The family experiment by John Marrs

This book is a futuristic nightmare. In the United Kingdom the population has grown and now starting a family is a luxury. 11 couples become part of an experiment to create a family in the meta verse and be a part of a reality show. The catch is the viewers get to choose the winner, who ever scores higher gets the grand prize to either keep their avatar child or win a real child.

This book is scarily possible as to where our world is headed… people spending too much time online and obsessed with social media. This book was intense and such eerie look into a possible future.

What a brilliant, well written book! It can be read as a stand alone, but I’m glad I read The One and The Marriage Act so that I understood all of the references to DNA matching and the actual marriage act. At first, I was a little overwhelmed with all of the characters, but the way this book is written you quickly learn who everyone is and anticipate their next chapter. This book was so good with so many twists. I highly recommend!

I love John Marrs' writing style - the short chapters from multiple character points all drawn together, slowly revealing each individual plot line, is great! He does such an amazing job establishing and then revealing each character plot bit by bit. Every time I start one of his books I'm hooked right in and can't stop until I reach the end! I also really loved that this book referenced his previous book and some of those characters as well.
The Family Experiment follows 6 families as they compete in a reality show/competition for a chance to raise a virtual child. John Maars spins a future state like world where overcrowding, poverty, and societal problems make it hard for want to be parents to raise a child. AI technology companies propose virtual children as the solution and as part of the rollout pick 5 couples and 1 single parent to compete for the ultimate prize - a chance to keep their AI child or they can walk away with the cash.
It took me a bit to get the characters all straight in this one and while I loved that it referenced past plots of the previous books I've read of Marrs', I still had trouble remembering those previous characters. But as I got deeper into the plot line I was able to start keeping them sorted. Overall was a great read!

Well John Marrs you have done it again. You have hit this outta the world. It’s into the metaverse.
John Marrs doesn’t disappoint! If you enjoyed the Marriage Act you will definitely enjoy this one. A story about families who are in a reality show which follows 4 couples and one single person who want to complete to see which will win the chance of either money to start their own family or to keep an AI child they have raised. It takes you thru each of their lives and thru their dark secrets
You don’t have to enjoy sci-fi to enjoy this book. If you enjoy reading the psychological thriller and the possibility of what could happen in the future this book is definitely for you.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and of course John Marrs for writing

John Marrs does it again! After spending some of my favorite reading hours absolutely engrossed in his near-future world, I was delighted to hear about the newest addition - The Family Experiment, coming to the US in July 2024! The Family Experiment can absolutely be read and enjoyed as a standalone, but John Marrs fans will appreciate the frequent references to other works set in this world - The One, The Passengers, and The Marriage Act. Get them all along with newcomer The Family Experiment for the best reading binge of your life!

Trust me when I say that John Marrs' near-future "sci-fi" world is the scariest setting you can imagine - because you CAN imagine it. Set after the COVID pandemics, after William becomes King of England, and during a time of economic hardships for many, you'll wonder exactly how "fiction" this "scientific future" really is. In any case, we are dropped into social media and reality television's new mega hit - The Family Experiment, where real people raise an AI child in the Metaverse while the world votes on how well they're doing. The winner can choose to keep their Meta-child or cash in for $250,000 to go towards having a baby in the real world. Having children is something that has become financially impossible for many families, so this opportunity is too good to pass up. However, all the contestants have major real world motivations, secrets, and conflicts...who can live in one world and parent in another? Will their real lives stay separate from their virtual ones? And how far will they go for their families?

In addition to being a fun work of fiction set in a super believable world, John Marrs also confronts some major ethical questions that will surely be facing us more and more as our world becomes more infiltrated with artificial. If something is coded, is any of it real? Can we love something that is virtual, and can it feel or give love? Can a crime be committed towards artificial intelligence? There are so many concepts that will have you thinking "huh..." as we may be near to grappling with these same questions ourselves.

All the characters are flawlessly written, and you'll fall in love with some while empathizing with the desperation and regret in others. Towards the end, just as you think you know everyone involved, the twists will come at you so fast that you'll feel whiplash! I finished the book feeling disturbed and off-kilter, though I couldn't exactly put my finger on why. John Marrs, you are a genius! I anxiously hope that there are more pieces of this fictional world yet to come - I'll be watching!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This will be one of my favorite reads of 2024!

The Family Experiment is set in the same universe as "The One", "The Marriage Act" and "The Passengers", and if you loved those 3 you will love this one! Marrs does it again with a phenomenal book that really makes you think and wonder if the future will really be like that. It is utterly terrifying!

