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, One 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.

This book contains scenes that depict domestic abuse.

The premise of One Perfect Couple may sound familiar: a group of strangers becomes stranded on a deserted island and everyone begins to panic when they realize help is not on the way—but as you read on you’ll soon realize that One Perfect Couple is so much more than a survival story. It’s a story brimming with psychological suspense and heart-pounding moments that make it an unforgettable read.

Our story begins with Lyla, a scientist who’s hit a rut in her research project. When her actor boyfriend suggests she join him on a couples reality TV show, the idea is too enticing to pass up. Soon enough, she finds herself on a remote tropical island with other contestants … but paradise isn’t quite how she imagined. The night after the first couples’ challenge, a terrible storm hits and the contestants lose communication with the outside world. What begins as an innocent game quickly morphs into a true tale of survival as water runs low and tensions run high. The only way the contestants will make it out is if they work together, but not everyone is on the same team.

There’s a reason that Ruth Ware has become a standout in her genre. She always pushes the envelope and puts her own unique thrilling twist on iconic genre tropes. One Perfect Couple is Ware at her best and should not be missed!