The marriage pact' by Michelle Richmond is a psychological thriller that will have you unable to put the book down. It’s a very believable plot
that could actually be true. I would not be surprised if this sort of thing is really happening somewhere in the world. I felt so reeled in that it feels like you are reading a true story. Even now after finishing the book yesterday I can't stop thinking about it and find myself wanting to say to my friends "have you heard about this marriage cult?" then I remember it’s just a story!
The only thing that I felt was a little let down was the fact that Alice is a lawyer? I’m sure a lawyer would have been a little more apprehensive signing such documents !
However overall I loved the book and could see this becoming a trilogy. It would also make a great movie - some of the scenes, especially those inside the “prison” would be perfect for the big screen

I received a digital copy from #Netgalley in return for my online review.

Jake and Alice receive a wedding gift of an introduction to a mysterious group called The Pact from a relative stranger.

Despite Alice being an attorney, they don’t read the small print and it’s not long before they discover what happens when you break the rules.

The premise sounds fantastic but I found the book problematic in many ways. You only hear Jake’s side of things, you never really know what’s going on in Alice’s head. Also, the punishments meted out for breaking the rules for me were over the top, and unbelievable. Even takin the fact that it’s not real life and only a novel you have to have some form of reality and you really must suspend your belief that this could be true.

I was going to abandon this book half way through, but when I hit delete I realised that I needed to find out what happens. It’s a good thriller that runs out of steam and just finishes.

Three stars for keeping me going to the end, and not giving up half way through.

I started reading this book and was quickly taken in by the plot. I thought that it would be a really great read but started to get bored about a third of the way through and found it repetitive.
There were parts of the book that were well written and very intuitive about relationships, however it just wasn’t enough to make me love this book.

I received a digital ARC of #TheMarriagePact by #NetGalley for an honest review.

Having read some of the reviews for this book, it seems the main criticism is that it isn't very realistic. If you are happy to be drawn in to a story that is a bit far fetched (and that is definitely not a bad thing or a criticism of this book - plenty of books are based on events that would never have happened!) then give this a chance.

The whole premise is that a couple receive a gift of The Pact on their wedding day by a relative stranger. Curiosity gets the better of them and they accept and get drawn in to The Pact, which over time they realise is more of a cult that they are trapped in, than the promise of a happy secure marriage that lasts forever.

The book takes a very dark, creepy and slightly haunting turn, with a couple of twists in the later stages of the book. I think for me it just got a bit too creepy and sadistic - it made for some very uncomfortable reading at times - but others will find this is okay and adds to the story. I did like the ending though. It felt right and appropriate for Alice and Jake, and I would have been disappointed if it had been different.

There are a number of spacing and layout errors in this book, but I'm assuming that this is because it is an uncorrected ARC and that they will have been corrected prior to the book being published.

Interesting concept! Jake and Alice are approached by a new friend a strange wedding gift - membership to a special group where marriage lasts forever! They find it easy at first and laughable when they start to break the rules but then things become very scary for them and they realise that there isn't an easy way out of the Pact. Really enjoyed this book a fresh new sort of thriller and would love to see this as a film

I wasn't too sure about this books premise to begin with and I probably wouldn't have chosen to read it, but I was given a copy by NetGalley to read and review. I am a self-confessed thriller junkie and it did keep me wanting to read on.
Newlyweds Jake and Alice invite a virtual stranger to their wedding who invites them to join 'The Pact'. They sign up to a marriage with the promise of never divorcing, with serious rules and regulations. Completely unbelievable but an OK read.

Jake and Alice are newly married. A mysterious man that Alice has met through work gives them a wedding present of an invitation to sign The Pact. The Friends are a group of people who aim to help them keep their marriage intact and avoid divorce. Over time they have to decide is it for them or not, are they willing to put everything into their marriage?
At times I found the story far-fetched. The story is told from Jakes perspective and I liked him. Alice however was a strange character, a former wild child who has become a lawyer and is very willing to throw herself into The Pact, even signing a contract without reading it first!! The idea behind the book is very interesting but I lost interest in the characters in the end
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Wow. Hooked from beginning to end. Great storyline. Kept me wanting more

Loved this book! From the start it was different and totally engaging. Would recommend again & again. From a married persons perspective it really made me think about what it means to be a ‘good’ spouse. The writing & content was modern and clever. The characters relatable and believable. The story line.... far fetched yes, but not totally unbelievable. There could be groups out there like the one in the book (couldn’t there?!) I loved the push & pull dilemma of the couple trying to rationalise and think about their own free will to just say no to the demands put upon them battling with the mind game of ‘what will happen if we say no?’ Great for any readers interested in cult psychology or studying sociology. The end was surprising & a little disappointing. Not because it was badly written but because of the couples decision. I thought they could influence change for the better in lots of ways. I’ll say no more. I don’t want to spoil it for other readers. I will be seeking out more books from this author.

Sometimes, what are you really need after a really dry and boring read is something fast-paced and more on the side of popcorn than heavy mental lifting. So The Marriage Pact slotted into that quite nicely and, for the most part, did exactly what I wanted it to.

Alice and Jake are a perfect couple, newly married, and in their joy and their hype, I guess, they join an organisation that's dedicated to maintaining the perfect marriage. Like Fight Club, the Pact doesn't talk about the Pact, and it has some very sensible rules: surprise your partner with thoughtful gifts; be focused and involved in your relationship; plan holidays together once a quarter and always answer a phone call from your partner.

But most importantly, never mention the Pact to anyone else.