I love the multiple point of view short chapters. I think every chapter ended on a cliff hanger. A true page turner and a wonderful thrillet.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishers for providing me with an ARC

John Marrs is a master at creating a future world filled with advances, threats and human connections. Set in the same world as "The One", "The Passengers" and "The Marriage Act" this book is tackling the idea of creating a child who is AI. A television company has created a new game show called The Family Experiment and several couples and one single man have been selected to receive an AI child created in what they call the megaverse and accessed through a virtual reality suit. They will each nurture the child for nine months where the child will grow from a newborn to eighteen years old and the public will watch and vote on how well they parent. The winners will receive the chance to win enough money to have a real life baby and most of the contestants badly need the money.

It took some time before I could keep all the couples straight and I did wonder how they could develop the proper feelings when their AI children aged at such a rapid rate but the advanced technology made it possible to interact with smell, touch, and every other thing a real life parent experiences. Each of the contestants had secrets which were slowly revealed and I found most of them difficult to like. Along with the stories of the contestants we receive some social media updates about he project and there is a side story involving human trafficking that is horrifying and also really possible. The author had a very clever way of tying everything together. I found this book fascinating and flew through it in 24 hours. This would make a terrific movie. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

4.75, could be moved up to 5 stars if I continue to think about it

Where to start? I was fully hooked from the synopsis alone and the book did not disappoint. The premise is that 5 couples and 1 individual are in a reality show where they raise an AI child as if it was a real child. The child ages quickly and goes from birth to 18 in 9 months, with each month being a jump in age. People watch them in real-time and the book integrates social media reactions with the perspectives of the people raising the children. It was super interesting as each couple/individual had a complex backstory and some secrets/problems in their past that was unraveled as the book went on.

At the start, I had a really hard time keeping track of what details went with which couple, and if I was more motivated I would have kept notes, but eventually I figured it out and it was very engaging. Of course, some people were more interesting than others--Hudson, Gabriel/Cadman, and Zoe/Dimitri being my favorites to follow.

I loved the discussion of AI and the way the world's AI was delved into. It was very complex and while I think it played into some conspiracy theories/fears that people had, it was a fascinating issue to learn more about. As such, this book felt like a sci-fi book first, and a thriller second.

My one complaint was that the book was writing in third person omniscient (I think?) and switched from one person of the couple to the other's POV from one paragraph to another. It was mostly okay, but at times I was very confused about who was talking and had to backtrack.

Also the ending! I saw some of the twists coming but surprised me. The Left Door thing! Very satisfying and chaotic ending

Also, I wish I had read The Passengers and The One prior to reading this book, but I don't feel like I missed out on too much. I will 100% be reading those 2 very soon as I am super invested in this world now.

Characters bc it's so hard to keep track:
Rufus Green & Kitty Carter (Olivia)
Selena & Jaden Wilson (Malachi)
Woody and Tina Finn (Belle)
Cadman N’Yu & Gabriel Macmillan (River)
Dimitri and Zoe Taylor-Georgiou (Lenny)
Single Dad-Hudson Wright (Alice)

Thank you to NetGalley + Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

Wow what a crazy rollercoaster. I meant to read a little bit after dinner to unwind and instead stayed up bc I could NOT put it down.

It feels very black mirror-esque, and I think it would be neat to see this book on screen too. There are so many topics interwoven in this book, and it was so cool to see how everything connected together. I think it’s also interesting how John shows the aftermath of all of the contestants. I feel like a lot of times it’s left open to interpretation, but it was very spelled out here, and I think this will get mixed responses from the masses. Personally, I was okay with it bc I liked knowing and seeing people get their “deserved” ending. Some others might argue this is too on the nose and the world isn’t always fair but whatevs!

It was my first John Marrs but I’ll definitely be picking up more now.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐨-𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐝.

I remember the moment not long ago that I realized the fantastical, futuristic events of the sci-fi novel FAHRENHEIT 451 that I read so many years in high school had come to fruition. I believe in the not too distant future, people will have that same feeling with this book.

Set in the same universe as his other speculative fiction titles such as THE ONE and THE PASSENGERS, participants in a reality show called The Family Experiment compete to raise a virtual baby while trying to win over the viewers who are watching and casting their vote for their favorite. The winner will win enough money to raise and support a real child. Each participant has been carefully chosen based on criteria that the reader is initially unaware of.

The participants are all flawed, and some elicit more sympathy than others, but what I loved most was guessing about what motivated each one to compete. Slowly, secrets begin to emerge, and the tension mounts to near unbearable levels before we get an ending that is incredibly explosive, shocking, and uncomfortable.

If you weren't wary of all things Meta and AI before, you will be after reading this book. You are also left to ponder many moral and ethical dilemmas that events in the book bring to the surface. An incredible read courtesy of HTP Books that will publish July 9, 2024.

Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for this ARC of 'The Family Experiment' by John Marrs.

I'd never heard of John Marrs before (and was surprised to learn in the afterword that he's pretty prolific) but was intrigued by the blurb.

