what an interesting and unique concept, I greatly enjoyed this. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. As my first John Mars book, I'd gladly sign up for another.

This book takes place in the same universe as The One, The Passengers, and The Marriage Act. I loved being back in this world. It is dark, weird, a little scary, and compulsively readable. I loved it! It had several twists and turns I was not expecting. There are aspects of this book that I can totally see happening in the future and that is kinda scary. This is another great story!

Publication date: July 9 2024

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital arc and allowing me to share my thoughts.

Oh my goodness, it’s 1am, I’m usually asleep by 9pm, but I HAD to finish this book. I have read and loved all of John Marrs’ books, and The Family Experiment is no exception.

Imagine a world where you have the ability to raise a virtual child within the metaverse. Through highly advanced technology, you can see, hold, and feel this virtual child as if it were in the real world with you. To launch this revolutionary program, the company behind this tech has created a reality show that gives 10 couples the opportunity to raise a MetaChild from birth to 18 years of age within a compact 9 month time period. Viewers will be able to watch in real time, send likes or dislikes, and ultimately vote for the couple they feel is the most capable of raising a child. The winning couple can then choose to either keep their virtual child, or take the prize money and use it to help start their real life family. Are all of the couples’ motivations sincere? As the show progresses viewers are given front row access to the contestants lives and relationships with their MetaChildren.

I haven’t read a book in a long time that has made me feel happy, hopeful, angry, vengeful, hopeless, and sad all at once. As a mother of young kids there were parts I had to skim through because they were just too hard to read. Trigger warning: if you’re uncomfortable reading about human trafficking, child abuse, and child death, there are parts of this story that will definitely upset you.

As is typical with his books, the twists and reveals at the end were perfection. I believe all the characters had appropriate endings, and felt satisfied with how everything wrapped up.

This book is set in the same universe as Marrs’ other books, The One, The Passengers, The Minders, and The Marriage Act. You don’t need to read these prior to this one, but it helps provide context for some parts of the story. Also, they’re really good books so you should read them anyway.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Love the books in this world, however it seems like this one had a little too much going on and it didn’t flow as easily as they usually do

The Family Experiment by John Marrs is a dystopian thriller based in the same universe as his other books, The One and The Marriage Act. The world's population is soaring and parenthood is barely affordable. A company has developed a solution to this by creating a "metaverse" where clients can raise a virtual child using a VR headset and suit. To launch this new initiative, a reality TV show was created where ten couples will raise a virtual child from birth to age 18 (condensed over a 9 month period) and the winner gets to choose between a prize of keeping their virtual child or a lump sum of money so they could have the opportunity to have a real world baby.

This was an interesting story. I fluctuated between enjoying it and being a bit weirded out by the story. With the development of AI children, a lot of ethical questions come up related to the rights of the AI person (do they have a soul, . There are some darker topics covered in this book, such as death of a child, murder, abuse, cheating, and human trafficking, so be mindful of this if you are considering reading this book. But overall I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The story is told in multiple ways, such as the POV of the contestants, news articles, and online chats of the viewers.

This book takes place in the same world as Marrs' other books, The One, The Marriage Act, and The Passengers. I love this world!!! UKs population is growing and it is overcrowded. With that said families cannot afford to have children, let alone raise them. Enter a reality show where want-to-be parents compete for a virtual child or money. The audience (aka viewers of the show) rate how each set of parents does with "raising the virtual child". This was extremely entertaining, a bit scary if this is how the world may end up, and quite clever!!! I could not put this book down!

Once again, I picked up a John Marrs novel and was left with my jaw hanging open at 3am, eyes glazed and wondering what the heck? The Family Experiment was such a mind bending page turner, I literally couldn't put it down. Intriguing plot, colorful and interesting characters, and several shocking twists kept me captivated from beginning to end. Marrs is the new king of crazy. I wish I could read it again for the first time!

