Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - One Perfect Couple

While trapped on a desert island a group of strangers there for a supposed dating show must survive, as a murder tries to take them out one by one.

Review:
As to the ending, I knew something was hinky with the show they were supposed to be on, but not what it was exactly and I loved that final twist.
The book was a bit long though, it seemed to drag in parts which is why it took me so long (for me) to read, there were days I didn't press play to listen because it was hard to get through. Though some of that may have been the subject matter, lots of murder, domestic abuse, and gaslighting, plus medical-type content i.e., dehydration and starvation.
Overall a good book even if it was tough for me to read, it got into many topics that need to be discussed more.

Narrator Rating: 3.5 stars
I always have mixed feelings about this narrator. She does a good job with tonal shifts and emotions, but sometimes her voice grates on me.

Content Warnings

achay91's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

One-part reality tv show production, one-part survival story, I thought this book was so cool and unique, totally different from Ruth Ware’s other books. I’d recommend going in without reading the synopsis or story comparisons because the guessing what’s next and uncertainty of where the story will go keeps you on the edge of your seat. I did not want to put this book down and it is the perfect thriller for summer!

Content Warnings

mollyb13's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was definitely not the And Then There Were None type story I was promised in the book jacket and much more of a Lord of the Flies/Animal Farm situation. I was definitely intrigued the entire time, but the book was much more of a survival thriller than mystery thriller. I was hoping that the reality tv portion of the show would be more prominent (big Bachelor/Survivor/Traitors/Love Island fan over here!) and the ending fell flat for me.

I kept thinking that Conor couldn't actually be the bad guy because that was too straightforward - that maybe the diary was accurate and that maybe Lyla was an unreliable narrator but nope... And the twist at the end that Baz set the entire thing up seemed kind of obvious the entire time?

Ware's last two novels have been a bit of a flop for me - hoping that she moves back into the mystery thriller genre with her next novel. Still enjoyed my time reading it though and worth a read if you are a Ruth Ware fan!

Content Warnings

kpombiere's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

luverbyrd's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

booksbytheglass's review

Go to review page

dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

if there’s one thing ruth ware knows how to do, it’s write a popcorn thriller!!! this one is perfect for a poolside binge or a fun vacay read!

… although like most popcorn thrillers, this one will be a bit forgettable in the future for me 😅

lyla, a scientist not a doctor iykyk, is coerced into a reality TV couples show with her aspiring actor boyfriend where she quickly realizes that she was kept in the dark about a majority of the details. and while there is a fairly broad cast of characters, having the book solely from lyla’s POV made it way easier to keep up!

I typically enjoy a locked door mystery, similar to AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, but there was absolutely no mystery about this one! the “villain” was laid out from the beginning with a bully characteristic and not much motive other than being abusive and psychopathic. I definitely would have loved a reveal of a whodunnit here instead!!

while I did appreciate the randomness of characters being picked off or succumb to the elements of a deserted island, I again wanted more of a mystery behind it all! instead, the lack of a twist or reveal left the story dragging a bit for me with a quick and fizzled out ending 🥴

TLDR: a bingeable popcorn read for the summer but not one that’ll stick with me!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: new zealand pinot noir

Content Warnings

nickel_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

4.0

Picture it: You're on an island with 8 strangers and your partner only to be cut off from the world when a storm strands you with limited supplies. Then surprise! There's a murderer among you! Will you survive? Well that's the task ahead of Lyla when she begrudgingly agrees to participate in a new tv show. A little Lord of The Flies, a little Agatha Christie, and a whole lot of Survivor. 'One Perfect Couple' is on the scary side of reality television.

Content Warnings

More...