One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
Publication Date: 18th July 2024
Published by Simon & Schuster
Book Description:
Five beautiful couples.
One deadly game.
Who will escape alive?
Lyla Santiago has spent months working on a research project that could be the key to getting a permanent job in her field.
So, she can’t really drop everything to go to a desert island with her actor boyfriend Nico to film One Perfect Couple, a new reality TV show that Nico is sure will lead to his big break – can she?
Two weeks later, Lyla finds herself boarding a boat to an isolated luxury resort in the Indian Ocean.
The rules of the game are simple. Ten strangers have to survive together on the island - and the last couple standing scoops the prize.
There will be sun, sea, laughs and plenty of flirting.
What could possibly go wrong?
But when a huge tropical storm cuts them off from everything, the group must band together.
As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla realises that someone is playing this game for real – and they'll stop at nothing to win.
Ten might have arrived, but who will survive to the end?
One deadly game.
Who will escape alive?
Lyla Santiago has spent months working on a research project that could be the key to getting a permanent job in her field.
So, she can’t really drop everything to go to a desert island with her actor boyfriend Nico to film One Perfect Couple, a new reality TV show that Nico is sure will lead to his big break – can she?
Two weeks later, Lyla finds herself boarding a boat to an isolated luxury resort in the Indian Ocean.
The rules of the game are simple. Ten strangers have to survive together on the island - and the last couple standing scoops the prize.
There will be sun, sea, laughs and plenty of flirting.
What could possibly go wrong?
But when a huge tropical storm cuts them off from everything, the group must band together.
As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla realises that someone is playing this game for real – and they'll stop at nothing to win.
Ten might have arrived, but who will survive to the end?
My Thoughts:
I reserved this title from my local library, unsure whether I am really the target audience as I don't watch much TV at all, let alone reality shows like Love Island and all the different variants of. But this one felt suitably within my favoured genre whilst pushing the boundaries just a tiny bit. I've enjoyed this author's previous work, so I gave it a go.
The reader is introduced to the narrator of the book Lyla, as she faces a difficult time in her professional life - she's a research scientist who has discovered that the project she is working on is a bit of a non-starter and she won't be able to bring a big, splashy reveal to her managers as the data does not prove the theory they had set out to. She's looking at having her employment terminated within weeks, so when boyfriend and budding actor/wannabe celebrity Nico brings the idea of participating in a reality TV show to her, despite her gut instinct to run a mile, she decides what the heck? Let's do it to try and boost Nico's career. A decision which comes back to haunt her, big style!
Alarm bells ring for Lyla right from the moment she's introduced to those making the show. Something feels off but she can't put her finger on it significantly enough to persuade Nico that this is a bad idea. So off they fly towards a beautiful Indonesian island to meet the other contestants, all beautiful, stereotypical characters from the type of reality show Lyla has seen before. She doesn't fit with them in any way, but finds an equal amongst them who feels exactly how she does, and is also only there for their partner. Can they become allies and get themselves voted off, leaving those who really want to be there to fight it out for the winner's crown or will any allegiance ultimately become her downfall?
The arrival of a vicious storm during the night changes the whole scenario of their stay on the island. Some of the accommodation is destroyed, the electricity generators are knocked out of service and most scarily of all, not everyone has survived the night. The dynamic of the group has changed and the whole thing takes on a 'Lord of the Flies' feel to it. It's survival of the fittest, but it's time for Lyla to decide whether to risk bonding with other contestants or whether she's better off on her own.
Personally, I enjoyed this book more than I expected to however for me the ending was decidedly weak. I know the author needed to wrap things up to a conclusion, but after all that our contestants had gone through the climax felt rushed and a little sketchy in comparison with the main body of the book. It's hard to say too much as I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone, even to the point of who was lost to the storm. I suppose people find hidden depths to their abilities in desperate situations but some things which transpired did push the boundaries of credibility just a touch.
My opinion? Give it a try. If you like a reality show it will probably appeal in a stronger vein than it did for me, but if not then you will most likely find there are better options to keep you glued to the pages.
About the Author:
Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One and The It Girl have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times, and she is published in more than 40 languages. She lives on the south coast of England, with her family.
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