I can't deny it- I looooove John Marr's books. Every single one of them!!!!
What an honor, to receive another ARC of his latest dystopian novel!

Just like in "the one", "the minders" and "the passengers" we return to a world wher AI plays an even bigger part as it does in our lives already.
I would say that this time he even takes it one step further, as AI takes over the most private part of people's lives: their marriages. Oh woooooow!
I don't want to give away too much of the plot: if you know any of his other books, you'll know what you are up to and if you are new to his dystopian world: just enjoy the journey!!!

Thanks a lot #NetGalley #Macmillan for this ARC

I always get excited when John Marrs publishes a new book and I was looking forward to reading this one.
Set in the future, it follows 4 couples who have signed up to the sanctity of the marriage act. For this, they receive many benefits from the government - but is it worth it? With many twists and turns, it was an enjoyable read, written in his usual style, but for me, it didn’t have the wow ending his earlier books had.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest

John Marrs has smashed it out the park yet again!

The Marriage Act returns us to the world of his previous books, ‘The One’ and ‘The Passangers’, two of his best books, The One, where you find your soulmate through dna and The Passangers, where driverless cars are the norm.
Now AI has infiltrated marriage’s and the British government are pushing couples to upgrade their marriages to ‘smart marriages’ through the Sanctity of Marriage Act.

With advantages such as better healthcare, better homes, tax breaks but with the benefits of a Smart Marriage comes the Audites, the mandatory Artificial Intelligence- powered personal assistants installed in all Smart Marriage homes to monitor their relationships through listening to random conversations. If the AI devices determines that a marriage maybe heading in the wrong direction it can dispatch a Relationship Responder to stage an intervention and save the marriage.

The book follows the lives of several couples as their marriages play out, some coming under scrutiny as well as supporters of the FFA, ‘Freedom for All’ as they oppose the government’s Smart Marriages.
As lives play out across the pages the stakes get higher and things begin to spiral out of control, culminating in a very clever ending.

Even though the subjects from the two other books are brought up in this book it doesn’t mean that you have to have read them to fully understand or enjoy this book. There is a little bit of backstory explaining everything you need to know to be fully invested in this storyline.
But, personally I would definitely read them at some point as they are amazing books!

The writing is flawless, they plot line very clever and combined it culminates into a highly captivating read.
It is the best book I have read all year – it is that good!
I can’t wait for his next book and I really hope he takes us back to this version of the world 🤞

The Marriage Act will be published on the 19 January 2023 and is available to pre order now!

A massive thank you to the author John Marrs, publishers Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for my digital arc in exchange for an honest, independent review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 great stars.

Having just finished Keep it in the Family by John Marrs I went straight into this one. A very different style - this is more like The One or Passengers; set in the future.

Although still a thriller, this lacks the darkness and shocks that I enjoy in his other books. It started a bit slow while I was getting to know all the chapters and I kept getting Jeffrey & Anthony mixed up for some reason.

But once it got going it was great - short chapters from different pov’s, keeps you guessing and the best bit is that it really gets you thinking about what you would do….would I sign up to a smart marriage or would I join the revolution!

All in all another great John Marrs book; he never lets us down.

I am a huge John Marrs fan, I have loved all his books and this did not disappoint.
Loved the idea of the marriage act, and really made you think all the scenarios.
Similar to The one different chapters were different characters all ending on suspense making this a fast read, totally engrossed and didn't want to put it down. Loved it!'

Well, this was a wild ride! The Marriage Act is the sequel to The One (also a Netflix series), although it can be read as a standalone novel.

Imagine a world where singlehood, cohabitation, and widowhood are frowned upon, and only marriage is encouraged, almost required. That's what happens here in the near-future United Kingdom when the far-right political powerhouse enacts The Marriage Act. Married couples enjoy no-interest loans and mortgages, enrollment into the superior NHS+, tax perks, "upgraded" homes in purpose-built communities, and more. Further, married couples are randomly monitored by their in-home Audite (AI device) to ensure they're in happy marriages where no cross words are spoken - or else they'll be "leveled up" and the government will send in an expert to help get the marriage back on track.

The novel focuses on five characters:

Arthur is a pensioner whose long-time and beloved wife recently passed away. Now that he's a widower, he faces losing all marriage benefits (his health insurance, his home, etc.) if he doesn't re-enter the dating pool (at his age!) and find a new wife.

Anthony works for the government and the folks behind the Act. Most of what he does is shrouded in secrecy, which leads to personal shame and a family rift. He dreams of leaving the UK and returning to his homeland of St. Lucia.

Roxi is a wannabe social media addict and "influencer" whose marriage is on the rocks and eventually downgraded because she's too busy creating content on her phone to be a wife devoted to her husband and children.

Corrine is a member of the anti-marriage group Freedom for All (FFA), and yet she can't seem to get out of her own unhappy marriage without disastrous consequences.

