All I can say is WOW! This is the second book I’ve read by John Marrs, and now I want to read all of them. I read The One last year and absolutely loved it. This book has call backs to all of his other books set in this universe, so I wish I had read the others. However, I was hooked on this! Basically, the premise of this novel is that in the future, there is a way for people to have a virtual AI child. In this story, couples have to compete in a reality show where they take care of an AI child in the metaverse, and whoever gets the most votes gets to keep the child and some prize money. But there is a whole lot more going on! Secrets are revealed about each couple (and the single dad of course, who has the best storyline, in my opinion) and things get wild.
If you’re a fan of futuristic books with some suspense, this book is definitely for you. I would just suggest reading at least one of his other books first so you kind of get the gist of what this universe is like!

I'm left with conflicting feelings on this book, however, I stick by my 4 star rating.

The premise is that you can create a child through artificial intelligence and virtual reality and "raise" it at your convenience in a virtual, but very realistic world due to advanced technology. The couples in the book have been selected to "test drive" the program through a reality TV show.

I enjoyed reading this book but the format was something I had to get used to. Most of the book felt like each set of characters had their own chapters and stories independent of each other except for the fact that they were all part of "The Family Experiment". None of them had any interaction with each other until the very end of the book so at times I felt there was a lack of continuity. At the same time I was compelled to continue reading as it was evident that each couple had a sinister secret they were hiding. In the end, everything tied together but by that point I pretty much predicted the outcome.

Overall, I'd recommend this thriller as it was "different" in it's formatting and definitely not a boring read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Family Experiment by John Marrs is an absolute gem of a book. It's such a great example of speculative thriller. Intense, intelligent, thought-provoking, it will make you question how you view AI and its impact on people and their lives. Families compete on a reality tv show where they spend 9 months raising an AI from newborn baby to teenager. If they win, they get the choice of keeping the baby or receiving funding to have their own real-life baby with paid for IVF treatments, etc.

The writing is absolutely brilliant. The concept of Metaverse is so unique. The story itself have so many twists that will have you completely hooked and reading till you finished.
I love how the story is told, with its multiple points of view, switching between different characters, their individual stories and voices strong and well developed.
The Family Experiment is absolutely exceptional. One of those books that I know will stay with me for a very long time. Highly recommended!

This book was so interesting! All of John Marrs’ concepts are so unique and well thought out. It’s about a group of contestants on a reality TV show where they have to parent AI children in the Metaverse. Through technology, it looks, feels, and sounds exactly like parenting in the Real World. But the contest (and none of the contestants) are what they seem. The book is written in such a way that makes you want to keep reading so you can find out what’s going on, and I truly did not expect any of the twists! It also really makes you think about AI and technology and what it makes possible. Definitely an exciting and thought-provoking read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. THE FAMILY EXPERIMENT is out on July 9th!

In this dystopian thriller, John Marrs imagines a future where families unable to afford real children turn to virtual parenthood. Parents don VR suits to raise virtual children in the Metaverse, competing on a reality TV show for a chance to either keep their child or win money to start a real family. Each family harbors dark secrets, and the twists keep coming.

Marrs' vivid descriptions and fast-paced plot make for an immersive and thrilling read. Although the ending felt rushed, it was a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended for fans of speculative fiction and thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley, Hanover Square Press, and the author for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

I have always heard such wonderful things about author, John Marrs! Im not sure what took me so long to pick up a book, but I’m so glad I did. This book was well executed and well imagined. I was thoroughly engrossed and cannot wait to read more. The Family Experiment is a complex book told from multiple POV’s. It alternates between past and present with a clear distinction.

Marrs has created a world where we have taken technology to the next level. Humans are submersed in it. This world has multiple families unable to afford to have families so they created a way for parents to have virtual children. Parents out on a suit and visit the meta verse to experience parenthood in every single step. The book is about 6 sets of parents that are trying to start a family, each family has a deep dark secret with each twist bigger than the last. Oh and the parents are competing on a reality tv show where the cameras follow the parents 24/7 and the winner gets to keep their virtual child or get the money needed to start a family in the real world.

What a roller coaster ride of a book! I didn’t know which family to root for. Marrs descriptions helped me to feel submerged in the book. I highly recommend this thriller! I can’t wait to pick up Marrs other books! Thank you to NetGalley, Hanover Square Press and the author for the opportunity to read this book. My opinions are honest and my own!

I just want to live inside John’s head for a day.

The Family Experiment is about a group of people who join a new reality TV show where over the course of 9 months, they raise an incredibly realistic child in the Metaverse from ages 0-18 while being broadcasted 24/7. At the end of the 9 months, they can choose to either keep their Metaverse child or terminate them for cash.

