Very different from my typical read but I was intrigued from the start, even though it scares me how plausible this seems!

I received this book from the Publisher in exchange for a honest and fair review via Netgalley.

Having read and enjoyed Marrs' book The One, I was excited to read this. I wasn't disappointed.

The book centers around a reality TV show titled ‘The Family Experiment’ and follows five couples and a single as they compete to begin their own family - they are to take care of a meta child until 18 years old, and if they win the contest, they will get the money needed for invitro to start a family of their own. If they don't win, the "child" is terminated.

The children's lives are not 18 years but shortened into nine months with nine life stages.

Each of these people have a story and some are pretty crazy. It was a wild ride, one I enjoyed. Highly recommend.

John Marrs’ speculative fiction has always been top tier, and this was no exception! I loved this book. His plots always feel like a real warning as to where society could end up if we’re not careful.

Pacing-wise, this book was perfect. Marrs loves his short sweet chapters that give you just enough plot advancement to keep you interested before jumping POVs, and because of that, this book flew by for me. I couldn’t put it down, saying “just one more chapter” for hours.

The characters were compelling, none of the twists felt cheap or drawn out, and I loved every minute of this ride. I can’t wait to push this book on friends and family looking for a quick thriller read.

I really enjoyed this new read by John Marrs! This was the first book l've read that is in his collection of books that are set in the same world. Not reading the others didn't hinder my experience of reading this one so it can definitely be read as a standalone. The chapters were short and each labeled so you knew exactly which couple's experience you were reading about.
I loved how this one combined science fiction and suspense. You didn't know what the couples were hiding nor how the competition would play out. This book gave me the same vibes as the show on Amazon called "Upload". I really enjoyed that one so this book was a hit for me.
Definitely an awesome read for those who love dystopian worlds, speculative thrillers, and science fiction involving Al!

What a wild ride that was. I have never read any of John Marra other novels, and I came into this ARC absolutely blind. I'm so glad I did because this book was GRIPPING.

The entire synopsis drew me in. An experiment with tamagochi like children in the metaverse. The millennial in me was super curious. Plus, plot twist it's a GAME SHOW!

I was in shock by how closely John paints a picture of today's society only just a little further along into technology. Everything that happened seemed like something that could happen in the near future, which added to the creepy factor of this book.

I really don't know how else to put this, but you must read this book. Fans that like mysteries, games shows, DRAMA, and a little bit of reality, and some sci-fi elements will love this book. It took me by suprise.

Thank you for providing an arc!

Definitely recommend reading The One and the marriage act before reading this one!

I still really liked it, I was just a little confused until I read the other books set in this world!

John marrs is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors!

I normally very much enjoy John Marrs, but this book felt like it dragged quite a bit. Not my favorite.

I was so excited for this one and I enjoy John Marrs books but this one fell flat for me. I DNF’d this one. The plot was too weird for me that I couldn’t keep reading.

You’ll love this new futuristic book from Jon Marrs about 6 couples fighting to win a competition where they parent AI children. It is up to the public to choose who will win! Theres lots of twists and events you don’t see coming. I highly recommend it!

The Family Experiment
By John Marrs
Publishing date: 7/9/24

Rating: 5 stars

Another intense, twisted, thoughtful, and entertaining page-turner by John Marrs!

“The Family Experiment” examines the lengths people will go to have the perfect family, the dehumanizing elements of entertainment, and the horrors of technological advancements.

“The Family Experiment” takes place in the same world as “The One” so I’ve been reading the books in order to fully understand the references to the previous books. It’s not necessary, but it does enhance the experience and there are quite a few fun references in this book.

I love the use of mixed media (i.e. chat room conversations and news articles) that quickly paint a picture of societal and technological norms in this setting. It’s a clever approach to creating a world and informing the reader of changes since the last book and differences from our current society.

As always, Marrs’ seamless execution of multiple POV’s is used as a plot device and keeps the pacing very fast. Each POV is unique and starts off seeming simple but gets more intense and shocking as the story goes on.

The examination of society, family, and technology was gripping and endlessly entertaining. This book has some brutal moments but I love that about this author because you truly never know what will happen. The book leaves off at a place that makes me really excited to find out what comes next.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and John Marrs for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Title: The Family Experiment
Author: John Marrs
Publishing Date: July 9th, 2024

5 stars 🌟

This book was an engrossing page-turner. I devoured it in just two days, and it took me another two days to process everything I had read.

"The Family Experiment" by John Marrs is a riveting and thought-provoking novel that dives into the complexities of human relationships and the lengths people will go to create a version of the perfect family. Marrs is known for his captivating and often unsettling themes, weaves a story that is both emotionally charged and psychologically complex.

