4.5 rounded up

The family experiment follows a cast of 11 adults (5 couples and one single dad) and their virtual children, set in the same world as "The One", "The Marriage Act", and "The Passengers" but can be read as a standalone.

Set in the UK suffering a cost of living crisis, failing (and no longer free) nhs, and overcrowding, where people can no longer afford to start or raise families - unless they’re up for an experiment. 11 people join a reality TV show where they will raise virtual children over 9 months in an accelerated period of growth from birth to age 18 - each child spends 1 month in various life stages: newborn, 9 months old, 2 years old, 5 years old, 8 years old, 12 years old, 14 years old, 16 years old, and finally 18 years old. Each month will come with the usual trials of parenting a child of that age, plus an extra challenge for an unlucky family, as voted for by the shows audience. The same audience who can watch a live stream 24/7, pay to be in the same virtual room as the families without them knowing, live react to parenting decisions with emojis, and even win time with the virtual child. They will ultimately vote on the winning family, judging them on the past 9 months. The prize? To keep the virtual child they have grown to love or delete them for the chance of having their own real life baby (and the money to raise them). As the the months go on, secrets are revealed and tensions raise. There is debate about the ethics of raising a virtual child, their right to life, and if it can ever come close to raising Real Life child. The parents wear fully immersive haptic suits to experience every sensation in the virtual world as they would in real life (including the delightful smell of baby poo), decorate their virtual house, and have virtual avatars to represent them. Every single thing they do will be judged in front of the entire world, as they fight to be crowned the winner, bond with the virtual child they may have to painfully delete, and deal with the show seeping into their real life. With deadly consequences.

The book features mixed media, including press releases, scripts, and social media comments from viewers at home. We are quickly introduced to the 6 families in short chapters about each, with a small bio and a glimpse into their life each month. It was a little overwhelming initially keeping the names and relationships straight but soon became easier. We follow the families on their journey through the experimental reality show and learn more about them. Each has a secret they’re hiding from the world, and some from each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed the immersive world that the author has created. Some of the products we hear about will make your eyes bulge, but that's the norm of this society (and some concepts are not too dissimilar from our own). The secrets and 'twists' were pretty predictable in my opinion, particularly the 'main' one. There was some slight frustration as I wanted them to get on with revealing the secret I already knew, and with characters thinking or talking about their secrets in hushed code throughout, but that's often par for the course for thrillers. The book is an easy and enjoyable read, with the story escalating as it unfolds, and a good sense of mystery and division. The ending neatly answers all of your questions and ties it off with a bow. It was quite funny, whilst also tackling dark themes. Fans of tamagotchi or Nintendogs will probably like the experiment.

I very much enjoyed this read, and will bump John Mars's other books further up my 'to read 'list. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

I simply devoured this book! Reality TV competition set in the future (the same world as The One by John Marrs which I also really enjoyed), pitting parents against each other to raise an AI child? Say less!!

This was book utterly addictive, full of morally grey characters and twists and turns. I absolutely ate it up! It is so original and actually, kind of horrifyingly, I can almost imagine something akin to this really happening in real life.

If you love reality tv, The Sims or even just creepy AI futuristic possibilities… you have to pick this one up when it is released next month!

John Marrs continues to be an auto-buy author and I’m very grateful to him and his team at Pan MacMillan as well as netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

The Family Experiment is such a fast-paced thriller that is also so thought-provoking. It's set in the near future where a reality TV show is giving couples an AI child for them to raise whilst competing agains each other. The winning couple gets the chance to either keep the AI child or to win money to pay for them to have fertility treatment to have a real world baby. We get to know each couple and we find out about all of the secrets and lies they all seem to have. There is also a bigger storyline surrounding this that is very prescient and I really liked how this was wound in and how it really made you think. I enjoyed this one and I recommend it.

I always look forward to a new John Marrs book, and The Family Experiment is another fantastic dystopian set story!

