embelle's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book definitely drew me in! The first 1/3 of the book was a bit slower, but then I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading 50% of the book in one sitting! The setting was extremely atmospheric, and Ware did a good job of keeping things tense all throughout the group’s efforts to survive. There were parts of the ending that felt a bit rushed and that I didn’t appreciate as much, but overall I had a really good time following our cast of characters along their survival journey!

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wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Rather repetitive and predictable, but I also kind of expected that somehow.

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.75

Finished reading: November 18th 2024


"I had been bad at assessing danger since the day I set foot on Ever After Island. I had trusted the wrong people, made the wrong decisions. I had let my instincts override the evidence in front of me."

It's true that Ruth Ware's books can go both ways for me and her most recent books have failed to hit the mark (my favorite books are actually her gothic thrillers). Still, I can never resist a locked room vibe, a foreign setting or a reality TV angle, so it seemed like I truly hit the jackpot with One Perfect Couple. It's kind of funny how I would never watch this type of reality TV, but they are usually surprisingly fun to read about... This story is no exception to that rule, and I had a blast watching this trainwreck unfold. True, the cast of characters isn't exactly likeable and it took me a minute to keep them all apart. Sure, there are definitely cliches involved and you have to be able to suspend your disbelief. Sure, it is pretty clear almost straight away who is behind the bodies piling up. Also true: the final twists were a bit too convenient and seemed too much like the easy way out, and I kind of wished for a more satisfying ending. BUT. If you take this like the popcorn thriller it is, simply sit back and enjoy the ride, you will have a lot of fun on Ever After Island. The start is a bit slow with all the introductions and their travels to the Indonesian island... But once the storm hits the island and things start to go south, the plot becomes more interesting. It sure isn't a situation I would ever like to be in myself, but it makes for a very entertaining plot to read about! I also really liked the journal entries in between chapters, although I admit that they confused me at times. That said, it seems that this author is finally starting to redeem herself, and I can't deny I had a lot of fun reading One Perfect Couple despite its flaws. 

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faeriegodmutha's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a wild ride. I love the intersection of disaster story and reality TV. The unreliable narrator and the ending were so satisfying. 

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morgan77's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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shesflippinpages's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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abitofapoet's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

okay, admittedly I can see someone not liking this book if they’re expecting a mystery, because honestly there wasn’t much whodunnit involved at all. That being said, it was an amazing scary survival story. I didn’t expect the book to turn out the way it did at all, and I loved that about it. 
also loved the little woman in cabin 10 easter egg!!

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone but with the warning that it isn’t the type of thriller they might be expecting where you’re on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who the bad guy is. The bad guy is pretty clear from the start, the scary part was who was going to survive them and how! 

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celticthistle's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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uranaishi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75


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kimveach's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was precisely what I wanted to read after reading a few very slow-paced books.  I loved the mix of reality show participants and being stranded on a desert island.  Warning:  have a glass of water nearby while reading;  you'll feel dehydrated!

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