Published September 3rd, 2024 by Bookouture
Psychological Thriller
I am thrilled to be opening the blog tour for this heart-pounding thriller on its publication day. Thank you to Bookouture for the invitation to take part and for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
One tropical island. Four couples. They believe they’re on a TV show to save their marriages. But the people behind the cameras know all their secrets. They’re going to be revealed, one by one. Because everyone has something to hide…
An incredibly successful surgeon and her gorgeous partner enjoy a life of luxury. To get it, one of them had to hide a dark past…
A young couple are expecting their first child. Has one of them been unfaithful?
High school sweethearts, missing their two young children. But the suburban dream is becoming a nightmare…
A husband and wife running a successful business together. But with both their marriage and company failing, what is really happening behind closed doors?
But their secrets aren’t the only thing coming out under the bright lights. Because some of the people on this island have met before.
And one of them has a secret they’d kill to protect…
Who will pass the marriage test? And who will survive?
A completely binge-worthy, utterly twisted thriller that will have you turning the pages all night long! Perfect for fans of The Perfect Marriage, Freida McFaddenand The Girl in Seat 2A.
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MY REVIEW:
Four couples are on a tropical island to take part in a reality TV show and try to save their relationships. Each of the couples are hiding something. Things they don’t know the producers know and plan to reveal one by one. But one of the contestants is willing to do anything to protect their secret. Even kill. Who will survive the marriage test? And at what cost?
Heart-poundingly tense, twisty and addictive, The Marriage Test had me hooked. Moving between events on the island and police interviews with the producers, we know from the start that one of the contestants doesn’t leave the island alive, providing a sense of inherent danger. And there’s things simmering beneath the surface, dark secrets just waiting to boil over. Compelling, intricate and hard to predict, Ellie Monago has cunningly crafted this fast-paced thriller, barely giving you time to catch your breath from one twist before you’re hit with another one, exposing the truth behind so-called ‘Reality TV’ while asking how far we’re prepared to go to stop our darkest secrets from being revealed.
This is a story filled with flawed characters and unreliable narrators. They may say they’re here to save their relationships, but it is soon clear that all of the contestants have other motivations for appearing on the show, and they all have secrets they want to keep hidden, making it impossible to trust anything they say or that you think you know. I found myself particularly drawn to Lauren and Tatiana but there wasn’t one character I was rooting for and I didn’t really care if the couples stayed together. I was here for the drama and to try and solve a murder. The contestants quickly formed friendships, rivalries and even cross-couple flirtations. Meanwhile the producers and counsellors toy with them and begin revealing their secrets at the behest of Marla, the show’s executive producer. She was like an evil puppeteer pulling all the strings and watching things unravel with glee, seemingly not caring that she is messing with people’s lives. All she cares about is the ratings. But things unravel quickly, it’s the perfect recipe for murder and everyone has a motive.
After the murder the contestants are not only trapped on an island with a killer, they are also terrified they might be next and have no idea who they can trust, the tension really heating up as speculation about the killer’s identity is rife. At this point they are also faced with discovering how they have been perceived on the show and the social media speculation about which one of them is the killer, leaving them trying to prove their innocence and protect their image whilst also trying to salvage their relationships. I was on tenterhooks and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, desperate to finally know the truth.
Jaw-dropping, riveting and suspenseful, this is a must-read for all thriller lovers.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ellie Monago is the pen name of an acclaimed novelist and practicing therapist. She’s also a wife and mother, and when you add it all up, she doesn’t wind up with much time for hobbies. But she’s an avid tennis fan, a passionate reader of both fiction and nonfiction—especially memoir (nothing’s as juicy as the truth!)—and she relishes a good craft cocktail.
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BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon*
*this is an affiliate links
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx
Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 