As a huge fan of John Marrs since 2019, I was so excited to be chosen for this ARC! Once again, Marrs has a slam dunk in this new speculative fiction novel, set in the same universe as 'The One' and 'The Passengers'. His use of flawed characters/multiple POV chapters really makes this book hard to put down; much the same as his other novels. I feel like everyone else summarizes the novel in their reviews, and I am not going to do that. All I have to say is that when July roles around, you should definitely snap this one up! Easy 5 stars!

If John writes it! I’m going to read it!!
The Family Experiment by John Marrs is speculative fiction at its very best - original, dark and wickedly clever. I was utterly captivated by the way Marrs melded reality TV, AI and a terrifyingly plausible future.

11 contestants enter a reality TV show to nurture an AI child and win themselves the right to either keep the child, or swap it for the money to bring up a biological child of their own. The only issue is, each of the contestants is hiding a dark secret and, when the world is watching, there's nowhere to hide!

What I particularly loved about this book was the way Marrs incorporated issues that are very much an issue in the present day, and carefully twisted them to make them part of a speculative future. He's created a terrifyingly plausible world and I'm excited to read more of this books that inhabit that world.

The world building, the characters, the reveals and the twists are so well done that this book is crying out for a Netflix adaptation.

I'd like to extend my thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, the NetGalley team and to John Marrs for the eARC of Locked In. My review is, as follows:

This was my first experience reading a John Marrs novel, and I must say it will not be my last! Wow! It's rare that I'm so engrossed and enamored with a novel, right out the gate, but "The Family Experiment" takes the cake! I loved it all. From the way in which world building elements are inserted throughout chapters, to the strategic reveal of the characters natures/backstories, the twists of the plot, and just the overall atmosphere. I'd venture to say that this was a perfect reading experience for me.

Truly, this novel paints an eerily accurate tapestry of how we are making history with our technology. Without being a weighty, cautionary, tale; this novel rather acts as a mirror for our society. it does not preach, it does not say we need to turn back, but it does show us where we are heading; blemishes and all! I will be picking up and reading other works by this author, in short order. I can't wait to see what more he has up his sleeve!

I’m officially a huge John Marrs fan. I’ve told everyone who’ll listen how timely, relevant, and compulsively readable his books are. I love how his recent books are all in the same universe. His books serve as warnings to us all.

John Marrs has done it again with another speculative thriller set in the same universe as his other books, “The One”, “The Passengers” and “The Marriage Act”.

We follow 5 families and one single man as they take on the role as parents through an AI, metaverse developed child. It’s designed to help families who cannot naturally have children have the opportunity to live out those dreams, but also as a reality TV show where they are ruthlessly judged by viewers on their parenting. The excitement is sped up to have the child rapidly age within 9 months and become an adult so the contestants can parent through all aspects of childhood. Once the experiment is over the viewers get to decide the winners, who will get to make the decision to keep the AI child, or win the grand prize money to help them financially have a child in the real world. Talk about moral dilemmas!

Among all of that being intriguing in itself, it wouldn’t be a John Marrs book without the most dark twists to make the book what it is. I was captivated right from the beginning and was so intrigued to continue. I was completely blown away at the end and did not see all of that coming! I’m not going to lie, if I read books like these by presumably any other author, it would never live up to the utterly thrilling aspect John Marrs adds to these themes.

What I enjoyed the most about this book was the uncanny resemblance to real life problems. The character development and the shocking revelations about who these people really are was almost terrifying in the most AI-metaverse way.

I can only hope John Marrs continues with this theme and universe of books and comes out with more! I throughly enjoy them and recommend them to everybody!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of this book!

I want to plug in my Nintendo DS and feed my Nintendogs now 😭

The most chilling part of this book is that it’s so realistic, especially with the addition of the fans live discussion boards and how everybody has their own opinions about these stranger’s lives. There’s so much world building and character individuality that it helps you visualize the book as if it were a TV series, which I can totally see this becoming. The writing style made it easy to keep up with the multi POV of the different families, which I usually struggle with. As a true John Marrs novel, there’s many jaw-dropping twists and dark secrets among the contestants that you’ll be rifling through the pages to find out what happens next.

