Incredible! One of the best, most unique books I’ve read so far this year. It’s about a social experiment/reality TV competition that pairs parents with AI-generated babies and tasks them with bringing them up. The winner of the competition either gets money or gets to keep their child. The losers’ children are automatically ‘deleted’.

I was hooked from the first couple of pages. It’s a confronting book in that the scenario doesn’t seem all that implausible, especially considering the lengths that reality TV goes to nowadays. Read this book - you won’t regret it!

Another fantastic, thought-provoking offering by John Marrs. I thought the bulk of characters and their complexities was very clever. The shocking fact is this could be a reality in the not-so-distant future. As always, the twists and turns were shocking and I found myself unable to trust anyone.

5/5 stars!

Wow this one really has you thinking and sits in your mind for a while afterwards!

I have read a few John Marrs books now with differing ratings. I wasn't super keep on The Marriage Act, as Im not a fan of dystopian, futuristic themes, so I wasnt sure how I would feel about this one as it was set in a similar futuristic world.

Well my worries were soon abated. I loved this one! At first I thought how on earth could anyone have true feelings for a baby that only exists in a irtual world but as you become more engrossed in the story, you really start to see how some of these people really do love their "children". There are so many side stories with each of the participants in the show that this book really does move along at super speed and I just devoured it!

So well thought out and so many brilliant stories all wound into one - a perfect 5 star from me!

The Family Experiment is set in the same futuristic universe as John Marrs' other speculative fiction- The One, The Passengers and The Marriage Act and it was completely mind-blowing. When I was reading the book about Meta children and virtual families I could envision the probability of the events in the book actually happening in the future. And that is SCARY.

The Family Experiment is a social experiment conducted as an online reality program, streamed live 24/7, about families raising virtual children in the metaverse. Yes, you read it right. Over a condensed period of nine months, ten couples participating in this experiment will be given the responsibility of bringing up a new born child till the age of 18, when the show will conclude and one of the couple will be declared as the winner. They'll feel the pain, joy, heartbreak, the mind-crushing anxiety and the sheer happiness that is parenthood. The winning couple along with the grand prize money, also decides to choose if their meta child will live or be deleted(I cannot get myself to say killed 😅). Its a bizarre concept but when you think of the exponentially increasing cost of living, the bursting-to-seams world population, I can understand why the idea of a virtual child looks to be a more feasible option than a real world child.

But as all John Marrs thrillers, there are complications through out the contest and the contestants have their own secrets to hide. The book is an absolute edge of the seat thriller in all sense and the pace doesn't slow down till the end. Marrs has neatly tied all the loose ends towards the climax of the book(maybe a tad too perfectly but I didn't mind it). Now I need to finish all the books in his speculative fictional universe before he releases his next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of the book.

Just imagine - with access to the Metaverse, anybody can be a parent. A new initiative has launched, allowing people to have AI children, painstakingly designed to act, learn and grow like the real thing. The Family Experiment is a reality show following several new parents experiencing this for themselves under the scrutiny of millions of viewers.

As usual, John Marrs has written a brilliantly clever and chilling not-quite-dystopia, exploring our future in a way that is scarily close to what we seem to be heading for. I love this Universe of books, and each one is even more disturbing and thought provoking than the last. This is a book not to be missed!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Wowwww an absolutely out of this world read !!
So the superb John Marrs has done it again with a wonderful thought provoking read that kept me totally absorbed throughout and hell yes what an ending.
I actually didn’t know much about what this book was about when i requested it only that it was set in the same universe as The One, The Marriage Act and The Passenger’s (I loved all those) but just seeing the book was written by John Marrs was enough….I had no doubts it was going to be good but oh my it was so much better than good and well I’m at a loss to know just how on earth did he think this story out it was just so damn clever and with one hell of a twist and more.
When I reluctantly finished the book I just sat and thought about what I had read and all the what if’s and it’s quite scary and very topical and it really is a read that makes you think. Stunning writing, fantastic story line and excellent characters….well Mr Marrs you have done it again another 5 star read and long may you continue to write please, I loved the book many, many thanks.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really like reading books by this author so I was excited to start reading this one.

Set in the future after previous books The Passengers and The Marriage Act, this story is set via reality tv where nine couples raise a virtual child from birth to eighteen in nine months. If they win they can keep their virtual child or have enough money to have a baby in the real world.