In this near-future setting, with a soaring population, cities becoming overcrowded and an economic crisis, the UK has reached a breaking point. People still wish to have families, but a growing number can no longer afford to start a family, let alone raise a child. But there is soon to be an alternative; Re:Born. For a monthly fee, those who are desperate to experience parenthood will be able to have a virtual child, created from scratch, who they can see and interact with via the Metaverse and a virtual reality headset. To launch this new initiative, a reality TV show has been created: The Family Experiment. This story spans the duration of the series following eleven contestants (five couples and a single participant) as they raise a MetaChild from birth to the age of eighteen, but in a condensed nine-month time period all vying for the ultimate prize: the right to keep their virtual child, or risk it all for the chance of a real baby!

Once again, John Marrs has created a fascinating and unique story with a fantastic cast of characters. I loved the alternating perspectives as each showed a different side to the contestants taking part in The Family Experiment, and their reasons for doing so. Something I always really like about John Marrs’ dystopian books are the short, punchy chapters with many a cliffhanger/surprise at the end of them. This was the same in this story and I found myself racing through the pages, desperate to get back to particular characters again to find out what would happen next. I loved how there was so much shock and drama right from the start too!

There were so many brilliant details in this futuristic world and like with John Marrs’ previous books, I could definitely see some of these things happening in the future; it always feels believable, if a little scary. The VR headset and haptic suit, meaning the contestants could feel as well as see their MetaChild, was very clever! Viewers of the reality series could stream the show worldwide, 24 hours a day too; it became quite the phenomenon! There were also lots of shocks and surprises throughout this story and I particularly loved the final chapter in this regard! It’s just the best feeling as a reader when there are so many twists that take you by surprise and John Marrs’ always delivers them in abundance which is fantastic!

The Family Experiment is such a unique and thrilling read and John Marrs for me is the ultimate author! I honestly cannot recommend his books highly enough!

Oooh this was good!
I read this in a day because I kept finishing a chapter and then had to carry on to see what happened next!

I’d only read The One before this and it’s fun to see little snippets from it interwoven into the story, along with other previous books in that world.

A very realistic look at what a bleak near future could be for us, I hate to draw the comparison but it was very Black Mirror/Years & Years coded in a good way.

Will definitely be reading more John Marrs in future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher 4/5 ⭐️

I was overjoyed when I realised I had been accepted to read an ARC or a John Marrs book. Then I suddenly panicked. That meant I would read this and have to wait extra long for a new one?

I didn't want to start it but obviously I couldn't wait


His trademark darkness
His trademark "just one more chapter"

And moments where if I was watching a film I would tear my eyes away for a moment
Some good disturbing moments
But oh my god don't we love them !!


Constant guessing games of what is goinh on.
Desperate to know how things end up and why


Absolutely loved it
As usual John Marrs does not disappoint



All of these opinions are my own.

Ten couples have entered The Family Experiment - a reality tv game show to launch a new streaming service. Think Big Brother on steroids.

What’s the streaming service you ask? For a monthly subscription, you can nurture your very own virtual child from infancy in the metaverse. With cutting-edge VR technology, you'll see, hear, and even touch your child.

The winning couple faces a monumental decision: either preserve their child's virtual existence or gamble for the chance of a real-life baby. With a prize fund capable of realising such dreams in a world where parenthood is increasingly unattainable due to soaring costs.

I held off reading this for as long as I could, knowing once I’ve read it - I’ve to wait for another book to be published! I couldn’t wait any longer ..

Set in the near future world with references to The One, The Marriage Act, and the Passengers. John’s ability to create fiction that’s terrifyingly plausible is unmatched in my option. So many clever concepts and terms that just fit so perfectly.

Ten couples - that’ll get messy and hard to follow, right? Wrong. John’s writing style ensures you’re able to follow the plot whilst still being utterly thrown by what’s going on - in the best way.