Each family has their own set of demons and secrets that unravel one by one. While it’s not my favorite of his, this was a wild ride from start to finish. And if like dystopian/futuristic technology mixed with mystery/thriller, this is perfect for you.

4/5 stars. I LOVED the concept of this book and am a huge fan of John Marrs' speculative thrillers. This would have been a 5 star for me if it weren't for the ending, I felt that it fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Reality television. Social media. AI. Is everything we see the truth or do people cover up what they’re really like? In this John Marrs novel you’ll meet a couple families competing on a new hit tv show for a chance to win money to have a child. They’re living in a future drove by AI, in a real-world poverty stricken world. With less real world experiences to be had, they can live a whole “exciting” life behind their virtual headset to travel, live ocean-side, and have a virtual child. But is a virtual world really what’s best?

This was an exciting read with actual twists you don’t see coming!

I really enjoyed the back and forth of characters and how well the author ties it all together.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my review.

Marrs' exploration of virtual parenthood in an economically challenged world is captivating and chilling. The fast-paced plot, combined with the reality TV show format, keeps readers engaged. Despite numerous characters and twists, Marrs ties everything together seamlessly. This book's scariest aspect is its plausible reflection of our near future. Highly recommended for those who enjoy speculative fiction with a dark twist.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Hanover Square Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, John Marrs. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

In the not-so-distant future, the population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. A growing number of people can no longer afford to have families. For those desperate enough and for enough money, clients can create a virtual child that lives in the metaverse and is accessible through a VR headset. To launch this project, the company creates a reality TV show to pit 5 couples and 1 single man to see who provides the best parenting. The virtual children go through an accelerated growth pattern, going from birth to age 18 in a 9-month period. Of course, viewers can watch all the interactions, giving red hearts for good parenting and black ones for bad behaviors. Of course there will be monthly challenges the contestants must face. And the prize? The winner can either keep their virtual child or take the prize money to be able to have a real world child. What could go wrong?

John Marrs is the best at speculative fiction - you can easily take reality up a notch and imagine these dilemmas. This will keep you glued to the pages as each of the contestants secrets, motives and behaviors slowly reveal themselves. Also included are news headlines, social media clips, as well as the back story of this concept, and plenty of twists that will leave you gasping. With AI seeming to seep into our current world, this is a scary, eye-opening look into a potential future.

Imagine living in a world that is overpopulated and in such economic despair that people can no longer afford to start and raise a family. For those who still want a chance at parenthood, advanced technology can now provide them a virtual child in the Metaverse for a monthly subscription fee. And what could be better to launch this new idea than a 24/7 live reality TV show called The Substitute! The show features 5 couples and a single father as they raise their virtual child from birth to 18 in a matter of 9 months. The winner gets a choice to keep their virtual child or risk it all for the opportunity to have a real child.

While there are a lot of characters in this story and a little of twists in each chapter, John Marrs has done an excellent job making it easy to follow and tying up all the loose ends. The scariest part of this book is how close this may be to reality!

I would like to thank Hanover Square Press, John Marrs, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but I found it to be rather interesting. This was such an interesting concept for a book, and I enjoyed going through all of these scenarios. Great book!

4.5⭐️ the fifth book from Metaverse. A sci-fi thriller that did not disappoint. I hope there is more as the human and AI world is very entertaining. And a bit scary. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

The world's population is getting too large, which has lead to jam packed cities and an economic crisis, which has caused huge issues in the UK. Many people don't have the money to start and raise a family, causing them to seek an alternative.

This is where a initiative called Virtual Children comes into play. For a monthly fee you can create your own virtual child and raise it in the metaverse. All you have to do is put on a VR headset and you're transported to a world where you virtual child is.

In order to launch the Virtual Children the company behind it has created a reality TV show called The Substitute. Ten couples will raise a Virtual Child of their "building" in a condensed nine-month period. The child will grow from birth to the age of eighteen and the winner will either get to keep their virtual child or decide whether they want to roll the dice and try for a real baby.

I was so excited when I found out The Family Experiment was set in the same universe of The One. That was the first book I read by John Marrs and it was one of my favorite reads of 2023. Now that I know The Marriage Act is also in this universe I'll definitely be reading that next! But I digress...

Like The One, The Family Experiment was a wild ride and I loved every last minute of it. Each couple was fascinating in their own right and harbored secrets that I didn't see coming.

A common theme in the books that take place in this universe is that while technology can be great, there are definitely areas where we can take it too far. The things that happen and that are revealed because of this technology can expose and exploit us in ways we could never expect.

These things and more happened to the characters in this book and I found each story to be captivating. Each chapter is from a different couple's point of view and left us on a cliffhanger and wondering what was going to happen to them next. It was extremely hard to put The Family Experiment down.

