One Perfect Couple

Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2024
Pages: 400 (14 hours)
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: 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 the game show is all too real - and the stakes are life and death.

Review: As per usual, I opted to listen to Ruth Ware's latest novel. Once again, reader extraordinaire, Imogen Church, narrates this novel. If I'm being honest this was not my favorite Ruth Ware novel. The premise is attractive 20 / 30 somethings trying to survive on a remote island for an unforeseen amount of time. There was a lot of rationing and complaining about the lack of food and water, more desperately water. I mean, that's a reasonable worry and focus, but maybe it isn't the best plot for a story. 

The best part of this novel was the ending because it offered explanations and tied up all the loose ends. However, I can confidently say that this is not Ruth Ware's best novel. Moving on. . .