Book Review - The Family Experiment by John Marrs

Title: The Family Experiment (Dark Future # 5)
Author: John Marrs
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Published: 2024
 
Description: The world’s population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.
 
But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show called The Substitute. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child, or risk it all for the change or a real baby…
 
Review: I have already read “The One” (book one) and “The Marriage Act” (book four) in this series by John Marrs. They can be read out of order, because they are all different stories, with new characters. They are only set in the same universe. An alternate, not so distant future. Events from the other books are always briefly mentioned in the other stories. “The Passengers” is the second book and “The Minders” is book three. I still need to read those.
 
With “The Family Experiment” we enter a dystopian future in which virtual parenting is a thing. The book follows several participants in a reality show who are raising a virtual child. Whoever wins, can either keep their virtual child or win money to raise a real child in the real world. Because in this future it’s become nearly impossible to have a child and raise one, because of the economic crisis.
 
The set-up of the story is very similar to the other two book I read. We follow several POV’s/ storylines of people dealing with the same situation. Regular chapters are interspersed with adds, news bulletins and social media responses, and we also get some scenes from the past. You don’t really get to know what these ‘flashbacks’ have to do with the rest of the story, but the mystery of this makes it more interesting.  
 
The book has many unexpected plot twists. The suspense is compelling and the way each contestant is dealing with the situations is fascinating. The characters are very different, so it’s easy to follow. The amount of characters might be a bit overwhelming for some readers, especially if you’re not used to reading from multiple perspectives.  
 
John Marrs is known for building tension and ends his chapters often in cliffhangers. This makes you want to keep reading. It’s a very fast paced book. I found this book very original and it deals with AI and the dangers of it.
 
If you have enjoyed “The One” or “The Marriage Act”, or are a fan of the anthology series “Black Mirror”, you will most likely enjoy “The Family Experiment” too.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Summerween 2023 - Wrap-Up

Summerween has been over for a while now, but I have finished all the books I had set for my TBR. All five I have read physically, which is kind of a big deal. Okay, I specifically picked shorter books (not all though), to make it more achievable. But still. You can check out the original post for my Summerween TBR HERE

I made a prediction for how I would rank them. And this is what I thought the top 5 would be:
1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

2. What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

3. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

4. Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

5. The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean

I was very sure about my number one, the rest I just winged. I put the Will Dean book last because that was the book I knew the least about. Turns out, this was my actual ranking at the and of the readathon!!! 

Here are some short thoughts on each book, per prompt, with links to the full review:

Prompt 1: Read a book in the dark

Slaugtherhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

A unique book, which I highly enjoyed, but is definitely not for everyone. It constantly jumps back and forth in time and it deals with alien abduction. I love Vonnegut's writing. Read my full review HERE

Rating: 4/ 5

Prompt 2: Read a Thriller

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

A fast-paced and exciting thriller. Just when you think you've figured it out, it goes in a different direction. Hard to put down and again a great John Marrs thriller. Not all twists are as surprising, but the ending was. HERE is my full review. 

Rating 4,5/ 5

Prompt 3: Read a book that takes place in the fall

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

A modern fairytale, a magical yet creepy read. Quick and original, with beautiful illustrations and fantastic characters. Great for adults and kids. Click HERE to check out my full review. 

Rating:5/ 5

Prompt 4: Read a book with orange or black on the cover

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean

A story that had potential, but didn't use it to the fullest. i didn't enjoy this book. only the first 20 percent maybe, but then it became repetitve and boring. Would not reccommend. HERE is my full review. 

Rating: 2/ 5

Prompt 5: Read a manga, graphic novel or novella

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

A classic story, which would be perfect for those who haven't delved into to classic yet. This is a good one to start with. The infamous plot twist is well-written and I really wonder how people back in the day responded to reading that for the first time. It was a fine read, but in the end it never captivated or grabbed me. HERE is my full review. 

Rating: 3/ 5

My average rating for this readaton is: 3,8

I did well, in general. One 5-star book, I'm happy about that. Just a shame for that one 2-star book though. I had made this TBR beforehand, but it's not something I'm going to continue. I prefer to read whatever I'm in the mood for, not a set TBR. So, back to mood reading now. 

Book Review - What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

Title: What Lies Between Us
Series: -
Author: John Marrs
 
Description: They say every house has its secrets, and the house Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.
 
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heave chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
 
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way, even if it kills her.
 
Review: Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she has done and thus she will never set her free. Nina keeps Maggie locked and chained in the attic for something that happened in the past. But there is more to that past that Nina doesn’t know about and Maggie wants to keep these secrets hidden, no matter what.
 
You get sucked into this sick story from page one, but why Nina is keeping Maggie locked up remains unanswered for a long time. You have a lot of questions, more then answers. And that makes “What Lies Between Us” an absolute page-turner. Along the way you realize that both women have their fair share of secrets and have done bad things.
 
It’s an intense thriller, full of adrenaline that takes insanity to another level. The twists and turns in the story alone are not mind-blowing, but you’re constantly led astray. When you think you’ve figured it out, it goes the other way. Because I didn’t predict that ending.

“What Lies Between Us” is an unstoppable, emotionally shocking and addictive thrill ride. I can now say that John Marrs is a favorite author and I want to read all of his books.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Summerween 2023 - My TBR

Summerween is a readathon that booktuber/ bookstagrammers Gabby and Olivia host every summer, where they read scary books for a week. This year, I decided to participate. The readathon takes place from 7-13 July and has reading prompts. I choose to read 5 books. And because I'm not a fast reader and can enver read 5 books in a week, I decided to dedicate the month of July to Summerween. So instead of mood reading this month, I have a chosen TBR. 

