The premise of this book is a great one. What would you do, and how far would you go, to protect your marriage?
The book begins with the wedding of Jake and Alice, a couple seemingly well suited and happy. As a gift they are given a mysterious locked box and only when they return for honeymoon do they come to realise they have been selected to become part of The Pact, a club which comes with the promise that none of its couples ever divorce.
At first, it seems like a no-brainer. A club of very well connected and happy couples who will support Jake and Alice, through a series of rules and rewards, to make a success of their marriage.
But soon it becomes clear the rules have more power than the rewards and any infringement of the marriage codes can lead to stark and sometimes archaic consequences.
Oh, and did no one mention - the first rule of the marriage Pact is that you don't talk about the marriage Pact - and you certainly don't ask any questions about it, former members or what happens when marriages don't work out.
As Jake and Alice find themselves caught up in the increasingly claustrophobic world of the Pact - with each facing their own "rehabilitation spells" at the Pact's specialist facility (a former prison) they come to realise that no one leaves the Pact. Ever.
Not alive anyway.

This is a book that had me gripped. At times it made for very disturbing reading and the feelings of claustrophobia were almost overwhelming. Even as a reader. It does require a certain wilful suspension of disbelief but not excessively. One could, perhaps, draw comparisons with the Pact as it is set up in the book and certain "religions" favoured by celebrities. The power of the cult is strong.

If ever a book was crying out to be made into a movie, this is it. Although I would hope it wouldn't lose the nuances of Jake's narration - and his snippets about research into marriage and what makes for a successful union.

This is a dark, compelling read which I highly recommend.

This is a tricky one to review. I found it grossly uncomfortable, creepy and unsettling which was intrigue in itself but it was a just a bit far-fetched for my personal taste. The unique theme is handled well. The Pact is a secret organisation that attempts to preserve the sanctity of marriage with all the rules and regulations that come with most organisations. Alice and Jake have to abide by these rules. One is happy with them; the other one isn't. It will certainly keep me thinking. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me review it.

The Marriage Pact was not a book that first appealed to me if I'm honest.  In theory it should have been right up my street, a psychological thriller where a young, newly married couple, find themselves in trouble with a group of mysterious, powerful, strangers.  But it also sounded a little silly and I wasn't sure if I would like it.  Then I read a batch of good reviews and decided to give it a go.

Was it worth it?  Yes, on balance, definitely.  BUT you do need to be able to suspend belief because the story is all a bit silly and far-fetched.  It doesn't start out that way but - by the end - the situations Jake and Alice find themselves in get increasingly unbelievable.  Perhaps, if they had been in some dystopian future they wouldn't have been but, for something set in the here and now, I couldn't quite see it myself.

Saying that though, there was a lot to recommend this book.  Michelle Richmond sets a great scene and managed to draw me in enough at the beginning that I found myself turning pages till the very end, staying up late into the night to finish the book, despite my not quite falling for the plot.  The central characters, Jake and Alice were a big part of that - they were complex and complicated and, as everything was told from Jake's point of view, I could never be quite sure who Alice was and what she was thinking; this mean the final twist at the end did have me guessing as to which was she would fall.  It didn't go as I expected but there is nothing wrong with that.  A story that can leave me saying I didn't see something coming is always a good thing in my book.

So, a mixed bag, but not a bad one at all.  Would I recommend the book? Yes, I would but with the proviso to leave any need for a plot without holes or leaps of logic at the door.  Still, an enjoyable, fast paced, and fun read.

Note: Rating is 3.75 / 5

Jake believes Alice was the woman he could spent with .so when he gets a mystery wedding gift it means that they won’t get divorced .But instead of no divorce one accepts it , but the other did not. Did they ever get divorced .

Wow, I read this in 3 days. Would have been quicker if it wasn’t almost Xmas taking up time.

Jake and Alice are a newly wed couple invited into The Pact - a secretive organisation that exists to preserve the sanctity of marriage. It all sounds great in theory.... but power goes to peoples’ heads....

There's no such thing as the perfect marriage, or is there... the pact will make sure you stay on track. Loved every page of this book. I would love to know if there is a sequel as I unlike some enjoyed the ending, it's left huge opening for all manner of things to happen! A solid 4.5 ⭐️ from me!

This is an intriguing premise with lots of potential, but unfortunately that's where its merits end. The characters are flat, the situations in which they find themselves are preposterous and the plot becomes more and more wobbly as the story progresses. Eventually it goes entirely off the rails and the ending provides no resolution, no conclusion, no excitement, no cliffhanger. The writing feels immature and unwieldy, with lots of exposition and basic errors which smack of a failure to check facts. Overall, this was disappointing.

Compelling, gripping and not at all what I expected. I finished this at breakneck speed - sure to be a huge hit.

Alice and Jake had a chance an encounter with a stranger. On whim, they invited the stranger to their wedding and after a whirlwind of events; the newlyweds find themselves in a cultic organization known as The Pact.

The Marriage Pact begins on a fast pace with Alice and Jake being introduced to The Pact. I was curious about this organization and this got me turning pages trying to figure out what would happen to the couple. There are a number of twisted, suspenseful events that take place throughout the book. This is what made this quite a thrilling read. I couldn’t figure out where it was going. I couldn’t tell whether or not the couple would survive their experience with the organization.

The entire premise of the story is quite intriguing. However, you really need to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. There are a couple of incidents that didn’t sound plausible. For instance, the couple got into The Pact quite fast. They signed contracts and just got involved without much thought. This was a bit odd because Alice is a lawyer and Jake, a therapist. They don’t really seem like the kind of people who would do something like that. There are also certain scenes that made me wonder where the neighbors were lol. However, this doesn’t mean that the story was any less entertaining.