"The Family Experiment" is a gripping novel that combines psychological drama with social commentary. John Marrs has created a story that is both entertaining and mentally stimulating, making it a must-read for lovers of fiction and thrillers.

Thank you Netgalley, John Marrs and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me a ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am not a huge fan of science fiction but I do love me a good John Marrs book! His books never cease to terrify me of what the future holds - with AI running life's and metaverse babies!

I really loved this universe, but this story did not connect with me like the others have done. I did not finish it because I found myself getting bored of the strung out plot lines.

Another fun John Marrs book! I love his books and his unique concepts, nothing tops The One for me, but this was really good. I will continue to pick up everything he writes!

John Marrs is a genius. I love the tye between this and another one of my favorites by him. Well done!
For having multiple contestants it was easy to keep up with.
The Metaverse is scary but an interesting and entertaining place. Never trust AI.

John Marrs is amazing 😭 I absolutely loved this book! It was such an interesting concept and I loved the different point of views.

This novel is set in the same world as "The One" by John Marrs (and I later discovered several other of his speculative thrillers). "The Family Experiment" focuses on a reality show, by the same name, set in a future where the Metaverse is developed and a company is trying to promote a new product for release - a virtual child that one can raise in the Metaverse. Contestants raise a Metaverse child through accelerated life stages, the final contestant having a choice between keeping their Metaverse child or taking a lump sum of money to use to start a real world family. As the contestants progress through the show, they must work increasingly harder to make sure some of the proverbial skeletons in their closets are not revealed.

I found this an absolutely fun read. As someone who has watched various reality shows over the years - Survivor, Project Runway, etc. - the premise was engaging as well as the questions it raised. The different dynamics of each family participating (and the secrets they had) were diverse and entertaining. It was also a really interesting thought experiment regarding AI and its role, not just economically but socially.

The storytelling format was very similar to "The One" so if you enjoyed that you would probably like this book. It may be worth reading his other speculative thriller works in the same 'world' before this one - I got the sense that certain worldwide situations were references to events outside of the book, so finding out that there were other books set in the world prior wasn't terribly surprising, although it does work as a stand alone novel too.

This was my 3rd John Marrs book and I really enjoyed it! I liked some characters story lines more than others but overall became invested in everyone. I love the quick chapters with cliffhangers, it kept me invested and wanting to read more! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!
4⭐️

I didn’t know if John Marrs could write something that topped The One, and I have to say, he proved me wrong! I love how you can see how this world is plausible in the not too distant future. Between the reality show and raising AI children, the concept was so interesting. I could not put this book down and have been telling all of my reader (and even some non reader) friends all about this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“It’s the same principle as parenting, only in a different setting. It’s our job to raise our son or daughter as we would a biological child.”

WOW! Can you say the future may be scary? The Family Experiment by John Marrs is taking Reality TV and turning it into a psychological social experiment in the Metaverse. Six families are ready to start a nine month show where they raise a MetaBaby that experiences multiple Developmental Leaps from being a newborn to reaching 18 years old in this time frame. These babies are “computer-generated image[s] living in a three-dimensional version of the internet.” But when 6 different family units all have a past, and something to hide – with scheming in the background by Awakening Entertainment – and a world that can log in and watch, analyze, critic, post about, and rate at all times, you know this is an experiment that will end in a way that no one can predict or expect!

Marrs really took the all-encompassing word of “family,” added in a full AI approach set in the not-to-out-of-grasp future, and created a psychological thriller that will leave you deep in your own thoughts. Even the concepts of Re:Born and Match Your DNA are so brilliant, it’s amazing to me whatever is going on in the author’s head to develop such ideas that may be more of a reality in the future than we (the reader) can even comprehend.

This was my first book by Marrs and he made a fan out of me! Saying this, there are tons of trigger warnings that I could give, so make sure you understand the basic concepts before jumping right in. In addition, I read this on my Kindle and it took me a little longer to get into this book trying to mentally remember all of the characters, the children’s names, the backstories etc. I think this needs to be a book you can easily jump back to the start to easily know – who is married to who and whose baby belongs to what parent. Due to this, I was probably about 40% into the book before I became fully invested – once my memory kicked in (and characters started being limited!).

Overall, this was a mind-blowing futuristic story that will leave your jaw dropped (but I did end the book with a smile!). The plot was fascinating, the concept new and not predictable, and the creative nature of this novel oozed out of the pages. Just as The Family Experiment Reality TV show was extremely addicting, once you get to the second half of this book you will likewise be addicted and unable to put it down!. 4.5 Stars (lowered from 5 simply because of how much information had to be absorbed with too many characters in the beginning – which may just be this users error).

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc; all opinions are my own!

“Anything-and anywhere-was possible in the Metaverse”