In a near-ish future England the cost of living crisis has reached extreme levels and it seems to be paired with a fertility falloff (though the blurb suggests the opposite - in which case I'm not sure why every couple appear to need IVF) so that biological families are hard to achieve from a biological and financial perspective so a reality TV show where 'parents' are paired with an AI 'child' with an accelerated aging speed in the Metaverse is the biggest thing in the world. The winners get to either keep the child or delete the child and get 250K towards having their own real baby.

We're taken through multiple viewpoints as parents and other characters are followed throughout the experience and layer after layer of their experiences and the background to the show are peeled off and the reality revealed.

It's a good exploration of the insidious nature of reality TV, social media, and AI and carries you along however, for me, there was an unforgiveable plot hole and there's a bit of a spoiler coming so ...

















... There are supposedly all of these children going spare because parents can't afford to raise them anymore yet, first of all, these parents are paid huge amounts of money for their offspring, seeing all of their debts cleared - why pay all that money if there are so many spare kids? Then, second, having paid large amounts of money for these children, the traffickers chuck their expensive investments into leaky rubber dinghies in the English Channel and cross to France - losing hundreds or thousands of children along the way in rough seas - and then throw them into trucks with farm animals to continue their journeys (before the end up in Staten Island, by the way). Makes absolutely no sense and since it forms the absolute core of the action needed to be explained. If they were getting the kids for cheap or kidnapping oodles of them I'd get it but not when they're paying lots of money for them.

Let me start out by saying I couldn’t put this book down! I was absolutely sucked in to this one. I am new to John Marrs but already can’t wait to read a few of his other titles.
This book is absolutely going to be a huge hit!

Love! Love! Love!

John Marrs always gets it right. The intricacies of every little detail will have you whip lashed at how he just loops everything together. Loved it!!

This is my 4th John Marrs book that I have read and it is by far one of the best ones he's written. I love how he always writes his books from so many different perspectives and they all tie together some how. This book was especially relatable because it is a book a about 5 families competing in a contest to each raise a virtual baby via an ai world in the metaverse and with AI being such a big thing right now it is something that feels like it could be realistic. As always the twists and turns of a Marrs book doesn't disappoint. This book had me hooked the whole way through and I hated having to put it down to be a "responsible adult". There are also many hidden Easter eggs throughout the book referring to previous books of his which also made it fun. Great book by a great author.

John Marrs has done it again with his new novel set in the same universe as "The One" and "The Passengers," "The Family Experiment" is a wild ride. The premise of the book is quite unique, and unlike anything I have ever read before. "The Family Experiment, an exciting new reality tv show follows 11 contestants as the take place in an interesting social experiment across nine months, and after the winner, voted on by the public, will have a decision to make: Keep their virtual child, or use their winning funds to start over in real life and have a real world baby.

I truly dud not know what to expect when I started this book. The premise alone made me so intrigued to read it, and once I did, I could not stop. The story is so well written, and captivating. I found myself wanting to continuously read this, and each page left me wanting more. If you are a fan of speculative thrillers this book is for you,

The premise of this book will definitely grab attention. The concept of tomagatchi parenting is a unique and interesting premise. We start to follow ten couples who are tasked on a reality tv show to raise a Virtual Child within a 9 month period. The entire world is able to watch in real time and vote for their favorite contestants. What could possibly go wrong? A lot apparently. Who makes it to the end? What dark secrets are exposed not only about the contestants, but humanity itself?

I really enjoyed this and would be a great book club pick. I want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc. 4.5⭐️ rounded up

Thank you NetGalley for letting this be my first arc book to read! With that being said... I Loved this book!

John Marrs did it once again and I have to say this is one of my favs by him. With all the twists and turns and lets not forget the drama this book has it all.

AI freaks me out even more after reading this book lol

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for a review. John Marrs has done it again! Great interesting book!

Wow, where to begin.

The Family Experiment offers ten couples the chance to compete raising a MetaBaby. Whoever wins gets prize money and can choose to either keep their virtual child or have a real baby of their own. Their experience is live streamed the entire nine months and their child ages to the age of 18 throughout the process.

This started on a fast note with a fast twist at the beginning. I was hooked from the second I started this. I actually read this in one sitting and barely came up for air throughout it.

I guessed one twist partially from about halfway through, but man were there countless surprises along the way.

I loved the mixed media aspect of this book, giving us not just a glimpse from the contestants’ point of view, but how the world around them is altered by this possibility. How the viewers are interpreting things and how the press is dealing with it.

This might be my new favorite John Marrs book. I’ve read all except one at this point and this was by far his best sci fi/speculative thriller to date. Incredibly intriguing given how quickly AI is progressing today.

John Marrs never disappoints!!!! The characters were well developed in this book and the plot had me on the edge trying to figure out the entire time I was reading!