I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this one because I really like Adam Sternberg’s writing (I follow the writing of basically anyone who worked for Television without Pity back in the day!). And then I kind of forgot about/was never in the mood to read it. I was looking for a good plane book this week on my vacation, and while I usually tend towards whodunnits on plane rides, this one jumped out at me.

The titular Eden Test is basically extreme couple’s therapy - you go to a remote cabin in upstate New York for seven days, and each night you sit down together and answer a question. At the end of the week, you’re (according to the tag line) “forever changed.” Protagonist Daisy signed herself and her husband Craig up for the test in an attempt to save their marriage. Which is definitely in need of help considering it’s only their 2nd wedding anniversary and Craig has a trunk full of suitcases, ready to run away with his girlfriend. He reluctantly goes along with Daisy’s plan and meets her up at the cabin. Things seem weird right out of the gate, from the apparently necessary “security guard” who warns them not to interact with the locals, to the test creators who surprise them while skinny dipping…it seems like a lot of interruptions for what’s supposed to be a deeply personal retreat. And the questions themselves have a pretty sinister tone.

Much like Sternberg’s The Blinds, there’s a twist. Craig is hiding some secrets (poorly, might I add), but Daisy has secrets of her own.

I really enjoyed this. I powered through the majority of it on the plane to San Diego, and the last few chapters one night before bed. As advertised, it does definitely have a Hitchcockian feel to it. Sternberg’s books give me retro vibes, for some reason (but in a good way? If that makes sense. There’s something timeless about them).

This was exactly what I thought it would be. A quick read, some twists along the way, but not 100% satisfying in the end. I'm always drawn to domestic thrillers and this one had an interesting premise: a husband and wife go away to a remote retreat in the woods of upstate New York with the task of reigniting their romance. During their stay they must answer a series of questions that force them to explore their relationship. And as the story progresses truths are revealed along the way. But nothing really caught me by surprise, and some of it left we wondering why it played out the way it did.

But-- it did keep me turning the pages quickly and trying to figure it out along the way so I can't say I didn't like it. And it was well-written and also had some substance to it. Thanks Netgalley for the privilege of reading another advanced copy!

The Eden Test kept me on the edge of the seat and I kept wanting to delay my responsibilities to read it.

This thriller won't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. A mix of domestic suspense with page turning events.

A unique and addictive read, I couldn't tear myself away from this one. A slow burn with an explosive ending that you won't see coming!

Seven Days. Seven Questions. Forever Changed.

Daisy and Craig’s marriage is in serious trouble. That’s why Daisy has signed up for The Eden Test, a week-long getaway for couples in need of a fresh start. Yet even as she’s struggling to salvage her marriage, it seems Craig has plans to leave her for another woman. In fact, his bags are already packed—long before he arrives to meet Daisy in this remote cabin in the woods of upstate New York.

This read really did give the "Rock, Paper, Scissors" vibes! Psychological thriller, marriage problems, and so much suspense! You don't want to put it down once you start reading!

Thanks NetGalley and FlatIron books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

I was a fan of the author's earlier works, but this one just didn't connect with me. I found my mind drifting while reading and eventually gave up and jumped to the end.

A woman surprises her husband of two years with an anniversary trip to a rural cabin. Upon arrival, she reveals that the second part of her surprise is having them do the "Eden Test," a weeklong phone-free program designed to help troubled couples repair their relationships.

.4.5/5 stars. What a wild ride! This book is bonkers, and I loved it - I was gripped from the start! It’s definitely thrilling, and the author did an amazing job tricking the reader into believing the twists throughout. I liked the ending but have one MAJOR question that I wish I had the answer to and would have given this one a different title!!”

The book in 3 emojis: 🌲🤫💌

If you liked this...
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This was an interesting one! Quite a SLOW burn, more of a drama with some thrilling elements. One pretty unlikeable character, and another who makes some very bold decisions. Although it was incredibly slow, I kept up with it because I did really enjoy the writing, and I was very interested to find out how things would unfold. I would round this up to a 3.5, but wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for a typical thriller. This is definitely a slow drama with some suspense.

This book gave me Rock Paper Scissors vibes! The Eden Test is the sort of book where nothing is as it seems, you know it, and you still have no idea what is really going on. This review will be short to avoid spoilers, but the ending makes the ride so worth it. It's twisted and suspenseful, and the isolated cabin location gives the perfect setting. I definitely recommend this book for a fun thriller!

