5 stars! It has been a while since I have done that!! I really enjoyed this book! This kick started my reading binge again! Thank you!!

In the future, people are struggling, the cost of living has risen dramatically, and so has the cost of having and raising children. But imagine if for a fee of £20 a month you could have a child that you raise in the metaverse where you can slip on a vr headset and a haptic suit and enjoy the joys of parent hood. Before the actual company roles out these children they decide to create a TV show where 6 groups of parents will show off their skills for 9 months raising a child from the ages of 2 weeks to 18 years old with the winners getting to either keep their AI child or receive £250000 to have a RealWorld baby. But with each group of contestants harbouring dark secrets it doesn't take long before things begin to go wrong.

OMG! This had me gripped! I love John Marrs' futuristic stories. I couldn't read this fast enough. The chapters are short, and each ends on a cliffhanger, keeping you turning the pages. There are so many twists and turns to keep you entertained, and you really get to know the characters who are so well written it feels like you're watching reality TV. Even though this is set in the same world as his other futuristic thrillers you can still enjoy the story without reading them first. Highly recommend.

This book was definitely different. I really enjoyed it and now I want to read the other John Marrs boos that are linked to this one.

The world in this book is ever changing and becoming more and more crowded and difficult. For families who can’t have children they are offered the opportunity to have a virtual baby but via a TV reality show. The ten couples participating will raise the child from birth to 18 years old and it will all be featured in the reality show where the public also have an input.

The couples tell their own stories and the chapters were short which I really liked. This book really makes you think and draws you in. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set in the same world as other John Marrs books, such as The Marriage Act, The One and The Passenger. I have never read any of those and the genre of dystopia thriller is not something I have much experience of, but this did not disappoint. I am a big fan of John Marrs other works so I was bound to enjoy The Family Experiment. I loved the idea of AI children raised in the Metaverse and felt like I really understood their 'Real world' parents. The different forms of media throughout the book was a nice addition. This was dark, twisty and oh so clever! I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Where to even begin John Marrs is back at it again with another absolutely brilliant book!!! This book is sheer brilliance from the first word till the very last word this book was soooooo hard to put down. Lots of woman dream of being a mother, but some for one reason or another are not able to conceive or become a parent. Want to raise a family, but unable to due to financial or physical limitations?

Well, how about a meta-child in the meta-verse? This book follows 11 contestants in the new show "The Family Experiment" 10 couples and 1 solo parent fight for a chance to win the competition. The reward for winning the entire show, is the chance to keep your metaverse child or use the reward money to create your own family in the fashion of your choice. But ask yourself what's the trick??? Each child lives in a MetaVerse virtual world, the child will age from birth to 18 years of age within a 9 month timeframe. The world has 24/7 access to you, your child and your parenting styles will be judged by those watching. Are you confident enough that you could win the game? DO you have what it takes to become a parent and raise the child of your dreams? Or will you give into the pressures and fail.

This book has a lot of easter eggs from prior books in John Marrs speculative thriller books, I have only read one of them, but I feel like it didn't take anything away from the experience. I cannot recommend this book enough. I thought I had the final twist down and figured out for a second. Then John Marrs came along in true fashion and humbly seated me for the rest of the ride. LOL. I loved the ending of this book sooooo much i thought it was bitter sweet in more than one area.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Pan Macmillan | Macmillan for the advance readers copy of this book.

John Marrs pulls a corker again!

We meet 11 contestants for the new reality tv show The Family Experiment, going live to the world and showing them that they can raise a baby in the Metaverse, but only one will win. The Winner/s can choose whether to keep their AI generated child, or destroy them and take the winnings to create a baby in the real world. The other babies, that have been raised in a sped up version of real life, are destroyed.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, the winner is decided by the public!

I really enjoyed this book. Is it really that far away from what could happen in our real life future? AI generated world could be on the horizon.
I really loved the POVs from each couple/individual, including the newspaper articles/chat room comments too.
The ending was surprising, but I throughly enjoyed!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The global population is rapidly increasing, resulting in overcrowded urban areas and an economic downturn. The UK has reached its breaking point. More and more individuals cannot afford to have children, much less raise them. However, there is an alternative for those yearning to become parents. In exchange for a monthly subscription fee, clients have the opportunity to design and connect with a virtual child through the metaverse and a VR headset. In order to introduce their new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has produced a reality TV show named The Substitute. Ten couples will raise a Virtual Child from birth to eighteen in a condensed nine-month timeframe. The prize is the choice between their virtual child or the opportunity for a real baby.

