I read The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond in one sitting. It is a fast paced suspense novel about Jake and Alice, newlyweds who receive membership to The Pact as a wedding gift. The aim of the Pact is to ensure that married couples remain married, but what will the Pact do to ensure couples comply with the rules?

48 hours after completing the book I am still thinking about it; some of the rules in the Pact Manual are probably great for ensuring a healthy marriage and I took note of some of Jake's musings on relationships and people.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book! Unlike the books I usually read, I devoured it in two sittings unable to stop reading! Brilliant!

The premise of the story is interesting and I was excited to read it. There are some strange ideas in the book, and at times I couldn't put it down, though there were points where I struggled to continue to read. Jake and Alice are fairly likeable characters, but they do both frustrate me a large percentage of the time. The story was horrendously far fetched, yet the part I struggled to disbelieve the most, was the amount of times that Jake and Alice disobeyed the rules of 'The Pact,' despite the consequences being so over the top.

I really wanted to love the book, and like I said, there were times where I couldn't put it down, but overall it just didn't do it for me. The final straw was the ending. After spending so much time building up the details of 'The Pact,' it felt like the ending was a complete copout.

The Marriage Pact is a fantastic book. When Alice and Jake get married, they are given the opportunity to strengthen their marriage by signing a pact, which will give guidance in order to ensure they live happily ever after together. This sounds great, until they receive punishments for not following the rule book in its entirety and realise there is no way out.
Initially I was thinking that the rules made sense and was wondering if I could introduce some of them into my marriage, but the further you get into the book, the more frightening it all becomes. I loved The Marriage Pact and have been thoroughly recommending it to everyone I know!

5 stars

This was a very tense and sinister thriller, which was difficult to put down. The main characters were likeable, easy to relate to and made me wonder how I would respond to being trapped in a similar "cult-like" situation. In one particularly harrowing moment of panic, when one of the spouses was experiencing "torture," there seemed a real possibility that the character would die - and I was anticipated the surviving spouse would pick up the plot.

The end was a real surprise.

Very enjoyable.

A well written book, but very far fetched story. Somehow really compelling.
Disappointing ending though.

Not a big fan of this read, characters I couldn't really warm to and wondered all the way through the book why someone as Intelligent as the two main characters would get sucked in to the Pact they way they did, did keep me intrigued until the end, but sadly just wasn't for me

another story which requires a big buy-in from the reader. If you just go along with the assumption that the husband/wife lead characters are wholly embracing The Marriage Pact then this is a solid thriller which is ideal for a holiday read. Again book groups on standby – not everyone is going to be happy with the concept that two successful professionals would accept The Pact without question and debate should ensue.

Some surprising twists and Michelle Richmond has some nasty ideas when it comes to ensuring her characters are compelled to obey their promises.

An interesting premise, and well-written on the whole: newly-weds invited to join a special group to help them make their marriage successful. Sounds great but, of course, it's not quite what it seems.
On the whole I enjoyed this, although the parts in the prison are slightly toe-curling. I was slightly disappointed with the end, which felt a bit too pat, but it's worth reading and left me thinking.

I really enjoyed this book and was hooked on the gift of the pact. It was a real page turner however I found the ending to be short, quick and a little disappointing - I was left wanting more but not in a good way.

My Review of " The Marriage Pact"

So you want a perfect marriage, be the perfect husband,be the perfect wife, you want your marriage to last forever? would you stake your life on that?

Jake and Alice have only just got married they want to spend the rest of there life together so when they are offered a mysterious wedding Gift from a man at Alice's work to join a club an elite society that ensures you will never divorce they soon sign the contact but in the contract is a list of rules

Always answer when your spouse calls.
Exchange thoughtful gifts each month.
Plan a trip once per quarter.
Have no secrets from your spouse .

Soon they are seduced by the glamorous party's with people who want the same thing as them for there marriage to last and be the perfect couple, at first they like being apart of something so unique but then one of them makes a mistake and breaks the rules left with know choice they run! but with the pact after them not wanting them to get away and not wanting the contact to be broken and after already putting them through hell and torture now they are willing to kill because once your in there is no way out once you sign the contract you there for life!

