One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware on May 21, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense, Fiction / Women
Pages: 400
Format: eBook
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Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla find herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples in order to win a cash prize. But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real and the stakes are life or death.
Ruth Ware has always been a hit or miss for me, but this one takes the cake! Best book by her so far! I really enjoyed this survival thriller set on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. There was a big cast of characters, and it took a minute to remember who’s who, and who goes with whom, but ultimately they each had a unique voice. While this was an entertaining, escapist thriller, it also touched on the seriousness of bullying and domestic abuse. This was a page-turner that I flew through in record time. I also loved the little nod to A Woman In Cabin 10. From the moment I started the first chapter, I was gripped by the electrifying pace and the mesmerizing tale of Lyla and Nico, thrust into a reality contest that quickly morphs into a battle for survival.
This was definitely a five star novel. Ware really deep dives into the darkness that surrounds influencers, reality television and the friendly faces behind the screens. I will say don’t go into this expecting mind melting twists but go into it with the mindset that this is a story that you will want to give a standing ovation for just having the truth out into the open.