Jeffrey is a government-appointed 'Relationship Responder' who's called in to help Luca and Noah improve their marriage when they're downgraded. Jeffrey, however, isn't who we think he is.

This is a dark, thrilling, profound, and scary read. Although the first half was slow-going for me, and I kept confusing the characters, the second half took off and sucked me in. I enjoyed this book even more than The One, which I really enjoyed. What's frightening is that we're not too far from a future where someone's listening to our conversations at home. I mean, isn't Alexa always listening?

Why not upgrade your marriage to a smart marriage? There are so many perks to benefit you and your other half - better healthcare on NHS plus, a better house in a better part of town, tax cuts, plus the government will helpfully listen in on your marriage, analyse every cross word, and send someone to live with you to assess your love for eachother. Don’t worry, the government knows best and will even insist you divorce…if it’s in the best interest of course. But in whose best interest?

Woah. What have I just read? The Marriage Act is equal parts fascinating and terrifying in its plausibility. As I read about the four couples who upgraded their marriage, it felt like I was playing emotion bingo. The writing was so good thatI felt the full house of emotions -repulsion,fury,incredulity, triumph and sadness depending on which narrative I read. There’s such a range of nuanced characters who really get under your skin. It certainly makes you think about how you would handle the situation and you may even starting thinking about the married couples you know and which of them would upgrade their marriage. This is dark, speculative fiction at it’s best.

Thank you to John Marrs, Macmillan Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A chilling tale about a couple who join a group that monitors every aspect of their married life and they have to take the consequences of every rule that they break.
Another great read from John Marrs that I highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

John Marrs gives us another novel set in the near future where smart marriages are sponsored by the government. It also refers to DNA love matches and driverless cars from the author's previous novels. Short chapters teach us more about each character on a rotation basis developing the plot and making for an easy read.

Overall, a good well-paced story with a satisfying end. What will Mr Marrs come up with next?

I love these story’s and they are so wether we are heading in a way if we are not careful,

Social credit concept on marriage and very scary educational plans are afoot

Takes a wee while to get used to each set of charcaters but u soon are involved as each charcaters situation is so different but with a similar theme of trapped . I felt worried and desperate for the wife wanting a divorce ,scared very much so of the relationship responder and shocked by the mother and how far obsession with likes and followers can go
I have followed this author from his first novel and he never lets me down

Currently reading his new novel keep it in the family

Keep writing John

A deeply unsettling sci-crime thriller that totally invaded my mind!

I absolutely loved this book by John Marrs! Even when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking out reading it, about what I’d read and what I mighty read. I was totally consumed by the narrative and the suspense left me hanging by a thread.

John’s style is to split each chapter by a character’s point of view. Some characters are connected more closely than others. Some have no knowledge of each other at all. But each one is living in a time where The Marriage Act is present. Whilst at first it can be confusing to read a book with so many individual storylines. The payoff is that you get a true 360 degree view of the world and time he has created.

This books explores a lot of scenarios and concepts that could/would appear if a regime like this was implemented. Each new horror is so very believable as it’s tied in so tightly to our quickly advancing use of technology for automation and surveillance. What Marrs does though is rather than report on what we are already capable of, he takes a situation and really pushes the envelope on how far tech could advance to either make our lives more seamless and enjoyable or conformist and suppressed.

And if that isn’t enough, through the first half of the book we are fed propaganda advertising and news reports from The Marriage Act. Which later is replaced by activist reports from the Freedom For All party. It’s a real heady mix of opinion and plays heavily on peoples desires and needs.

There were a few characters I loved, Arthur … the original romantic and genuine good guy. Jeffery who seeks to use the system to find his one true love but ultimately is a nasty piece of work! And lastly Anthony, a good guy who does bad things hoping one day he can be free. Out of all of the characters my least loved was Roxi. I think her character was intentionally written to be toxic and self involved but ultimately she was the only one that was 100% self serving and had a truly unobtainable goal.

Like his previous books, John refers to the books published prior. Although they are not part of a series they are part of the same world and timeline. You’re not missing anything by reading this as a stand-alone novel but it may intrigue you to read other ‘scenarios’ in his sci-crime library.

Thanks as ever to NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

Grateful to NetGalley for this ARC from John Marrs as I'm a huge fan of his and this was another brilliant read from!
The Marriage Act is about monitoring married life but the focus is about better cars, better homes and better areas to live in and seems to have taken love out of the equation. Couples are listened into by their Audites in their home and assesses their relationship. It stigmatises those that are single, widowed or living together. We follow various different characters and their journey through the Marriage Act and unlike most of his books, there are some sinister twists in their stories and has created division in society with those for and those against it.

First of all I want to say thanks for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. I love the author John Marrs and have read all of his previous books.

