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!!

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.