First, let's look at the prompts:

I picked five books to read for each prompt:

Prompt 1: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Prompt 2: What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
Prompt 3: Coraline by Neil Gaimann
Prompt 4: The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean
Prompt 5: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

I wanted to make a prediction of my raking, how I'm going to like these books:

1. Coraline

2. What Lies Between Us

3. Slaughterhouse Five

4. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

5. The Last Thing to Burn

Stay tuned to see what I eventually rank them. 

There is also a list of photo prompts, that you can post on your social media.

I'm super excited to join my first readathon, reading spooky, thrilling and scary books. Let me know if you're going to join as well.

Book Review - The Marriage Act by John Marrs

Title: The Marriage Act
Series: -
Author: John Marrs
 
Description: Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills — the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single.
But four couples are about to discover just how impossible relationships can be when the government is monitoring every aspect of our personal lives — monitoring every word, every minor disagreement — and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honor and obey.
 
Review: “The Marriage Act” is set in Great Britain, in a near future, in the same ‘universe’ as “The One” which came out in 2016 and I read last year. “The One” is about how you can be matched to your soulmate due to DNA. In “The Marriage Act” couples take the next step: marriage. The right-wing government encourages people to get married, making it the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single. The couples who choose ‘Smart Marriage’ are being monitored and every single disagreement or struggle will be heard. This way they believe that everyone will love, honor and obey.
 
In this world, we follow five couples, each dealing with the ‘Smart Marriage’ in a different way. An ambitious vlogger who wants to use ‘Smart Marriage’ as her way to earn more followers, an elderly couple dealing with an illness, a gay couple who gets the help from a relationship responder (working for ‘Smart Marriage’), a couple who is about to divorce and a couple where one is working for ‘Smart Marriage’ and is starting to feel guilty.
 
This whole concept is actually frighteningly plausible and it does not take much imagination to see a world of surveillance and intrusion. This marriage act has taken control of every aspect of citizen’s lives. If you enter into a ‘Smart Marriage’, you get better living communities, priority in health care, all kinds of financial incentives and tax breaks, and more legal rights. But if you choose to remain single, or live together unmarried, you will be treated as second-class citizens. By upgrading, you agree to have the so-called Audite registration boxes installed in your home, and if AI determines that your marriage needs attention, different levels of support will be given. One is a relationship responder who can move in with you for a while, assessing your marriage. It’s an intrusive process that can ultimately decide whether you can stay married or not. There is one storyline, that focuses on this element of the ‘Smart Marriage’.
 
Without giving away major plot points, “The Marriage Act” is compelling, shocking and engaging to read. I simply couldn’t put it down. It follows a similar set-up as “The One”, following multiple POV’s, which I always love in books. We get to meet different people, all on a certain side of this marriage act, dealing with ‘Smart Marriage’ in their own way. Some vouching for it, others going against it, some still in doubt. You read about some really unsympathetic people, but there are a few really good people in it as well.
 
The whole scenario is absolutely horrifying, but it does who show dangerous it can be to let AI define people’s lives. You see what this marriage act does to people. “The Marriage Act” has some good social commentary. And each storyline is interesting to read about, for its own reason. There are many twists throughout the entire book and some were really shocking. Just the prologue alone, it sets the tone for the book and makes you want to never put it down.
 
If you also loved “The One”,  you will most definitely enjoy “The Marriage Act”. I did, even a little bit more. Certainly will recommend it to people.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Book Review - The One by John Marrs

Title: The One
Series: -
Author: John Marrs
 
Description: A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner. The one you are genetically made for. That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each other of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.
Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “matched”. They’re each about to meet their one true love. But happily ever after isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets.
 
Review: Everyone wants to run into their soul mate, but it’s not that easy. There are usually some bad dates before you meet the true one. In “The One” they have found a simple solution. The company “Match Your DNA” has developed a test that guarantees you 100% that you will find the person who is made for you from genetic point of view. All you have to do is send in your DNA and wait for a match. It sounds simple and it will certainly save you a lot of grief and time. But there is also a downside to this test. People start doubting their current relationship and that in turn leads to a lot of divorces. In “The One” we follow five people who have done this test and found their match. But is love at first sight really possible? All couples are confronted with challenging situations and it turns out that even a DNA match does not always guarantee a long and happy life. 
“The One” is truly a story where you can tell it has been well though out. Author John Marrs knows how to pull the reader right into each storyline by ending each chapter with a cliffhanger. You really get completely hooked on all the drama that takes place in the book. So just a warning, reading for an hour is definitely not an option with “The One”. The chapters are short, but that works very well in this book. With five different storylines it would otherwise be difficult to follow if the chapters are longer. And I always prefer shorter chapter anyway. 
Marrs also knows how to convey the atmosphere of the story very well to the reader. The chills literally run down you spine and you feel tension in you stomach while reading. You cannot turn the pages fast enough, while on the other hand you do not want the book to end.
There were quit a few surprising twists in the story. More than in any other book I have read. Some twists you do see coming, but most you don’t. Marrs knows how to put the reader on the wrong track every time. 
In short, “The One” is a great book. And especially because the plot an writing style of Marrs are good. He really knows how to bring this story to life with his writing style and therefore it is almost impossible to put the book down. I can only highly recommend this book, because it’s amazing.

Rating: 4,5/ 5