Book Review | “One Perfect Couple” by Ruth Ware
What Happens When "Love Island" Becomes "Lord of the Flies"
In a world of Love Island, The Bachelor, Perfect Match, and Love is Blind, Ruth Ware’s “One Perfect Couple” is right at home, fusing the dark side of reality TV with “Lord of the Flies” vibes.
The main character, Lyla, is a scientist, in a post-doctoral research slump, unable to reproduce the original findings, and will likely lose her current contract. Similarly, her live-in boyfriend, Nico, is a struggling actor hustling to land his big break when a new reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, pops up.
Nico thinks this show will launch his career, ultimately convincing Lyla to hop on board.
With the help of Nico’s slimy agent, they whip through the audition process and are off to a remote island in the Indian Ocean where we meet the other couples vying to win the competition. All the couples contain a model or influencer, fighting to the proverbial death for the limelight and to be the star of the show.
On their first night on the island, a massive storm rolls through, leaving carnage and decimation in its wake.
In the morning, the contestants, the ones that made it through the night, realize their new reality is one of survival but is the island big enough for this cast of characters?
Ruth Ware is adept at drawing the reader in and quickly connecting the reader to her characters and “One Perfect Couple” is no different.
We navigate this story through the eyes of normie Lyla, just like us, entering the entertainment world for the first time, glimpsing behind the curtain of television production.
It’s clear Ware did her research on reality TV, plunging the reader into the depths of fame-hunting and influencing. She introduces us to strong characters, some more insufferable than the rest, making the reader feel like they are gleefully hate-watching addictive garbage television, rooting on their favorites.
As the survivors divvy up their resources and decide how they will collaborate to stay alive, their humanity is challenged at every turn, revealing their true character and ripping away their polished TV facades.
“One Perfect Couple” is a rush of brain candy, slightly fizzling out toward the end but that didn’t stop me from flying through the novel, flipping page after page. Although I enjoyed the ride, the back half left me wanting more, or maybe it just wasn’t what I personally was looking for, placing my own wants on desires on this story.
Even with that said, it was a great read and is worth the journey. Ruth Ware is a legend and can do no wrong in my eyes.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½
A social experiment gone wrong, leaving dramatic reality TV personalities clashing for survival.
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