thereadingraccoon 's review for:

The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh

3.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Book Review: The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh 

The Eden Test is a domestic thriller about a wife that signs up her husband and herself up for an marriage retreat in upstate New York. But they are keeping secrets from each other and they’ll have to finally be honest if they want to survive the week. 

Daisy and Craig’s marriage is slowly coming apart. Craig has decided to leave with an exciting new lover and has his bags packed when Daisy surprises him to a trip to a cabin up north. When David arrives at an isolated cabin he finds a wife that is set on fixing their marriage and a town full of hostile locals. Each day a new question of “The Eden Test” will push them both in new directions and Craig will discover that Daisy’s secrets are much bigger than his own. As the couple starts to resurrect their marriage they’ll get more entangled with the locals but the biggest danger of all is just around the corner. 

I admit that domestic thrillers with philandering husbands are probably my least favorite read. Craig is so horrible and self-absorbed it’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to marry him yet actively work to stay married to him. Daisy’s backstory was probably the most interesting part of the book (although I guessed a lot of the “twists” early on) but the whole thing felt very Lifetime movie and not that realistic. It actually would make a pretty good movie even if it was just an okay read for me. 

This was a mildly entertaining read with some twists and thrills. I recommend it for readers that like stories that hinge on marital secrets.