This book follows families competing for the chance to have a family of their choosing- real or virtual. For 9 months, they are broadcasted to the world as they raise an AI child in an immersive universe who starts at 2 weeks and ages to 18. At the end of the experiment, they choose whether they want to turn off their virtual child or start a family through alternative methods like IVF or surrogacy. In typical John Marrs fashion, the twists in the story are unexpected and brilliant!

Thank you Harlequin for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Set in a near-future UK, dealing with overpopulation and economic crisis, a reality TV show follows ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to eighteen. The prize? The right to keep their virtual child or risk it all for a chance at a real baby.

As a first-time reader of John Marrs, I was pleasantly surprised by "The Family Experiment." Despite the complexity of numerous characters, the story weaves together beautifully. The concept of virtual children and the high-stakes reality TV show kept me engaged throughout. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this thought-provoking thriller.

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I'd like to express my gratitude for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Another fucking awesome book by Marrs. I stayed up late last night to finish this and man it was so good. It’s even creepier when it feels like it could actually happen. Even though I read the Ebook I’m still buying this as soon as it comes out for my trophy shelf lol.

This book was so unique that I was interested from the first page. It had a sci-fi feel to it. I loves the way it was presented going from couple to couple. This book was a really engaging read!

Oh, how I love a John Marrs book and this one did not disappoint!

An economic crisis has made life extremely difficult and families are suffering. So much so, that desperate parents are selling their children to give them what they’ve been told is a better life with the added benefit of having their debt wiped clean.

For those wanting a family, through AI, an alternative to having costly human children is nearly possible and being introduced in a new reality show called The Family Experiment. Five couples and one single man are contestants in which they will parent a “Metababy”. These are virtual children who are as close to the real thing as possible. Using haptic suits, VR headsets, ear buds, etc., these parents can enter the Metaverse and feel everything as though it was actually happening. They will also be given $250,000 for use in apps to raise the child.

The show lasts nine months and covers the time from birth to 18-years-old with accelerated aging periods. Everything is live-streamed and viewers can watch as much or as little as they like. They can show their support or disdain of each couple by awarding red or black hearts and can even vote to give a monthly challenge to a couple to make things more difficult for them. The time on the show is supposed to accurately represent what it is like to parent a child, including the parent/child connection. The winner(s) at the end of the experiment are voted on by the viewers and can either keep their AI child as well as the remainder of the $250K or delete that child and get a full $250K to aid them in their quest for a biological child.

In true Marrs fashion, this book is jam-packed with twists and character development. Mainly told from the perspectives of the contestants, and in two different time periods, the author is able to communicate a ton without it being confusing. It’s scary as hell to imagine how AI could become so prominent in our future. It’s also terrifying to consider the extent to which people will go to make money and ensure the success of a product. All loose ends were neatly tied and everything was thoroughly explained.

The Family Experiment is a fast-paced page-turner that I was able to finish in two sittings. If you enjoy speculative fiction/suspense novels, this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hanover Square Press and John Marrs for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE FAMILY EXPERIMENT was a lightning fast read, with a really interesting sci-fi premise and relatable characters. It was easy to follow despite the multiple plotlines and stories, and really enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. The ending felt a bit overdone, but still a great look and look forward to more from John Marrs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read and review THE FAMILY EXPERIMENT.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

John Mars’s had done it again. EXCELLENT!!
This was a great read and highly recommend!

Wow wow wow!!
Such a different concept for a book that had so many great components to it. And characters that blew your mind on things that were going on. I love John Marrs and have read a lot of great books from him I think for me this has been my favorite so far. To come up with all the ideas nothing more than brilliance. I took my time reading this so that I could take it all in.
Book hangover for sure.
5 stars and more


Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Actual rating is 4.5 stars. WOW. A well written, scary story of what life could be like underAI and Metachildren. Think at my age, I won’t be alive when this could be a reality, but, I have very young grandchildren.

Loved the way this was written with text messages, chats, advertisements and chapters alternating between contestants on a reality show called The Family Experiment.

Thanks to NetGalley For the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was written on a very interesting premise, the future with Ai. I was really intrigued with all of the possibilities that come with the idea behind Ai, and all of the new possibilities that it could bring. On the other spectrum, there are also very horrifying aspects that could come of a world ran by Ai. I enjoyed the references to DNA matching for your soulmate from “The One” and also regulations from “The Marriage Act” however it was hard to truly be invested with this read because of the overwhelming amount of characters, the “mixed media” and a lot of errors, which I’m sure will be corrected with the published copies. I rate this one 3.5 stars, I feel it could’ve been shorter and less complex to keep the readers attention. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I devoured this book! I was super excited about receiving an arc for The family Experiment because I read The One and loved it. John Marrs has gone above and beyond for this book and it shows. Awesome plot, amazing twists and great characters, this book is worth the read. I loved all of the references to the past and loved the idea of a tech heavy world where anything is possible.

I love me some Popcorn Speculative Fiction Marrsverse books (ok, I think there was one exception, but it happens). So I was excited for another installment… and another opportunity to maintain a Note in my phone to keep the characters straight. And I was happy to get this ARC from NetGalley, as I don’t like waiting.

