Four couples in crisis decide to participate in a reality show in the middle of a desert island in the Caribbean that promises to save their respective relationships. What could go wrong? The answer is absolutely everything and this is a read that delivers just what it promises. It's entertaining, chaotic and with a lot of drama! Surrounded by cameras all the time and with an "agenda" from the producers, who already know in advance the type of narrative they want to tell, it is inevitable that the protagonists get out of control trying to keep their secrets safe.
One of the strongest points of the story is that it is developed through several points of view but with the particularity that in each couple only one of its members has a voice, therefore, there are many aspects biased by a single filter without the other party's version that will never be known.
The plot twists are also crazy, one after another, and although there are always situations that you can see coming, most of them caught me quite off guard.
My biggest problem with the book is that I couldn't connect with any of the characters and therefore, I wasn't as involved with what they were suffering as I would have liked. Their construction was somewhat superficial and I feel that it fell short of showing us the depths of their lies, fears and motivations.
In any case, I recommend without a doubt, especially if you are looking for something entertaining, quick to read and with English that is very easy to follow in case you are starting to read in that language.

3.5⭐️

Four very different couples are chosen to appear on the reality show Relationship Rescue. Staying on Glass Island in the Caribbean, the couples will, at the end of the show, either opt to stay with each other or break up. The story is narrated from various viewpoints, and from the very start, some of the contestants are unhappy with Marla Regis, the executive producer. It is clear that her main aim is audience reaction, which sometimes is at odds with the four couples. The discovery of the body one of the participants on the beach throws the whole thing into turmoil.

I think the premise of the story was good, and in the light of the popularity of reality T V shows such as Love Island, gave the whole thing an interesting and relatable backdrop. The narrative from several character viewpoints, introduced us to the couples and showed their strengths and vulnerabilities. Despite this, I didn't warm to any of them and there were occasions when the story tended to drag. Marla certainly showed how unscrupulous she was, digging up secrets on each of them, only to broadcast these publicly, -sometimes with devastating results - all in the name of bumping up the ratings.

The murder (actually there are two) and the subsequent investigation by the police, give her even more opportunity to 'keep the cameras rolling'. The unmasking of the culprit and the ending seemed to arrive very quickly and the way the whole thing was eventually tied up left me feeling a litttle flat . I think for followers of reality TV, this is a good read. However, although the whole thing is written well, it wasn't for me. When I read, I like to find at least one character I can empathise with. Sadly, on this occasion. there were none.

I would like to thank Bookouture, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The Marriage Test in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely LOVED The Marriage Test! It was a thrilling rollercoaster from beginning to end! Will be purchasing for my libraries!

Four couples go on a reality TV show to try and save their marriages, only once there it seems the show is not what it first seemed. The contestants dark secrets are known to the show and threaten to be revealed…some secrets they would kill to protect.

This is another story featuring reality TV with a crime thrown in, which I seem to have read a lot of recently but enjoyed. This was a quick, easy read with lots of drama and a mystery to try and unpick a long the way. The chapters are told in different view points of the characters and at times I felt confused about which one I was reading, as I felt there were quite a few to remember. I didn’t fully connect with the characters and found the overall story a bit slow. I didn’t love the ending either. This wasn’t a bad book but maybe just a bit too similar to a lot of books I’ve read recently, therefore not one I’ll easily remember. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

If you watch reality shows – especially shows like Temptation Island, you’ll know what you’re getting here. It’s toxic relationships, cutthroat reality show producers, and DRAMA.

This is a fun one.

It won’t change your life and you’ll definitely look at reality shows with even more of a sneer than you do now, but it’s also a very entertaining popcorn read.

Nothing too serious, but a terrific vacation read!

• ARC via Publisher

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Marriage Test.

I am undecided about how to review this book. It started off well, once I figured out which character belonged to each couple. About halfway through, however, I felt it really dropped off, and I wasn’t surprised with any twists, though I also didn’t see them coming.

Each chapter is written from a different character’s viewpoint, and I found myself having to flick back to the beginning frequently as I struggled to remember who was speaking.

On the whole, a decent read, kept me entertained while on my holiday for a few days.

I enjoyed this book despite it not being a new concept. The characters were all well described and I felt myself rooting for certain couples. It did make me wonder what the behind the scenes of reality tv is really like.

I was intrigued enough to finish it but didn’t love. However, the author did well enough that I would read more by her.

! I highly recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!
The writing style was good! This book has stayed in my mind for quite some time after reading it, very much the mark of an outstanding book.

Love books based on reality TV shows and the insight they give,also seem to have a thing about islands as read lots this year with an island setting
I did enjoy this book and the differing characters with their viewpoints and liked how the book was split into before and after
An easy enjoyable read

I had good hopes for "The Wedding Test," expecting a clever satire reminiscent of Ben Elton's "Dead Famous." Unfortunately, what I got instead felt like the script of an endless episode of Temptation Island. The characters were flat, underdeveloped, vile, and uninteresting, making it impossible to connect with any of them.
The murder investigation aspect was barely present. There was little to no information about the murders, and any significant events were only lightly touched upon, often leaving me confused as if I had missed something. The story is told from the POV of different characters, but their voices are so similar that I constantly had to go back to see whose perspective it was. This lack of distinctive character voices made the narrative feel flat and monotonous.
I found myself yawning, rolling my eyes, and losing interest more times than I can count. I even considered giving up on the book several times. Overall, "The Wedding Test" was not what I was expecting and definitely not my thing. If you're looking for a clever satire or a gripping mystery, this isn't it.