‘The Family Experiment’ by John Marrs is another one of his chillingly realistic futuristic thrillers that incorporates various perspectives and includes additional content such as online chats, ads, and news articles, contributing to the overall ambiance of the book. The book’s brief chapters, troublesome characters, and numerous twists make it nearly impossible to stop reading. I couldn’t keep track of how many times this book left me speechless.

This book was quite different from what I typically read. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am certain to seek out similar books in the future. I was completely engrossed in John’s ability to create an alternate reality. This story was filled with twists and unique characters that brought out a range of emotions, making it brilliant. I was worried about getting confused by the multiple POVs, but the brief chapters helped me follow the characters easily. The ideas that John comes up with are both brilliant and unsettling. His gift lies in captivating others through his storytelling abilities and the power of his words.

Many thanks to John Marrs, Pan Macmillan & NetGalley for a review copy.

The concept of a reality TV show centered on raising a virtual child due to financial constraints intrigued me. However, the execution left much to be desired.

Despite the initial promise of monthly challenges and viewer interaction, these elements were largely neglected throughout the narrative.

The book's multiple viewpoints failed to deliver substantial character development, resulting in a cast that felt superficial and difficult to connect with.

Pacing issues further hindered the reading experience, with significant plot development only occurring in the final stretch, where numerous unresolved plot holes emerged.

Additionally, the heavy reliance on familiarity with the author's previous works may alienate readers new to his work.

While the incorporation of mixed media added an interesting layer to the storytelling, it was not enough to salvage the overall disappointment.

Despite this setback, I remain hopeful for the author's future releases, given his track record of delivering captivating stories.

Yet another book that lived up to my expectations! As a long-time fan, I've always admired how all the books by this author somehow interconnect. Now, don't get me wrong, "Passengers" remains my all-time favorite, and I still can't stop raving about it. However, this latest book resonates with me in a different way, delving into a reality that feels eerily close to our own. John Marrs has a knack for crafting vivid scenes with his impeccable writing skills. "The Family Experiment" delves into the unsettling concept of virtual children, a premise that feels scarily plausible in our lifetime. The meticulous research is evident, offering just enough technical detail to grasp the concept without overwhelming the reader. The multiple viewpoints from various characters add depth and vitality to the narrative. The pacing is spot-on, keeping me thoroughly engaged throughout. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity to read. I absolutely adored this book and found myself unable to put it down. With its twists and turns, it left me contemplating the potential future landscape.Another book that did not disappoint been along time fan now and but this book just hits different in a way that is not far from another reality that could happen john marrs as a way of setting futures that could really play out one day and it makes for a great read.

I found this book to be like an episode of Black Mirror, showing how much could possibly be achieved with technology in the future, but also how it could likely be the downfall of humanity. Quite grim in places and with a twist at the end, I read it quickly and would recommend to any fans of Black Mirror.

Blimey! The Family Experiment is another brain frying jaunt into speculative fiction, by author John Marrs.

Each of the five books set in this alternative, futuristic Britain have been very thought-provoking; but this I think is the most warped one yet.
The book sees a brand new virtual reality programme, lset to take the world by storm. The ‘contestants’ will become parents to metababies, babies who exist only in the metaverse, a virtual reality world. Over a 9 month period, these babies will age at an accelerated pace, to give the parents a taste of every phase of a child’s development. The ‘winner’ will either be able to keep their virtual offspring, or be given £250,000 and have their metachild deprogrammed, see their pixels dissipate in front of their eyes. (I said it was warped!)

For those readers who have followed the series through from The One, many references in the book will be familiar. The pathway that leads the our own reality to this hideous alternative, has been driven by Orwellian Governments and the relentless progress of AI.

The characters are from a wide demographic. A variation of ages, experiences, and opinions, all of which make for an eclectic, interesting cast. The chapters are short, holding the attention, and always leaving the reader wondering what is happening with the other families. The storyline is intense and gripping. From early on in the story, you get a sense that there is so much hidden beneath the surface of the virtual parents.

As well as the book being a rip-roaring 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ride, there are some serious issues addressed too. The harsh realities, and impossible choices that are faced by those who face social and financial inequalities, have a spotlight shone on them. Migration from economically poorer countries to the their richer neighbours, the desperate reality of those that face these journeys.

I have no idea if the author is planning another book in this series, if he is, I dread to think what he will unleash on us next. I’m from the generation who thought having a ZX Spectrum at home was cutting edge, so this has frazzled my little grey cells.