We have some truly awful characters, written so well, I was praying for some of them to get their comeuppance. All are authentic and like people we probably all know to some degree. Don’t worry, we’ve some decent folk too.

Towards the end I was thinking about all the loose ends, I shouldn’t have worried, these were expertly dealt with in a way that felt organic and not rushed or formulaic. One twist I guessed, found I was wrong, then found I was right.

Come on John, give us a chance!

I read around 85% of this is one sitting - only stopping because we were going out. I love my friends, but I’d have happily cancelled plans to finish this in one go!

Expect John’s trademark darkness - I didn’t just read some of the more disturbing scenes, I felt them.

A huge thanks to MacMillan and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for review consideration.  All opinions are my own.

This was my first of his speculative fictions and I enjoyed every single chapter of it. It was addictive and fast paced and kept me guessing the whole way through. I love how this book gives little twists the entire way through. I haven’t read a book like this since I was a teenager and this has definitely reignited my love for dystopian sci fi genre.



I will always recommend Marrs, but trust me when I say this is definitely worth the hype. I’ve already downloaded The passengers and The Marriage Act which are all set in the same world and I can’t wait to get my teeth back into this black mirror feeling world that Marrs has created 🖤

#bookreview #bookstagram #thrillerbooks #thrillers #psychthrillers #bookrecs #bookrecomendations #books #bookworm #aprilreads

4 ⭐ - Thank you @netgalley & @panmacmillan and bookbreakuk for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Firstly, wow this was my first John Marrs book and after seeingso many mutal bookstagrammers talking so highly of his work, when I logged in to my netgalley and saw this up for request, I knew I had to request and I am SO glad I did… so thanks everyone as I now will be adding even more books to my incredibly long tbr🤣🤦‍♀️. If you like the show ‘Black Mirror’ you will 10000% enjoy this book, this was truly like reading an episode/series of this book and I really enjoyed. I binged this in just over 24hrs and I have 0 regrets🤣 This was set up as a reality TV show and each and every character I had moments of loving them, hating them, rooting for them and just overall needing to know what was going to happen and who was going to win just like I would had I have been sat watching the show, I found the idea truly unique and I honestly have never read anything like that before! When I finished the book I was literally sat jaw to the floor like ‘was not expecting that!’. Truly does make you wonder, with the right technology what this world could end up becoming.

The Family Experiment follows 10 contestants who can't afford a child in the current economic crisis competing against one another. If they win, they get to keep their metachild and a prize fund of £250,000.

In typical John Marrs style, there are so many twists and turns you will feel like you're on a roller coaster. After all, is anyone ever what they portray in social media, and doesn't everyone have something to hide?

As the show progresses, more and more secrets are unveiled, and there are shocks you will never see coming. The ending was brilliant once again. John Marrs is definitely my favourite author, and his stories are somehow both unbelievable and also a scary reflection on society. 5 stars definitely recommend.

This book is set in the same world as the author's other speculative fiction - it's not a series per se but the later books do reference the earlier ones so there is a bit of a crossover. I'll list the author's suggested reading order at the end of this review... I've read and thoroughly enjoyed each and every one, by the way!
So... back to this book. And it's another cracker! The population is exploding, and the economic crisis is such that there are many people who just can't afford to have a child. But there is a potential solution. You can have a virtual child instead. For a monthly fee, obviously. But for way less than an actual child would have cost. The technology is in its infancy still, so the company behind it has launched a new initiative. A competition. Reality TV. 10 couples will be chosen to each raise a Virtual Child over the next 9 months. The child's development and life will be sped up so that at the end of the nine months, the child will be eighteen. They will face extra challenges along the way, as well as the general "raising a child stuff".
The prize will be that the parents will either be able to keep their virtual progeny, or go on to have the chance to have a real child of their own.
And that's all I am saying about that. You need to meet the "parents" and "children" and follow what happens to them all as the author intends. I will just say one thing though, he throws in a little something extra along the way that you will probably just need to hold on to until the time is right to integrate that thread into the main story... which, when he does, might leave you reeling!
I loved this book. I love the concept, the backstory, the characters. The whole shebang. And, and if you've read this author before it's not a spoiler to say, all the dark stuff too.
I also love the aforementioned links to his other books. It makes me feel smug to understand them. I know, but it's nice!
In fact, the only bad thing is coming to the end and knowing that I now have to wait ages for the next one. Oh well... C'est la vie... and I do know one thing... It'll be worth the wait.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Suggested reading order.
The One
The Passengers
The Minders
The Marriage Act
This one!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love all of John Marrs’ books. Clever and entertaining and I never guess where they are going

