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.

This is my first John Marrs book I’ve read. It was a good book and the concept was very interesting. It has multiple points of views and can be a little difficult to keep up with when first starting the book. Lots of twists and turns.
Although the book was good, I felt that it was hard for me to get through because I was getting bored.
However I will still read another John Mars book in the future.

Whew, this book was rough to get through
A for creativity but overall.. surprised I didn't dnr this one

Imagine getting a second chance to become a parent through AI availability where the kid looks like you and has your DNA traits.
You get to spend time with your kid in the meta world. Every few months, your child in the meta world becomes a different age
Now this is a competition and may the best parent win
The prize will be 250k, where you can use to spend building your own family, or you can keep the cash and the meta version of your child
What will happen to all the constants. You will get eliminated. Only one set of parents/meta child will win

John Marrs simply never misses. Fast paced, quick chapters, a huge cast of characters, and a storyline sure to blow your mind. This one felt unique, creative, and futuristic. 4.5 stars.

This was an interesting read that brought up a lot of questions. Several families are chosen to take part in a reality show where they are given a child to raise. The catch is that the child isn't real; it is created by AI and can only be interacted with while in the virtual world. Childhood is sped up and all children reach adulthood within a year. Any couple that leaves the show has their "child" erased, and the winning couple gets to choose to keep their AI child or receive money to assist with a natural pregnancy.

The premise is incredibly interesting and I love the philosophical questions raised around AI and what constitutes a human being. On the other hand, I didn't like ANY of the characters. Most were just jerks. Even the "hero" at the end wasn't appealing to me. I take back my previous statement... I did like a couple of the characters, but they were some of the AI "children" that had been created, lol. A solid three stars for me.

Thank you so much @HTP and NetGalley for the copy of this eARC!

I'm a huge fan of John Marrs books!  I couldn't wait to read The Family Experiment an engaging sci-fi thriller.
 
This book is about several couples who are given the opportunity on a reality TV show to raise a virtual 'Meta Baby" through a virtual headset in the Metaverse.
These couples are competing for a chance to either keep their child or win the money to assist them in starting a family in the real world.
 
This book touches on AI which controls the couple's life more than they realize which is pretty scary. I could see our future taken over by AI.  I enjoyed the competition aspect of the book. How it tested the couples making them think about the real-world responsibility while trying to raise an AI human. You also see what reality TV is and what it is becoming. There are so many moments in the book you don’t see coming.
 
The book was very interesting I enjoyed the short chapters that ended on cliffhangers. There were a lot of twists and turns. I like that we see a mix of interviews, chat rooms, and news clips which kept me engaged. There were times when it was hard to keep track of everyone there, so many characters & storylines. So, pay close attention to all the characters in the book.
I don’t even want to talk about the ending whoever read this book already will understand me. My mouth drops! The secrets these couples kept in their real life I didn’t see any of it!
 
Can't wait for his next book I'm very intrigued to find out what his next book will be about!!!

3.5*
Reminiscent of the once popular Tamagotchi digital pets that children loved to care for, this novel takes virtual caregiving to the next level. The novel is set in England, in a world where overpopulation is a real problem and having a child is cost-prohibitive. A commercial enterprise is offering a program called Virtual Children that offers selected couples the chance to raise a child in the Metaverse. They will get an AI digital infant whose growth will be accelerated and within 9 months, the ultimate winner will have the option to keep their virtual child or take a cash amount that could be used to start a biological family.

Each couple is strikingly different such as a gay couple, a couple who lost their own child and even a single dad. Viewers watch the interactions of these parents with their Metaverse babies and vote on who they like best. Viewers can also put obstacles in the couple’s paths, complicating the parenting experience. The audience subscribers watch with delight as parenting skills are revealed and one by one, couples are eliminated.

Marrs hits on many timely topics such as reality tv, influencers, AI, and the public’s obsession with popularity. There are also complications that arise such as jealousy, mental illness and greed. The book starts out with so much promise, but somehow it falters a bit, once the individual contestant stories bring in more background and conflict. Certain participants stand out as memorable, but with audience voting and unforeseen events popping up, it might not be the most deserving who are the ultimate winners. There’s also the reality that as parents are dropped, their virtual child abruptly ceases to exist.

Marrs book is clever and touches on our culture’s obsession with competition, reality tv, and all things digital. It highlights potential abuses in a world where parenting becomes a competitive sport and real lives impact the Metaverse.