Overall, this was such an immersive, mind-bending thriller and I can’t recommend it enough!

I love all John Marrs books and this one is no exception . This terrifying but thought provoking story is a psychological rollercoaster I just couldn’t put down! The way John Marrs marries AI and real world families in a reality tv show world is pure genius and not so far off from our near future . I highly recommend this book!!

This book is not it.
I was expecting a sci-fi thriller from the description and was surprised at the book itself. It might just be because I’m pregnant, but this book left me feeling so ick. It was not easy to keep up with and there was zero bonding with the characters themselves. I did not like this book at all. The plot was more gross than thriller and it needed several trigger warnings.

The Family Experiment by John Marrs. Mr Marrs has created a throughly engrossing, thought provoking and terrifying look into a possible future. Highly recommended.
Thank you to John Marrs, Macmillan publishing, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

John Marrs is a genius. This book was amazing. I have read every one of his books, and think he can do no wrong. This book is no exception.

I love how Marrs introduces many characters, but flushes them out. I never feel confused, or like I have too many strings to hold onto. I also am shocked that while I usually hate when authors kill off many characters, when Marrs does it it just make sense?

I loved this book, the universe it is set in, and everything he writes.

From the brilliant mind of John Marrs, comes another masterpiece set in the same futuristic/Sci-Fi universe as “The One”, “The Passengers”, and, “The Marriage Act”.

When the future is in the Metaverse and there’s a fine line between the real world and the hyper-realistic virtual reality world, who wouldn’t want to battle it out on a new reality show to win a child? The Family Experiment is the hottest new show, following multiple families as they parent their made-to-order virtual kids in an attempt to win the option to keep their digital offspring, or have the resources provided to have a biological child. The families are rated on public opinion of their parenting skills, creating an interactive aspect where the audience is also the judge.

This multi-POV narration incorporates first person perspective, scripted, and non-scripted audience interactions to bring this game show atmosphere to life. There are even commercials/adverts between some of the chapters! John Marrs is the master of imagining each character and then finding a way to bring them all together- wrapped up in a pretty little bow! His meticulous attention to detail and well-developed storylines lend to his unique writing style. 100% recommend for an enjoyable, captivating, movie-like book that’ll be the talk of booktok this summer!

Thank you NetGalley, Hanover Square Press, and John Marrs for the pleasure of reading and reviewing this ARC.

I’ve got to say John Marrs is literally a genius!! I’m usually into psychological thrillers, but I decided to give this one to go and I must say I was not disappointed. I was a little confused at first as there is 11 different characters and point of views that you have but once you get everyone down, it’s pretty much easy reading. The one thing that I love about this book is the fact that this could happen very soon and honestly that’s kind of scary. This book was entertaining. It had points where it felt like a thriller, and it had points where it felt more like sci-fi so I felt like I was getting 2 to 3 different genres in one book But I loved it! John Marrs Really made it to where you can connect with each and every character and learn to love or hate each and every character as well. I love the fact that this book takes place like it is an actual TV show and you have people rooting for and people you’re not the whole book. The best thing about this book is the twists towards the end end of it. You get to twist and you think it’s over there’s another one and another one! Guess what I’m trying to say great job John, you’ve clearly done it again! Thank you for allowing me to read this early and I can’t wait to buy this when it hits stores!

I really enjoy John Marrs’ near future books and this one was no exception. Interesting premise, multiple points of view…I liked some characters more than others but ultimately loved the way it all dovetailed at the end.

Another great book full of twists from John Marrs! I didn't want to put it down. You won't see the end of this coming!
4/5 stars

Wow!!! What a ride that was! First of all, this isn’t typically my genre, but I am happy to have experienced it.
The scariest part about this book is that we are almost there and some of the issues are happening right under our noses.
Thank you for this ARC for my opinion, in which I highly recommend this novel!