With this book, John Marrs has cemented himself as an auto-buy author for me and I can't wait to read more of his work! I highly recommend The Family Experiment and look forward to talking about it with others when the book is officially published.

This was just not the book for me, but not because it’s a bad book. I am just not a fan of sci-fi or dystopian themes. However, this was a very interesting story that even I could appreciate.

John Marrs is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me. I fell in love with his speculative fiction novels after reading The One a few years ago and have devoured each one since. The Family Experiment is no exception. It follows a similar format to his others in this loosely connected series where there are several characters that each have a different experience with the newest scientific development. In this case, there are several families who are chosen to participate in a 24-7 live streamed reality show where they are given fast-aging AI children. The children don't really know that they are AI - only "alive" in a metaverse. Streamers watching at home can send reactions, money, and sponsorships to the families to create an even better metaverse for their children.

Sounds great, right? No notes! Well, if you've read anything by John Marrs before, you know that all is not what it seems and although these scientific advances look great on paper or in theory, once they are put to the test in the real world, unforeseen craziness ensues. I want to walk around in Marrs' brain for just a few hours while he is plotting these books, because that has to be a trip. He seemingly thinks through every possible weird, crazy outcome and them amplifies by a thousand. And it still ends up being plausible.

Definitely give this one a try if you are into the speculative fiction or close sci-fi micro-genre like I am. And, with AI becoming more and more of a reality lately, this doesn't seem to be too far out of the realm of possibility. Scary...

If you are a Black Mirror fan, then you absolutely NEED to put The Family Experiment on your list. Be prepared to be deeply unsettled in the best way possible, because this is a commentary on society that almost hits a little too close to home.

The Family Experiment is the newest reality show, where six couples are given the AI baby of their dreams to take care of in the metaverse. Over the course of nine months, the couples will raise their baby through development gaps until it turns eighteen. Viewers will have access to 24/7 live streams, will vote for which couple deserve to receive a challenge each month, and ultimately vote for the final winner, who can choose a cash prize or to keep their child in the metaverse.

But each of these couples has their own agenda for being on the show, something happening in real life that they'll do everything to conceal from their audiences. They want to show themselves as picture-perfect families in the metaverse, but that's far from the truth in reality...

I thought this was SUCH an interesting topic for a book, totally unique and never done before. I love John Marrs and he clearly is such a creative writer. The story is not only told through the POVs of the couples, but also news articles and livestream comments from the audience. There's even a statement from Pope John Paul III condemning AI babies (that's the part that really sent me over the edge!).

I loved this book for its creativity and thought-provoking elements, but I did feel like the plot dragged on in a few places. I still read it quickly, but trying to follow so many couples meant sometimes felt like it was doing too much. The way the ending wrapped up a few plot lines was interesting, but I felt like the plot could've done more for me based on how interesting the topic was.

All that to say, I really did think this was a fantastic book and HIGHLY recommend picking this up when it releases!

John Marrs is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I’m not one for science fiction, but do like speculative fiction, and he does it wonderfully. I like that this story was in the same universe as The One and others of his. I also like that his characters are flawed, some deeply so. The range of emotions I felt through this book were all over the place and I audibly gasped when I learned the fate of Issy. I can’t wait for more stories in this universe. It has short chapters which I love.

This book tops the list as the most unique book I’ve read to date! (3.5 Stars!)

While I read plenty of genres, sci-fi is one that I typically shy away from. However, I had yet to read a book from John Marrs, and his thrillers came highly recommended. When I saw that his latest book was available on NetGalley and it was a speculative fiction combining sci-fi and thriller elements, I thought it would be a great way to dip my toes in the water!

It took me about 75 pages to warm up because it was certainly “out there” for me as someone not used to this genre. As a parent, I also found the whole situation really messed up. AI babies mixed with a reality tv show where parenting is gamified…? It felt like Big Brother meets The Sims meets a Tamagotchi, and the absurdness turned me off for awhile.

However, once I came to accept that this is just how this world operates, I settled in to the sci-fi just in time to get sucked in by the suspense. And let me say, the plot twists hit fast one after the other in the back half of the book! Even though it weirded me out, I also couldn’t put it down either 😂

On a deeper level, this book poses lots of questions for discussion about the ethics and future of AI, social experiments, virtual reality and the “what ifs” that might pan out if these things go unchecked. It was surprisingly thought-provoking, which I don’t typically expect in a thriller!

If you’re already a fan of John Marrs, this is set in the same world as his other speculative fiction books like “The One” and “The Marriage Act”, so if you liked those I’d imagine you’d also like this!