During the first few chapters I was a little confused with so many characters and settings, it took me a bit of time to get my head around them all. But once I did I was totally drawn in to the alternative reality Marrs has created. The characters were well rounded and believable. I liked that not all were very likeable. Each chapter is told from one characters point of view.

The concept of smart marriage is fascinating and you can tell reading the book that Marrs did a lot of research.

The book was fast paced with lots of twists and turns with kept me wanting to know more. I was rooting for the ‘good guys’ throughout and felt invested in their future. The ending came with a twist I didn’t see coming and left me wanting to know what happened next for the characters.

I would recommend this book and highly enjoyed it.

I am starting to enjoy this authors writing and this one didn’t disappoint. Set in a world where people are forced to marry under the government! It’s a different place to where we live now! If you liked handmaids take this one is definitely for you.

Love love loved it. John Marrs is such a brilliant story teller and I think there's only been 1 book out of his 10 that I didn't feel as much as the others. But this one was brilliant. Lapped it up in days and then became paranoid about the Alexas in the house ... really good read and great storyline. HIGHLY recommend

This is my ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review for The Marriage Act by John Marrs (no spoilers).

Publisher: Macmillan
Date: 19 January 2023
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Thriller

Wow! John Marrs does it again. If you've read 'The One' and 'The Passengers' (if not, why not?) and enjoyed them, you will love this.
Through the voices of different characters, this tells the story of how the government sets up 'the marriage act' for couples, citing benefits like tax breaks and better housing for those who sign up. The downside is that the government t can also listen in to everything you say and intervene if they think your marriage needs 'help'.
I really engaged with the characters, who all took on their own persona. Full of twists and turns and very cleverly written (as always) with an ending I did not see coming. Brilliant.

Having enjoyed The One, I was really looking forward to reading this as it is set in the same near-future world, DNA matching is still a thing but 'smart marriages' have now also been introduced.

I thought the book was so clever - it somehow feels outlandish whilst also being terrifyingly possible. I really enjoyed seeing inventions that are being discussed now being a reality in the near future world.

There are quite a few characters to follow which was difficult to get my head around at first but once the book was in full flow I was really invested in all the stories. Arthur's story was my favourite, it broke me a little bit. As much as I wanted things to work out for the characters, I quite like that not everyone got a happy ending as it's a bit boring when you know that your lead characters aren't in any real jeopardy.

I would definitely recommend this book. It is a fascinating insight into how the world could look in the future with advances in AI and increased government control.

📚 Book review 📚
The Marriage Act - John Marrs
5/5
For synopsis swipe left.

Thank you @netgalley and @JohnMarrsauthor for a chance to get an early read. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, it was quite a thought provoking read about ways that technology is becoming such a big part of peoples lives and not in a good way, but mainly about how some people can exploit its uses. So many different characters with different agendas which were keeping the story so engrossing all the way through. My favourite character was Arthur though 😢❤️ I could go into so much detail but not without giving any of the story away so I'll just say don't miss this one. I enjoyed reading too how the story came about its nice to hear sometimes how ideas start for a book so thank you also to (the other John). I would definitely recommend this one.

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I have said it before ..I will say it again, John Marrs is an incredibly talented writer and is definitely one of My favourite authors. In fact...I am now going through any of his books I haven't read before. I want to read them all...and likely more than once.

The Marriage Act is another dystopian horror show...which just could happen. The idea of Smart Marriages seems very closely linked to the Tory ideology of "if you don't have enough money you aren't working hard enough" (ignoring the fact that anyone working full time should have enough money to survive) and the Marriage Responders are not unlike the untrained disability benefit responders that have an awful lot of power over the last few years....

Apologies if this isn't how John Marrs intended them to be interpreted but this seemed immediately clear to me.

When reading it, it seems both so unimaginable and so real. This could happen and it could be this bad.

Using deep fakes and AI are again clever ideas. John Marrs just has too many of these incredibly real and scary ideas!

One of the many interesting things about this book was there were not many likeable characters....they were all pretty hideous but that worked so well as it was the wider picture that was so important. What was happening in the world was so wrong. ...and that was the part we needed addressing. The characters themselves gave us ways to view this world and I appreciated that. John Marrs also has a very clever way of linking everything back to reality....mentioning the Covid pandemic and King William and various other minor details that anchor us back to this is England and this could happen.

Everyone should definitely read this.. its another great John Marrs book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid fan of John Marrs already, it was no great surprise that I enjoyed the writing style of this book. However, this was arguable my favourite John Marrs book today which is saying something given how much I’ve enjoyed some of the others. It’s completely gripping, I was glued to each one of the characters and was fascinated where each of their stories would lead. They really did not disappoint. The clever thing with the concept of this book, as was the case with The One, is whilst it’s set in a speculative future, it’s completely feasible and realistic which makes the story more provoking. The ending was great. I really liked how it all came together.