I have read and enjoyed the other books that take place in John Marrs’ speculative thriller universe (The One, The Passengers, and The Marriage Act… I skipped The Minders). The synopsis of this one grabbed me… a VR tamagotchi baby?! And I knew that Marrs would have some twisty tricks up his sleeve…

This one was off to a confusing start for me. There were so many characters that I found myself getting confused between the different couples. I couldn’t get a solid understanding of who was who for a while. Then once I finally had the characters down, I was able to enjoy the book much more.

Towards the end, the plot got too sci-fi for me that I felt a bit lost, as that is definitely not a genre that I reach for often. I just checked on Goodreads and this was listed as a “science fiction thriller” so I’ll take the blame for not checking that ahead of time.

I recommend this to those who love sci-fi and Marrs’ twisty speculative thrillers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

John Marrs has left me stunned again with The Family Experiment!! Young children are being willingly trafficked by their parents, in exchange for full payment of all their debts. The place that is taking them is subjecting half of the group to unknown horrors, while the others are used to develop AI children for future "parents" of babies that exist solely in the Metaverse. When an AI company announces they will be holding a contest called The Family Experiment, where people will compete against each other while raising AI children on an accelerated development timeline, with the grand prize winner being able to decide between keeping their AI child or using the money to attempt to grow their real world family through the method of their choosing, we get to see some familiar faces from previous John Marrs books enter alongside some new faces. Who will win The Family Experiment? Whose real world lives will be torn apart in the process?


This was one of the most twist filled books I think I've read from John Marrs. The way the AI scenarios are written is actually frightening. Could what took place on these pages actually occur in the not so distant future? I really think that the answer to that is, yes, and that is very scary. Books like this definitely make me long for the 80s, well before I had any inkling that technology could ever grow to a place like in this book.

If you want your remaining brain cells to sizzle like charcoal, just flip through the pages of any John Marrs book and feel the ground shake under your feet as the smoke of your burning cells fills the air. His works are truly spectacular, some even more intelligent and mind-bending than episodes of Black Mirror. What's most horrific is that the scenarios described in these books, questioning the revolutionary progression of technology and AI controlling lifestyle, could all become true. If an author can imagine such an ugly truth, then the creators of the technology can too.

"The One" marks the beginning of Marrs' mind-bending tech saga, followed by my favorite sci-fi thrillers "Passengers," "Minders," and "Marriage Act." I recommend starting with these to better understand "The Family Experiment." Some characters, like Cadman N’Yu, appeared in "Passengers," and there's a storyline about an auto-controlled car accident related to other characters. To piece together the puzzle and get a clearer picture, start with the saga where people find their loved ones via DNA testing, which connects the stories of how the government shapes modern British families with regulations in the Marriage Act. Finally, in this book, we find out how genetics and technology change the way of parenting in the Metaverse Universe.

As the world population soars and economic crises increase, a growing number of people can barely afford to support their families, with some even resorting to illegal means like trafficking their children to pay off debts. In the middle of this crisis, companies find another way to protect the sanctity of family life.

Can you imagine having a child called “MetaBabies”? Pre-ordered children exist only in a virtual world called “Metaverse” where parents can pick and choose the age, sex, and design their appearances from eye to hair color, skin tone, body shape, accent, interests, and speed of their growth.

Awakening Entertainment company uses this technology for their latest reality show called “Family Experiment” where six couples are tasked with looking after children in different phases, from newborns to fully grown up. The AI-based created children are programmed to grow like real children, their experiences determined by the nurturing they receive from each parent.

Viewers can watch every moment the families experience in the Metaverse, and one lucky selected viewer can even join them for a limited time to meet the children. The participants will be pushed to the limits with monthly challenges to learn the difficulties of parenting, with virtual black and red hearts on the screen showing the viewers’ live responses to their actions and conversations with their children. Of course, there’s a big prize at the end, and the decision for the parents to keep their virtual baby or terminate the avatar to raise their own child with financial support for IVF treatments.

