This book was an enjoyable read with an interesting storyline. I found that it didn't personally capture my interest however there was nothing wrong with the writing style or storyline.

If you love watching reality dating, relationship or marriage shows you will be drawn in just by reading the cover of The Marriage Test. Four couples travel to a tropical island where they will be part of the third series of a reality tv show to work on their marriages. They all have secrets. This book is loaded with drama, lies and deceit with some unexpected twists. Some of the characters were easy to like while others were just scheming and despicable. I really enjoyed the location and premise of the story.

Thank you to the author @EllieMonago as well as to @MorganJamesFiction and @NetGalley for a free e-ARC. The opinions are mine alone and not biased in any way.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

The Marriage Test: A completely addictive and pulse-racing psychological thriller with a shocking twist by Ellie Monago is a gripping and intense exploration of the secrets that lie beneath the surface of seemingly perfect relationships. Set on a tropical island, the story follows four couples who believe they are participating in a reality TV show designed to save their marriages. 

Monago’s narrative is expertly crafted, with each couple’s storyline interwoven to create a complex and suspenseful plot. The characters are well-developed, each bringing their own unique issues and hidden pasts to the forefront.

The tropical island setting serves as a stark contrast to the underlying tension and deceit, enhancing the sense of isolation and vulnerability experienced by the characters.

The pacing of the novel is relentless, with twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Monago skillfully builds suspense, revealing secrets and betrayals at just the right moments to maintain a high level of tension throughout.

For fans of psychological thrillers, The Marriage Test is a must-read. Ellie Monago has delivered a compelling and addictive story that delves into the complexities of human relationships and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets.

Four couples are on a tropical island to take part in a reality TV show and try to save their relationships. Each of the couples are hiding something. Things they don’t know the producers know and plan to reveal one by one. But one of the contestants is willing to do anything to protect their secret. Even kill. Who will survive the marriage test? And at what cost?

Heart-poundingly tense, twisty and addictive, The Marriage Test had me hooked. Moving between events on the island and police interviews with the producers, we know from the start that one of the contestants doesn’t leave the island alive, providing a sense of inherent danger. And there’s things simmering beneath the surface, dark secrets just waiting to boil over. Compelling, intricate and hard to predict, Ellie Monago has cunningly crafted this fast-paced thriller, barely giving you time to catch your breath from one twist before you’re hit with another one, exposing the truth behind so-called ‘Reality TV’ while asking how far we’re prepared to go to stop our darkest secrets from being revealed.

This is a story filled with flawed characters and unreliable narrators. They may say they’re here to save their relationships, but it is soon clear that all of the contestants have other motivations for appearing on the show, and they all have secrets they want to keep hidden, making it impossible to trust anything they say or that you think you know. I found myself particularly drawn to Lauren and Tatiana but there wasn’t one character I was rooting for and I didn’t really care if the couples stayed together. I was here for the drama and to try and solve a murder. The contestants quickly formed friendships, rivalries and even cross-couple flirtations. Meanwhile the producers and counsellors toy with them and begin revealing their secrets at the behest of Marla, the show’s executive producer. She was like an evil puppeteer pulling all the strings and watching things unravel with glee, seemingly not caring that she is messing with people’s lives. All she cares about is the ratings. But things unravel quickly, it's the perfect recipe for murder and everyone has a motive.

After the murder the contestants are not only trapped on an island with a killer, they are also terrified they might be next and have no idea who they can trust, the tension really heating up as speculation about the killer’s identity is rife. At this point they are also faced with discovering how they have been perceived on the show and the social media speculation about which one of them is the killer, leaving them trying to prove their innocence and protect their image whilst also trying to salvage their relationships. I was on tenterhooks and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, desperate to finally know the truth.

Jaw-dropping, riveting and suspenseful, this is a must-read for all thriller lovers.

This book took me quite a while to get into, and I only persevered because of the positive reviews. Perhaps it’s because I don’t watch reality TV, but this story felt exactly how I imagine shows like Love Island might play out. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with any of the characters—they all felt fake on screen and toxic behind the scenes, constantly sabotaging each other.

The story revolves around four couples, a production crew, and investigators, and I did appreciate the way the chapters were told from different characters' perspectives. However, I felt the book only really picked up about halfway through, when it became more of a “whodunit” mystery. While I figured out early on who was responsible, I couldn’t quite crack the “why,” and ultimately, the reveal and aftermath left me feeling underwhelmed.

Overall, this book wasn’t the right fit for me, but I can see why others have enjoyed it. I’d be open to reading more from this author if the subject matter were different.

A multiple perspective novel set within a reality show. As is typical with these types of books lots of secret emerge over the course of the book. Overall, an engaging read.

This book is a must-read if you need a good psychological thriller with many secrets, twists and suspects!
The story took off right away in this one. The premise with the reality show and couples was engaging. As a fan of reality shows, it immediately pulled me in. There was something hanging with a tragedy looming and it was exciting reading all the buildup. It was thrilling as the layers of the characters unraveled and their secrets were revealed in a great book of suspense.

Thank you, Ellie Monago, Bookouture, & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

Having previously enjoyed The Custody Battle by Monago, I had high hopes for The Marriage Test. It didn't disappoint and was a brilliant fictional take on the darker side of reality TV and what ensues when the cameras stop rolling.

The book is narrated from multiple POV and is a book of two halves - relationships and murder.

The cast of characters are as close knit as you can get whilst being on a tropical island together, so you know the murderer is never far away.

