This is a perfect summer destination high tension thriller!! Five couples are provided a once in a lifetime opportunity to escape to a sparkling luxury resort in the Indian Ocean; the catch? They are being filmed for a reality TV show experience and put through challenges testing the strength of their relationships. Narrator, Lyla, is a London post-doc research scientist who is in a bit of a mid-30's rut. Her younger boyfriend, Nico, is a struggling actor, and she is worried their future together might be stalled. However, when Nico is cast for an upcoming reality TV show that could propel his career, Lyla, begrudgingly agrees to participate in the hopes that a vacation in paradise might be the life shake-up she and her relationship needs.

After a whirlwind onboarding period and a world-crossing plane and then boat ride, Lyla + Nico, arrive at Ever After Island with the 4 other couples and the reality TV show crew. But after the first challenge goes awry and then a freak storm leaves the contestants stranded without their phones, electricity, and limited food/fresh water, the tension escalates very quickly. Ware does a phenomenal job capturing the TERROR of isolation via Lyla's POV and interspersed journal entries written by another contestant. She also utilizes the couple's dynamics to show the varying ways trauma can reveal cracks between lovers and friends, and how being on camera alters one's actions. As each day drags along, the dangers increase, the bodies start dropping, and Lyla must determine who she can trust in her fight for survival.

Fans of locked room thrillers, reality TV shows, and Survivor should absolutely add this one to your summer TBR. I solemnly swear I will never take fresh water access for granted again!! So fill up that 40 oz. Stanley, and dive into this one today.

(Content Warning: read with care if you are sensitive to domestic violence,)

4.5 ⭐️

Nico and Lyla are cast in a new reality TV show that is meant to test their relationship. Early on, a storm hits and it becomes a Gillian’s Island meets Agatha Christie situation. Alliances are made and broken and the contestants’ true colors are shown.

This was a heart pounding thriller - great tension and action writing. There’s a current question making the rounds on social media right now: would you (as a woman) rather be in the woods with a man or a bear? It’s definitely the bear and this book illustrates one of the many reasons why.

Exactly what I expect when I pick up a Ruth Ware book! I do believe the quality of writing is getting even better and I enjoyed the complicated technical stuff that Lyla studies. I'm a believer in learning while I escape. This is a great fast read and I will continue to read everything Ruth Ware writes. The main character was someone I'd like to be friends with and plot moved along at a great pace to keep me hooked. Thanks.

"One Perfect Couple" by Ruth Ware is a thrilling and suspenseful ride from start to finish. Set on a storm-swept island reminiscent of Agatha Christie's classic "And Then There Were None," the novel follows five couples competing on a reality TV show for a cash prize. But when they become stranded on the island, tensions run high and the game turns deadly.

Ware masterfully builds tension as the contestants are eliminated one by one, leaving the remaining couples to fend for themselves. Lyla, the protagonist, soon realizes she's the outsider and must band together with the other women to survive. The pace is fast, and the twists keep you guessing until the very end.

While the plot may feel familiar, Ware brings her own unique spin to the genre with well-drawn characters and a gripping narrative. The last quarter of the book is particularly intense, delivering a satisfying conclusion that will leave you breathless.

Overall, "One Perfect Couple" is a must-read for fans of psychological suspense. Ruth Ware once again proves why she's the queen of the genre with this spellbinding thriller.

Just okay. The beginning did not grab me, then a few chapters in I was hooked, but the ending was a bit of a letdown. Will still recommend.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware is about couples who sign up for a reality TV show where the couples compete to be the Perfect Couple. They are sent to a resort in the Indian Ocean to compete. But there is a twist for those who did not read the fine print. Couples will be split up and new couples will be formed based on challenges. One contestant is eliminated with every episode.

Lyla and Nico appear to be a mismatched couple, Nico is a very handsome actor and Lyla is a scientist of perhaps a little better than average looks. They have been together for a few years and Nico wanted to land a job on the show to give his career a boost. Lyla did not want to go, but she agreed for Nico.

The venue is very beautiful, but Mother Nature is in charge. As lovely as the location is, she can be a tempest. The story becomes twisted and goes completely off the rails. If this was a reality show, I would watch it! It is another great read by Ruth Ware.

Thank you Netgalley for the prepublication copy to read and review.

This is a survival thriller set on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. It was good, fast paced, and twisty but it wasn’t my favorite by Ruth ware.

I’ve read all of Ruth Ware’s books, and have been disappointed in recent years. This book, however, I couldn’t put down. It grabbed my attention from the start and I found I had to keep reading because I needed to know how it was going to end! It was a quick read, and kept me on my toes for most of the book.

Wow this was such a great read and once I started I couldn’t put it down. 5 couples are left on an island to be on a reality show The Perfect Couple and to start off this just seemed like a bad idea and then of course everyone gets stranded on the island after a hurricane like storm destroys the boat which is the only way off the island since it is 20 hours from the mainland as well as a bunch of the structures on the island. This was told through the POV of Lyla who is a research scientist and only on the island to help her actor boyfriend get his big break which doesn’t turn out how it was supposed to since she ends up stranded there without him and with a bunch of people she just met and one is a psychopath. The narration is broken up by the maydays they keep sending out for rescue and diary entries that give you a different version of events you just read. The end of this was definitely something I didn’t see coming and man when you finally get the whole picture it was wild.

Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Unplanned, this is the first of two thriller books I've currently been reading (listening to) that have reality TV as a key part of the plot. In this new release from the author, five couples will have their relationships challenged - are they the perfect couple, or is there someone else among those selected who is suited for them? That's the overall premise of the show. But things go sideways real fast.

