My first book by Ruth Ware and a great one to start with. What seemed like a lightweight ‘celebrity’ game for TV soon became a pacy, dark thriller, with many hidden secrets.

I found it quite a challenge to come to grips with all the names and who was in a couple with whom (I should really have made a note to help me at the start). However, some characters were quickly established by their personalities and traits.

The island setting was brilliantly described and I gained a very clear picture of it both before and after the storm. Ruth Ware also convincingly described the effects of the situation (for instance lack of fresh water) on each of the participants, making me see a quite complete picture of the devastation.

It was macabrely fascinating seeing how personalities changed over time and under stress.

The plot is cleverly layered and the surprises, for me, kept coming. I wanted to keep reading to see where it would end up and I wasn’t disappointed.

Ruth Ware's latest novel promises The Traitors meets And Then They Were None as a young couple are whisked away to a desert island to take part in a new reality TV show to find the 'one perfect couple'. But, quickly things go awry.

The story develops into more of a survivalist thriller - complete with the cast fighting over food and water supplies. I would have liked more build-up and more of the reality TV show vibe promised (there's only really one one task for the contestant before things go seriously wrong), but the survivor thriller works as a quick, fast-paced beach read.

There's some thrilling moments, despite some unbelievable couples/characters and a questionable ending.

One Perfect Couple is a decent thriller but not my favourite by Ruth Ware.
Lyla has just been convinced by her boyfriend, Nico to enter into a reality tv show, One Perfect Couple. Lyla isn’t overly keen and has taken some convincing but if it helps to launch Nico’s acting career then she’ll do it. The set is on a desert island and when they get there they find five other couples hoping to win. The storm comes in and leaves them with no electric and all the crew barring one has gone off on the boat to take the first person home. Survival is going to be hard with no communication with the outside world and limited food and water supplies. Lyla thinks help will come before the supplies run out but someone is a murderer and is cutting the couples down one by one. They must find out who has been killed and how before they themselves are murdered.
This was a good read, the beginning was greater really got me into the storyline well but about halfway it became a little repetitive and I slowed my pace reading it. It did pick up again but not with the same flourish of the start. There was a good mix of characters and that helped the storyline and the ending left no unanswered questions.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon And Schuster UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Ware knows how to write a great thriller and this one is dark , intense and packs a punch !
Five couples are invited to a remote island to take part in a new reality show and must compete against each other to win the cash prize .
The dynamic among the couples looks like it’s going to make great tv as always there’s that one person who could annoy and antagonise people a at the drop of a hat .
Not long after arriving things take a turn for the worst , there’s a big storm blowing in which causes a lot of damage to the island and its residential area .
Shortly after this the bodies begin to pile up , who will make it off the island alive?
Excellent writing as always and edge of your seat reading at times !
A different and enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK.

One Perfect Couple is a prime example of Ruth Ware’s vast ability as a storyteller. The plot is submissive, stifling and tightly woven. More of a claustrophobic slow burn, I was fully invested in the story and the characters from very early on. Although as mentioned slower paced than my usual reads in this genre would be, Ruth’s writing is so brilliant I didn’t care. A classy and confident title and one of my favourite reads so far this year.

This is my first time reading a Ruth Ware book and for the first few chapters I was very unconvinced. In fact it wasn't until after the storm, when all the action began for me and I became much more hooked. I love a reality show and so a story set amongst a couples reality show sounded great. I really struggled at first to like any of the characters. They just seemed so unlikable, even Lyla who was the main character. However the longer they are on the island and the more they have to survive, then I started to like some of them much more. I did find some of the diary entries in the chapters difficult to follow but I think that was because I was reading an ARC so it my not have been formatted correctly. 4 stars from me.

I love Ruth Ware's novels so was really looking forward to this one and I'm so pleased to say that I very much enjoyed it! This one follows six couples who arrive on a very isolated island to film a new reality TV series. We mainly get Lyla's perspective and she is here reluctantly as her wannabe actor boyfriend thinks this could be his big break. Lyla has doubts about the set up but she goes along with it. Immediately there are signs that all is not right on this island but by then it's too late to back out. It turns out Lyla was right to be worried as thinks all start to unravel very quickly and soon people start going missing. I found this novel did require a lot of suspension of disbelief but that didn't stop my enjoyment at all, I was very happy to be along for a ride and to see how it was all going to turn out. This was a really fun summer read and I recommend it!