Starting off well, I was enjoying the story and I liked the way we had different types of reports throughout the book. However, I soon found the couples to be unlikeable and honestly, I didn’t care what happened to any of them. I found myself skim reading the last 10% of the book to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've been living under a rock. How have I not read a John Marrs book before this?!?!? This was incredible and had me hooked from the get go. Can't wait for the release date for more people to read so I can talk to someone about this!!! Absolutely loved the concept of this book, the different characters and their back stories, and how everything linked together at the end 👀 I'm actually really sad I finished this book so soon because it was phenomenal.

✍️ adding John Marrs to fave authors list

I love John Marrs' books particularly his futuristic thrillers and this was another great one.

The cost of living and having children has increased so much that people can no longer afford to raise a family. The alternative is to have an AI child in the Metaverse via a VR headset. A reality TV selects ten couples to launch this new initiative. They have to bring up a child in a condensed period of 9 months where their child will age from a newborn to eighteen. The winning couple will be able to keep their AI child or receive 250,000 to start their own family.

With the developments in AI this seems frighteningly possible. It would make a great book club choice as there is so much to discuss. Can AI people have feelings and emotions? Could a 'virtual child' really replace having a 'biological child'?
I loved the different characters in the story and their varying backgrounds/life experiences. There were some great twists and some shocking parts too. I could definitely see why this was being compared to Black Mirror and could see it making another great series, just like 'One'
If you enjoy speculative fiction with dystopian vibes I would definitely recommend this book.

I was totally hooked by the idea behind this book - a soaring population is creating overcrowded cities and a cost of living crisis. As a result, many families can’t afford to have children. One company has come up with an alternative - create a virtual child in the metaverse and access them in the virtual world, using a VR headset and specially adapted suit. All for a monthly subscription fee! And to launch this new product, a 9-month reality TV show where 5 couples raise a metachild - the winning pair will either get the right to keep their virtual child at the end or a cash prize that they can spend trying for a real baby.

This is a really immersive piece of speculative fiction, with the book raising some fascinating questions about the virtual world, use of AI and life in the metaverse, many of which I think we’ll have to tackle reasonably soon (Should we hold people to account for their actions in the metaverse in the same way we do the real world? Should a virtual person have any rights? Can you commit a crime in the metaverse?). The story itself is told from the perspective of the various competing couples which adds a great dimension too.

I think what was slightly lacking, which is why it gets 4 stars from me, was I wanted a bit more character development - we got to see the different perspectives the couples, but I’d like to have understood more about their history, to get a fuller understanding of their motivations, aims, desires etc. Because we didn’t have that depth, I found some of the actions of the various characters a bit far-fetched. That being said, overall I really enjoyed this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book, like all John Marrs other speculative fiction, cuts straight to the chase with his brilliant observations and satire. His observations on humans, and particularly governments are second to none. This book is set in the same universe as The One, and The Passengers so if you’ve read these you will be familiar with some of the events and setting, if you’re new to this Universe these books can easily be read as a stand alone. Really enjoyable and recommended read.

*Wow!* I’ve been living under a rock because this is my first John Marrs book and what an introduction to his speculative fiction catalogue! Everything about this (incredibly plausible) novel works - the depth of character development and wider context for the world The Family Experiment takes place in (which will be known to readers of Marrs’ previous books) makes for a riveting read and leaves you with so many ethical take away questions at the end of the book.

This one is going to feature very high in my list of favourite books this year and I can’t wait to go back into the Metaverse!

Wow. This is a big, ambitious speculative thriller that's simultaneously thought-provoking and easy to read. I'd really like to see this one adapted for the screen too

John Marrs is literally has become of my favorite thriller authors and I am so excited when I got a chance to review one of his latest novels, The Family Experiment.

If you have read John Marrs's bestselling book The One which was also adapted into Netflix series, then I would have to say, the Family Experiment has the same background and concept as The One. In this book, there are 11 contestants who are desperate to have a child and each of these contestants are allowed to create a virtual child through metaverse and VR set. To launch this, the company then creates a reality TV show where there are 11 contestants and all contestants are given a virtual child to look after from the ages of infant to eighteen years in a span of nine months. Which of these couples would win the contest? And these contestants would do anything to win the competition as it involves money.

