John Mars always hits for me!
The world building is great and no question is left unanswered.
I love the sci fi elements, a really clever book.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my arc!

Another belter of a dystopian thriller from John Marrs. Set in the same world as The One, The Passengers and The Marriage Act, the basic premise involves couples (plus one single person) competing to raise a virtual child in the Metaverse. Slick, clever, twisted and dark, this is another excellent page turner by this brilliant author.

The Family Experiment delivers a chilling and inventive speculative thriller set in a near-future world where overpopulation and economic crises have made traditional family life increasingly unattainable. As a response to this crisis, a company introduces Virtual Children—a subscription service allowing clients to create and raise digital offspring through the metaverse and VR headsets.

To promote this groundbreaking initiative, the company launches a reality TV show featuring ten couples. These participants will "raise" their virtual children from birth to eighteen years old in just nine months. The prize at stake is the right to keep their virtual child or gamble for a chance to have a real baby.

Review:
"The Family Experiment" is a thought-provoking and eerie exploration of technology's impact on human relationships and societal structures. John Marrs has crafted a narrative that is both suspenseful and disturbingly plausible, making readers question the ethical boundaries of virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

The concept of raising virtual children is handled with Marrs' trademark blend of psychological insight and speculative imagination. The reality TV show format adds an extra layer of tension and intrigue, as viewers (and readers) are drawn into the intimate and often tumultuous experiences of the ten couples. The condensed timeline of nine months intensifies the emotional stakes, making for a gripping page-turner.

Marrs excels in creating complex characters whose desires and dilemmas resonate deeply. The couples' struggles to bond with their virtual children while grappling with their own expectations and societal pressures are depicted with empathy and nuance. The narrative is peppered with twists and turns that keep readers on edge, and the ethical questions posed linger long after the last page.

Tropes
-Near-Future Speculation
-Ethical Dilemmas
-Reality TV Drama
-Parenthood and Family
-Competition and Stakes

"The Family Experiment" is a masterful speculative thriller that blends elements of sci-fi, psychological drama, and social commentary. John Marrs has once again proven his ability to craft stories that are as thought-provoking as they are entertaining. This novel is perfect for fans of Black Mirror and anyone interested in the ethical implications of advanced technology. It’s a chilling reminder of how far we might go to fulfill our deepest desires and the potential costs of blurring the lines between virtual and real life.

Such a good book, I couldn't put it down and read it in under two days. I found it gripping and couldn't wait to find out who would win but then I also appreciated finding out what happened to them all after the finale.
This book was easy to read with a good pace and well described characters and gives the reader food for thought with the future of AI.
So believable - scarily so given how much AI is around even now.
I also loved the nods to his other books although you wouldn't be aware of the references if you didn't already know them.
A first class author

recently enjoyed reading this captivating book, but John Marrs is one of my favourite authors, so perhaps I am a little biased!

This new novel centres around a competition set in a virtual world. Participants are tasked with nurturing an AI child to claim a coveted prize. The story artfully explores the competition dynamics and delves into the personal challenges the families involved face.

What truly stood out to me was the author's meticulous attention to detail and the seamless interweaving of multiple storylines, which held my attention throughout. Despite my limited knowledge of AI, the portrayal felt authentic and immersive. Although this works well as a follow-up to the other reads previously written by the author, it is still thoroughly enjoyable as a stand-alone.

Overall, I found the book exceptionally well-written and thoroughly engrossing, making it a must-read for any fan of this genre, author or as an introduction to his work.

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

No words! I was sent a copy of this amazing book in return for an honest review. I will not lie by saying this is one of the most gripping books I’ve read of late. You will be transported to a dystopian near-future which actually seems to be the way we are headed unless we stop buying into all the social media and reality TV. Very uncomfortable at times but an excellent story! It seems to reflect the world we are powerless in stopping. More please!

#NetGalley #TheFamilyExperiment #JohnMarrs

Having been a little underwhelmed by ‘The Marriage Act’ recently, I really hoped the latest offering from Marrs would be back to his best work. Thankfully it was definitely a step in the right direction - still doesn’t beat ‘The Passengers’ or ‘The One’ but it sits in the top three.
Based in the same world as his other speculative thrillers, John Marrs introduces us to yet another scarily-realistic hint at our future. People are OBSESSED with reality shows and technology, so I dread the idea that this could be on our horizon. I have never understood the fascination with games like FarmVille and Minecraft, building alternative realities, fake worlds, while sacrificing time in the real world to do so. On the other hand, I have been known to enjoy a reality show or three, ;who doesn’t enjoy people watching?!) but this book was more about the characters than the competition. Yes, the show was the premise for the book, but it takes a back seat really. In fact, the ultimate prize kind of fizzles into nothingness. I understand why Marrs needed to tie up all the loose ends by telling back stories and ‘one year later’ chapters, but I think that took away from the original concept, which ended at approximately 80% through the book.
It was a nice idea to bring in a minor character from ‘The Passengers’, and the other storylines were interesting too. Nobody really ‘grabbed’ me if I’m honest, I wasn’t really rooting for any of them to win.

One part did bother me though was not finding out what eventually happened to Issy - did she survive?!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my free advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

You're sucked straight into the world right from the start, and in true Marrs style, the super short chapters end on just the right note to keep you turning the pages.
Very quickly, we learn that every character seems to have their secrets, and they are slowly revealed as we alternate between participants of the experiment. It's a slow burn, but one that kept me gripped from start to finish, and as we reached the climax, I could not put it down.
As with the other books in Marrs' speculative fiction, the ideas here are scarily plausible, and the metaverse blew my mind.
With the use of mixed media such as websites, adverts, and forum chats, it's a real immersive and engaging read, and these added extras really help to make it feel real.
Overall, it was a great read and one that I'd recommend.
4⭐️

If you haven't read any John Marrs books yet what are you waiting for!