This is my perfect combo- reality tv, behind the scenes shenanigans, and murder! Plot was pacey, characters well-drawn, and the ending very satisfying. Loved to hate the 'baddies'. Loved all the survival elements. Another brilliant thriller from a favourite author, and I've already sold a few copies in my shop!

#OnePerfectCouple #NetGalley
Awesome.
Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, she agrees to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla finds herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize. But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real—and the stakes are life or death.
I loved it so much.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for giving me an advance copy.

This was a fun summer thriller with similar vibes to Lost and Lord of the Flies. A couple joins the cast of a reality TV show called One Perfect Couple and when there’s a storm, they become stranded on the remote island where they are filming.

I loved the different personalities of the contestants and how you didn't know who to trust. The stress of the situation and the questionable intentions of the characters made this a gripping and anxious read.

As someone who doesn’t read many summery books or watch reality television, I was excited to try a different kind of thriller than I’m used to. I will say, my rating is a little bit lower because I found it a little slow in places and I definitely prefer colder, atmospheric thrillers, but it was an enjoyable book and would be great for someone who loves shows like The Perfect Match and Survivor.

I have been a fan of a few of Ruth Ware’s previous novels so was excited to dig into this one.

Unfortunately it wasn’t my favourite but The Turn Of The Key is hard to live up to in my opinion!

I found the first half the book quite tedious and the characters were very grating but it definitely picked up towards the end!

I think I struggled with how completely unrealistic the plot was but that being said, it was wrapped up well and the female characters certainly grew on me.

3.5 stars rounded up.
This isn’t my first read by Ruth Ware, in fact this is my fifth book by this author. While it doesn’t live up to my two favourites (The Lying Game and Zero Days) it was definitely more exciting than One by One for me, so it’s somewhere in the middle which is perfectly fine.

One Perfect Couple is that novel where you know it’s not going to end well for some of them. As the story continues the nightmare for the survivors on the island also intensifies. I kept on wondering who was going to make it and who wasn’t because all bets were off.

It all starts with 5 couples arriving on an island somewhere in the Indian Ocean, so that’s 10 people in total to follow (Lyla and Nico, Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana) but I was able to give identifiers to each of them so it wasn’t so much of a problem keeping them apart and well a few die anyway with some sooner than others, so that’s even less to keep track of. I was convinced they would be found eventually but who would live long enough? Food and water were depleting rapidly, Santana’s insulin wasn’t infinite, and then they have another problem on their hands with a very toxic personality in the group who is calling the shots. I guess it really does follow the reality tv format because in my favorite show MAFS (Married At First Sight) there’s always a narcissist cast too. It was very easy to have strong feelings about someone in this novel. Nobody is speaking up though, it was quite frustrating at times and I willed them to do something.

I was completely on board with the ending (all I could think of was finally) and some of the diary entries that were shared throughout and confused me at first finally made sense to me. One Perfect Couple really did have that addictive quality that I also have while watching reality tv. It’s going to be a mess and I loved watching it all come undone!

Lyla is a struggling scientist who is gets the opportunity to go on a reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, with boyfriend, Nico. Things aren’t going great with him so she agrees to go on the show and compete with other couples. Only once there things start to go wrong and when a storm hits it may be a matter of survival.

I love Ruth Ware books, always eagerly anticipating the next one, and when I heard it was a survival thriller set on a luxury island and combining reality TV, I knew it would be one for me! I enjoyed the majority of the story, finding it dark, suspenseful and full of drama. The characters are written well, although there are a lot to remember but this gets much easier as the story progresses.

I found the atmosphere to be well written, creating a real sense of abandonment and isolation. I also enjoyed the relatable references within the book to TV shows I know. Although this was an entertaining thriller overall, I did find the first half more engaging than the second half, which seemed to slow down, however it is definitely still a great summer thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

If you're after a cracking good page turner, Ruth Ware is your woman.

Lyla travels to the South Pacific for a new reality television show on a remote island, but she's only there to support her boyfriend and plans to "lose" as soon as possible so she can return home. Unfortunately for her, things go spectacularly wrong on her first night there. For anyone who's a fan of reality television, this book may change your mind. When "Love Island" meets "Lord of the Flies", it's not pretty.

