I loved the nonlinera timeline and I kept guessing what was actually happening through the first two parts. I figured it out by part 3, but I think that was the point. Overall engaging story!

I'm kind of disappointed. I used to really love Ruth Ware's books but her last few haven't quite hit the mark for me. I was really excited for this one because I love a book centered around a reality T.V. show but this wasn't even really about that after about the 15% mark. The storm hits and then it's primarily a survival story with rationing of water and food and all of our female characters fighting off dehydration. There wasn't really any mystery element either as we basically know who is to blame from moment one after the storm.

What I did enjoy was that all of the women band together to come out on top at the end and I really love reading about women supporting other women. I also enjoyed the atmosphere. This felt like a true summertime read. I could practically feel the heat radiating off the page as the book went on and with all of the descriptions of the Indonesian island this book is set on, this truly was giving tropical vacation gone wrong vibes.

Overall, this was an okay thriller. It was a fun, entertaining read and while the pacing is a bit slower than I wanted it to be, I did still enjoy my time with it.

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the e-arc of this book!

This book was a slight departure from what I would normally expect from a Ruth Ware thriller, but it had me hooked all the way through. A woman agrees to join her boyfriend in a reality tv competition for couples, set on a remote island. It becomes clear fairly quickly that the production company has not been forthright with the contestants about the show's premise. Then things take a dark turn after a natural disaster strikes, leaving them stranded on the island, relying on each other to live. The competition was never meant to be life or death, yet bodies keep piling up. How will they contact a rescue boat, and who will be left when they come?

There is a lot of interesting material here about reality tv, how people lean into what is expected of them, and how differently people behave based on whether they are being seen or heard. My main critique is that the ending is too neat and tidy to suit the events that took place.

First read for me by Ruth Ware and I liked it! This was such a good twist on survivor and bachelor in paradise turns wrong and thrilling. Though there were multiple characters, having one narrator lead the story was very helpful in keeping everything intact and understandable. I loved the the journal diaries and radio transmissions being intertwined within the first two parts, it really kept the suspense and mystery going for me.

I thought this was also a beautiful representation of survival and the bravery that many women represent today.

This book is a nice twist on reality couple TV shows. Combined with the drama of 5 couples being stranded on an island you come to realize one of these couples will make it out alive.

While this book has multiple people involved, it’s easy to keep up with what’s happening because there is only one POV.

This book kept my attention the whole time and I found it to be very captivating. However, the ending felt very anticlimactic for me. However, the ending had big shoes to fill given how immersed I felt throughout the entire story!

Thank you to Ruth Ware and Gallery Books via NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was thoroughly entertained while reading this book. The beginning didn’t pull me in right away, but once we were on the island I was hooked. I appreciated Lyla, the main character, and thought she was a great POV to read from. I also loved the friendship that grew between the characters. The suspense was great and I thought the villain was perfectly awful.

I think this would be a great thriller for anyone who likes reality tv. It’s the perfect blend of a reality dating show… that quickly transforms in Castaway.

This was only my second Ruth Ware book, but it won't be the last! This one is a little Love Island, Survivor, and Lord of the Flies all mixed together. It is super fast paced and kept me invested and wanting to know how it all was going to end.

This is my favorite Ruth Ware book yet. Great premise, great characters, great tension and suspense. Shades of Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies for sure. I loved how Ware tied it all together in the end, making sense of the who and why of the book. A great thriller of a read.

“We were being eliminated - all of us, And by someone who was determined to win this game at any cost.”

Another edge of your seat thriller from Ruth Ware, who never disappoints.

Love Island, meets Survivor, meets Lord of the Flies.

Thank you to Ruth Ware, Netgalley and Scout Press, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC, for providing this ARC..

🏝️The Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware OUT MAY 21st, 2024🏝️

Thank you NetGalley and Scout Press for the advanced copy!

Ruth Ware is a well known author in the thriller community and ends up being an auto read for me. I didn’t love her last book, but I was pleasantly surprised after reading The Perfect Couple!

Lyla’s boyfriend Nico wants to make it big in the acting world. When they both get the opportunity to go on a reality couple dating show located on a remote island, he wants to jump at the chance. Lyla is not too sure, but since her doctoral research isn’t going well and she’s not even sure if she wants to spend forever with Nico, she decides to agree to do it. That’s until a storm comes in and Lyla along with the other couples are stranded on the island.

I felt like this was a classic Ruth Ware book! Danger happens, one by one each character goes missing or winds up dead, with a twist at the end. I found this book at times rather repetitive and it was hard to keep track of all of the characters in the book. 4 out of 5 stars!