Soon though, it seems that the Pact goes just beyond a set of rules about valuing your spouse and Alice and Jake find themselves embroiled in a life of parties and a true sense of belonging. Until one of them breaks a rule and they find out that beneath the glitz and glamour, there are harsh punishments for those who transgress. Their perfect marriage is about to be put to the test in unimaginable ways.

I'll give Richmond this, she does manage to keep you reading, turning the page and wanting to know what happens next. I was certainly caught up in the story and the sheer amount of creepy cult-like behaviour that everyone indulges in. The story is told entirely through Jake's point of view, which does limit the amount of information the reader gets, but on the other hand, it makes everything feel much more claustrophobic. It causes certain situations to seem murky, confusing and hesitant, where you feel for Jake but also you feel his fear, his paranoia. Everything happens quickly and when things get really bad, they seem to escalate from chapter to chapter.

Which is also there the book seems to hit a wall. As things escalate, it seems to lose touch with reality. Some of the things that Pact gets up to, (view spoiler), the way it escalates to something that doesn't really make sense by the end... As I was reading this, I kept thinking that actually, this could be a really good read, a 4 star book and not just something I would recommend as 'popcorn for the brain'. Unfortunately, by the last third, it seems to lose itself in its own over-the-top cult stuff and I stopped feeling all that sympathetic towards both Jake and Alice. The ending, when it comes, is almost downright stupid. (view spoiler)

I liked The Marriage Pact better when I thought it was going somewhere completely different. The book seems to really be heading that way and then veer off at the last second. I wanted to love it so much more than I did, which isn't that ringing of an endorsement. The focused POV did prevent me from connecting to Alice and I found some of the pacing issues in the middle to be... questionable. Yes, overall the book is a quick, zippy read, but Richmond goes from a breakneck pace to sometimes quite introspective parts, completely killing the pacing of the chapter. Jake's reasons for marrying Alice are, at times, quite a bit dodgy and I wasn't always entirely on his side.

However, this was entertaining and I did finish it in a couple of days, so I'll give it that. Would I 100% recommend? No. But if you have the time and inclination, you could zip through this in a few sessions. I just really wish that Richmond has seen it all through rather than back off at the last minute.

Not really my genre
Some interesting ideas and twists
Good characters

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was intrigued by the blurb of this novel. After all, who wouldn't want to guarantee their marriage to be happy and successful?

But The Pact is downright creepy. And wrong on so many levels. Although the writing was good, and the initial idea good, I struggled to believe an organisation could behave like that without any recourse - although maybe I'm just naive!

I didn't particularly buy into the main characters either. They seemed far too intelligent to get sucked in like they did.

An interesting read, if only to provoke a reaction.

I really could t get into this book so I can’t have much of an opinion. I did try but it wasn’t capturing me very well

This was a fast paced novel with twists, turns and unexpected events. I often felt uncomfortable throughout the book because I was just waiting for the next bad thing to happen to our newly married couple. In the book we have a newly married couple who have accepted a somewhat strange gift from a large client in Alice’s law firm. What at first seems like a nice club of likeminded adults slowly emerges to be a cult and this is where my discomfort comes in. I realised how badly things could escalate before Jake and Alice did, yet I think I would have behaved like them and given the other members of the club chance after chance while dismissing their unacceptable behaviour as my own paranoia. As a reader you want to scream at Jake and Alice when they start to distrust each other or get themselves into even more trouble. Altogether a good, thrilling read but not entirely comfortable reading!

An incredibly suspenseful un-put-down-able psychological read! I would 100% recommend to everyone.

This was an immensely readable book and I raced through it in two days. However, I don't think I could say I liked it as it was so difficult to sympathise with the characters. At the beginning we were presented with two charismatic, intelligent and successful people, very much in love and about to get married. Then the plot got going and I just wanted to shake them as they behaved so stupidly. Their abandonment of common sense is never fully explained and the implausibility of the plot just grows and grows. The Pact turns out to be the most complex and lavish network with endless resources at their disposal, yet this is never rationalised. If you are prepared to suspend disbelief or rational thought for a couple of days you will adore this book but if you like your fiction rooted in reality then this is not the book for you.

Really enjoyed this thriller. Great cast of characters and a gripping and entertaining plot with enough twists and surprises to keep this reader guessing. I Couldn't put it down.

First third caught my attention but then it got repetitive and a little ridiculous.

The Marriage Pact is about a couple who are invited to join an organisation on their wedding day with the intention that it will strengthen their marriage as long as they abide by certain rules. I enjoyed this novel very much but was somewhat disappointed by the ending which let the story down. As a reader I expected a better twist at the end.

A young professional couple, Jake and Alice invite a man they hardly know to their wedding. He seems to be overly friendly and generous to them. An invitation to join The Pact follows. An explanation of its wonderful qualities in ensuring that their marriage will last forever is just what they want to hear as eager newlyweds and soon sign the contract. No-one in the pact ever divorces and no-one ever leaves. The enormity of what they have signed up to becomes all too obvious as they begin to read the extremely lengthy manual with far too many rules and regulations that are almost impossible not to break. As they go through their normal lives while trying to honour the conditions of The Pact something has to give. Will it be their relationship or can they leave The Pact? This was a well written story but from the beginning I was unconvinced that Alice, a lawyer would sign a pact without reading the small print! Even as a loved-up newlywed, I felt the alarm bells would have rung and she would have insisted on checking things thoroughly first. This resonated throughout the book and I didn't really enjoy it as it didn't feel plausible. Also, as it became apparent there were vast numbers in The Pact, I felt it impossible that in these days, no rumours had escaped into the media.