June 2024 Standalone BOTM - One Perfect Couple, by Ruth Ware

[Alaina]

A high-tension and ingenious thriller following five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them.

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, The Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla find 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.

A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.

**This BOTM thread will be open until July 5th @ Midnight (in your time zone)**

[Kim]

started the audio today. i did a BR for Zero Days last month and my buddy recommended this one, such perfect timing!

[Kim]

Ch.1-10 (view spoiler)[ this feels like a mess lol. maybe it's because i am also in my 30's and put myself in Lyla's shoes. she too readily agreed to this "show" and the whole thing feels very sketch.

i'm doing the audio, so i know there are mini chapters interspersed with radio signals from the contestants and setting us up for some major drama but it's hard to remember it while we are in the midst of the "current" drama.(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Ch.11-19 (view spoiler)[ whoa things have escalated quickly! Nico's reaction was awful and I deeply disliked it. Now talking survival processes, I can't even imagine. Connor is straight up crazy. Also there a small little tidbits that are making me think that Nico is like behind this is or something? like this is actually the show, Connor being cuckoo and murdering people and the aim of this show is to defeat him? so strange. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Edit to my above hypothesis (view spoiler)[ yo Zana is writing this diary with info that is contradictory to the overall storyline. is she protecting Connor? Or is she really the killer/psycho/person who needs to be defeated?! like the bruise is from when she killed someone, not from Connor being a controlling d**k boyfriend. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Finished last night! (view spoiler)[ the diary entries make so much more sense at the end! I was thrown off by that red herring lol.

2 parts I didn't particularly like about the ending: a little too neatly tied up with Connor being the main connecting point; & Nico's final texts messages. Like why did Ware want to make him look better and not a selfish dude? (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Chapter 5: I am loving the set-up. I am listening to the audio, which is of course narrated by Imogen Church, one of my most favorite narrators. She always has a bit of trepidation in her voice, which I love. (view spoiler)[I don't like Nico at all, but I think it is just immaturity and selfishness. I don't really believe him to be a bad guy. He just has a bit of an inflated ego. This Baz guy seems like a real dick. They are on the boat, headed to the island and it's already trouble in paradise!>/spoiler > (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

megs_bookrack wrote: "To Chapter 5: I am loving the set-up. I am listening to the audio, which is of course narrated by Imogen Church, one of my most favorite narrators. She always has a bit of trepidation in her voice,..."

she is so good!!! i think this was my 3rd book with her narrating

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Kim wrote: "megs_bookrack wrote: "To Chapter 5: I am loving the set-up. I am listening to the audio, which is of course narrated by Imogen Church, one of my most favorite narrators. She always has a bit of tre..."
I love her! Glad you enjoyed her narration style as well. I believe she has narrated all of Ware's books. That's why I always listen to them, even though I buy hard copies too. LOL

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Chapter 12: Wow, (view spoiler)[that storm hit hard as heck. I love inclement weather stories though, so I am living for it. I also know it's really early, but I do like Joel. Hoping he doesn't die. (hide spoiler)]

Oh, and also, (view spoiler)[I am guessing Nico didn't actually leave the island and he is going to try to get revenge on Lyla for blowing up his 'shot' at stardom. (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Chapter 19: Oh, I see. She's going to lie (view spoiler)[ in her diary entries to cover for her boyfriend!? Are you serious!? Also, I can't believe we're down to seven, but all the better for resources, I guess... (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Kim wrote: "Ch.11-19 [spoilers removed]"Ohhhh, good theory. I feel like (view spoiler)[Nico is still involved too somehow, but I don't know how and that yeah, this is the survival situation the show was setting up, pretending cameras weren't working, etc., but the storm took it too far, but why stop now!? I can't wait to get to the truth! (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

76%!!!!

(view spoiler)[A The Woman in Cabin 10 reference!!! Amazing 😝💕 (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To 85%: (view spoiler)[Santana is really suspicious to me. Did she give the drugged coconut to Angel on person. Perhaps she is working with Connor and is going to turn on Lyla at the sea villa. And where actually is Joel, because I don't believe he's dead. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

i love all the twists and like possibilities in Ware's books. i very much appreciate you making guesses like i do haha

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Kim wrote: "Finished last night! the diary entries make

I liked the (view spoiler)[Nico part, because to me it felt like closure for Lyla so that she could move on. She was feeling so guilty about not being honest with him about how she was feeling about their relationship and I think for her, knowing it wasn't one-sided, or all her, sort of rid her of guilt and allowed her to understand they were both in the same place. Also, I feel like Nico had never acted like that towards her before so she was really shocked by his behavior, wondering if she knew him at all and the apology sort of solidified, yes she did know him, he was just having a bad moment and cracked under the pressure. I think it was all to set her character free and allow her to move past that relationship (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Finished! Loved it. Great set-up, with well-created tension and intriguing mystery throughout!!

[Trisha]

Part 1

wow, loving it so far
curious how far it will go off the rails lol

(view spoiler)[ what a crappy show! lol
Like they said, no staff to help them. they aren't even monitoring her blood sugar!? Yikes!

it's wild, the days between that first mayday was 2/15 - the next day! Oh no! SO the storm must hit tonight
Does that mean Nico was on the boat too?

Yeah, not a fan of Nico. He didn't seem to really see her or care about her. it seemed like he jumped into a relationship for the place to live and someone to cover the bills while he tried to get his career going. Love that he doesn't stand out in this group of pretty people

I think the last day they are on there with the mayday is 2/24.
9 days. here we go! (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

Part 2

OMG
(view spoiler)[ there are so few left and now it's just the women
and Conor
that guy is so gross
but Zana's diary logs glossing over and changing the narrative is just as gross. The only way I think the diary works is if the girls get away with killing Conor. THEN they can show it was all just accidents!

I'm really hooked. I really like Lyla. (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

Kim wrote: "Edit to my above hypothesis [spoilers removed]"

I was (view spoiler)[ really wondering if she was covering for Conor too!
but if all the women are the only ones that survive and Zana starts the journal AFTER Conor dies in order to turn the narrative - to we didn't kill him because we didn't need to. No one killed anyone and everyone was so nice and happy while we survived.

well then, maybe that's why she's writing it! lol (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

Part 3 (and done)

(view spoiler)[ ha! I loved it! I knew she was making that journal to support their story. I agree, it makes me sad that Baz just wanted to expose him but in his haste, he almost killed them all instead of being cautious and doing things right.
and the girls made him a hero instead

but it doesn't matter. They made it out.

I also really liked that the author gave us that text from Nico in the end. it was such a touching moment, to know he wasn't raging about her on the boat when he died.
(hide spoiler)]

this was so good!

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Trisha wrote: "Part 3 (and done)

ha! I loved it! I knew she was making that journal to support their story. I agree, it makes me sad that Baz just wanted to expose him but in his haste, he almost killed them al..."

Agree with all your final thoughts! I'm so glad you loved this one too, Trisha!!

[Alaina]

Today is the LAST day to add comments for BOTM points!