I had never read a book by this author before but I really enjoyed.
The story revolves around four couples stuck on a tropical island filming for a TV show, but not all is what it seems. The couple’s relationships start to fall apart and things soon take a turn for the worst.
This book had me hooked and I liked the fact the chapters were told from different characters point of view as I felt this added to the suspense.
Thanks to NetGalley, Ellie Monago and Bookouture for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

If you’re a fan of reality TV like "Married at First Sight," this book will hook you right from the start. The plot revolves around four couples who sign up for a reality show to fix their relationships. But this isn’t the typical therapy sessions and challenges. There’s actual danger involved, and not everyone makes it out alive.

What I loved about the book initially was its reality show setting, which really drew me in. The story is told through the eyes of different characters, so you get to see the same events from multiple perspectives, which I found really interesting. The reality show actually ends halfway through the book. That’s when the real truth starts coming out, and while this twist was unexpected, I found myself a bit lost at times. There were references to events that hadn’t been fully explained earlier, which left me feeling like I’d missed something important.

The second half of the book shifts focus to what happens after the show, with investigations into the mysterious disappearances of some characters. This part felt a bit slow compared to the first half, but the ending tied things up nicely, which was a relief. Overall, it’s an engaging read about reality TV with a dark twist.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and author Ellie Monago for the opportunity to read and review this book as an ARC.

First time I’ve a read a book by this author and I’ll definitely be reading more, kept me hooked and finished it in one day I enjoyed it that much. I’ve recommended this book to my friends thanks for letting me ARC read this book!

ARC Review

The Marriage Test
By Ellie Monago
Publish Date: Sept 3, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me a copy to review.


The book alternates between 4 of the contestants POV, one from each couple. I highly enjoyed reading all the POVs. Every character had their own agenda and were full of lies and secrets. I’m still shocked by that ending. That was not what I was expecting at all.

I found all the characters unlikeable for different reasons but I feel like this was done on purpose so you never knew who to suspect. It left me in my toes trying to figure the mystery out. The suspense was high throughout the book and I throughly enjoyed it.

My only critique is the ending felt to rushed to me.

This is the perfect mystery, thriller, very fast past. I read it in one sitting as I could not put it down!

Think Marriage Boot Camp meets Unreal. The general premise of the book is that a show (similar to Marriage Boot Camp) is being filmed, but we get to read it from behind the scenes, from the casts POV. This book is multiple POV, which helps to build the suspense of whodunit since everyone has a different perspective. The book was fast paced and a great read for anyone who loves the combination of reality TV and a murder mystery!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

ARC Review--3.5 Stars (Rounded up to 4 stars)

Pub Date: September 3, 2024

4 couples sequestered away on a tropical island to work on their relationships. A reality television show that promises to help them work on their relationships and marriages, however the producers are acting as puppet masters and know everyone's secrets. Who can be trusted and who can't?

The book moves between different POVs throughout multiple of the participants which is sometimes hard to keep track of, but helps the overall appeal of the book. The producer's motives aren't truly known throughout most of the book, I would say up until about 75% of the way through you truly believe they are there to help the participants and truly salvage their relationships. The therapists in the book are CRAZY. Their style of therapy is completely left field and I do not know anyone who would actually buy that this is real therapy. Its harsh, I'll say that.

When it comes to characters, few left a mark on me. I did not enjoy the main character Lauren much at all. She came off as a whiney, vulnerable young woman who wasn't really believable. I feel like no one in her position would do some of the things she found herself doing throughout the book. She needed to be written as more realistic. Blanche was a perfect villain, however, I found myself not liking her straight from the beginning, before any of the villainy actually started. Tristan wasn't realistic in how he treated the relationship in his relationship nor when it came to forgiveness, I feel there was so much more that could have been done with his character that what was--it left me wanting more. Tatiana was probably my most favorite character as she seemed the most down to earth and relatable of the bunch.

Overall I would recommend this book if you're looking for a tropical set thriller. It was a quick read, mostly easy to follow, and with a satisfying ending.

✨ Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review ✨

As someone who loves reality shows like 90 Day Fiancé and Love Island, this was right up my street. Couples go onto a reality show in a bid to fix their relationship, as if that would ever work, and it ends in murder. Quelle surprise!

This was a pacey novel that I devoured in a matter of days, I didn’t particularly like the characters but I found it very fascinating anyway - I find you don’t have to like characters to enjoy a book and I bloody enjoyed this one.

This had lots of unexpected twists and turns and I can’t wait to shout my love of this book from the rooftops. I have a TikTok video ready to share for publication day!

I’m intrigued to read Ellie’s other novels but this was a banger of a book.

I really wanted to love this book as the premise is everything i love but it
it wasn't for me. I thought the part where the bedroom scenes where played
to the other contestants was a bit yack and this was the tone for the book.
just not for me

4.5 ⭐️s rounded up.

The Ultimatum meets Love Island but with a murder. This book was everything that I wanted Ruth Ware’s One Perfect Couple to be but wasn’t. The actual meat of the story (the murder) doesn’t take place until about 50% of the way allowing for the first half of the book to episodically outline each day the contestants experienced on set. I was so engrossed in the reality TV aspect of the book that I almost forgot there was a murder! Perfect for fans of locked room mysteries who want to scratch that itch for reality tv..

Well the blurb reads deeply addictive and yep it is definitely addictive

Thank you for the opportunity to review