AI - only "alive" in a metaverse. Streamers watching at home can send reactions, money, and sponsorships to the families to create an even better metaverse for their children.

Sounds great, right? No notes! Well, if you've read anything by John Marrs before, you know that all is not what it seems and although these scientific advances look great on paper or in theory, once they are put to the test in the real world, unforeseen craziness ensues. I want to walk around in Marrs' brain for just a few hours while he is plotting these books, because that has to be a trip. He seemingly thinks through every possible weird, crazy outcome and them amplifies by a thousand. And it still ends up being plausible.

Definitely give this one a try if you are into the speculative fiction or close sci-fi micro-genre like I am. And, with AI becoming more and more of a reality lately, this doesn't seem to be too far out of the realm of possibility. Scary...

If you are a Black Mirror fan, then you absolutely NEED to put The Family Experiment on your list. Be prepared to be deeply unsettled in the best way possible, because this is a commentary on society that almost hits a little too close to home.

The Family Experiment is the newest reality show, where six couples are given the AI baby of their dreams to take care of in the metaverse. Over the course of nine months, the couples will raise their baby through development gaps until it turns eighteen. Viewers will have access to 24/7 live streams, will vote for which couple deserve to receive a challenge each month, and ultimately vote for the final winner, who can choose a cash prize or to keep their child in the metaverse.

But each of these couples has their own agenda for being on the show, something happening in real life that they'll do everything to conceal from their audiences. They want to show themselves as picture-perfect families in the metaverse, but that's far from the truth in reality...

I thought this was SUCH an interesting topic for a book, totally unique and never done before. I love John Marrs and he clearly is such a creative writer. The story is not only told through the POVs of the couples, but also news articles and livestream comments from the audience. There's even a statement from Pope John Paul III condemning AI babies (that's the part that really sent me over the edge!).

I loved this book for its creativity and thought-provoking elements, but I did feel like the plot dragged on in a few places. I still read it quickly, but trying to follow so many couples meant sometimes felt like it was doing too much. The way the ending wrapped up a few plot lines was interesting, but I felt like the plot could've done more for me based on how interesting the topic was.

All that to say, I really did think this was a fantastic book and HIGHLY recommend picking this up when it releases!

John Marrs is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I’m not one for science fiction, but do like speculative fiction, and he does it wonderfully. I like that this story was in the same universe as The One and others of his. I also like that his characters are flawed, some deeply so. The range of emotions I felt through this book were all over the place and I audibly gasped when I learned the fate of Issy. I can’t wait for more stories in this universe. It has short chapters which I love.

This book tops the list as the most unique book I’ve read to date! (3.5 Stars!)

While I read plenty of genres, sci-fi is one that I typically shy away from. However, I had yet to read a book from John Marrs, and his thrillers came highly recommended. When I saw that his latest book was available on NetGalley and it was a speculative fiction combining sci-fi and thriller elements, I thought it would be a great way to dip my toes in the water!

It took me about 75 pages to warm up because it was certainly “out there” for me as someone not used to this genre. As a parent, I also found the whole situation really messed up. AI babies mixed with a reality tv show where parenting is gamified…? It felt like Big Brother meets The Sims meets a Tamagotchi, and the absurdness turned me off for awhile.

However, once I came to accept that this is just how this world operates, I settled in to the sci-fi just in time to get sucked in by the suspense. And let me say, the plot twists hit fast one after the other in the back half of the book! Even though it weirded me out, I also couldn’t put it down either 😂

On a deeper level, this book poses lots of questions for discussion about the ethics and future of AI, social experiments, virtual reality and the “what ifs” that might pan out if these things go unchecked. It was surprisingly thought-provoking, which I don’t typically expect in a thriller!

If you’re already a fan of John Marrs, this is set in the same world as his other speculative fiction books like “The One” and “The Marriage Act”, so if you liked those I’d imagine you’d also like this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 This is my first John Marrs novel (surely not my last) and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
AI it seems has made its way into all of our lives in one way or another and in The Family Experiment the Meta Universe has been used in the creation of a game show! Couples are chosen to parent a virtual child from birth to age 18 (9mos in the virtual world) in their totally immersive world. All of which is viewed in a 24 hour live stream that is watched and rated by the audience. The winner will get a huge cash prize! The competition is fierce. But wait! None of the couples are what they appear to be…

A real page turner! Interesting, exciting, a great story with an unforeseen twist at the end! Will this be in our future?

