Get ready for a wild ride through a world on the brink! In John Marrs's latest masterpiece, "The Family Experiment," the UK is in crisis mode with overpopulation and economic woes. But fear not, because there's a solution: virtual parenthood!

Picture this: for a monthly fee, folks can create their own virtual kiddos, accessible through VR headsets. And to kick things up a notch, there's a reality TV show following ten couples raising virtual tykes from birth to adulthood in just nine months. The catch? Risk it all for a chance at the real deal! Set in the same universe as Marrs's hits "The One" and "The Marriage Act," this book dives into the dark and twisted world of virtual parenting. I totally pictured "The Sims".

Marrs nails it with his storytelling, giving each parent their own unique voice and backstory. Plus, he keeps things fresh with different narrative formats that'll keep you hooked until the very end.
But here's the kicker: sometimes the cast feels a bit crowded, which can bog things down. Still, Marrs is a master of world-building, and his mix of past and present storytelling is spot-on.

So, if you're ready for a rollercoaster ride, buckle up and dive into "The Family Experiment"! Big thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for letting me peek behind the curtain and share my thoughts on this gripping ARC. Marrs, you've done it again—keep 'em coming!

In a world where AI is becoming more commonplace, the concept of this book grasped my interest from the very beginning. In The Family Experiment, a series of families will each raise their own MetaChild from birth to eighteen in a nine month timespan. In the end, one winner will get the choice to keep their MetaChild, or have them deleted forever and walk away with a substantial sum of prize money for themselves. Readers will learn that not everything is as it seems, and a series of twists and revealed jaw-dropping secrets will keep readers hooked from start to finish. The book touches on many moral and ethical dilemmas that are pertinent to the development of AI in the real world. Each storyline is completely fleshed out and felt complete. The characters are well developed with their own personalities and their differing opinions on AI tech gives readers many things to ponder. The ending is quite satisfying, although there are many heartbreaking moments along the way. John Marrs does it again!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Experiment continues in the same world as The One and The Marriage Act. Despite this being my first John Marrs book (and obviously haven't read the other two books), I was still able to follow the story of The Family Experiment and didn't feel that it was necessary to have read the other books. Overall, it was an interesting story-the focus being on a reality competition where couples raise a child in the metaverse with the prize being enough money to finance having a child in the real world. It brought up a lot of hot button issues around AI and left me thinking afterwards.

While it was an interesting story premise, my personal opinion was that the story went on for a little too long. Being almost 400 pages, it could have easily shaved off 100 pages and still been a solid story. Also, the end kept NOT ending...there were reveals, twists, and then chapter upon chapter that it felt like was supposed to keep you surprised, but I honestly just wanted the story to end.

First off, I love how this follows the same universe as The One. John Marrs does such a great job setting up the whole universe and adding stories onto it and building it. I can't wait for more continuations to this futuristic universe.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and John Marrs for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for The Family Experience (US) is July 9, 2024

Amazing. One million stars! I can’t believe I found a book of his that I liked even more than The One and that was a perfect book to me! This is peak Black Mirror to me.

This book was………different, but in a good way. I think you need an open mind if you try to imagine all the events that take place in the virtual world. It hooked me in and was fast paced the whole way. At first, I thought it would be confusing with all the people involved but it wasn’t. The ending was fabulous; so many twists were revealed and they just kept coming. Would highly recommend!

5⭐️ - wow, this book was incredible.

The Family Experiment is a reality show where people can become parents to AI babies/children in a virtual MetaVerse, and viewers can tune in to watch and rate their parenting. There’s competition pieces to it, something darker beneath it all, and it’s such a unique storyline.

As I read this, I felt like I was sucked into the world the book was set in. I truly felt like I was watching a movie. The aspect of artificial intelligence taking over so much of the world was a bit stressful because this is a thing that could truly happen in our world. Especially for many people who struggle with fertility.

John Marrs’ storytelling and writing is top tier. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy, and I highly recommend all psychological thriller lovers buy a copy when it’s released on July 9, 2024!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I have to admit I put this book down several times and forced myself to keep going. The beginning is a hard start with all of the info and characters to follow. Once I got further into the story the easier the flow became. The premise of this story is frightening and Marrs did an excellent job! Great character development and descriptions throughout.

Does anyone else put off a super popular off for as long as possible in case everyone is actually wrong and they're terrible? Just me? Ok.

Anyways, I finally broke down and read a John Marrs book. Should I have read The One and The Marriage Act first? Uhhh, probably. Thankfully, John provides enough context in The Family Experiment that I didn't need to read them to enjoy this.