Full of intrigue and drama with suspense in spades, Monago delights us with a twisty thriller that's highly entertaining and will keep you guessing throughout...and if you're like me you'll still get it wrong!

The Marriage Test by Ellie Monago is a blinder of a thriller, with four couples seeking the salvation of their toxic relationships on a reality tv show.

However, as has become so very clear over time, fraught tensions, spite, drama and lies are rampant. All this is not to help the couples, who are, frankly, in drie need of couples counselling at the very, very least. The show is aimed at feeding the insatiable hunger of an audience fed on a diet of drama and mayhem, all to line the pockets of the producers. Ethics are blown to heck

This was a thriller I devoured like the most sumptious meal and although my appetite was sated and I was indeed most satisfied, now I am looking forward to reading more from Ellie Monago. Glorious! 5 Stars and then some

Thank you to Bookouture, Netgalley and the Author for this brilliant ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the book #TheMarriageTest by #EllieMonago. This book is about four couples on a tv reality show, supposedly to save their marriages. It’s packed with drama, secrets and murder all wrapped up in a nice bow. Everyone thinks their secrets are safe but they are not. This definitely is why I don’t like reality tv but I enjoyed watching them all fall apart.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

The guilt pleasure one gets from reality TV mixed with the nail-biting can't stop reading one gets with a new book.

You may want to clear your day before reading as The Marriage test is as addictive as they come. Highly recommend

The Marriage Test by Ellie Monago was very intriguing and I never found myself losing any interest.
I was hooked instantly, from the very first page I was captive. This resulted in me devouring this book in just one sitting. I was completely unable and unwilling to put this down.
The Marriage is definitely dark and full of suspense. I found myself pulled in and hooked by the events unfolding.

This book followed a reality tv show with four contestants who are trying to fix their relationship. It has so much messiness and drama. Towards the end of their stay on the island, someone ends up dead. Then everyone is not allowed to leave the island while the police figure out who it was before someone ends up dead again.
I wasn't expecting the twists, and the end was not enough for me. But, I still enjoyed this book very much.

Four couples in a reality TV show, to save their marriage an filmed in a tropical island. But what supposed to save their marriages becomes a nightmare when one of them gets murdered during the TV show and that one of them could be the suspect...

The plot of the story is interesting and intriguing. A reality TV show, couples with questionable past, lies, cheat deceit...it all adds up to a juicy TV show. Plus the fact that a murder takes place also seemed interesting. However, even though I liked the plot of the story, I found the whole story to be slightly slow burn and not interesting. The snippets of the interview between the detective and the producer is interesting although the first part of the book was boring. The characters are all unreliable and are told in different POVs. I do like the concept of using unreliable characters in the story but I felt it didn't really go well with the whole story. Despite the negativity, I do like the author's style of writing.

Overall this is worth 3 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutes for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This book was such a tense read overall and it had me gripped right until the end with its twists and turns.

You’ll meet four couples on a luxurious, but isolated island trying to save their relationships with cameras capturing every moment for a popular reality show. What could possibly go wrong?

Get ready for lots of secrets to come spilling out! None of the characters are likable and you can just feel the tension and impending doom. I loved the locked room mystery vibes as things spiral out of control and death invades the island. The twist comes at the very end, but I was hoping for a bigger shock and more twists.

The Marriage Test
By: Ellie Monago

4 Stars

Four couples, one island, and a reality show. The island is supposed to be the saving grace for these four couples, but instead, secrets, lies, and murder abound instead.

Wow. This was an enthralling book with drama, romance, and murder with a backdrop of reality television. It was written in a way that keeps you guessing and wanting more till the very end. The whole book was a crazy wild ride of emotions and secrets with every page turn. It held a strange cast of characters, each with their own issues and dilemma. By the end, you either love or hate or respect them.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

This was a decent read that picked up pacing in the 2nd half. It centers on 4 couples who are on a reality show in the Caribbean to try to save their marriages. You learn more about each couple and their relationship problems during the first half; then, when a murder occurs, you get to see their reactions to the situation. I preferred the second half that contained the mystery.

It look me a while to keep all the characters straight. The chapters alternate between characters and I don’t feel that any of their voices were all that distinct. I had to keep stopping to remind myself who was paired up with who. None of the characters was all that likable but I didn’t really mind. I kept changing my mind on who the murderer was, and thought the overall twists were good. I liked the way it ended, as there were surprises up to the end.

Overall, decent read once I finally got into it with some good twists. I’m not a big reality show person but I bet those who are will like it even more. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Marriage Test is a great read if you are obsessed with reality tv like me! It’s like Marriage Bootcamp meets Love Island with all of the twists and turns that are thrown at you. I don’t want to spoil it but all I will say is every time I thought I knew who the killer was, I was completely wrong. This book is a perfect example of how fame and money make people do some of the most insane things even murder! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

An excellent way to describe this book is to think about Love Island, the Bachelor, and maybe even 90 Day Fiance (in all its toxic glory). There are four couples, a production crew, and then the investigators. While I couldn't relate to any character, they did remind me of certain people in my life, and it made me somewhat predict some of their behavior. Am I the only one who does this?

While the book is fiction, it is an excellent way to remind us that reality TV is as real as an Instagram Filter. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different person, making the reading experience as if you were viewing a reality show and getting different insides. The book's first half focuses on the demise of the relationships and the reality show, while the other half focuses more on the actual murder.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it!!