Review: One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware | A Visit to Page and Petals
“I blinked. Where had this sudden, inconvenient attack of self-analysis come from?”
Book Description: Lyla agrees to go on a reality TV show with her boyfriend, aspiring actor Nico. How bad could a few weeks on a remote island be? And even better, it could help promote Nico’s career so he could finally start contributing financially to their life together. All they have to do is compete against four other couples to prove which one is ‘the perfect couple.’
Things quickly spiral out of control once they make it to the island. The production isn’t what they were expecting. The first challenge of the show leaves everyone rattled. And now a dangerous storm is on its way. When disaster strikes and everyone on the island is cut off from the mainland, can the remaining contestants work together to survive? Or is someone there with ulterior motives?
This was the perfect book to get me out of a recent reading slump, and I’m very grateful for that.
That being said…. It was a solid 3.75/5. I would still recommend it if you’re looking for an easy, light thriller (well not that light, several people die) that moves fast and doesn’t need too much focus.
Maybe I got hooked right away because I LOVE reality TV. I’m a major fan of any reality show I can get my eyes on. The beginning of this book is a mix of Bachelor in Paradise and The Ultimatum (maybe Love Island too but that’s the one I haven’t seen). I would have been happy to read a full story about the behind-the-scenes reality show drama this book set up. Does anyone have any book recommendations with that plotline?
But this was a thriller, so it was quickly time for the plot to take a steep dive away from cameras and into castaway.
That is where this book lost me for a minute. In between the filming scenes and when the mystery started there were several chapters of just survival reading. This included a lot of tropical storm-related deaths and rationing water scenes that I wasn’t expecting.
Eventually I saw the thriller plotline coming back through, and I did fly through the second half of the book, wondering how everything would unfold.
It was good. It was fun. But I found myself expecting more- waiting for another twist right up until the last page.
It won’t be my favorite book of the year, but it was a great read to pull me out of a cold, sad February where I DNFed 3 books in a row and get me excited about warmer weather reading again.
My Rating: 3.75/5
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This week, I found an absolute GEM of a bookstore. Page and Petals is a gorgeous, ultra girly space complete with an outdoor seating area by the water. This is a fiction-only bookstore, and every corner of it was filled with things I loved. I’ve never wanted to get a group of friends together for a bookstore reading session so badly before!
Last but not least, here are some notes you may have missed during the week. Find more notes and connect with me here!
