This was my first John Marrs novel but certainly will not be my last. What a ride! This had exactly want I like in a sci-fi read: new technology, desperate people with a bonus of a reality tv aspect. I stayed up way too late to finish this because I wouldn’t put it down. The writing, characters and pacing was fantastic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

In the same speculative universe that the author has written The One and The Marriage Act, John Mars collides with the world of reality television with the latest AI advancement- virtual children.

That's right, The Family Experiment is a nine-month all-access reality show where eleven childless British couples compete by raising a virtual baby from the newborn years to adulthood. John Mars is not lighthearted about this topic as all these characters are put to the test and of course, they ALL have their secrets.

This was a very compulsive read. It was terrifying AND addicting. As I read, I was getting deeper and deeper into the Metaverse along with the contestants.

We follow the progress of the television show and the growth of the virtual children through the eyes of the different contestants. As this is a reality show, there are plenty of shocking events that lead to the elimination of some of the contestants. After all, money is at stake and the chance for the winning couple to pursue IVF and have their baby afterwards.

I would have given this a straight-up 5 but I did find that the story lost a little momentum at the end with the last number of chapters explaining and wrapping up storylines. Overall, this was one of the most original storylines I have read in 2024.


Publication Date: 09/07/24
Goodreads Review 18/07/24
#TheFamilyExperiment #NetGalley

Gripping. Eerie. Suspenseful.


Could you imagine a world where AI had infiltrated even the most intimate parts of your life? In a guilty-pleasure-consuming-reality-tv way The Family Experiment does exactly that + leaves no secret unshared.

Marrs has added another component to his near-world setting with The Family Experiment. 11 contestants face off to become the best virtual parent. The prize? Keep your metaverse baby or keep the funds to help have a biological baby. If you’re a loser? Your child will simply cease to exist. Is it possible to feel a connection and as much love with an AI baby? Stay tuned.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

John marrs never fails to weave an intriguing modern story. This book had mr flipping through the pages, always something shocking at the end of each chapter. In intriguing and thrilling read with a modern crazy story!

What a strange book. It was hard to follow the flashbacks because they weren't separated from the rest of the story at all. The characters were all terrible people (maybe that was the point?), but I couldn't seem to really care what happened to any of them. The way certain characters were "disposed of" was also disappointing- it was like he didn't know what to do with them next, so let's just kill them off in strange ways. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first John Marks book and it will not be my last. The world is becoming overpopulated and an economic crisis is looming. The solution is to pay for a virtual child. The company decides to promote this idea with a contest to see who the public thinks did the best in raising their child. After I was able to understand all the characters and their pasts, the story was fascinating. The different POVs made this a page turner. The modern topic of how social media and virtual games affect our lives is prominent. I loved this book!

Loved it! Very thought provoking on how far will you go to have a family using AI? The secrets of the families own families shadows the new ideal family. As usual John Marrs put the last twist in to tie it all up!

Oh my goodness, this was one of the best new books I've read in a very long time. The twists and turns were amazing and just kept me wanting to read and find out what was coming next... everything was not as it seems all the time! It was the perfect sci-fi future AI thriller I wanted. I loved the wide variety of characters, their stories and how the real world played into the game show. I loved how the story was broken up into chapters following different characters and how it was sort of mixed media with news headlines which made it seem so realistic. It also is releasing at such a great time when AI is so popular. Wow, I loved it so much, I need to read more by this author right away!

I ended up enjoying this book as much as The One! They are set up in the same universe and I enjoyed the concept overall. I felt like the first half was a bit slow with character development. The second half I was much more engaged as I got to see how the couples and their babies evolved.

I love a good multiple POV book and Marrs is so fantastic at the way he progressively tells everyones’ stories. He has many other highly reviewed books and I can’t wait to read more.

For Readers Who Like:
- Futuristic books
- Multiple POV
- Skeletons in the closet

Thank you @netgalley and @hanoversquarepress for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ready for a semi-futuristic thriller? Welcome to meta-verse reality TV. Staring a wide cast of characters, The Family Experiment tests couples and individuals at raising kids, and votes who does it best. People will vote on who is parenting the best meta child for a cash prize or the chance at keeping your meta child forever in the metaverse. The characters were so interesting and I loved that all their secrets came to the surface as the novel went on. The ads of metaverse and comments of Family Experiment viewers were also so fun and added a lot to the book. John Marrs did such a great job of bringing this original story to life. I would definitely recommend this one for the summer reading list! Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced e-copy!

WOW! Talk about everything wrong with the future of AI. Although this book is a work of fiction, John really shows the many ways AI can hinder our lives and experiences. With our real world continually advancing via the use of AI this book hit the mark at a very critical and relevant time. John did a great job at using key items to relate to the current world; such as the setting of a reality tv contest, the use of virtual reality and even the thought provoking ideas of how AI learns from the humans who create. This is not your typical John Marrs thrilling suspense story, but its worth the read none the less.