The Marriage Pact is quite an enjoyable, addictive read. I wasn’t too crazy about the ending but it was perfect for the story. The book had a disturbing, creepy vibe which heightened the tension all the way to the last page. I also really liked the entire cult-like angle of the The Pact. Do I recommend this book? Yes I do. Friend, you need to read this one.

This is an intense psychological thriller focussed on marriage! It follows the lives of Jake and Alice, a newly married couple that become part of a marriage pact.

From there, their lives become an intense emotional roller coaster as they navigate the obstacles of marriage, with each of them trying to be the best husband or wife they can be.

This is a fantastic read that will take you on Jake and Alice’s roller coaster ride, while making you think!

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest review. I will definitely be adding Michelle Richmond to my favourite authors list.

The Marriage Pact is a superb book that I would happily recommend to anyone. It kept me up way past my bedtime.

It’s the story of Alice And Jake, who are given entry into what looks like an exclusive social club for married people on their wedding day. Well. That’s what it looks like , but they couldn’t be more wrong. Before long The Pact has insidious powers that impact on Jake and Alice’s married life in ways they could never have imagined. They are told that nobody ever leaves The Pact, at least not alive. There are no divorces, but many widows and widowers.

The suspense and claustrophobia and creeping sense of menace reveal themselves in clever layers. The writing is brilliantly evocative and the story bounces along at the perfect pace. I see that some readers have criticised the ending, but I thought the ending was perfect, and the more I think about it, the more I think that was the only ending Jake and Alice’s story could have.

In places terrifying, uncomfortable, romantic and tender, The Marriage Pact deserves to be a bestseller and I am now about to read all of Michelle Richmond’s other work. Brava Michelle! This book will stay with me for a very long time.

An interesting concept, especially reading it as a divorced woman, At times uncomfortable reading, but i perservered and quite enjoyed it.

I really hoped I would love this but sadly I struggled. It was too weird for me to enjoy it. I found myself confused majority of the time. It just kept getting more ridiculous as I kept reading.

Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Once you get over the initial premise - and you may have to work on that, the book lives up to some of its promise, until you reach the end when unfortunately for me I was left high and dry.
The writing needs a lot more editing. I felt that the author didn't know what to do next so just repeated what had already gone before. A pity as someone else has suggested that this could have been a challenger to The Stepford Wives. I have given it 4 stars as I think my view may be tinged with irritation and had I picked it up at the airport I may have enjoyed it on the beach.

In short I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I kept thinking to myself - how did the author come up with this one!? What an imaginative concept!
I was eager to see how the story developed and the enormity of the Pact was well introduced piece by piece as the intricacies were encountered by the main characters.
For a minute the ending had me wondering, which is also deserving high praise to the author, keeping us guessing/doubting until the end.
Thank you very much for the preview copy of this, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it as having universal appeal and genuinely being something slightly different at the same time.

Jake knows that he has chosen the woman that he will spend the rest of his life with. Alice is headstrong and independent and forging ahead with a lucrative legal career leaving behind her life on the stage and a music career. When Finnegan, one of her clients, gives them an unexpected wedding present they aren’t sure what to make of it. The box contains the secrets of The Pact. A super secret club that seems to guarantee that they will never divorce.

On the face of it some of the rules seem very well thought out:
You always have to answer the phone when your spouse calls you.
Every month you have to exchange a meaningful gift with your partner, it doesn’t have to be expensive but must show that you pay attention and are caring.
Every quarter you must take it in turns to take a mini break away to get some real alone time.
There must be no secrets from your spouse.

All seems to be going well and there are glamorous parties to attend with other Pact members. Then one of them breaks one of the rules and the more serious the infraction the more serious the punishment. Jake and Alice start to fear for their lives and their sanity and their dream of married life is starting to turn into a living hell.

How can they escape when no-one else ever has? There are no divorced members but an awfully high percentage of widowed spouses. Are the circumstances as sinister as they appear? Richmond has crafted a real page turner with this book. The Pact is an interesting concept and the twisty turny development of the plot will strike fear into every honeymooner’s heart.

Supplied by Net Galley and Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

I am usually keen to write my reviews and know exactly what I am going to say and what I thought of the book etc

With The Marriage Pact I am kinda stuck

The Pact is an influential institution and ‘way of life’ that married people are invited to join who then are bound by rules and laws to make their marriage work and make their lives happy......but when they join, everything changes, they are watched and monitored and if the Pact deems they have broken a rule, from tbe seemingly endless rule book, they are charged and punished....and sometimes sent to a prison.....I know, I know...BUT it works as a story and the couple who the story is based on are dragged and dragged further into the Pact and all it entails and the book holds your interest, well held mine....but then it goes a bit ‘haywire’ with punishments becoming more and more bizarre and the Pact suddenly almost becoming the New World Order, the story then to me became unbelievable.....yet I wanted to finish the book and see how it ended, and so I did, Am I glad I did? Yes!! Was it a good ending? Mmmmm kinda, did you enjoy the book? Yes again kinda, so am sorry but this is not a great review as am not sure if to recommend or not, wether it was a great read or in the end just way too far fetched, a fantastic idea and a great basis for a film, but........
7/10 3 stars

I definitely had no idea of the roller coaster ride that was ahead of me when I first started reading The Marriage Pact. Filled with twists and turns, I pretty much devoured the entire book in the space of a couple of days.

Unfortunately, I only made it 2 chapters into this book before I gave up. The amount of exposition and filler was astounding and I don't have the patience or the desire to read an entire book of filler.
The concept was interesting but I don't think the book (or what I managed to read of it) was delivered well at all.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a free copy in return for an honest review.

Wow.. what people would do hey? Its quite shocking really and it got me thinking if people would actually, in real life? :o Brilliant read.