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

I’m almost certainly not the target audience for this book, but if you love reality TV you will love this.

4 couples are taking part in a reality television show on glass island, which is completely cut off. The couples are a wide variety and the author has tried to cover every base. What is lacking in this story is thrills. There are lots or characters, lots of huge personalities and a great amount of flirting, add to that everyone’s motive and story it becomes a heavy and not very satisfactory story with an ending that didn’t really finish well for me.

A fast-paced and engaging skewering of the reality Tv world. 4 very different couples, all with own sly motivations sign up to be a reality TV show that promises to fix their relationships.
The plot unfolds at the perfect pace with enough intrigue and twists to keep you gripped. The characters and the multiple POVs are well-drawn, complex and three-dimensional to draw the reader in. A great read.

The idea of several couples on a reality show with an added mystery seemed like a really fun storyline to me. It’s also a very relevant topic since those types of reality shows are very popular now. I loved that from the beginning of the book you knew something was going to happen to one or some of the characters- but didn’t know who, when or how. But, I felt like the end of the book was rushed and it didn’t all make sense as to why the killer took such an aggressive route.

I loved that this thriller was very modern, couples are going on a reality show to try and fix their relationships. I also really liked that the book was told in a different POV for each couple. The book also sprinkled in detective interviews which added a nice touch. I really liked the authors style of writing and thought the author did a really good job of giving the characters a back story so it felt more real.