This was such an unexpected banger! They're the obvious reference points, but think Black Mirror meets Children of Men. In a Britain that is overcrowded and with an economy crisis that makes having a child totally unaffordable, a company offer a solution - virtual children. They decide to launch it with a Big Brother-esque experiment, with ten couples having the opportunity to raise a virtual child over the course of 9 months. The 'best' parents win and get to keep their child, the rest face having their child deleted. Marrs' skilfully alternates between the various couples, along with some mysterious back story and cultural commentary. The end result is a powerful and all-too plausible read.

I adore John Marrs!!! This book was another amazing read!!!

This book links to a few of Marrs' other books - links with The One, Passengers, Marriage Act - although you don't need to have read the others to enjoy this book! (However, there are a few little Easter Eggs that are quite fun - if you know, you know!)

There are so many twists and turns and I was left feeling shocked at the majority of them.

All the way through reading I thought this would be an easy 5* read - but the ending just felt a little rushed for me. I have to admit I felt a little lost in the final 15% of the book - so had to reduce the star rating.
Nevertheless I loved this book!

terrifying concept around AI… and really questions the press and the media and how inhumane they can be really be. creepy & psychological - john never fails to make me think.

I've read and enjoyed John Marrs's previous books, The One and The Passengers, so safe to say I had high expectations going into this book, and I'm so happy that it managed to fulfil them! The concept of The Family Experiment was what drew me in, and I really loved the combination of virtual families and the reality TV side, which both worked so well together. Although the fairly large cast of characters can be overwhelming at first, Marrs does a great job of fleshing each viewpoint out in order to fully explore the different perspectives and angles of each character in relation to the central premise. So clever, and the tension throughout the book kept me absolutely hooked.

A fast-paced thriller that you won't be able to put down! 4 stars.

read a book and I liked it*
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Set in the dystopian world, couples are watched in a reality TV first bringing up an AI child. Over the period of 9 months the child ages from newborn to an 18yr old. The winners get to choose £250,000 to start a family of their own or to keep parenting the virtual child.
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This is such a unique premise and one that is completely addictive. Each chapter alternates with a different couple and the secrets and challenges they face.
I have previously read The Marriage Act so was aware of this world but this can definitely be read as a stand alone.
It’s part mystery with secrets and lies, part futuristic but also terribly scary in the fact I could see this occurring in the future.
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An absolute banger of a book and loved every page.

Another interesting take on futuristic life from John Marrs. I liked the concept of this book but felt that it was flitting between characters a bit too quickly without having time to really get to know and like them all that much, in saying that maybe we were never really supposed to like them.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

A dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate 'tamagotchi' - a virtual baby. So many twists and turns with this I loved it and the scariest part? It could actually happen the speed that AI is moving. Scary stuff.

I really struggled with this book at first there was a lot of characters and it was quite confusing. I instead listened to the audiobook once it was released and I highly recommend this as there are lots of different voices and accents it was much easier to follow. Lots of twists and turns along the way

Love, love, love this book!

Speculative fiction which uses the metaverse to look at raising virtual children in the format of a reality TV show, where people compete to win the show by gaining the publics trust. The prize they either get to keep their virtual child or win prize money to fund treatment to have a child of their own.

I love the way John Mars other books were brought in to this one and although speculative fiction lots of the issues it brought to the forefront were scarily believable.

I enjoyed the format of how the book was written split between the different contestants, mostly present day but some flashbacks and some other
media thrown in.

Not sure I liked any of the contestants and was routing for them anymore than the others but this made the characters and the book more relatable for me.

Looking forward to reading more from the author, excited to see the next idea he has!

I don’t know where to start with this book- it has had me in a chokehold for the last few days.
I have done nothing but think and talk about this book. I have been borderline obsessed with it.
It started off a bit odd and I did think that I wasn’t going to get into it but that very quickly changed.
This was a really well written, interesting and clever story. Whilst unbelievable it was also worryingly believable.
Incorporating the current world’s affairs with the possibilities of the future made for a really good and gripping read.

I lost count of the amount of times I gasped or my jaw hit the floor. Character development was really good even with the amount of characters- there were both likeable and unlikeable characters. There were interesting back stories to all of them.

I really enjoyed this book and I have just sprinted to Amazon to order more of Marrs books.

The Family Experiment is set in a time where many people can no longer afford the costs associated with conception and raising children. The alternative solution is to create a virtual child, accessible through the metaverse for a monthly fee.
In order to launch this new scheme, there is a reality TV show, where 10 couples go through an accelerated version of the process, raising a child from birth to the age of 18 in just 9 months. The winners can either keep their virtual child or be supported to have a real baby.

Firstly, I found the premise of the book absolutely fascinating and enjoyed that throughout. I initially found it a little tricky to get to grips with the amount of characters, but the chapters being split into different couples really helped. I found that I gravitated towards liking some much more than others, a compliment to the quality of the writing.

There was another story interspersed with the main one, and I enjoyed trying to figure out how it all fitted together.

It was fast paced and kept me interested throughout, as with all John Marrs books, and is definitely one that I'll recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.