This has to be my most favourite book of the year so far. Very unusual, futuristic, dark, Big Brother in a future world where the metaverse is common place. So much of this story rings true, it starts as a story of a game show where the winners take it all. The contestants all have back stories which make most of them quite unlikable, then it turns into a thriller, then it has a huge twist and you find out how all the contestants are linked. Incredible story telling with an element of how our lives might well be run if we aren’t careful!

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

This book follows 5 couples and a single man bringing up AI children for a TV show called The Family Experiment. During the 9 months their child will grow from newborn to 18 years old and the public will choose a monthly challenge to each family. It seems each person has a secret, But to what lengths will they go to keep these secrets from the public eye?
WOW! Strap yourselves in for this futuristic ride because John Marrs has done it again! This book will have you guessing and wanting more from the first page to the last. I devoured this book in two sittings and absolutely loved every minute.Just when you think you have family you're rooting for there's a twist and it. An easy 5 stars!!

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and John Marrs for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

John Marrs is such an inventive writer. His novels set in the near future contain enough plausible detail and predictions to make them scarily realistic. Loved the tie ins with his previous novels - though it’s fine if you haven’t read them. Great read.

4 ⭐️

I absolutely loved the ending of this book!!

Thank you to Netgalley & Pan Macmillan for allowing me access to read a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not a huge fan of all things technology so when I began to read about the metaverse etc I was thinking to myself, I’m not going to understand half of what’s going on in this book. Turns out I was wrong. The characters to begin with took some time to understand who was who and to remember what their backstories were but as I continued to read, the more I was enjoying it. It’s a scary world we live in today and John Marrs kind of hits the nail on the head of the things that are to come in the future with AI, VR headsets and haptic suits!
This book was written with great detail into the characters and their backgrounds which made for an ending to the book that I absolutely loved.

Thankyou to netgalley for allowing me to read this arc

WOW, not my usual genre or book type but it drew me in from the first page. I really enjoyed this story and it was completely different to anything I've read before

John Marrs has exceeded himself again! Brilliant read

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families let alone raise them.

But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset

This is another great read by John Marrs. It’s inventive and original plus being easy to read. The book is well paced and with revelations revealed as the book progresses much more is discovered about the ‘parents’ of the virtual children.

I enjoyed this book. I’m not usually a sci-fi fan but anything by this author I am happy to read. He just has this way of conveying the future as totally believable and not too far out of reach of the present. The twists continue throughout the story and it has a terrific ending twist.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan books for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Enter a competition where you interact with a VR baby that grows to a teenager in 9 months. Viewers can watch 24/7 and, at the end, vote on who should win the cash prize.

There are a lot of characters in the book and, initially, I had trouble keeping track of each character’s backstory. Lots of twists and turns and it all wove together at the end.

My first John Marrs book. I will look for some more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

This could be an episode of black mirror!

I loved the concept, it reminded me of the TV Show “The Upload”, which I absolutely love.

There are so many characters to follow at first but they all have a unique touch to them that it was not hard to follow their POVs. One couple in particular was just meh, not very interesting and the story could’ve done without.

The twists were just ok, nothing mind-blowing.

This book could’ve been 10% shorter as it was really dragging towards the end.

All in all, it’s worth a read because the concept is fire :)