Book review 📖 The Family Experiment 📺 🧑‍🧑‍🧒
John Marrs

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Wow. Creepy. What the heck did I just read? I loved how this book tied in the same world in The Marriage Act. So many POVs of the different ‘couples’ but Marrs develops his characters well and without confusion. A sorry set in the future that you know could be real at some point. And, how far it can go with AI development. But wow, all the characters, all the twists and turns, and definitely things you don't see coming!! This was a page turner that I could not put down. If you like Black Mirror this could be for you!

4.25 Stars out of 5

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This solidifies that I need to jump onto the John Marrs bandwagon because this was such a page-turner.

I loved a fast-paced, short-chaptered thriller, and this delivers. I’ll definitely have to read about the other books in this universe.

The whole band of characters were interesting, all had something shady goin on, and it was satisfying to have things I already knew be confirmed or add onto theories I already had. It sucks I (sorta) caught onto the big plot twist in the end as I felt the story was just super obviously going in that direction, but it didn’t take away from the overall experience of cohesively reading everyone’s plot lines.

Also, I love when authors incorporate multimedia clips or interactive things!!

This book is fire!!!

I haven’t read anything by John Marrs before but now can’t wait to read more. This book was a wild ride of twists and turns. Just when you think you’ve got a finger on all the moving pieces another shifts and the puzzle becomes clearer, but a different picture.

This man never ceases to amaze me. John marrs is the king of spectualative fiction/sci fi. The way i started out liking majority of these cast of people to absolutely despising them.

55% into the book all the way to the end kept my head on a swivel. I highly recommend this

A phenomenal science based novel that feels like a glimpse into a very possible and absolutely chilling future! I had been meaning to pick up one of John Mares’ books for years and am so glad I finally did! I was enthralled by his storytelling and can’t wait to read more! Thank you @netgalley for the ARC!

The family experiment… This book will stay with me for a long time because in reality it could happen! A new game show consisting of couples and one single man compete to raise a virtual child through AI and a VR headset. In nine months, the child will go from birth to 18 years old. There will only be one winner of the grand prize which consists of getting to keep their virtual child or taking the cash to hopefully be able to have their own child. The public votes and the public also can pay extra to throw a wrench into the scenario! How about giving one baby colic or maybe another the chickenpox to see how the parents/parent handles each unique situation?
After a few chapters I was able to keep up with the characters, who incidentally ALL had their own secrets!! Secrets they hoped the public would never find out!
The book is filled with many twists and turns and when a chapter would end and a new one would begin I found myself wanting to move ahead and read what was next for that/those characters.
I highly recommend this book! If I had to pick one character I was drawn to it would be Hudson, the single dad, so kind and caring, but what secret is he hiding???
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, Netgalley and the exceptional John Marrs for allowing me this excellent advanced copy.

3.5 stars
I’ve read most of John Marrs books and have enjoyed them all! I can always count on him to deliver the set up and knockdown. This was another interesting scenario with unique execution. I really liked the audiobook format with the multi-cast narration. There were a few more character POVs than I’d have liked but it would have been hard to execute a book like this without having so many POVs.
*Thanks to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC of The Family Experiment.
I'm giving this book a 3.75 ⭐️ rating simply because there were so many characters to try and keep track of!
I did enjoy the book, which is set in a futuristic MetaVerse in which people are selected to raise Meta children. I've never read anything like this before (it was also my first John Marrs book, but it won't be my last!).

The book follows participants through the MetaVerse and real world as they raise their Meta children while being live streamed. These participants all have secrets that come out throughout the book/show. Most of the secrets came to light due to other plot twists! Viewers get to watch everything unfold and are able to make in-app purchases to help them succeed with ratings. Everyone was out to get the best ratings but were also able to find more about themselves and others that they may not have found out without participating.
The plot twists were phenomenal as it came down to participants you may not have suspected. Once the final episode appeared, there was lots of drama that unfolded, which was amazing!
Overall, once I got the characters all figured out, it was a much more enjoyable read.

The Family Experiment by John Marrs is a dark thriller following couples selected for a metaverse reality television show competing to be the nation's favorite “family.”

The inspiration for this novel was a news article stating everyday individuals could start a virtual family in the Metaverse. The idea is fascinating especially, with the advancements in technology making this all too possible. Could virtual children bring happiness to those struggling with loss or loneliness in the real world? Will ethics and morals need to be addressed before the public can access this technology? John Marrs explores all the hard questions lawmakers will consider to make this a reality.

For fans of dystopian fiction, this is for you.