Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Narrator: Imogen Church
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio on May 21, 2024
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Length: 14 hours, 9 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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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.
I really enjoyed the classic thriller with psychological aspects which the author does so well. One Perfect Couple is brought to us by Lyla, a 32 year old scientist who has an actor boyfriend, Nico. He wants her to go with him on a reality TV show. She agrees to do it to help him. It’s sort of a rush deal and then they are on a beautiful island with weird questions and games. Half of the group are actors, influencers and those trying to get more fame. The others like Lyla are just there to support their partner. Lyla wins the first challenge.
The crew boat takes the loser to another island to helicopter home. But there is a bad storm and in the morning people are dead and some buildings are crushed or destroyed. The water system seems ruined so they only have some bottled water and packaged food stuffs.
As they start rationing food and water, working to find coconuts, bananas, or fish, they are in dire straights. And the situation is more like And Then There Are None. Other things like insulin are taken. It starts to be clear who the culprit is and it is terrifying.
I hated how much they suffered except the killer. The group worked hard and smart to help and save each other. Lyla was a star. I enjoyed the survival aspects and the moral issues with the different members of the group. There were also interesting character and couple dynamics.
Narration:
This narrator is often the one for this author’s books. I ‘m not knowledgeable about different inflections and dialects but the voices felt authentic. I thought the male and female voices were comfortable. The emotional tone of the performance was exceptional. We are mostly in Lyla’s point of view. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
Gret review. I enjoyed this one as well.
It was a bit scary and intense. I really enjoyed it though.
I hope to read this author’s work one day.
I enjoy them. They are mostly standalones.
Hard to believe we posted on the same day😏 This was chilling!
yes I really liked Lyla though.
A survivor style And Then There Were None would get pretty intense. I’ll have to give it a try.
yes it was intense at times. I enjoyed it.
That sounds like an intense read. I’d be on the edge of my seat to see what happened next in this kind of scenario.
yes and I only wish I was as talented / knowledgeable as some of those on the island.
This one sounds good, I have it on my wishlist.
I always enjoy her thrillers. They are twisty and rather intense.
I’ve enjoyed this author in the past. This sounds like a nail biter! I’d probably enjoy it.
It was felt a bit like gossipy reality tv show and yet quickly very real. I don’t watch this sort of reality tv, more cooking shows or home reno ones. I felt the tension of worrying about how any little thing would be mocked or affect a career or blown out of proportion making someone look bad. The actual survival part was intense.
I keep recommending this author to my mom and I’ll make sure to tell her about this one since I think it would be perfect for her too.
I hope she can enjoy it.
I’ve really love this narrator and I’ve enjoyed most of the books I’ve read by this author. This sounds like a good thriller.
I always enjoy this author / narrator combo. The reality tv show stuff was bizarre though, because I don’t watch those shows.
This sounds intense, but really good.
Intense is accurate. I won’t be watching or doing reality tv like this.