Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review! I found John Marrs books last year and really enjoyed the couple I have read so when I saw this available I of course requested it. This book did not disappoint. With society being the way it is currently and all of the talk of AI it is not hard to imagine that this could become a reality. And the thought of that is terrifying not to mention the book allowing discussions to be opened about what could happen. The book was extremely well presented and I enjoyed the varied cast of characters.

I loved loved loved this book and would 1000% recommend others to read it!

John Marrs does it again! The family experiment wrote in the world of The One, The passengers, and The Marriage Act which I did not think Mr Marrs could top but he does it again!

A story revolving around AI children living in a virtual world, written with different couples lives who feel unconnected but slowly are weaved together.
I always thought speculative fiction was not for me, too far fetched but Wow Marrs has a way of telling a story close to reality but scarily futuristic!
Loved it !
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me an early copy for an honest review.

First of all I would just like to thank NetGalley, John Marrs and Pan Macmillan for an ARC of "The Family Experiment” in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the same universe as The One, Passengers and The Marriage Act, we return to a future of Sci-Fi ridden possibilities, this time in the “Metaverse” and with a substantial amount of AI.

This was absolutely brilliant. What a mind-blowing concept. This was so much fun to read but also unexpectedly emotional- which I was pleasantly surprised by.

I don’t know how anyone could come up with a plot concept as revolutionary (and scary) as this but it was tailored to perfection and ensured such a gripping and compelling read.

Not only is this a thriller for everyone but it’s also so morally thought-provoking (which I love) as the reader finds themselves pondering questions such as “could AI really have feelings, or a soul for that matter?”

The multiple points of view are handled perfectly so that the reader doesn’t become confused or muddled throughout. There are also various shocking twists that made me gasp out loud as the revelations came to light.

This really is such a brilliant book. Morally thought-provoking, thrilling, unputdownable, shocking and drama-fuelled. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially if you loved Ready Player One- this is set in a similar type of universe.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 9th May! I loved the concept of this book I thought it was extremely well thought out and very provoking!

This was the first book I’ve read from this author and I’m now a fan! This book was a fast paced and very enjoyable with many secrets being revealed throughout which made it impossible to put down!

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the next one!

Yasssss John.
God I love a John Marrs futuristic Black Mirror concept book, and this one delivered.

I like that we don’t shy away from some very controversial, slightly gory/wincy topics throughout the story and thoroughly enjoyed the multiple POV’s.

VERY glad certain characters got their comupence as well THANK YOU.

Engaging, eyebrow raising, speed reading material as per.

Thank you!

I have been a fan of John Marrs since The Good Samaritan, and I'm delighted to report that his latest continues the world-building of The Passengers, The One, and The Marriage Act - there's plenty of Easter eggs here if you're looking for more Audite-adjacent content! Reading The Family Experiment is uncanny. Marrs has become an eerie forecaster of the sort of world we might be living in scarily soon. I could picture a reality show taking and running with the format h describes, including the sponcon and product placement. I'm looking forward to his next prophecy!

How do I begin to explain this book because it felt so real I honestly feel like I watched the tv series - The Family Experiment.

As always John Marrs has delivered a fast paced, slightly creepy, page turner of a book that yes I did devour in twenty four hours.

There are so many characters involved in this book but I was not confused when each chapter changed to a new character as they were introduced extremely well at the start of the book. This book seems like it would just focus on AI technology but it provides so much more including sadness and character development.

This book left me with no stone unturned and I loved that as often I find myself going but what about this plot- John perfectly concluded every question I had in my head whilst reading this book.

I highly recommend you pick this book up!

John has created another weird world but within just a few chapters, he manages to convince me that it's perfectly normal!

People can no longer afford to have and raise a baby and we meet six couples that take part in a reality show to parent a virtual child. It's development is accelerated, starting at birth but is eighteen in just a few months.

The show is live streamed and all of their parenting abilities are judged by the public. The winner can either keep their baby or destroy it and take the money to fund their own baby.

As time goes on, more and more of the competitors secrets are revealed

Had me gripped from the very start!

John Marrs books never disappoint and his newest one is absolutely no exception! The Family Experiment will be familiar to his readers, set in a slightly dystopian future (which could be real if we’re not careful!) the twists and turns of the book keep you hooked from the beginning. I loved the interwoven storylines and the reveals throughout. A definite must read!!

"Why leave it to chance or genetics when you can have the perfect baby you've always dreamed of?"

The Family Experiment follows the story of eleven contestants who compete to raise fully interactive children in the Metaverse. With advanced virtual reality headsets and bodysuits, a Metaverse child simulates the experience of real world parenting, though this comes at a price as only the winners of the competition are able to keep their child or leave with the cash prize of £250,000 to start a real world family of their own.