If i'm honest when i first stared the book i wasn't sure if i would like it but then just like Jake and Alice i was intrigued with the Pact and there rules it was like i was in a trance it was told in the narrative of Jake so i felt like he was telling me the story i couldn't help but feel apart of it, the characters are believable the story is shocking and deeply disturbing it will also make you think would you join the pact if you was offered the chance? would you make the same choice as Jake and Alice? how would you cope with the shocking punishment the pact give out if you break the rules?

i loved every minute and every page of this book i couldn't put it down i just had to know what happened next,

thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my review

I have held off reviewing this book because I wanted to think about it. I found it equally disturbing and engaging. The fact that the author chooses the first person narrative interests me greatly. This choice undoubtedly focusses the story more on Jake than Alice as it is solely from his perspective. As a couples counsellor it story channels his thoughts as the plot unfolds. It is an interesting mix of facts and figures on marriage and the sect that chooses to interpret the makings of a successful marriage. What happens to Alice therefore is from Jake's perspective and so if she chooses not to be completely honest with him we are left guessing. But maybe that's the point. We are kept guessing to the very end. Without doubt this is one of the most interesting and memorable books I have read in a long while.

Anyone who is married or contemplating getting married will be instantly drawn into this unusual premise. Tightly woven it escalates into a sinister plot with frightening speed, conclusion will leave you breathless. Brilliant concept, brilliantly executed.

Wow. An absolutely thrilling read. It is brilliant and a book I couldn't put down. Alice a lawyer and her husband Jake a Psychologist are invited to join an exclusive group which is aimed at helping to keep marriages together. However, if one breaks the rules then the outcome is very sinister and the nightmare begins. A brilliantly told story.

Let me start off by saying that I loved this book. I thought the storyline was very original and that's what I look for in a thriller. This book kept me interested throughout and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. More from Michelle Richmond please, another fantastic author.

A psychological suspense thriller this certainly is. The plot is ridiculously implausible, but okay, it’s fiction, slack must be cut, but I found myself wrestling with its increasing implausibility as it went on.

Jake and Alice are very much in love, and when they marry they're given the most unusual wedding present: membership to a club which ensures their marriage will be long and strong. Seems like a bit of fun, so why not? And they sign on the dotted line. Little do they know, however, that they're signing themselves into a living nightmare.

The club….’The Pact’…is based on a manual of encyclopaedic proportions listing the dos and donts of marriage. That right there started my cynical clock ticking…some ridiculous rules and regulations. Failure to adhere result in barbaric…and disturbing…punishment. So why don’t Jake and Alice leave, you may ask? One doesn’t. One does not leave The Pact.

It was very well written…in a style that ensured gripping suspense. There were definitely a few matchstick moments late at night as I eagerly turned the pages, and despite having to suspend disbelief, this isn't far off being a first-rate thriller, but the ending was a let-down. I was niggled by the present-tense narrative of the story; it just didn’t work, and that was endorsed by the inconclusive ending.

Can I recommend it? Despite my misgivings, yes, I think I can. It’s taut, it’s tense and I have to say it’s addictive. Try it and tell me what you think!

As a wedding present Alice and Jake Receive an invite to join the marriage pact. The pact is an inclusive club where the members are governed by a manual to build a trusting and respectful marriage that lasts. But is the pact a cult? It often reads like one. Or is it a place where heavy punishment is received for not following the Pact. And what happens when leaving alive is not an option...... Even in the pact it is questionable who you can trust.

The Marriage Pact is one of those books you read and whilst it's far from almost everyone's reality it makes for entertaining easy reading.

It's without a doubt a page turner, and suspenseful. It's centeeed around relationships.

It's a bit like marmite. You will love it or hate it. We enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publishers and author for the advanced copy.

I found this a little far fetched to be honest. The female of the couple signed up for the pact far too quickly considering her occupation. As the book went along I thought it became a bit of a "this wouldnt happen in real life" story. Therefore I didn't really know how many stars to give. It must have had something because I didn't give up on it so I think a 3 ⭐️ is honest

this book is really interesting and I can really see the premise for it. its a little scary in parts but its psychological rather than gore.

the characters interact well but I found the idea that someone they barely knew put them forward a little hard to believe.

I will definitely look for more from this author and recommend this book to all.

As soon as I read the synopsis on Netgalley, I was extremely intrigued. I loved the idea for the plot because it seemed so unique and mysterious. After reading the book, I can indeed confirm that it was unique and mysterious, as well as dark, intense and very addictive!
The story was fast-paced and I really enjoyed hearing everything from Jake's point of view. While Jake was fairly straightforward to understand and connect with, Alice was much more guarded and it was difficult to understand what she was thinking and feeling. Since everything is from Jake's perspective, this is very appropriate because Alice tends to keep her past hidden from him and therefore he doesn't fully understand her either.
With every page turn, more and more tension built up and I was completely hooked.
My only negative is that I felt a little bit let down by the ending as it was too abrupt for me. There had been such a build up of tension throughout the book but then it just evaporated suddenly and that was it, the book had finished. I was full of questions and The Pact still felt shrouded in secrecy, although I suppose this was quite fitting for the type of mysterious group The Pact is.
Overall, I'm giving this book 4 out of 5. It was an addictive read full of secrets with a unique and memorable plot.