Gah! What a ride.

I’m generally neither a dystopian nor a thriller reader, but somehow John Marrs blends them together, making me a fan of both genres.

The vivid world building, the meaty characters, and the cliffy chapters kept me up reading well into the night.

My only criticism is with my own brain. There were so many characters to keep track of, my peri-menopausal noodle had to work to keep them all straight.

I’ve read and loved The One, now, to round out this Unholy Trinity, I’ve got to go back and read The Marriage Act. Cannot wait.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

John Marrs crafted one powerhouse of a story in his most recent release, The Family Experiment. While the initial premise of a reality TV show a where parents compete to raise Meta Children in the not-so-near future is what attracted me to the novel, Marrs's storytelling and characterization is what made me love the book. At the beginning of the story, there are admittedly a lot of characters - so many, in fact, that I initially feared I wouldn't be able to keep up with them all. However, Marrs ensures that every character is unique and their plotlines distinctive. I also enjoyed how complex the characters were, and how morally grey the cast is in the pursuit of the grand prize of money or a Meta Child. Although the topic is never directly addressed, the complexity of characters' morality and ethics draws questions of whether or not such a technologically advanced society is beneficial to humankind.

One of my favourite aspects of the book was that there were so many alternate plotlines and mysteries concerning the contestants, and watching how Marrs slowly hinted and then unwrapped each revelation was extremely satisfying and kept me on the edge of my seat. The storytelling and plotting, though, is next level. There was never a dull moment throughout the entire book, yet nothing felt forced or rushed. All the reveals made sense, and I wasn't left scratching my head thinking about loose ends. Overall, The Family Experiment was an intriguing dystopian-eque thriller that provides the space for contemplation and commentary on the role of technology and AI in modern society.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Family Experiment by John Marrs in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

This was HEAVY, but still has the Marrs twists you expect. Lots of POVs. Please check tw/cw as this one might be trickier to navigate. The AI discussions really make you think. There is a lot of triggers and conversations around children and trauma in this one (hence... Heavy). As always, lots of Easter eggs to his previous books.

First John Marrs book and was not disappointed at all! Thank you so much for this opportunity to read! Loved it

Wow. I thought I knew what I was getting into when I requested this book. I was so wrong and so happy I was. This book had more twists and turns then aF-1 race. I loved every second of it. John Marrs has a large following in the physiological thrillers Facebook group so when this book appeared I knew I had to give it a shot.

I will be reading the rest of the books he has written in this universe.

This book was different than most thrillers I read. While it was interesting, I did find the multiple viewpoint story lines a little hard to follow/remember.

This book had a good idea and concept but it fell a little short for me. It felt as though it did not go through a very good editing process and could have been made much better. I did Read it fast and enjoy reading it for the most part.

This is by far my favorite book this year! In the reality TV show called The Family Experiment, selected couples raise their MetaBaby over nine months, with viewers influencing the outcome through votes. The winning couple faces a poignant choice: keep their MetaBaby or delete it for a chance to start a real-world family. The novel delves into themes of parental love, societal pressures, and the ethical implications of virtual reality. As the couples navigate the challenges of virtual parenting, secrets are exposed, and the true nature of family is questioned.

I REALLY wanted to love what I read of this. I didn’t finish the book, and in time I might go back and give it another try. I thoroughly enjoyed The Marriage Act, and this book ties in with that, now with its take on adding in children and that of a reality television take. The premise is incredibly intriguing, but I had a very difficult time trying to keep up with each couples story because of how often things jump back and forth, so it was hard for me to digest everything with the pacing.

This audiobook has a full cast. The story was interesting. It's good to see social media presented with both sides because most of the time I'm on one side. The story was told in the present and back to the past through a recollection and then a tell all in the end. There were twists and lots of secrets. I enjoyed each couple's secrets. I'm a bit disappointed that there's no view of the bad guy. This is my first read from the author and it won't be my last.

This story revolved about The Family Experiment, a tv show that is livestream 24/7 with contestants and it's located in the virtual reality. Each contestant has a second chance at parenting to win money to start a real life family. The baby grows up quick in the metaverse. But each couple has a different approach to taking care of their baby. In the real world, each contestant has a secret of their own. Then there's one contestant who tells a story behind the scenes, one he experienced when at first he didn't understand what was happening until a reveal at the end.

