Member Reviews
Ruth Ware's latest thriller, "One Perfect Couple," delivers an exhilarating ride with substantial character development. Lyla, a scientist, finds herself persuaded by her aspiring actor boyfriend Nico to join a reality show competition, vying with four other pairs to claim the title of the "perfect" couple. As they arrive at the remote island filming location off Indonesia, Lyla notices something is just not right about the whole situation.. When a violent storm strikes on their first night, chaos erupts, plunging them into a struggle for survival.
With a sizeable cast of characters, it initially takes some effort to keep track of everyone, but each character eventually emerges with a distinct voice. There are numerous twists and turns, ensuring a gripping, page-turning read.. "One Perfect Couple" deserves a spot on your summer reading list!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!
This is not my favorite Ruth Ware book but at the same time it's not the bottom of the list either.
There was really only one narrator which made this book easy to follow (there were the glimpses of the radio transmissions and the diary which all make sense at the end) but this book was lacking something.
Maybe the lack of more sufficient background made this book harder to fall in love with any of the characters and that's why it was challenging for me to love it? Perhaps it's the whole character of Connor or the not knowing what exactly happened to Joel or Dan. I would have liked Zana to kinda fill in the pieces towards the end and helped make the ending better.
Either way the ending felt kinda lackluster to me.
Thank you to Ruth Ware and Gallery Books for my copy of One Perfect Couple!
In this juicy new release from suspense queen Ruth Ware, a deserted island after a destructive storm sets the stage for “One Perfect Couple,” where five couples travel to compete in a reality TV show.
Things between Lyla and her boyfriend Nico could be a lot better, to say the least. So the pair decide to try something out of their wheelhouse, a televised romantic getaway/competition on an Indonesian island. On the first night after arrival, however, a storm blows through, taking with it almost everything except a small supply of food and water.
“‘Love Island’ becomes ‘Survivor,’ and one person in particular is set on being the last person standing,” reads a Kirkus review. “Ware offers another take on the locked-room mystery, but this time, her focus is less on creating a creepy atmosphere of dread, as she did in earlier novels, than on showing the absolute brutality of which some humans are capable.”
"I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.
One Perfect Couple has all the exciting elements of a greatyatwry. Couples picked for a reality TV show find themselves stranded on an island. High tension, fast pacing and an idyllic setting. What could possibly go wrong? Not to be missed.
This one started out as no less than 5 stars: the setting/atmosphere, the plot that encompasses a reality TV show filming that crosses Love Island and Survivor--it was awesome. The "twist" didn't quite live up to my hopes.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks for the book #OnePerfectCouple by #RuthWare. A reality tv show, five couples, a deserted island-what could go wrong? What starts out as a fun filled, game show vacation turns deadly. This fast paced, nail biting thriller had me unable to stop reading. Is this all a set up? Who is behind it? Will we survive?
Ruth Ware does it again! I read this entire book in one sitting on a flight -- it felt like binging a juicy reality tv series. Full of interesting, multifaceted characters. I did guess one of the big twists fairly early in and definitely heavy in terms of the amount of death, but if you can stomach it, I highly recommend this book. Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for my copy!
Ruth Ware has always been very hit or miss for me and unfortunately, this one fell into the miss category for me. This was less of a whodunnit and more of a why dunnit and it didn't quite for work me. However, many of Ware's books have been hits for me, so I look forward to future books from her.
This book is a sort of retelling of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, one of my favorite Christie mysteries. Ruth Ware's has consistently reminded me of Agatha Christie and this book was no exception. Five couples get dumped on a remote island for a reality show to see which couples will survive the challenges. But things go awry, as they do on remote deserted islands, and contestants starts dying. I very much enjoyed the way Ware made the setting of the novel its own character. She is so good at descriptive writing. The twists weren't too twisty and the pacing was a bit slow, just like most Agatha Christie books and it was perfect. A solid addition to Ware's library.