Took another venture into John Marrs not too distant future where the newest technology gambit is metaverse children. Ticketed as a way for families to experience parenthood who may not be able to afford or otherwise have a child, this book deals with thoughts that we may soon be grappling with.
To roll out this program, a reality show has been devised to follow several couples in the metaverse raising the first meta children. The audience will decide the winner who will be the only one able to keep their meta child.
We follow the different families chosen to be in the reality show as they raise their children on an accelerated timeline the world watching and judging. Other then the obvious moral dilemmas this all presents, you soon find that all of these couples have secrets they want to keep buried.
Definitely a fast and engaging read. Really enjoyed stepping back into this universe.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

The Family Experiment flips between each family that was chosen to participate in this one of a kind competition. The storyline kept me intrigued as each family shared what was happening in their MetaVerse ~ especially as the twist started coming in.

John Marrs has created another page turner!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! This was my second book by the author & my second speculative thriller. This book had 6 different couples to keep up with, and due to the formatting of the ebook I was unable to skip around to take another look. I had to keep a post it on my kindle so I could reference the different characters because I was confused in the beginning. One I got through the first half I was definitely more into the story and finished the second half in a day. Will be reading more books by this author in the future!

The family experiment: Wow!! Could not put this book down! This twisted thriller is about families, both real & virtual. For those who desperately want to become parents, you can create a virtual child for a monthly subscription fee. You will be able to access this child via metaverse & a VR headset. Follow 10 couples as they compete on a reality tv show called The Substitute where they raise the child . The winner gets the right to keep their virtual child or risk it all for the chance of a real baby. 5 stars!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.

I was so excited to receive this ARC as I <b>loved</b> <i>The Passengers</i> which I read earlier this year and rated 5-stars. This takes place within the same universe (literally) as <i>The Passengers</i> and <i>The One</i>. (People have been DNA matched and one character from <i>The Passengers</i> was in this book).

Premise: Reality style show competition where we watch couples parent a "child" who is an AI-type avatar in the Metaverse. And like <i>The Passengers</i>, some of the couples have secrets.

Sadly, this book was not nearly as high paced as <i>The Passengers</i> and the stakes didn't feel as high. But Marrs does a great job again addressing technology, social media, the way people interact with media.

Expected release date: July 9, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

The revival of Reality TV has taken a different direction, going back to its roots as a social experiment rather than pure entertainment. However, beneath the surface, there lies a troubling truth. The current show, masked as a display of real people facing real-life challenges, is in fact a cleverly disguised advertisement targeting vulnerable individuals struggling with family planning. Promoting the idea of artificial intelligence-driven children as a solution propels this program into dangerous territory, where the simulated lives of these children can be sacrificed for the sake of viewers' entertainment, blurring the line between reality and fiction. The scripted drama within the show serves to conceal the complex backgrounds and hidden conflicts the characters carry from their real lives.

In this evolving narrative, the Reality TV landscape unfolds with a sinister twist, shedding light on the darker motivations and concealed truths behind the seemingly harmless facade of entertainment. As viewers are drawn deeper into the constructed realities of the show, they are confronted with the unsettling realization that the characters they observe are not devoid of their own personal struggles and desires for privacy. The deceptive nature of this show serves as a cautionary tale, warning against the ethical implications of exploiting individuals' vulnerabilities for the sake of captivating storytelling, setting a troubling precedent for the future of reality television as a whole.

The ending of the story was unexpected as it revealed how all the characters in the Family Experiment reality show were interconnected, leaving the reader surprised. The narrative also delved into the lives of the contestants post-show, offering insight into their individual journeys.

Hey fans of juicy reality TV–this one’s for you!

THE FAMILY EXPERIMENT is a speculative thriller set in a near-future dystopia that follows couples who cannot afford to start families due to rising costs of living. Desperate for children, ten couples compete on a reality TV show where they create a virtual child and raise them in the metaverse by wearing a virtual reality headset.