John Marrs has done it again! The Family Experiment is the book to watch out for this year. It has everything; from a rich, diverse wealth of complex characters to page turning cliffhangers, this book is one I highly recommend for fans of eerily dystopian, suspenseful novels. One thing I always enjoy about Marrs' writing is how he delves into the difficult questions and scenarios that the advancement of technology brings. For example, how these fictional companies prey on those who can't conceive or afford IVF; "We have everything we want in our lives except the money to start a family. We'll do anything to be parents."

I especially enjoyed the inclusion of social media posts throughout the novel, which I usually dislike, but in this case it adds to the reading experience and feels very realistic and fitting. Sometimes I get put off by books that follow so many different perspectives however Marrs' writing style is so easy to follow I quickly became familiar with each character and I found Hudson, Gabriel, and Zoe to be the most interesting characters out of the book. I also enjoyed the nods to previous books by Marrs.

Thought provoking in nature, The Family Experiment will leave you questioning the world you see around you.

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Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A massive John Marrs fan and devour all of his books! 2 this month….. This one was a bit slow to start, took a while for me to distinguish between the characters, once I got my head around that, I was fully submerged, It was fast paced with no clear chapters but kept my interest throughout! Unexpected plot twists and characters disappearing! No spoilers!

Well done John another epic book

Amazing! John is brilliant at stories and slipping in twists here and there. A definite must read!

The family experiment is a show where contestants are selected to look after a virtual child as their own. Whoever wins gets to keep the money and start their own family. But families have secrets and who wins?

A few years back I read The One by John Marrs and absolutely adored it, its by far one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Why it has taken me this long to read another book by him I do not know but here we are with another 5 star.

Its set in the same world as The One and follows contestants raising children in the metaverse on a reality show which fast becomes the nations obsession.

All of the parents have really compelling stories and with the short chapters which usually end on something shocking it's easy to fly through this book. The format is fantastic with social media posts, adverts and news headlines weaved in which is really fun.

Now I really do need to delve into John Marrs other work.

Read over 2 days……AMAZING
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. 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 . Great author and fantastic storyteller!

A story following on from previous books set in the future including The One and The Marriage Act. A chilling look at AI children raised in a Virtual World.
The Family Experiment is a competition with the public voting on contestants who enter the experiment in the hope of winning enough money to raise and support a real baby.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as this author’s previous books because I found most of the characters unlikeable but it did give me a glimpse into a possible scenario of the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a seriously scary book one of which I’d hate for it to be true! A unique and complex story which had you hanging by a thread. Was a real page turner and I devoured it all in one go!!

I have enjoyed all the books I have read by John Marrs and I was blown away by this one. The idea of this experiment is scary in a way that it could almost be real with the increase in AI which for me makes it more scary as this distant reality could happen soon enough,

This book produces an exciting and scary concept of having a child who isn't quite real. Set in the same universe as The One and The Marriage Act, this book, like the others, makes you wonder what the future could bring... Full of shocks and twists, this was a brilliant read.

My Review:
Based in the same universe as Marrs’ other speculative thrillers this was a really interesting take on what reality shows could become and the moral dilemmas of AI and how they are viewed and treated. As always, Marrs does a fantastic job of telling each character’s story in detail while building tension. Told in multiple POVs (third person) it was at first a little tricky to keep track of each couple and the progression of their stories, but I soon got into the swing of things!

Again, in true Marrs fashion these multiple story lines have a way of all coming together at the end in a very satisfying way. I wouldn’t say the twist was an OMG moment and the pace was on the slower side of things. But I was fully captivated by the storyline and invested in finding out the fate of each character. The news articles, online chats and adverts dotted throughout the story was a nice touch that added extra depth to what was unfolding.

Overview:
In a world where babies/children can be created in the Metaverse, a new reality TV show is being aired for the first time. Couples each have a Metaverse child they are to look after for 9 months, competing against each other to be the public’s favourite. The winners get to keep their child, the losers have their child deleted.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

John Marrs never fails to disappoint with his speculative thrillers. Set in a believable future, Awakening Entertainment’s interactive show, “The Family Experiment”, is the first of its kind, drawing in millions of viewers from all over the world.

“Over the next nine months, eleven carefully selected childless British contestants will compete to raise the world’s first fully interactive children in the Metaverse… What they experience and how they develop will depend on the nurturing they receive from each parent.”
The winners can either keep their virtual child, or take £250000, to start a real world family of their own.

We follow the contestants and the troubles they face raising their “children” to 18. From a variety of backgrounds, the contestants are a fun and diverse mix of well developed characters, each with an interesting story of their own. I particularly liked Hudson, both as a person and a dad.

Thought provoking and chilling in places, this was an unputdownable page turner for me.

Although not required, I’d advise reading Marr’s speculative thrillers in order as there are many references to plots in previous books, particularly The Marriage Act, that would make reading this book a little easier.

Marrs continues to be an author I will pick up, and know I’ll enjoy, without even reading the blurb.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for my advanced copy.