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

Amazing. One million stars! I can’t believe I found a book of his that I liked even more than The One and that was a perfect book to me! This is peak Black Mirror to me.

This book was………different, but in a good way. I think you need an open mind if you try to imagine all the events that take place in the virtual world. It hooked me in and was fast paced the whole way. At first, I thought it would be confusing with all the people involved but it wasn’t. The ending was fabulous; so many twists were revealed and they just kept coming. Would highly recommend!

5⭐️ - wow, this book was incredible.

The Family Experiment is a reality show where people can become parents to AI babies/children in a virtual MetaVerse, and viewers can tune in to watch and rate their parenting. There’s competition pieces to it, something darker beneath it all, and it’s such a unique storyline.

As I read this, I felt like I was sucked into the world the book was set in. I truly felt like I was watching a movie. The aspect of artificial intelligence taking over so much of the world was a bit stressful because this is a thing that could truly happen in our world. Especially for many people who struggle with fertility.

John Marrs’ storytelling and writing is top tier. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy, and I highly recommend all psychological thriller lovers buy a copy when it’s released on July 9, 2024!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I have to admit I put this book down several times and forced myself to keep going. The beginning is a hard start with all of the info and characters to follow. Once I got further into the story the easier the flow became. The premise of this story is frightening and Marrs did an excellent job! Great character development and descriptions throughout.

Does anyone else put off a super popular off for as long as possible in case everyone is actually wrong and they're terrible? Just me? Ok.

Anyways, I finally broke down and read a John Marrs book. Should I have read The One and The Marriage Act first? Uhhh, probably. Thankfully, John provides enough context in The Family Experiment that I didn't need to read them to enjoy this.

The Family Experiment is the newest reality show that that sets up 6 couples with a Meta child. They'll raise this child from birth to adulthood within 9 months Real World time. They're given £250,000, the estimated Real World cost of raising a child to adulthood, to use as they see fit. Each month brings about a new developmental leap, along with one couple receiving a monthly challenge. The winner will have the choice of keeping their MetaChild they've raised, or what's left of their £250,000 and put it towards starting a Real World family of their own.

I can easily see now why people love John Marrs so much now. He's a masterful story teller that not only had me on the edge of my seat, but had me questioning the logistics of if this could really happen in the future. It's believable enough for the most part. I absolutely loved this book and I'm happy to have started May off with such a banger.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Books, and John Marrs for this gripping thriller.

In a (not so) distant future, the world relies heavily on AI and the Metaverse. So much so, that a new program has been developed allowing couples to parent an AI child in the Metaverse. “The Family Experiment” is a look into a reality TV show based around the lives of people competing to win their Metachild or the money to fund their own ‘Real World’ family. However, escaping to the Metaverse doesn’t mean you escape your Real World secrets. With twists and turns throughout the whole story, this story keeps you invested and wanting to know what happens next. The third book that takes place in this (not-so) futuristic reality, it is a must read. It will leave you asking yourself, “What if…”

What a page turner! John Marrs has the ability to address dark, dystopian themes in a manner that keeps you intrigued throughout.
After reading the Marriage Act, this lived up to the writing expected from the author. The world building was great and the characters, although initially seeming like too many to keep track of, had interesting storylines.
Thoroughly enjoyed the various avenues explored in this era including the social and moral implications of not just the characters but the general populace living during that time.

A few of the tropes seemed familiar from certain shows / movies with similar themes but that is to be expected from a realistic portrayal of this theme as well as because of the fact that we are not very far from reality reflecting a lot of it already.

Great read overall!
4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I absolutely love John Marrs but that is not why I love this book! I gave it 5 stars because it was the perfect mix of everything! It gave me series vibes. It kept me hooked like I was watching tv! I could not put this book down!