We’ve done dating, marriage, self-driving cars… time for parenting! People raise virtual children (who age rapidly, from infants to adults in several months) on a reality show. That’s a plausible near-future premise because it’s basically Tamagotchis in modern times with lots of parent-judging drama. I love judging the shit out of parents myself.

It was pretty good. Most of the characters I absolutely couldn’t give 2 shits about… but it was entertaining in an it’s-not-that-deep way. Also, there were 2 endings too many — but I feel like I say that about most of his books.

A gripping exploration of genetic manipulation's moral complexities. Marrs skillfully weaves multiple perspectives into a thought-provoking narrative, delving into ethical dilemmas with finesse. While occasionally predictable, its bold premise and compelling characters make it a captivating read.

If it’s John Marrs, it’s an auto-read for me! This one did not disappoint!

Contestants participate in a Reality TV show called “The Family Experiment” to experience having a child from baby to age 18 in just nine months. This entire experience takes place in the Metaverse and contestants experience challenges with their virtual child.

But who are the contestants in the Real World and what have they been up to? As we expect from John Marrs, there are secrets and twists that will drop your jaw.

Thank you to NetGalley, John Marrs, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

In the UK, cities are overcrowded and people can no longer afford to start a family, causing a crisis among some. Luckily, a company is soon releasing an alternative. For a monthly subscription, you can create your own child in a virtual world and raise them as your own with the help of a VR headset. The company releasing this, tries to gain traction by creating a reality show where ten couples do a “fast track” course to raise their child while it’s being live streamed. At the end.. the winners get to choose to keep their virtual child or take the money and try to start a “real” family. What could go wrong?

If you’ve read John Marrs.. you know there’s plenty that can go wrong… and does. I am just simply convinced John Marrs doesn’t write a bad book, he’s not capable. In the same universe as The One, The Passengers and The Marriage Act, this book is both thought provoking and equally pulse pounding need to turn the page and find out what happens next. Life at 9 months pregnant with a toddler leaves me too tired to read sometimes but I somehow always found the energy to read this everyday. I just needed to know what happened and was so intrigued by all the characters and story lines. Are you going to love every character? No. He doesn’t write characters you love, he writes characters you love to hate. Highly recommend checking this one out when it releases in July! 5/5⭐️ from this avid John Marrs reader.

Thanks NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love Marrs’ novels and this one was no exception. It was great to see the overlap and read the references from some of his other books. There were so many twists in this book, right until the last page. The AI references make you wonder what could be possible even in our world. Things dragged a bit right at the very end, but with all the twists, this was still a great 4 ⭐️ read. Definitely recommend!

The Family Experiment follows 11 contestants (5 couples & 1 single dad) who compete in the Metaverse with fully interactive children (Metababies). Only one can win & will they choose to keep their Metababy or take the money to start a real life family?

All I can say is wow. Pure genius. What I would give to live in John Marrs brain for a day!

The amount of characters was a little hard to keep up with at first, but could not put it down!!

Marrs is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats with his latest grounded Sci-Fi/Thriller, The Family Experiment, which feels like an episode of Black Mirror, in book form. Told in brief chapters alternating between the participants of the titular reality show, the pacing is excellent, and Marrs proves he's got chops not only with concept and plot, but also with creating memorable characters. At first, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to keep the story lines straight because there are so many alternating POV's, but the characters are so distinct that it's easy to keep track. I can't say I loved the direction in which it ultimately went, but despite being outside of my area of interest, it still managed to keep my attention because the author never lets the pacing suffer in favor of promoting his agenda. There are allusions to The One and The Marriage Plot (both of which I'm convinced I've read, despite my not having marked them as such on here), but nothing that would prevent you from understanding what is going on in the book. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Blake Crouch, in particular, as I think this is actually a more readable version of the kinds of stories he tells.

This book exceeded my expectations! To be fair, at the beginning I wasn't too sure I would like this book, but as I continued to read I was floored. I loved the different POVs through all the characters and their trials. It made the book come together. It was a touch of real world reality and what's to come with a twist! Very good book with such a good ending! Well done! Highly recommend!

With an economic crisis around the world, people are finding themselves unable to afford starting and raising a family. One company has come up with a solution so people can have a family without all the expense or adding to the already booming population. Metababies! For a monthly subscription fee, you can design and raise your virtual child in the Metaverse with VR and haptic suit technology. Prior to the upcoming launch of Metababies, the company has cast a reality tv show where lucky couples compete to raise their virtual children and the winner will be allowed to choose to either keep their virtual child or be given the money to start a family in the real world. But what lengths will these couples go to to win and what has this company done to produce this new technology?

Thank you John Marrs for once again making me weary of new technological advances such as AI and VR and hating reality tv again! Just kidding!

This story is set in the same, not so distant future as previous books-The One, The Passengers, The Minders and The Marriage Act. The creepy part is-some of these things really aren’t that far off from our reality today. Told from the POVs of the tv contestants and occasionally jumping back in time, you get a good look at all the families’ secrets they’re desperately trying to keep up it of the public eye. This was a fun, fast paced book, with a lot going on but easy to follow. I will never NOT recommend John Marrs to anyone who asks, and this book was a great follow up to the other speculative thrillers!!! Go read them all!!