This book was recommended by quite a few of the authors that I follow on Instagram, so I decided to request a copy myself.
After hearing what the book was about (contestants on a desert island reality tv show), there's no way I would have picked this book up on my own, (I don't at all like reality tv, especially Love Island) but I'm so glad I did. What a roller coaster it was!!!
I love a book that leaves me with more questions than answers, and this is definitely one of those books.
I loved the variety of characters that made up the story. I loved the dynamics between them and those that developed as the story went on.
I've never read anything by Ruth Ware before, nor is there any of her books on my tbr, but that's about to change. I can't wait to get stuck into her back catalogue. I'm so glad I took a chance on this book as it was amazing.

Ruth Ware's latest is a dark, intense, claustrophobic book that is loaded with suspense and tension, dripping with drama, an entertaining read that will have readers turning the pages as fast as possible. Lyla Santiago is a research scientist hoping to secure a position in her field, and has a ambitious boyfriend, Nico, a struggling actor, clearly its a case of opposites attracting here. He wants to compete in a reality show set on a tropical island, searching for the perfect couple, 5 couples will face challenges, the last ones surviving will win the prize, Nico sees this as a platform to succeed in his chosen field, imagining himself becoming a big star. Lyla is not so keen, it is far from an appealing prospect.

However, Lyla, the narrator, does want to be supportive to Nico, so she agrees to participate for him. The reality show organisers want to run a tight ship where information does not leak out, are not forthcoming about the nature of the challenges, and operate a skeleton crew. Lyla feels there is something not quite right. They set off for the island and the remote resort, a group of competitive strangers and rivals, driven to do whatever it takes to win, a climate in which Lyla is deeply uncomfortable in. On the island all does not go as planned, a heavy storm leaves the contestants stranded, cut off from the outside world, no crew, and short on water and other supplies. There are rising tensions, desperation, dangers, and then contestants begin to die......

Ware writes a hard to resist thriller, perhaps not a original plot with its echoes of Agatha Christie and William Golding, but the twists and turns kept my interest, even though I am not a fan of reality shows, wanting to know what was going on, as the couples endeavour to try to survive. I have no doubt that many readers will enjoy this, both fans of the author and new readers. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This was a totally gripping read that had me turning the pages quickly just to see what was going to happen next. Loved the concept and the author's take on reality TV. I am not a watcher of shows like Love Island but really enjoyed the plot as well as the setting.
5 couples dropped on desert island & people start dying one by one. What's not to love

I am such a big fan of Ruth Ware but this book wasn't my favourite, I loved the concept but I didn't like how some of the characters reacted to the things happening to them, I felt like screaming at them "JUST DO SOMETHING!!", it kept me reading and interested but I would definitely recommend Ruth's other books such as Woman in Cabin 10 and In a Dark Dark Wood rather than this one.

Send 5 couples to a remote tropical island to compete in a Love Island crossed with Survivor reality show, add a hurricane and throw in a least one person with murderous intentions and you have a really entertaining thriller.

I loved the tropical island setting - I really felt like I was on the island - and although there are a lot of characters I didn’t feel lost or confused keeping track.

I’d recommend this to people who have enjoyed Ruth Ware’s other books.

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

I was left feeling a bit dissatisfied with the ending; things wrapped up a little too easily and there were a few plot holes that could have been dealt with (one bribg that I struggled to believe that no one would have been looking for them)

I was waiting for a big twist and there are some small ones, but not the big one I was looking for (I thought it was all going to be a set up / part of the game in a weird Truman Show-esque way). But no, in this, the bad guy is the bad guy.

Overall an entertaining read and I’m grateful for my review copy.

Great destination thriller ❤️

We follow a group of 5 couples taking part in a TV show 'The Perfect Couple' on a small remote island in the Indian Sea, but when a deadly hurricane hits the island the contestants are not playing to win but playing to survive now! As supplies dwindle and tempers flare, who do you trust?

I really enjoyed this book, and I got gripped straight away. I felt it was a slowburn thriller, but it kept going with twists and turns! There wasn't a plot twist, and the ending was pretty predicted, but it was a great read that kept me hooked throughout! 😀

Thank you for the opportunity to read and give me honest review ❤️