From the interview stage of this show, everything screamed "red flag, red flag". From the lack of format, vague details about what the Perfect Couple would win, and even a lack of a host. But that's not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the problems that plague the cast on night one when a tropical storm hits, leaving a path of destruction.

The story is primarily told from the POV of Lyla, who really only agreed to this show to help her actor boyfriend, Nico, with his career. However, even that plan goes belly up. Following night one, Lyla and the survivors (you read that right), have to work together to live as long as they can until they are rescued. However, that plan isn't easy when there is a psychopath on the island.

I like Lyla as a narrator. She's pragmatic and tries to be a peacekeeper when things get heated. She's a good person, who tries to look out for her fellow castmates, but she's a fighter when she needs to be.

Will they be any survivors? I can't say, but a lot of lives are impacted by what goes down on this secluded island.

Overall, this was a page turner, as I was eager to see how things played out. While I'm not a big fan of reality TV, I found it interesting how a high drama dating show became a new form of Survivor. A great read for fans of survival thrillers.

Thank you SO much to Gallery Books for the advanced copy of this book!

I'm a huge Ruth Ware fan and have read all but one of her books!

The thing I love most about her books are how insanely readable they are. I never am able to put them down and know that as soon as I start, I'll be committed until I'm finished and this one was no different: I flew through it in a day!

I do feel like things were a little too similar to Ware's previous work ONE BY ONE as both were marketed as being similar to Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. I think this is a personal issue for me, but when things are marketed as nods to AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, my brain starts to tur off mid-read because we all know that the plot has been done over and over and exactly what to expect.

In this case, while readable, most of the plot was entirely formulaic and repetitive. I will say that the twist in the end did surprise me even if it felt a little out of left field for my taste.

Overall, I think this will be a huge hit, especially for those that don't read so many similar thrillers!

As always, I can't wait to see what Ruth does next!

This will be available on May 21st!

If you're a fan of reality game shows like then you'll like the concept of this thriller. It's like a budget wish.com version of Surivor mixed with Love Island and a bit of Lord of the Flies, if you will.

It kicks off with 4 couples being chosen for a new reality tv show that claims it will test the partnerships through various challenges and the remaining couple will win a prize in the end. But Mother Nature has other plans and a storm leaves the couples stranded with dwindling resources and clinging to hope of rescue before it's too late.

Although the concept was promising, this had a lull in the middle when things became a bit repetitive. However, the looming sense of dread kept me reading. When people begin to die...the stakes are raised I had to discover how and who would make it to the end and I'm glad I stuck with the story.

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. It had a great mix of Love Island turned to The Wilds. I did like how it ended and felt like it came full circle. Overall a good suspense that kept me on my feet.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC. I really enjoyed this book, and I’ve already recommended it to friends to read as soon as it comes out. This story has five couples, and one person of each couple has been invited to this new reality show, “One Perfect Couple,” and their significant other agrees to come with them. That’s how we first met Nico And Lyla. She’s a scientist, but he’s an inspiring actor and gets invited to do this show, and she agrees, even though she really doesn’t want to go. At first, Lyla doesn’t even think they will qualify, but they do.

Things are not great from the start. They don’t get all the information they need, and the show hasn’t sold yet, so they don’t have all the amenities or staff they expect. The very next day after they arrive at the island, a terrible storm comes through, destroying most of the things on the island, killing a couple of people, and injuring others.

They had to leave all their technology on the boat, which disappeared in the storm. There is only one radio with some battery life left that they try using to contact others so that someone will know they are stranded on the island miles away from Indonesia with injured people and limited food and supplies.

Not only are they facing a lack of water and food and health concerns, but one of the contestants ends up being a murderer. Will they be able to contact someone for help before the battery on the radio dies? Or before they run out of food and water? Before one of the contestants runs out of her vital medicine? Or before the murderer kills every last one of them? Will the murderer be the last one standing?

Ruth Ware is truly one of the best authors! She gives you a book full of excitement with so much perspective! I could not stop reading this book!

Ruth Ware has done it again! I am always blown away by this author’s talent for suspense and thrillers and this book did not disappoint. Pick it up!

This one started a little rough as some of the reactions seemed a little bit over the top, but overall I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the journal entries/may day calls at the end of each Chapter as it was great at building tension and keeping my attention.

The ending was better than I thought, as I was worried that she would be the only survivor, but I really love that the women banded together and were strong and survived. I think that was the best ending that could have happened.

I went into this one expecting what I always expect in a Ruth Ware novel - a fun story with some good twists and maybe some creepy elements. I think going into it with expectations really ruined the experience for me because, ultimately, this was a pretty straightforward tale of bad luck and some pretty forgettable characters. I love Ware but this one didn’t do it for me.

This one is not my favorite by this author. The story sounded amazing, but it wasn't very exciting or suspenseful. The characters were ok, but kind of stereotypical for a reality show. I was leaning more toward 3 stars, but there were a few things that made me bump it up. I just LOVE an island setting, especially a mostly deserted island. I also stayed up VERY late last night reading the last 20% to see what was going to happen. The VERY end of the story was a surprise to me and I thought it was perfect. It could have went any other way, but this was satisfying to me. This is a great author for me and I can't wait for her next book.

Very enjoyable. A thrilling novel about a new reality show that has gone wrong. How will things end up? Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, towards the last quarter of the book I was ready for it to be wrapped up. I thought it overstayed it's welcome, however I would still recommend to friends and family.