"The Marriage Test" was an engrossing read with numerous shocking twists that made it impossible to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

I really enjoyed the marriage test, the begins puts a question in your mind of can you trust the TV producer or not as it's unclear whether she is trustworthy. I love how we have different POVs and it's a reality TV show we are following where the couples are trying to save their marriages. I loved how it started with interviews too mixed media is something I love to find in books. Heavily enjoyable and definitely a recommendation

I am a sucker for TV drama based books, especially game shows! It just makes my mind really interested in the plot and story! This did not disappoint. It was also an easy read!

Picture that you are on Temptation Island with your spouse, mix in the therapists of Married at First Sight, and you have the book The Marriage Test. As a fan of reality tv, I thought the premise of this book would be really fun. Five couples on an island, who get help from therapists, while they are live on reality television.

I loved the beginning of the book and learning about the different characters. By the middle of the book, I became restless since I didn't truly care about any of them. In the end, there were some twists, but it fell sort of flat for me.

I gave this book three out of five stars. It was entertaining for the most part, and I liked reading the story from different point of views from the characters. If you like books that are based on reality tv, murder mysteries, and books about relationships, then you might enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Ellie Monago for sharing this book with me. This is my honest review.

Straight away, after reading the synopsis I couldn't wait to dive in and read it. I was left a little disappointed and here is why. I couldn't connect to the characters and that is a huge part of my rating.

Big thanks to Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Marriage Test is more a murder mystery than a psychological thriller.
Four couples arrive on a tropical island thinking they are on a reality tv show to help with saving their marriage.
But the behind the scenes folk know all their secrets and are about to manipulate them to get ratings gold.
Someone is about to be murdered and the suspect has the biggest secret of all…….
A good premise and starts off quite interesting but then does a sag in the middle.
I think there was far too many characters to keep track off and because of this my reading mind got distracted.
There’s some elements that are readable but it’s few and far between.
An average read.

This was an entertaining read! The idea of a reality show in a book was unique to me, and the premise had me seriously intrigued.

This was a perfect mix of The Ultimatum, Love is Blind and a murder mystery. The characters are so well written, and despite there being so many of them , you get to know them all very quickly without confusion. The pacing is great, it's not the longest of books but everything feels well rounded and padded. Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, it didn't quite make sense to me, it seemed more thrown in to shock and not be guessed, which knocked the rating down for me. However it was a lot of fun, and I would recommend it regardless

I love toxic reality tv shows. They are my guilty pleasure and this book did not disappoint! The multiple POVs made the reading experience super interactive and kept me on my toes as we all know, reality stars are super deceptive and create their own narrative.

What a crazy ride! I loved the premise of this book, and was super hooked from the beginning. Pretty much any book involving reality TV and murders is usually a win for me! The characters were all so unique and both lovable and hate-able at the same time. The murderer ending was a bit anti-climatic for me, but I still enjoyed the book!

This was a quick and fun popcorn thriller. I am not a fan of reality tv, but I enjoyed this book. Four different couples sign up for a reality show hoping to save their relationships. This story is told from multiple POVs going back and forth between the characters who are taking part in the reality show. The beginning starts off with interviews after the events happen, then we start to gain background knowledge to help pull everything together.

There are a lot of secrets and twists and turns in this one! It's like everyone has something to hide, including the show's producer. The atmosphere was very tense as the plot developed. I was so anxious to know what was going to happen. There were multiple unreliable narrators that led to many of wrong guesses on my part! I enjoyed getting wrapped up in the drama of this book, and the twists were great!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I quite enjoyed this book. It's like Love Island mixed with Murder Most Horrid. It's hard to know which of the contestants is actually dangerous. And as for the crew....definitely some of them are dangerous. A fun holiday read.