This book was so stressful and frustrating! Not really a mystery, more just suspense and horrible people being horrible. It all starts with a reality show premise for couples and ends with stranded island survival and a bit of "Lord of the Flies" stuff. Conor is one of the worst characters to be invented in fiction, I think, so that's a lot of "fun." I'm mostly glad to be done, as I definitely do not enjoy feeling like this while reading.
“He is fighting. He is fighting for his life - but so is she. ”
Here are reasons to read the thriller book:
Couple Reality Show - Scientist Lyla is going to go on a couple reality show with her actor boyfriend Niko
Storm - But once on the island, a storm destroys a lot of it, and their boat is no longer there
Dead - with dead contestants, Lyla must find a way to survive and get off the island
I went into this book fairly cautious because Ruth Ware has been hit or miss for me in the past. This book is included in my reading vlog on Youtube about island books (releasing May 15). I expected more of a psychological thriller with some clues about motives or sneaky murderers. What we got was not that. It was your basic survival book, with a super tiny mystery. The end is intense, and it is a quick read. But I just wanted so much more from it and it was kind of disappointing.
One Perfect Couple is Ruth Ware’s latest thriller. This is a fast paced captivating novel about five couples trapped on an island. This is a well written story that had me on the edge of my seat from the start. Ms. Ware’s vivid descriptions place you in the story and gives you that feeling that you are on that island. Secrets, lies, tension and suspense are found throughout this book. The characters are well developed and unforgettable. This is my favorite of Ruth Ware’s books, she had my heart pounding the whole book.
Thank you NetGalley, Scout Press Gallery Books and Ruth Ware for this tantalizing story to read and review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
#netgalley #scoutpressgallerybooks. #ruthware
#theperfectcouple. #thriller
Different than her normal thrillers- more of a survival, locked room vibe! Fans of reality shows and the thriller genre will enjoy this one.
Lyla and Nico join the cast of a reality show filming on a deserted island, what could go wrong? Will the couples band together or is it everyone for themselves? I love an And then there were none readalike and this one did not disappoint!
Ruth Ware will always hold a special place in my heart as she is one of the authors that helped me get back into reading after college. I had a hard time reading while studying and her early thrillers helped me immensely.
With that being said, One Perfect Couple ranks among my least favorite of her works. It was still a fun, easy read and I absolutely loved the setting. A lot of the mechanics just didn’t work for me and I didn’t find this one to be “twisty” at all - which is one of the things I’ve come to love about Ware’s work.
I would agree that some of my earlier favorites from this author like In A Dark, Dark Wood (my favorite,) would rank pretty closely to Agatha Christie’s work. But to compare this to And Then There Were None is insulting to Christie’s legacy. One Perfect Couple felt more like a survival show than a thriller (which is fine,) I just don’t feel that this one was branded correctly.
While this one didn’t work for me, I do think fans of Survivor, deserted islands, and Lord Of The Flies will really enjoy this one!!
**Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for the eARC of this title!**
Read this if you like:
•island setting
•fight for your life
•reality TV
This book felt a little long and dragged on at times. I liked the concept though!
This is definitely one of my favorites of Ware's books. Loved the premise / setting, the build-up, and the perfect ending.
There were a few things that bothered me (I'm picky):
-snakes are venomous, not poisonous (hopefully a copy editor fixed that and it will be correct in the final version)
-there aren't that many characters and one is names Santana with the nickname of Santa and one is named Zana and that was just confusing
SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD
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-they just let a guy beat someone to death?!?
Isn’t it wonderful when you just enjoy reading and lose track of your percentage read? That’s how I felt while reading this book! It was just enjoyable! While there were no major twists, and I didn’t care for the final explanation, I was having fun going for the ride! With so much drama and tragedy, it kept my interest throughout. I felt myself getting sad and angry. And someone holding out water was plain horrifying! The premise of a couples’ reality show was a great theme for the book. And you guess immediately that there will be couples’ drama, but it really wasn’t about that! You will certainly feel a range of emotions! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Wow! Ruth Ware delivers yet again! It’s always such a pleasure to sink into one of her novels. An array of characters that kept me flipping page after page. Jam packed with more tension than I could shake a stick at. So many lies! It’s impossible to know who to trust. Highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley, Ruth Ware and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.