3.75 stars
I've read quite a few of Ruth Ware's books now and I find that they are pretty hit or miss for me. And sadly this was more of a miss than a hit.
I loved the idea of contestants of a reality TV show being stranded on a desert island with them ultimately having to fight to survive. I was thinking of what would happen if Love Island ended up becoming like Survivor with a spot of Lord Of The Flies thrown in for good measure and in some ways I did get that.
It also felt atmospheric and I could picture myself on the island with them. But annoyingly too many things went unanswered for me.
For example, was Connor a psychopath? Even though he's clearly abusive to Zana, it's never really explained as to why he acted the way that he did. I mean why did he steal and hide the insulin? Maybe just to be the one in control but it kind of didn't make sense.
Then why did Joel commit suicide? Or did he?
And then everything builds up to basically nothing really.
I did like that Zana was essentially rewriting the story of what really happened on the island. But for it to end with everyone on the boat disappearing just felt like such a copout.
And how many times did Lyla have to say she was a scientist and not a doctor.
I thought this would be the perfect beach read and actually read it while sitting on a beach on my summer holiday but it just didn't live up to what I was hoping it would be. Considering that One By One was a 5 star read for me, this was such a letdown.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lyla is persuaded to take part in a reality TV show on a remote island by her actor boyfriend, who thinks it might be his big break. But after a deadly storm leaves the contestants stranded with no idea if or when they'll be rescued, everything changes ...

This was a slightly slow starter, but once the characters were on the Island it got really good. There were a lot of characters to follow, which I expected to be a bit of a challenge - but actually it worked really well and I had no trouble keeping track! The twist at the end was a bit disappointing after how good the rest of the book had been, and that's what stopped it being a full 5 star read!

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

Five couples enter the world of reality TV each of them arriving on a remote island in the Indian Ocean with their sights set on winning 'The Perfect Couple' but when on the first night a catastrophic storm hits things change dramatically. The production crews boat has vanished and with no means of communication or getting off the island the contestants find themselves stranded.

Perfectly paced with great characters this book captured my imagination from the opening pages. The vivid scene setting perfectly described the aftermath of the storm and with tensions rising, relationships becoming strained the drama became very real and very scary. There was no chance I was going to put this one down until I'd finished it.

I have heard so many great reviews about Ruth Ware so was really excited to read this book. The blurb really pulled me in too, a reality TV show filled on a tropical island, sign me up!
I loved that Lyla was a normal everyday woman, it felt far more relatable. With her research job coming to an end and her boyfriend Nico really needing his big break into TV, the opportunity to be a part of a new reality show seemed an answer to a better future.
It was a fast paced story with twists and turns that kept me gripped. The reality of it all turned south really quickly, a violent storm turned an idyllic island into a prison with no escape, food & water rations, injuries and death or is it murder 🤔
Thank you NetGalley, the Author and the Simon & Schuster for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Ruth Ware is one of my go to thriller authors so I knew I would be picking One Perfect Couple up this summer. I’ve never seen Traitors but I am a Love Island fan so I really like the premise of this. A group of couples going to a beautiful island with a luxury resort to “survive” until the end of the show. What could possibly go wrong?!

Well everything it seems. The main character is Lyla and she very quickly finds herself single in the group of couples. Shortly after that a terrible storm hits the island effectively stranding the group without access to any of the production crew.

They find themselves literally having to survive with what supplies they do have. At first there is a sense of order but relationships deteriorate as people become more irritated and there becomes an almost Orwellian atmosphere.

I did not expect this to turn out the way it did! At some points I was confused as the narrative contradicts itself but the reason for that is eventually revealed. There were points where I did question the characters’ reactions to events thinking that I would absolutely react completely differently and for a longer period of time but then I guess I was on a sunlounger on mainland Spain with a cocktail, not stranded on an island with a dictator in the group!

What I do find with Ruth’s books is that they’re all quite different. I’ve nearly made it through her full back list, just a few titles to go! If you’re looking for more from this author I’d recommend Zero Days or One by One.

I really enjoyed this book! I definitely can see why it has been described as being a mix between The Traitors and Love Island.
The plot is unique and really interesting. I loved the ending and how all the parts suddenly came together.
Ruth Ware is an amazing author and this new release certainly won’t disappoint; I’d definitely recommend it.

It’s been described as The Traitors meets And Then There Were None and there is a definite… decrease in numbers as you read Ruth’s latest novel. Set on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean amid the proposed filming of a reality TV show concerned with relationships, Lyla would rather be in her laboratory working on a research project. Persuaded by boyfriend Nico as this being his big break, she and four other couples head for Paradise… until a storm cuts the contestants off from just about everything. Soon they’re not worried about how their hair looks, rather if they can find enough water to survive. But there’s danger afoot even in one of the world’s most beautiful places…

Really enjoyed this, this had a different take on the 'castaway' type story as the characters were already on the island ready to take part in a reality show, however a storm throws in an unexpected challenge and the characters are no longer fighting to win a reality show, they are fighting to stay alive. We all know there is always a villain in a reality show and in this cast, that's never truer.

Lots of twists and turns, perfect holiday read (as long as you're not at risk of being marooned on an island!)

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book this is my honest opinion.

A Perfect Storm..
An unexpected opportunity turns perfect storm in this propulsive suspense when a reality game show turns murderous. ‘One Perfect Couple’ will be filming on a desert island set in the Indian Ocean with five couples competing for the win. What could possibly go wrong? A credible cast populate the fast moving and often unexpected plot and the well imagined backdrop quickly veers from idyllic to terrifying. Compelling, entertaining and wholly immersive.

I story that kept me gripped to the end. I thought it started a bit slow but really felt like it ramped up and had me questioning everything. I’m not sure about the ending but I still enjoyed it.

Firstly thank you for my copy to review via netgalley.
The colours on the cover are set to be mesmerising and really set the tone of the book . Plus it seems a popular look this summer for thrillers so can definitely see this flying off the shelves at the airport !

This is an exceptionally written book about the highs and lows of participating in a reality show especially as a couple .
It doesn’t go accordingly and in fact ends as a nightmare rather than a trip of dreams !
A tale of strength,resilience,courage ,friendship ,trust and of course lies.
Who can you trust when you don’t know anyone and your survival depends on them ?

This is fast paced and thrilling and will have you hooked .

This is the first novel I have read by Ruth Ware. She's been on my TBR list for a while after hearing good reviews and reading recommendations from some of my favourite authors.

I had really high hopes for this but sadly it didn't live up to them. The book was completely not what I was expecting. It started off really well but when I realised it was a 'stuck on a desert island' type, my interest waned as its a topic that's been done over and over. I persevered hoping for a new take on an old story and hoping for a mind-blowing reveal at the end but it fell totally flat for me.

It was well written and the idea behind it was interesting, I just think the execution wasn't great. The ending didn't really add up for me and I wasn't overly invested in the characters involved.

I appreciated the nod to Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies as I was reminded of the similarities the whole time I was reading this and was glad the author also acknowledged it

This story had me gripped throughout. Wondering what the bigger story was. There had to be one. While by the end I'm unsure if I feel a little underwhelmed with the reveal. It does touch on an important topic of abuse.
Majority of this book is set stuck on the island. With seemingly no way out and survival was becoming unlikely. What lengths people will go to in order to survive.

Lyla’s boyfriend Nico begs her to enter this reality show to help further his career. They go to a remote island with a few other couples. Lyla appears to be very uncomfortable we more things come to light that Nico did not tell her. A storm hit. People do appear. Bodies are found. Soon one person dominates the others. Will the contestants survive? Seems like this is an overdone plot lately but the book was good. I powered through it.