What would you do if your marriage was in trouble? Book a romantic getaway to reconnect? Well that’s what Daisy did… but with a maniacal twist.

This book was so fun. I’m a married woman myself, so this domestic thriller was super fun and relatable. I was actually completing these questions along side the story with my husband.

That being said-
This story is insane. From the beginning, the atmosphere is all wrong in a good way. You know something is off, and the tension builds through to an epic conclusion that I legitimately did not see coming. Full of twists and creativity, this novel is one of my new favorite domestic thrillers.

The characters brought this story to life-
Daisy being incredibly intelligent and strong, and Craig being a jerk that kind of has a good heart…

A super fun domestic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Daisy, a brilliant but somehow still not famous actress, has organised a week in a remote cabin in the forest in order to try and save their marriage. She and her husband Craig will do the Eden Test: seven days, seven questions to figure whether they want to fight for their relationship. But things don't go as planned, because right from the start we know that on the Sixth Day two people lie dead at the cabin...

Don't read this if you want good writing or original insights in relationships. Everything in this book is at the service of the plot, which is twisty and turning but not very realistic. The characters are all unbelievable, their reactions and emotions just very strange Especially the superficial Craig, who is even supposed to be a writer, is one of the least perceptive character I ever came across in a novel.

Ah well, it actually reads well and cured me of my lingering desire to read a thriller.

2,5 rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

TW: Domestic violence, miscarriage

“Seven days. Seven questions. Forever changed. That’s the pitch. She straightens the tablecloth. We’ll see.”

A domestic suspense wrapped up in a psychological thriller all set in a remote setting in upstate New York. The perfect beginning!

Daisy and Craig are a married couple about to celebrate their second wedding anniversary. Neither one is entirely likeable, especially Craig, but Daisy is determined to take drastic action to try and save their marriage. They have both become complacent in their relationship and it is just not enough.

Once I started this intriguing thriller, I could not put it down. Daisy has surprised Craig with the Eden Test, which is not only a marriage retreat but a series of seven questions that each couple must answer over the course of the retreat to see if their troubled marriage has a chance to survive. The author cleverly drops clues along the way to set the tone of dread and suspense. There is little-to-no cell phone service in isolated Plain, New York, and the locals do not seem very welcoming at all. How will their week at the bucolic retreat end?

Both Daisy and Craig have complicated pasts and are hiding secrets from each other. Just when I though the story was going a certain way, I was wrong! There are lots of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden metaphors along with many red herrings. This is a slow-burn thrill ride that concludes with a very explosive ending that I did not see coming.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves dark, fast-paced psychological thrillers.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from Flatiron Books via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

The Eden Test follows Daisy and her husband Craig as they attempt to put the pieces of their marriage back together at a couples retreat in upstate NY. An interesting and suspenseful journey, but one that doesn't fully deliver in the end. If you're looking for something with lots of twists and turns, this one might be for you, but prepare to suspend disbelief.

The Eden Test. A set of seven questions asked over the course of a week to test the strength of a relationship.

Daisy has signed her marriage up for the Eden Test. She and her husband Craig will spend a week in a cabin in upstate New York testing the limits of their relationship. But what they discover will end up changing their lives forever because both are keeping secrets from each other. Will they come out stronger on the other side of the Eden Test or is their marriage destined to die?

Adam Sternbergh's The Eden Test is a book that I did not see coming. Reading The Eden Test was a journey,; an experience. This literary fiction-suspense cross completely blindsided me in a good way, mashing up everything that I love about both genres into one utterly captivating read.

Sternbergh has a talented gift for working twists and turns into the folds of his story, integrating them in such a way that they just work naturally with the flow of his novel. I rarely literally feel compelled to keep turning the pages when reading a book, but The Eden Test surely pushed my self control to the limit. I suspected nothing going into this book, and would like to keep it that way for other readers, so I won't say more beyond if you enjoy well-crafted, intricately plotted novels with twists that slowly sneak up on you, pick up The Eden Test.