The Marriage Test by Elie Manago, In The book we meet four LA couples all going to glass Island to be on a relationship rescue reality show. There’s Cain and Naomi the Christian couple, Lauren and Tristan she’s pregnant and desperate to be in love with Tristan and he’s there because he’s an aspiring actor and wants to use the show to gain popularity, there’s also Tatiana and Serena she’s a foot surgeon and Tatiana seems to be her entertainment and plaything and last, but definitely not least is Josh and Blanche their marriage is failing, as is his business but they’re all here because the show has 100% track record and supposedly they all want to rescue their relationship. Unfortunately most of them are hiding secrets and it’s mostly from the past but Blanche makes the bold move to have a new secret develop while she’s on the show as soon as she sees Tristan she gets the hots for him and he seems to really like her as well but at the same time seems over the moon for Lauren. The shells producer Marla zeros in on this like a ruthless heat seeking missile but that is an all she does they try to make the Christians in the group racist and homophobic as well as traipse out Lawrence infidelity but this is just the beginning once the murders start everyone is scared but the show must go on and it does, until even one of the therapist cannot stomach the duplicity Marla wants to dish out. If you like gossipy reality show horror stories then you will definitely like this book as I did for most of the book but I must be honest and say I was not happy with the way this book ended. I didn’t like Blanche and it seemed those that were being written as people we should dislike who are the ones are really dead like such as Kane Naomi josh Tatiana I also found it weird that when someone was murdered it was just like OMG another one bites the dust now let’s move on it was discussed but I DK I felt like something was lacking and I also thought that would be a different outcome for Julia but again IDK. I do love this authors books and find her writing style compelling and I do recommend this book I just didn’t find the ending as satisfying as I thought I would. #Bookoucher, #NetGalley, # EllieManago, #TheMarriageTest,

I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

This book brings together four couples on a remote paradise, all under the illusion that they are part of a TV show designed to help save their troubled marriages. But in reality, the cameras are watching for something else entirely—their deepest, darkest secrets, which are about to be exposed one by one.

The setup promises tension and drama, with each couple hiding something that could shatter their relationship. From a successful surgeon with a dark past, to a young couple expecting their first child amid accusations of infidelity, to high school sweethearts struggling with their suburban dream, and finally, a husband and wife whose failing business reflects their faltering marriage—each storyline offers potential for intrigue and emotional depth.

However, while the premise is intriguing, the book struggles to maintain momentum. The initial setup is captivating, pulling the reader in with the promise of secrets being unveiled and relationships put to the test. Yet as the story progresses, the pacing slows and the character development falters. Despite the potential for complex, multifaceted characters, it's hard to form an emotional connection with any of them. As their secrets are revealed, the lack of depth in their personalities makes it difficult to care about their fates or even the murder mystery that eventually surfaces.

The murder, which should have been a shocking twist, feels lackluster. The resolution is rushed, and the reveal of the culprit feels superficial, with motivations that don’t resonate. By the time the story reaches its climax, the reader's initial investment in the plot and characters has likely dwindled, and the final twist falls flat.

While the book starts with an exciting and unique premise, the lack of character connection and a disappointing conclusion ultimately undermine its potential. It’s an easy read with an interesting setup, but it may leave readers wanting more depth, suspense, and emotional engagement. If you enjoy reality TV-inspired dramas and light thrillers, it might be worth a try, but it doesn't deliver the intense suspense or satisfying payoff that its concept promises.

Ellie Monago’s The Marriage Test combines popular reality show tropes to make an entertaining, albeit highly unbelievable, book.

When four couples go on a reality show to fix their marriages, they instead find themselves involved in something much more sinister. Everyone is hiding something, and it all unfolds for the audience in real-time.

Told from multiple points of view, we get to know the couples well, and it is a bit of a slow start. However, things begin to pick up near the middle, and it becomes more of a campy mystery. While none of the characters are particularly likable - or reliable – the mystery itself is decent and the drama and toxicity of the relationships rings true for the villainy fans of the genre often crave. Fans of reality TV will enjoy this one.

Thrilling and suspenseful. I could not put this down. Read it in one breathless sitting. Just wow. Loved this one.

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.