Thank you HTPHive and HTPBooks for the auto-approval on NetGalley. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. I also listened to an audiobook via Libby App

4.25 STARS
This is my first read by this author, and I was very impressed! A deadly, soul-sucking, combination of AI and Reality TV. And what is scary, is that I could see this happening not too far in the future.
This book takes the reader on a wild, scary ride of what could happen when you combine parenthood, AI, and reality TV.
You are introduced to a group of couples, and one single parent who are competing on the stage of the world wide web. Are any of these people worthy of parenthood? That question will be answered by the keyboard warriors who spend their time obsessed with this reality show competition. The competitors are not the only ones with questionable ethics and souls.

I co-read and listened to the audio version. The audio version is excellent! The narration is top notch and I appreciate the entertaining depiction of the advertisements and online chatter.

I will check out more books by this author. I am adding this author to my auto-buy list.

John Marrs is definitely one of my favorite thriller authors. I’ve never picked up one of his books & not enjoyed it. I don't know what he puts into his books but I love every second of it. Fast-paced thriller, short chapters, tons of plot twists, on top of an already really cool concept. There's not much more I'd want in a thriller. One of the only downsides was how many characters there are which made it hard for me to keep up at first but once I understood it wasn't an issue anymore. Even the audiobook of this was entertaining which says a lot because I can never barely on audiobooks. I highly recommend this book & anything by John Marrs. He will continue to be an auto buy author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for this eARC!

This was a really fun thriller showing the potential dangers if AI, the Metaverse, and reality TV came together. Couples are able to compete in a game show, The Family Experiment, to raise a child in the Metaverse with millions of people watching at home and voting on who’s the better parents. Whoever wins then gets the option of keeping that child or deleting them and receiving money to fund having a child in the real world. There were so many twists and turns with each of the contestants povs, I had no idea where any of the storylines were going. Once I reached the halfway point I couldn’t put the book down because I needed to know what happens. Highly recommend if you want a Sci-fi thriller that feels like it could very much become reality in the near future!

This was my first john marrs book and it won't be my last. I couldn't put this book down! The twists and turns!

Thank you to HTP Books for letting me read this one! It's out now.

I loved being back in the same universe as THE ONE and THE PASSENGERS. I got really sucked into this one and had a hard time putting it down! I'm super impressed with these books and I really hope there are more. I highly recommend THE FAMILY EXPERIMENT!

Another fantastic book by John Marrs. I love the dystopian, black-mirror feel of this book and the world he’s created. The way he incorporated his other books into The Family Experiment was a fun surprise. I always fly through his books and this one was no different. I was excited to see who won the competition. Can’t wait to see what Marrs comes out with next.

Basically if John Marrs writes it, I’ll read it. I don’t know how Marrs comes up with these Black Mirror-esque concepts, but I absolutely fly through his books. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this book, but I think that’s part of what makes it such a compulsive read. I found myself saying “just one more chapter” repeatedly.

I love that this was set in the same world as The One because that was my first Marrs book and I loved it so much. I found this one to be equally entertaining and thought-provoking. I just need all of these books to be made into an anthology series ASAP please!

He’s done it again!! The Family Experiment follows along the same lines as Marrs previous books (The One, Passengers, and The Marriage Act). It’s become too expensive for many in London to have a real child, but never fear, soon they will have the opportunity to raise a metachild. With the creation of a 24/7 reality TV show, the concept of the virtual child is introduced. Five couples and a single father are vying for the win that will give them the chance to keep the virtual child they raised or to take the money and start a family in the real world. Each couple has a secret though, something that could eliminate them if found out, as the weeks go on, those secrets slowing enfold, with some mighty good twists. Marrs keeps the reader riveted as they root for their favorite couple in the Metaverse. Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This book was such a page turner and one in which I couldn't put down. It really makes you think about what AI could become in the future. I felt like I was in the game show watching all the different couples involved evolve throughout the book and you never knew what was going to happen next. John Marrs was a new author to me and now I can't wait to read his other books!

I have this book a 2.5/5 ⭐️. There were some parts in this book that were entertaining, but I felt like some parts dragged on and were confusing. I feel like there was soo much going on and it was hard to follow. I didn’t enjoy this book, but I still plan to read more by this author in the future. I feel like if there were less families , it would be easier to remember each situation that was going on with each family. I really wanted to like this book, but maybe I’ll like another of his books.