Adam Sternbergh’s novel The Eden Test begins with an ambulance collecting two dead bodies from a cabin owned by The Edenic Foundation, and then the novel goes back a few days to Daisy, a young married actress who has paid for a week at The Edenic Foundation’s private retreat. The foundation is owned by married therapists Drs. Kit and Bridget Arden, and Daisy was attracted to them by their podcasts and adverts “promising to save” marriages. The expensive week-long retreat the foundation offers includes a remote cabin on the retreat grounds. Each of the married partners are supposed to give up their phones for a week so that there is “no outside contact, no distractions,” Each day the couple will receive a question designed by the therapists which is supposed to be discussed and ruminated upon:

Seven days

Forever changed

That’s the pitch. One week to save a marriage.

Daisy’s marriage is in crisis. She married Craig 2 years ago, but even though the marriage is still young, it’s clear that they have massive problems, So here’s Daisy trying to fix things with a surprise week long retreat for just for the two of them to discover each other again, but here’s Craig who has a bag packed and is planning to head to Cabo San Lucas with his bit on the side, the sexy Lilith. A week with Lilith is supposed to be the segue before he moves into an Airbnb “love nest” while everything calms down and is sorted out with Daisy and Lilith’s husband. So Craig’s plans When Craig gets home expecting to see Daisy, he finds a brief note saying she has an “anniversary surprise” and there’s an address. Craig has to shift his plans from taking Daisy out for an anniversary dinner and then lowering the boom to driving to the cabin to see Daisy and then break the news that their marriage is over.

Not the best start for a week’s long marriage repair. And that’s even before the creepy locals show up ….

The story has layers of deceit. Craig is busy cheating on his wife and planning to dump her unceremoniously, and what of Daisy? Daisy has her own agenda.

I really liked Sternbergh’s book The Blinds, and perhaps because I read that and because it still lingers in my mind, I had an inkling of what was afoot. While the premise was great, this one did not quite work for me. The setup was excellent but the character of Craig was from the outset a dick and for this reader, fully set on the path to lifelong dickdom.

Review copy

I finished this advanced copy a good few weeks ago but am just now getting writing feedback for The Eden Test. But I am certainly not concerned about my recollection of the contents from this novel! This one really does stick in the brain.

I am a fan of mysteries and thrillers with a twist, and Adam Sternbergh did not disappoint with this one. I will say that the first few chapters were not particularly exciting but the author showing us.a glimpse of the future absolutely was the smart move to make in order to keep the reader going. It was clear that there was something being set up for us. I personally quite enjoyed that nothing was firmly handed to us and you got to make discoveries along the way. Second guess yourself a little and feel the intensity of the plot.

Something else about this book was the likability of the main characters. That is to say, you really don't truly like either of the two people but you find yourself rooting for them anyways. These are not the worlds best people, but the circumstance they have found themselves in and the driving need to survive keeps you on your toes on their side.

And in terms of the twists and turns, The Eden Test was not disappointing here. Without spoiling anything, the whole situation was sort of mind blowing to me at least but I could still suspend my belief here. The final scenes of the climax of the story were great and really had me worried for a second. But the best part was probably the very chilling ending. Really leaves you a bit wowed and nervous laughing a little.

In general, I had a great time reading this book and would recommend to friends with similar interests in books like this!

Almost a DNF for me; Adam Sternbergh’s THE EDEN TEST just did not resonate with me. The book summary was NOT was this book was or I would have never chosen to read it.
No likeable characters, implausible plot, slow moving and nothing that made me happy I stuck it out.

I think this was just not my kind of book. If you like thrillers with a lot of twists and turns you would probably enjoy this, but it became slightly too convoluted for me.

Daisy, a stage actor with a questionable past, and her failed novelist husband, Craig, are struggling in their marriage after two short years. In an attempt to, “make or break it”, Daisy decides to enroll them in the Eden Test, a couple's retreat in upstate New York.

For 7 days, seven questions are proposed to each couple. Will their responses be enough to restore their love? Or will it be the final stroke in their relationship?

If you love a cabin in the wood’s drama with interference of various ways, this book is for you!

Overall, this domestic thriller has just enough bite and suspense to keep every type of reader on their toes. Fun, twisty and fast-paced…and if I had to take a guess, this could very well be the 2023’s #1 Beach Read!

Thank you @netgalley @flatiron_books and #AdamSternbergh for the advance reader copy.

Release Date: 4.25.2023