Thank you NetGalley, John Marrs and Macmillan Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve seen so much about the books of John Marrs, but this is the first I’ve read. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I loved this book, and it was a five-star read for me! I highly recommend the book to thriller fans looking for something unique. The Family Experiment takes place in the same universe as the author's previous books, The One, The Passengers, and The Marriage Act, but works well as a standalone if you're like me and haven't read those books. The book is a Speculative Thriller and imagines a future in which the technology exists to create virtual children that parents can access through the metaverse with a headset and special suit.

Five couples and one single parent are chosen to compete on a reality show and will be judged on how they raise their virtual child. The winner can keep their virtual child or take the prize money for the chance of a "real" child. Each person in the competition is keeping secrets and the tension builds as the contest heats up and weaknesses and flaws of the contestants are exploited for the drama of the show. The sponsoring company is out to make more money and doesn’t care who they hurt to get more viewers for the show. I was engaged throughout the book and was shocked by the ending. The Family Experiment is one of my favorite books of the year, so I definitely want to go back and read some of the prior books that are in the same universe as this one.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press, and The Hive. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

I think I’ve come to the conclusion recently that when I’m reading a thriller I prefer to have multiple things going on at once/things I need to try and figure out. This book gave me that and more. This story follows an immersive and futuristic reality show where couples raise an AI child from birth to 18 in 9 months. The show gives the audience the ability to live stream 24 hours a day and even purchase the opportunity to be in the room with the contestants in the metaverse (without them seeing, of course). Told from the POVs of each of the couples, we are quickly thrown in the deep end and start to learn the intricacies of each family. Each family has their own demons they are trying to run from throughout the competition and we get a front row seat to everything that ensues. From the very beginning I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next and trying to put together clues as to how everything would come together. This is one I will be recommending to people for years to come. The Family Experiment will be out on July 9th.

I highly recommend reading The One, The Marriage Pact, and Passengers first. The dystopian universe Marrs has created is awesome - but you definitely want to have the context of the prior books. This book really makes you question AI and the human experience. When is it taking it too far? I feel the disconnect between reality and virtual reality and it was a great commentary on how attached we are to things that "are not real". Marrs does such a good job writing deplorable characters and this one may be a record for me. I think I hated every single character. This book is such a unique concept and was a really fun read.

Thank you to the publishers for access to an early copy of this book 😊. This was a great dystopian kind of read. Contestants in a reality show are all given robot/AI babies and are competing for money to start their own families. Each couple had their own tensions and reasons to win the show. Really showed the lengths people will go to to have a family. This also made me think about where reality TV might go in the future.

In the UK’s near future, a breaking point has hit - no one can afford expensive fertility treatments or even to raise kids conceived naturally. Instead, people are able to care for children in the metaverse through virtual reality. And now, a game show called The Family Experiment will give viewers 24/7 access to watch 4 couples and one solo dad raise a child in nine months (all 18 years of accelerated growth) and vote on who was the best parent. The winner receives $250,000 and the choice between keeping their adult child in the metaverse or using the money to fund a real one.

I swear I either read or watched the movie for The One, so technically this is my first John Marrs book, but it won’t be my last. I ate this up! With short chapters, lots of cliffhangers, and characters connected in unforeseen ways, I ripped through to find out the ending. After researching Marrs’ other books, there are nods to The One, The Marriage Act, and The Passengers in this book, but they seemed more like callbacks - I didn’t need to read those to follow this story.

4.5 stars

Now I want to blow through his other books! What John Marrs book should I prioritize next?

Thank you to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for the free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5⭐️
This was another great futuristic concept from John Marrs, showing the dangers of technology. This book takes place in the same world as “The One”, “The Marriage Act”, and “The Passengers”. Although it’s not necessary to read his other books first, I feel like having knowledge of them might help to understand the world further as they’re referenced throughout. I loved the unique concept of this story, the world that he’s built, and all the twists. However, there is are so many characters that I found it hard to keep track of everything taking place.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unpopular opinion by far.

I have tried so hard to get into this book and I just can't. I don't typically read Distopian novels but I heard so many great things about this book.

For the fans of dystopian thrillers this is a 5 Star.

I did dnf but It's definitely me! Not the book.