The time has finally come, it is time to admit defeat and say Ruth Ware books are not my cup of tea. This is the third book by Ruth Ware that I have read and disliked. This one has been my least favorite to date.

This book made ZERO SENSE. There is/was so much wrong with it. First, I feel completely bamboozled by the synopsis. It reads as if a mysterious killer is picking off the cast one by one. When it is blatantly obvious who it is from the start, it is not a secret. It is more of a survival thriller than anything, Anytime something suspicious happens to a couple, it's always off the page. We never really see any of it. We are just told someone is missing, and we are told someone is hurt, but the author never shows us.

Second, this would never actually happen. It is so unrealistic that this TV show would ever happen like this. No one is going to allow a bunch of people to film on an island without the proper crew, insurance, and safety precautions. Not to mention the pacing of the "TV show" was laughable. First night on the island, they do a questionnaire for the first game and someone is already kicked off? That defeats the entire purpose of the show.

Third, the couples on the island were so frustrating. Someone steals the supplies you need for survival and everyone is just going to be okay with that? No one cares that one person is in charge of their supplies, the same person who beat a guy to death? COME ON.


And last, the journal entries are supposed to be important. But finding out what they were for really was stupid. Making a murderer/abuser/toxic/awful guy like that a hero is the stupidest plot twist of all time. What a joke.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware.

This is a book about a love reality show gone really bad. The contestants get stranded on an island and all hell breaks loose. Never everyone makes it off the island.

It was an ok book. Not great but not terrible either.

Lyla, a research scientist, is having a tough time. Her most recent job is not getting the results she wanted and she fears that once time and funding run out, there will be no extension on either. When her boyfriend, struggling actor Nico, comes to her with a proposition – want to be on a couple’s reality show? – she says yes despite wanting anything else. It’s good for his career, so she’s being supportive. But one challenge in, and this are starting to go wrong - and that doesn't even count the impending storm which destroys a big swath of the island and leaves them with minimal food and water and worse...

Ruth Ware has become an automatic buy author for me. I've enjoyed all her books, and this one was no exception. I was anxious to see what would happen as things progressively got worse, and I hoped for the participants' survival along with them. I inhaled this in 24 hours, and now I'm only sorry that I read it so fast.

I am in my Ruth Ware era! I recently read Zero Days by listening to the audiobook on Libro.fm and couldn’t stop listening! Bonus – the narrator was excellent. After that wonderful reading experience, I was thrilled to read Ruth Ware’s upcoming release, One Perfect Couple. The cover is striking, and the premise was interesting.

Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. Work and sleep didn’t matter, only this book did. Ruth has a way of writing a mystery that keeps me guessing and keeps me invested in the story. The novel was fast paced and is perfect for a summer read! At first, I didn’t like the character names, but they all grew on me by the end. Ruth also leaves a little easter egg in the book for fans of hers which I absolutely adored.
Part psychological suspense and part survival story, this book delivers. Highly recommend for your summer reading list!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books, for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

4 couples on an island, stranded after a bad storm, how will they survive? This book was one I could not put down! I love Ruth Ware and this new book did not disappoint! I was so happy I was able to get an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley and I devoured it!

A few months ago, I heard Ruth Ware at an author talk where she shared what she could about this book. I remember her saying, “Imagine ‘Love Island’, but things go very wrong.” She had me sold on that description alone.

I really enjoyed “One Perfect Couple.” It didn't feel like Ware’s usual fare, yet somehow feels like it belongs in what’s becoming a prolific collection of novels by her. While it isn’t my favorite of her novels, I did really enjoy it. I’ll be suggesting it to our patrons.

One last note, no spoilers, but I did really love the ending. Not exactly shocking, but oh so satisfying.

I expected a thriller, but instead got a survival story. The marketing is all wrong on this book. It is not a modern And Then There Were None. It’s more a novelization of a season of Survivor.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of One Perfect Couple!
The story revolves around couples going on a new reality show, as soon as they get to the island, things take a turn!
It was a fast paced read that I couldn't put down! It would be the perfect summer beach/vacation read!

I couldn’t put this down! I started this book on a very busy weekend for me and was sad I couldn’t read all in one sitting, it’s that good. I loved the characters, the setting and the twists. I feel like this book was unique in that it had twists all throughout the book rather than just one sole twist at the end. I also loved the ending, I don’t think I could’ve picked a better one. I am going to be adding other titles by this author to my TBR.

3.5/5 ⭐️

Lyla and her boyfriend Nico are picked to be contestants on a new reality show about couples on a remote island. However, soon after arriving, they get stranded completely by an intense storm and no way of communicating with anyone on land except for a spotty radio. Tensions arise and soon it’s not just about surviving the elements.

This one was very different than I expected. I thought it was going to be more like one of us is a killer on the island and we gotta figure out who. However, it was more Lord of the Flies esque with regards to two groups fighting and there was a clear bad guy. It was super quick to read, and I thought the first part (of three) was really good and suspenseful. But then after the storm, it became a survival story with an abusive leader and not really the suspenseful tale I wanted.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ - One Perfect Couple is another fun and twisty popcorn thriller by Ruth Ware. In this novel the reader is introduced to Lyla, a virologist, and her aspiring actor-boyfriend, Nico. Nico convinces Lyla to join him on the cast of a new reality show titled One Perfect Couple where five couples will start out together, yet vie to be the last one standing. Lyla agrees to participate only to help Nico further his career. Her goal is to get sent home within the first couple of weeks and return to her research job. This show is low budget and set on an isolated island. Things do not go according to plan....