John Marrs has a signature formula for his futuristic books that readers will find familiar, yet still imaginative and fresh. We are introduced to multiple subplots that explore different aspects of the main story. Marrs slowly peels back the layers on each set of characters as captivating secrets are revealed. This narrative style is perfect for edge-of-your-seat reading and makes this story a true page-turner. What makes Marrs stories so eerie is that the premise may initially seem far-fetched, but upon further reflection may be more relevant than we’d like to believe.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-have reservations about the unforeseen consequences of AI
-are drawn to stories with a large cast of characters and multiple storylines
-can’t resist a juicy reality TV series
-enjoyed Marrs’ previous novels set in the same metaverse world (The One, The Passengers, The Marriage Act, The Minders)

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: July 9, 2024

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was approved to be an ARC for this book on NetGalley and I enjoyed reading it. It is set in the same world as marriage act and the one and with AI being involved in everything we do now of cos we can see the reality of having children in the metaverse. A crazy spin on the possibilities of the future involving children and our lives and trust John Marrs to make it scarily true. An amazing read and great thriller I can’t wait for everyone to read this amazing book and see the craziness of reality TV in our lives.

I loved this book and all of it's twists and turns. The concept of the metaverae and the contest had me thinking about how advanced technology could become for us and what I would do in their situation. I did predict one of the major twists early on, but not fully! This is a definite must read if you like John's other speculative thrillers!

Get ready for a wild ride through a world on the brink! In John Marrs's latest masterpiece, "The Family Experiment," the UK is in crisis mode with overpopulation and economic woes. But fear not, because there's a solution: virtual parenthood!

Picture this: for a monthly fee, folks can create their own virtual kiddos, accessible through VR headsets. And to kick things up a notch, there's a reality TV show following ten couples raising virtual tykes from birth to adulthood in just nine months. The catch? Risk it all for a chance at the real deal! Set in the same universe as Marrs's hits "The One" and "The Marriage Act," this book dives into the dark and twisted world of virtual parenting. I totally pictured "The Sims".

Marrs nails it with his storytelling, giving each parent their own unique voice and backstory. Plus, he keeps things fresh with different narrative formats that'll keep you hooked until the very end.
But here's the kicker: sometimes the cast feels a bit crowded, which can bog things down. Still, Marrs is a master of world-building, and his mix of past and present storytelling is spot-on.

So, if you're ready for a rollercoaster ride, buckle up and dive into "The Family Experiment"! Big thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for letting me peek behind the curtain and share my thoughts on this gripping ARC. Marrs, you've done it again—keep 'em coming!

In a world where AI is becoming more commonplace, the concept of this book grasped my interest from the very beginning. In The Family Experiment, a series of families will each raise their own MetaChild from birth to eighteen in a nine month timespan. In the end, one winner will get the choice to keep their MetaChild, or have them deleted forever and walk away with a substantial sum of prize money for themselves. Readers will learn that not everything is as it seems, and a series of twists and revealed jaw-dropping secrets will keep readers hooked from start to finish. The book touches on many moral and ethical dilemmas that are pertinent to the development of AI in the real world. Each storyline is completely fleshed out and felt complete. The characters are well developed with their own personalities and their differing opinions on AI tech gives readers many things to ponder. The ending is quite satisfying, although there are many heartbreaking moments along the way. John Marrs does it again!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Experiment continues in the same world as The One and The Marriage Act. Despite this being my first John Marrs book (and obviously haven't read the other two books), I was still able to follow the story of The Family Experiment and didn't feel that it was necessary to have read the other books. Overall, it was an interesting story-the focus being on a reality competition where couples raise a child in the metaverse with the prize being enough money to finance having a child in the real world. It brought up a lot of hot button issues around AI and left me thinking afterwards.

While it was an interesting story premise, my personal opinion was that the story went on for a little too long. Being almost 400 pages, it could have easily shaved off 100 pages and still been a solid story. Also, the end kept NOT ending...there were reveals, twists, and then chapter upon chapter that it felt like was supposed to keep you surprised, but I honestly just wanted the story to end.

First off, I love how this follows the same universe as The One. John Marrs does such a great job setting up the whole universe and adding stories onto it and building it. I can't wait for more continuations to this futuristic universe.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and John Marrs for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for The Family Experience (US) is July 9, 2024