The Family Experiment is the newest reality show that that sets up 6 couples with a Meta child. They'll raise this child from birth to adulthood within 9 months Real World time. They're given £250,000, the estimated Real World cost of raising a child to adulthood, to use as they see fit. Each month brings about a new developmental leap, along with one couple receiving a monthly challenge. The winner will have the choice of keeping their MetaChild they've raised, or what's left of their £250,000 and put it towards starting a Real World family of their own.

I can easily see now why people love John Marrs so much now. He's a masterful story teller that not only had me on the edge of my seat, but had me questioning the logistics of if this could really happen in the future. It's believable enough for the most part. I absolutely loved this book and I'm happy to have started May off with such a banger.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Books, and John Marrs for this gripping thriller.

In a (not so) distant future, the world relies heavily on AI and the Metaverse. So much so, that a new program has been developed allowing couples to parent an AI child in the Metaverse. “The Family Experiment” is a look into a reality TV show based around the lives of people competing to win their Metachild or the money to fund their own ‘Real World’ family. However, escaping to the Metaverse doesn’t mean you escape your Real World secrets. With twists and turns throughout the whole story, this story keeps you invested and wanting to know what happens next. The third book that takes place in this (not-so) futuristic reality, it is a must read. It will leave you asking yourself, “What if…”

What a page turner! John Marrs has the ability to address dark, dystopian themes in a manner that keeps you intrigued throughout.
After reading the Marriage Act, this lived up to the writing expected from the author. The world building was great and the characters, although initially seeming like too many to keep track of, had interesting storylines.
Thoroughly enjoyed the various avenues explored in this era including the social and moral implications of not just the characters but the general populace living during that time.

A few of the tropes seemed familiar from certain shows / movies with similar themes but that is to be expected from a realistic portrayal of this theme as well as because of the fact that we are not very far from reality reflecting a lot of it already.

Great read overall!
4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I absolutely love John Marrs but that is not why I love this book! I gave it 5 stars because it was the perfect mix of everything! It gave me series vibes. It kept me hooked like I was watching tv! I could not put this book down!

I absolutely loved The One and this is in the same universe!!

Reality show voting, we all know we love that!! Page turner!!

Love John Marrs and his brain that comes up with these stories.

3.5/5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HTP for allowing me to review this book! This was a good book, it was my first John Marrs book and I’ll definitely be reading other books by him. There were some instances where I couldn’t keep up with all the characters, but that’s more of a me issue. The concept was pretty cool, and low key kinda freaky because I feel like this could happen in real life in the near future. I also feel like it dragged on in some parts, but other than that, I really enjoyed it!

OMG!! John Marrs absolutely do not miss when it comes to speculative fiction! This book grabbed me from the start. The way he creates these alternate worlds and put so much creative thought into every small thing is genius. I love all the tie-ins from previous books in this world too. The worse part of this book is when it came to an end. I am hoping to read similar books in the future!!

You know those books that are futuristic, but the idea is so eerily possible that it makes you wonder if this could be what the future holds? That's the uncomfortable feeling I have after finishing The Family Experiment. The Family Experiment is set in the future UK where the economy is terrible and many families struggle to make ends meet; including being able to afford a child. Many desperately want a child, so when the opportunity of joining a reality television show where participants virtually raise an AI child, many jump at the chance of a lifetime.

It was a little tricky in the beginning to keep all the characters straight, but this got easier as the book went on. Every family has a secret so this reads very much like a reality tv show with each chapter ending on a cliff hanger. Very suspenseful and thought provoking!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Review posted on Goodreads.

Loved the continuation of “the one” match universe. This was especially thrilling with the characters deaths and how the plot was fast paced and engaging. As always, I love the multiple POVs and narration. The ending was very satisfactory and I’m already anxious for more.

John Marrs' speculative fiction gets me every.single.time! The uncomfortable plausibility, the intertwined stories, fantastically done.

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

This was a wild book! It took me a minute to get into it. There were a myriad of different characters to follow and it was very set in the future. I did enjoy it once I got into the storyline. I like how it played off of his other book about finding your DNA match. The plot was definitely unique and I liked the way the book tied together in the end. However, almost all these characters were just horrible people, which honestly probably made this book even better. I would highly recommend if you love John Marrs and suspense. This had me on the edge of my seat once I got pulled in. I couldn't look away from this train wreck!

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

If you enjoyed The One and/or The Passengers by this author, I think you will like this too! This has a fast twisty plot with extremely short chapters from all different perspectives. It’s a very easy read and it’s engaging. Is it a little over the top? Definitely. Are there probably one too many reveals and twists along the way? Sure. But that’s kind of what makes these books fun. I got a tiny bit lost in all the details towards the end, but overall this was entertaining and a good time.
PS: If you’re planning to read The One/The Passengers, read those first to avoid minor spoilers.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!