Full disclosure - I've loved every John Marrs book I've read so far, in fact, I need a reread in series order. The latest in The One universe series does refer to characters and tech of previous novels but it can also be read as a completely standalone novel too. Like my review of the Last App, this dystopian future is a little too close for comfort. I can so easily see something like this playing out in my own lifetime. Each contestant couple on the Family Experiment has a history they'd rather not disclose and it's not until the fantastic final quarter that we find out the links between them. The juxtaposition of people trafficking from the UK rather than to it - especially in the current political climate - is really interesting and is a stark hint to how our future could play out if we're not careful. This was truly excellent. Thank you to NetGalley and John Marrs for the ARC 🙂

Absolutely loved this. Waited to take it with me on my holiday so I could enjoy it. If you've read the marriage act and the passengers , you'll know the jist of the background and how it's set in the future. It's not sci fi though, definitely more a thriller. The story comprises of 5 couples who enter a TV show with their "meta child" a child who only exists on the metaverse but is still realistic. The cost of living has impacted so much that people can no longer to have a child the natural way, so take part in this experiment . The winner- well gets to keep their child or the prize pot which ever they choose and those who don't win, their child simply evaporates.
I thought it would be hard initially to remember who was who but John writes it so that you actually do. So Many twists and turns and kept me hooked. A really amazing, original read with references to the other two books I've mentioned. Really enjoyable!

This was another thought provoking and compelling read from this author. One of his speculative fiction books, The Family Experiment explores the frighteningly plausible idea of virtual children. The book was, as ever, clearly well researched and with just enough technical explanation to understand the premise without getting too bogged down in detail. This book offers viewpoints from several characters which works well and helps bring all the characters to life. I found it well paced and compelling and overall a very engaging read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read.

The Family Experiment is not my normal type of read but I found the description interesting and intriguing. I absolutely loved the book and I just could not put it down. It was full of twists and turns and really left me thinking about what the future could look like.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my ARC.

In a world where the cost of living crisis is making it very difficult to be able to afford to have children, market leaders Awakening Entertainment have created an alternative; the world's first fully interactive children in the Metaverse and eleven contestants, five couples and one single person, are now being given the chance to take part in the new tv reality show, The Family Experiment, which allows them to feel everything a biological parent would, over a nine month period, in which time their child will grow from a newborn to an adult and the winner of the competition will win the ultimate prize, either keep their MetaChild or pull the plug and receive £250,000 to help them start their own Real World family.

The Family Experiment is the latest speculative thriller by Marrs told alternately from the perspective of each of the contestants as they progress through the competition, which all seems fairly straightforward, how hard can it be to look after a virtual child? But each of the contestants have something to hide and with the eyes of the public on them 24/7 it's only a matter of time before those secrets are revealed and they are faced with the consequences. This is a fast paced, hard hitting story with some great twists and with the increasing introduction of AI everywhere this could one day be the future we are facing. Another great read by this author and if you've loved his other speculative thrillers you won't be disappointed with this one.

I'd like to thank Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

The economic situation is so desperate that being able to have a child is becoming the domain of the really rich- but imagine you could have a virtual child? AI has advanced so much & the apparatus to experience the metaverse has become so sophisticated that is close to becoming reality. For a monthly subscription you could become a parent! To launch these children & to ride the never lessening obsession with reality TV nine couples & a single man are chosen to raise a child from birth to age eighteen but condensed into a nine month time period. The winner can keep their virtual child or take the prize money to have their own real child. Before long people are up all night watching the children & their parents, but as with most of these things the competitors have been chosen with care & not for the abilities as potential parents!

As you found out the background of these people many didn't endear themselves to you. I can honestly say I've never watched reality TV- this doesn't look like I'll want to in the future! However, reading about it was different! John Marrs usually keeps me glued to the page, & this one was no exception. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- loved it!

I always love John marrs books and this one didn’t disappoint. Each one is unique and brilliant. I did struggle slightly at the beginning to work out who was who and it took me a while to differentiate some of the couples which is the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars. Fantastic twists that you can never guess and it all ties together brilliantly!

Brilliant! The book is unusual and compelling. Not a usual read for me but it is written so well that I will definitely be reading more by the author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Wow! This book is full of twists and turns that'll keep the reader engaged. I found this book fast paced. It was interesting to read about the different POVs and backstories of the characters. Despite the number of characters, the storyline is easy to follow. The ending was superbly written!

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillanbfor a copy if the book in exchange for an honest opinion.