I have to say John Marrs has really a unique plot ideas and this book is no exception. If you have read The One, then you would know what I am actually saying. I enjoyed The One so much that I couldn't put the book down. The Family Experiment is also a book where you wouldn't be able to put the book down. There are couples--Gabriel and Cadman, single father Hudson, Zoe and Dimitri, Woody and Tina...who are all contestants. I like the chat room scenes where people will discuss about each of the contestants and their babies. The book was quiet unputdownable and engaging as well. I couldn't wait for the ending, wondering what the ending was going to be like as the ending was quiet unpredictable (a thing I like in the thriller books) Along with the competition, there is also another backstory behind the competition about trafficking of young children where parents who are in debts and unable to pay sell their children and give them a drug to make the children forget about the parents. Already, I felt like I was watching a movie while reading this book. There is also a massive cliffhanger in each of the chapters and the chapters are told in each couple's POV.

I highly recommend the folks to read The One if you haven't read it as this book is set in the similar universe as the One. Overall, this is an unputdownable and page turning thriller that will keep you up all night--worth 4.5 stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion.

What a book!!! A speculative thriller set in the near future that is completely possible. It is scarily thought provoking. The cost of living is rising to the extent some families can no longer afford to have children in the real world. But all is not lost, families can now have their very own tamagotchi like virtual baby in the Metaverse, and there's a reality competition streamed lived 24/7 showing families. Told from each parent's point of view, we learn why these contestants/parents are where they are, and why they are seeking their perfect family in the Metaverse. Dark secrets and twisted moments come together to an unexpected finale that is both mind blowing and satisfying in equal measures. Thank you Mr Marrs for another belter! 5⭐

Wow! John Marrs is one of my favourite authors and I think he’s written another top class book. I loved how there were little links to the others he had written. His use of multiple POV means he can essentially write lots of little stories but the way he links them altogether is genius! Once again I was convinced I had worked it all out but once I got to the end I was wrong! This is a must read and my favourite of the series!

The Family Experiment by John Marrs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of my favourite authors. What happens when you decide to take part in a reality show whereby you bring up a virtual child over a period of a year taking the virtual child from baby to adult … viewers voting, twisted back stories. I loved this book. With the rapid increase of AI you begin to wonder if this is the stuff of our future world. Scary. Highly recommend.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch whom they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child or risk it all for the chance of a real baby… 

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: I absolutely love speculative sci-fi fiction, so this concept is SO up my alley.

First of all, I really loved the mixed media elements like the advertisements and social media posts interspersed throughout the chapters; this was super immersive and made the world feel even more real. The pacing was also great, there are so many mysteries and secrets that slowly got unveiled about all of the contestants - I really couldn’t put it down!

At first, I found it a little difficult to sort out all of the characters in my head as you’re introduced to all of the couples pretty quickly, but I actually liked having so many different stories to follow and it definitely kept the story fresh and interesting until the very last page.

Everything started falling into place during the final third of the book and I was truly glued to my Kindle, it was all so exciting, I 100% recommend it!!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @panmacmillan for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

This is a good book for fans of Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone. John Marrs takes technology and issues that are known and relevant in today’s society and looks at what could go wrong? Dialling up the intensity and exploring the ways people react. This book references some things from the author’s previous books The Passengers (which I’ve read) and The Marriage Act (which I haven’t). You can read this book standalone without having read the previous books.

The book explores a reality TV competition where couples are given an AI child to raise from newborn to age 18 over the space of nine months. In this world, having children naturally is often prohibitively expensive and a corporation is using this show to raise interest in buying AI children instead. The participants who win will have the choice to either keep their AI child alive at the end of the competition, or delete them and take the money to pay for IVF to try for a physical child.

This book explores so much, views on AI and if they’re real or not, sentience, family, wealth inequality, the treatment of refugees, social media, reality TV, use of the internet and metaverse. It’s very clever and thoughtful whilst managing to be tense and entertaining. It’s often quite shocking.

John Marrs is now an auto-buy author for me. That’s two fantastic reads from them so far!

Have been a fan of John Marrs books for some time now and the Family Experiment did not disappoint - such a good dystopian plot, with twists and turns you wouldn’t see coming even if you had the greatest imagination.