To me, this book started a little slow, but having read Ruth Ware's books before I stayed the course and kept reading. I picked it up a little bit here and there and like clockwork, there was a point where I couldn’t put it down. That’s when I found myself at 3 am finishing this book. In my opinion, that’s when you know it’s good. It’s a good attention grabbing mystery.

I was initially drawn into the gripping world of One Perfect Couple, a survival thriller that promised intrigue and excitement. Set against the backdrop of a dating show gone awry, the story follows several couples grappling with the aftermath of a devastating storm that traps them on an island after the film crew leaves.

For the majority of the book, I found myself engrossed in the fast-paced narrative and intrigued by the characters' struggle for survival. The tension was palpable, and the plot seemed to be hurtling toward an exhilarating climax.

However, my enjoyment was marred by the final third of the book. As one character assumed the role of island leader, the story took a sudden and jarring turn that left me disengaged. What was once a thrilling adventure became muddled and less compelling.

I was disappointed by the unresolved plot holes that peppered the latter part of the book. Questions lingered without satisfactory answers, leaving me feeling unsatisfied and disconnected from the story.

While I've enjoyed other works by Ruth Ware in the past, One Perfect Couple fell short of my expectations. Despite its promising premise and captivating beginning, the lackluster conclusion ultimately left me wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Thank you so much Netgalley for an early edition. This story follows 5 couples on an island in the Indian Ocean to film a new reality series. The story started slow - I wasn’t invested until the storm hit and then I couldn’t put it down. Ruth Ware did it again. Loved this thriller!

This was a fun nod to Agatha Christie's And Then There Was None. I love the premise of the book of couples going to a secluded island to find the Perfect Couple. I enjoyed seeing how Lyla was reluctant to go on this show with 1. Her relationship with her boyfriend and 2. She is a scientist with no interest in getting famous.

This book quickly turned from Love Island to Survivor when a storm hits the island. I was intrigued with how this book would change. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a big twists and the ending was bit flat for me.

Thank you @scoutpressbooks @netgalley for a copy of this book.

A couples reality show on a deserted island gone wrong?!? Yesssss!!!!
If you’re looking for a summer read that is a thriller, look no further!!!
Several couples get stranded on this remote island after a storm and they have to fight for survival and hope help is coming. The journal entries were a very nice touch to the story.
This book was so captivating and tense. I was on the edge of my seat and didn’t know which way it was going to go. Make sure to pick this one up!

As her post-doctoral research reaches an impasse, Lyla begrudgingly takes two weeks off of work to take part in a reality TV show. Her boyfriend, Nico, is convinced that the show One Perfect Couple will be big break. After the five couples have made their way to the show’s remote island setting, tensions begin to rise. Then, a horrible storm develops overnight. Without power or a means to contact anyone for help, the contestants are now battling for their own survival. To complicate matters, one individual is a cold-blooded murderer with plans to take everyone else out.

Whoa. This book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions! The plot of this novel drew me in right away and had me eagerly turning pages. I enjoyed the various plot twists and was rooting for Lyla. I could easily see this book adapted on screen.

Thank you to @gallerybooks for the free book! Also thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for providing an ebook ARC option for me as well!

Total Agatha Christie And Then There Were None vibes! My favorite kind of thriller troupe is trapped room, or isolated location. This story seemed to take it in a little different direction that was refreshing. The setting at first is a Reality TV Show where they are on a tropical island. When they arrive nothing is quite as glamourous as they thought it would be and after a storm everything goes downhill from there. It was a good entertaining story, but I maybe expected a bit more twisty.

This has been likened to And Then There Were None. I think it has a little Lord of the Flies in it! This has everything a reality show needs. Attractive contestants, a beautiful setting, and competitive edge. It also has everything it doesn't need. A killer storm, isolation and untrustworthy people. Add in a lack of communication , dwindling supplies, and a body count and paradise disappears.
This book appeals to fans of reality shows and those who never watch. I liked how the women worked together.
Thank you, NetGalley and Ruth Ware for an exciting read.

After being disappointed in Ruth Ware’s last book, I was pleased to see she returned to form with One Perfect Couple. It starts with a Love Island meets Survivor reality show that Lyla, Nico, and four other couples are competing on. Things take a turn when a huge storm hits and the story morphs into a Lord of the Flies/Then There Were None homage. This was more survival story than thriller. I kept waiting for a big twist that never came but the story held my attention as the characters fought to survive. One Perfect Couple is perfect for fans of The Turn of the Key or One by One.

This might be my favorite Ruth Ware story. It’s different because you know the “bad guy” pretty early, but there’s still a lot of suspense. I couldn’t put it down.