We are introduced to couples including Rufus and Kitty who left the competition shortly after a tragic event occurred during the live streaming.

I can honestly say none of the characters are likable, but of course, there’s a reason behind all these irritating character developments that serve the big picture.

Woody, a drone pilot, and Tina, a euthanasia nurse in 36 seem like a peaceful couple with their daughter Belle, but they hide something very dangerous in the basement. Is there a person? Are they putting someone there trapped without letting go?

Cadman N’Yu, a social media influencer in 36, and Gabriel Macmillan in 26, PA, are the only gay people. It seems like their financial inequalities and age differences have turned Cadman into the controlling man in their relationship, and he has leverage that turns Gabriel into the obedient one. Unfortunately, Cadman acts like their son River is a cash cow by monetizing his milestones in life with influencing business.

Dimitri & Zoe Taylor Georgiou, a couple in their late forties, already had and lost a son before. Both of them hide something from each other behind closed doors and are threatened by somebody who knows their secrets from the outside world but who?

Selena, a data analyst, and Jaden Wilson, her husband, a personal trainer, both in their early thirties, had hiccups in their marriage because of Jaden’s financial secrets. Now they have another chance to be a family. But Selena couldn’t relate to their child as much as Jaden did, and a dangerous stalker starts terrorizing their life that may open a can of worms revealing more truth that may risk their entire relationship.

And Hudson Wright, single, 22, raising Alice alone is the most controversial parent who needs to prove he can shoulder both parents’ roles in the family. Interestingly, Hudson is not in the contest for the prize. He has another motivation to raise awareness. But what is it?

As the competition continues, the secrets of the contestants start revealing, the tragic incidents keep occurring, and everything will change, from your perspective to the realities and the AI technology that may affect people’s lives more than you imagine.

Overall, my mind exploded. I only downgraded half a star because after the shocking twist of the book, the aftermath that shows each contestant’s lives was too long and lowered the tension of the entire settlement, even though they consisted of other small twists like Easter eggs you found hidden in the grass.

I’m still rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 mind-bending stars and raising my glass to the extremely intelligent mind of John Marrs! Looking forward to reading his next journey in this heart-throbbing, grey cell-exploding saga!

Many thanks to 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.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an arc of this new title by John Marrs. The Family Experiment is set in the same world as previous books by the author, such as “The One” and “The Marriage Act”, but this time we follow 10 couples who are on a new hit reality show competing in the metaverse while raising a virtual child.

Each couple creates a child from scratch that they can only raise through a virtual reality headset, throughout the span of 9 months. However, during those 9 months each couple will experience the difficulties of raising the child from birth-18 years of age. The catch? You are being streamed live 24/7 and viewers are rating your every move and determining your next through polls. The winner gets a chance to keep their virtual child or start a family of their own with their cash prize. But are things as they seem, or only as presented for TV?

This book was a wild ride. It started off hard to keep up with each set of couples and everything they brought to the table backstory wise. There is a ton of information to process, but as the story progresses you get used to it. I had an early fear that I wouldn’t be able to connect with any of the characters just knowing how many there were, but that didn’t end up being the case! By the end, I had to praise this author for how he had everything fall into place with no stones left unturned! I will definitely be reading more by him.

The Family Experiment is a speculative thriller that falls into the future Marrs has built with previous books (The One, Passengers, Marriage Act, Minders). While this can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the others first as they all fit together. The book is about a reality show that takes couples and has them competing to who is the best parent of a meta child. In true Marrs fashion, there are wicked twists and horrific situations. No character is left safe! While I feel the writing of this book is slightly less flowing than the others, it’s still such an original idea and fun ride to be on. I really enjoy the futuristic concepts as it’s a genre that’s rarely explored. His stories are always so unique and he does not shy away from complex characters, mentally unstable characters or just offing ones here and there.
If you enjoy John Marrs books, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. If you haven’t read his books, do yourself a favor and pick them up. You won’t be disappointed