There is a large cast of characters in this novel and at times it is hard to keep them straight, although the reader is getting mostly one perspective. I have consistently found Ware's books to be engrossing, and I finish them in a day or two. The plot moves along nicely, but there is little character-development. This is a good palate cleaner book.

Thanks to Scout Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

Lyla is in a rut. Her job is going no where, her relationship feels stalled, and she feels like life is jsut passing her by. So when her boyfriend asks her to go with him to be a reality show, “one Perfect Couple” to help his acting career she agrees. Maybe this is the break she needs. Situated on a gorgeous beach across the world the couples get situated and the games begins. When a storm hits soon the contestants are fighting for their lives, not only from the island but from each other.

Ruth Ware is a favorite of mine so when I got to read this ARC I was excited. I really liked how this story was such a great atmospheric read that kept me wanting to know more. While not very “twisty” I still loved the thriller component and would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great thriller. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

This was a. HUGE miss for me. I am usually a Ruth Ware auto buy...but this MAJORLY missed the mark. I think that wanted to create a twisty suspense that incorporates themes of reality TV (think Love Island, Survivor, Feyre Festival) but spent zero time developing the characters and most of the time giving play by plays of how to survive on a deserted island. With the little time that she did spend talking about the characters, they were all unlikable (I think she meant to create vapid Tik Tok/Youtube stars, but no thank you). Additionally, the reality of this situation is SLIM to none. When reading a suspense, I like to think that these events COULD happen in some world, but this was so unrealistic.

Lyla and Nico have been dating for 3 years. Nico, a struggling actor, asks Lyla to go on a reality TV show in order to finally get an acting job and be seen by agents, producers etc. Lyla is hesitant. As a she is the rational scientist , but she is also on the verge of losing her job so she agrees. They meet the producer (who gave them little to no details) and agreed. They headed off to the deserted island to meet their cast mates and their "dream villas". Two days into shooting, a huge storm comes and the yacht houses the entire staff disappears, the cast is left to survive. As the days drag on, the cast begins to get desperate and their true personalities begin to show. Some need PURE control, some need more basic needs such as food and water, and some need to be protected from an abuser. Will they survive the Island or will their fellow cast mates be the death of them?

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for ARC!

A reality show is filming on a small island near Indonesia. 10 people are on the island when a storm hits and strands them all with no communication and limited supplies. As they try and find a way to stay alive and get off the island, it’s clear that one of them doesn’t want everyone to be rescued.

I’ve really been loving Ruth Ware recently as I’ve made my way through her books. This one was one of her best! It’s kind of a Survivor meets Lord of the Flies with a lot of modern drama thrown in. The author does a great job with character and storyline development. The characters were all well written and likeable and even the characters you don’t like are so well written to be great villains. And the ending was great and satisfying . Really I couldn’t put this book down. Great read!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Gallery Books for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. Publication date May 21, 2024

Ruth Ware! She’s one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of her books. I was very excited and thankful to receive this ARC (advanced reader copy) through NetGalley before its release in May.
In Ware’s newest book, we meet Lyla, a virologist who agrees reluctantly to join her boyfriend, Nico, on a new reality show, One Perfect Couple. They travel to a remote island that houses a brand new resort where they, and 4 other couples, are the first guests. The couples are vying not only for the top prize but their 15 minutes of fame (with the exception of Lyla). But things get off to a deadly start the first night when a huge storm rolls in and destroys the resort and kills two. From there, the remaining guests fight to stay alive.
This book started out so strong. I was picturing the beautiful setting, I was interested in the characters, and I was excited and anticipating a plot twist. Sadly, this book fell flat for me. I started to think surely there’s more to come, but there wasn’t. There was a twist, but it was hardly interesting. I was disappointed, as I am a big fan of Ware’s other books. This one just didn’t do much for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Ruth Ware is an author that I'll read immediately when I see her name, so I feel badly in saying that I really didn't love or connect with this book. Multiple couples are set to compete on a reality show set on a remote desert island. Seems fine, until a devastating storm comes through, and characters have to survive on their own.

I kept waiting for a twist, where this was all part of the show, and I think that would have made the plot better. The characters were all grating and full of themselves. The twist near the end came a little too late with too little payoff.

Disturbingly good. Ruth Ware has another winner. It's a dark story with several twists and turns. But it will keep you turning the pages well into the night. Alternating the narrative with snippets of increasingly desperate radio broadcasts and seemingly contradictory diary entries is a great device and adds to the tension. Great story, fast moving plot and surprising characters. Enjoy!

Ruth Ware will always be exciting and fresh. This deserted island/“locked door” mystery had a few twists and turns that took me by surprise. The final speculation and conclusion could’ve been revealed to the reader in a more show-don’t-tell fashion.

Ruth is usually a solid mystery/thriller writer for me and this one I enjoyed quite a bit. It kept me wanting more, and was a page turner.

I did not enjoy The It Girl much (Ware's previous book), so I was both wary and excited going into this one. I was pleasantly surprised! There is the reality TV element, with many toxic, or just confusing, romantic couples, and an island setting that feels straight from Netflix. Of course, things go awry quite quickly with excerpts from radio SOS calls at the end of the first few chapters, and building tension between the couples in light of the competition. I'm not sure I would describe the characters as well-developed, but with the plot line that would be challenging to achieve. That being said, Lyla and Zana are the characters I found most fleshed out, with Bayar and Conor coming off as one-dimensional. One very entertaining moment that stood out to me was when the characters burned a copy of The Woman in Cabin 10 (another of Ware's previously published books), which was a lovely tie-in.