#ImogenChurch – Rosepoint Publishing

Book Blurb:

Harkening to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them—from Ruth Ware, the New York Times bestselling author who “is turning out to be as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime” (The Washington Post).

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 this game show is all too real—and the stakes are life or death.

My Review:

Well, not exactly a new idea for a plot, one that’s been done more than a few times before. This one starts with five couples.

Lyla is in a pickle with her contract for her research and at loose ends, and against her better judgment, agrees to go with boyfriend Nico to participate in a reality TV show called One Perfect Couple.

Something is immediately wrong when the deserted island that was supposed to be a paradise isn’t really ready. The two crew who delivered them have set rules which surprise a few of those so thrilled to be chosen that they neglected to read the fine print.

Unfortunately, the first round eliminated Nico who is sent back and Lyla is left without her partner supposedly waiting for further eliminations to see who will end up the one perfect couple.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware - UK cover — One Perfect Couple – UK cover

To add to the debacle, there is a ferocious storm (hurricane?) that rips through the island almost immediately and leaves those on the island essentially without power or communication to the mainland. Taking inventory of stores, they devise a plan to survive until rescue arrives and one guy appears to take control.

Uh oh…predictably, things begin to happen and not in a good way. They begin the fight for food and water. As the drama ramps up, the group begins to lose a survivor at a time and the tension turns desperate, then deadly.

It starts a bit slow, introducing the characters and the plot device, but once on the island and the storm hits, it becomes engaging and entertaining. There are twists and a surprise in the denouement you didn’t expect. Who will survive to be rescued?

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher:
ASIN: B0CLHL3J44
Listening Length: 14 hrs 25 mins
Narrator: Imogen Church
Publication Date: May 21, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

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.