Name: Carol Bailey's review of The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond
Item: The Marriage Pact
Rating: 4
Author: Carol Bailey

Michelle Richmond

THE NEW RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB THRILLER AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. THE PERFECT HEART-STOPPING THRILLER . . . First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes your first big mistake. How far are you willing to go for the perfect relationship? Newlyweds Jake and Alice are offered a mysterious wedding gift - membership of a club which promises its couples will never divorce. Signing The Pact seems the start to a perfect marriage. Until one of them breaks the rules. The marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare. Because The Pact is for life. And its members will do anything to make sure no one leaves . . . 'A pacey page-turner of a novel' Richard & Judy Book Club 'A brilliant premise . . . tautly plotted and deftly written' J P Delaney 'Ranks with Gone Girl' Joseph Finder 'Beware. This will keep you up all night' Lisa Gardner 'You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough' Paula Daly

The bestselling thriller for fans of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR

The Marriage Pact

Mandi Jayne

Picture-perfect newlyweds Alice and Jake are unexpectedly initiated into a mysterious organization designed to keep marriages happy and intact through seemingly sensible rules that become increasingly exacting and subject to brutal enforcement.

A Novel

Carol Bailey

I picked this book up on Netgalley for an honest review so to see a detailed version pop over to c-spot reviews.

The short version: I enjoyed the story despite having some concerns about the POV and not really liking one of the main characters. Turns out the POV worked and it didn't matter that I don't like Jake.

Cindy

Why did I like this book? It was so damn interesting, this group of successful couples have a pact about marriage and you would not believe the  bizarre rules and punishments. Newlyweds Alice and Jake willingly sign this pact before realizing what exactly they signed up for. What follows is the most bizarre look at how to keep your marriage perfect and what happens if you break even one rule. There is actually a marriage prison!! I was a bit amused by this book , I mean it was so over the top and unrealistic but I did enjoy it. For instance if you gain weight, they have weigh ins, you have to do grueling workouts with a personal trainer until you lose the weight. The couples have to remain the weight that they were on their wedding day, Friend. The Pact takes marriage and it's book of rules, The Manual, very seriously and members call each other Friend. While I did love this book at first , for me the middle dragged , it picked up again at the end though. I went on quite a roller coaster ride with Jake as he tries to find a way out of The Pact  but Friend, there may not be a way out unless you die. This book was so over the top but enjoyable.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge

Jill Basilone

I am giving 4 out of 5 stars to The Marriage Pact . Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Bantam, for the Advanced Reader Copy. I loved the premise of this book and was so drawn into the crazy idea of a Marriage Pact. I did feel that there were points where the story seemed dragged out, some information seemed unnecessary. Overall, I thought this was a great book and would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a fast paced, suspense filled story. I will admit that I personally found myself disappointed at the ending (specifically the very last chapter), although I understand why it had to end that way. 

The Marriage Pact follows the story of newlyweds Jake and Alice and their introduction into the world of The Pact. Jake, a therapist, tells the story of how The Pact has come into their lives and turned it upside down. Jake’s wife Alice was once a musician in a well-known band but gave up that life to pursue a career as a lawyer. Alice finds herself working on a case for a prestigious client, Finnegan, who winds up invited to the upcoming wedding of Jake and Alice. His presence is welcome and enjoyable and his gift will change the lives of Jake and Alice forever. 

A mysterious package containing a locked box arrives on the door step one day with no note, no instructions. Eventually, Pact member and Friend, Vivian, comes to the house and explains that Jake and Alice have been nominated, well vetted, and accepted into The Pact. While Jake is apprehensive, Alice seems thrilled for this secret society and is very eager to join. Wanting nothing more than to please his new wife, Jake agrees to join and they both sign their contracts. They are given The Manual and told to read it all, to know it all. 

The Manual lays out the rules, responsibilities, and consequences for Pact members. The rules mostly make sense.  Always answer your spouse’s call. Don’t snoop through their email or belongings. Give a gift once a month.  On the other hand, consequences seem a bit over the top. Misdemeanors and felony charges can be brought against Pact members for breaking rules and not following through on responsibilities and directives set forth by The Pact. But what really happens when you break a rule? Jake and Alice don’t have a clue. How could The Pact even know if you check your spouse’s email? How would they know if you didn’t answer a call? What if you were busy? Alice is the first to find out exactly what those punishments are. 

The story follows the missteps and mistakes made by Jake and Alice. It follows their desire to escape The Pact. Friends warn them that no one leaves The Pact. No one leaves alive anyway. Jake and Alice are scared to death of what might happen to them but escaping simply does seem impossible. How can the great leader, Orla, stand for this? How do this make a marriage last forever? Find out how Jake and Alice survive this new lifestyle and be prepared for a twist you won’t see coming.

Lauren Attaway

Preparing myself to get married while reading The Marriage Pact made for some interesting feelings about this book. Like the narrator Jake, I believe in marriage, but I’m just as aware that believing in something and living through it are separate things. Newlyweds Jack and Alice receive a wedding gift that invites them to join “The Pact,” a top-secret organization that promises to help them navigate the stickiness of marriage. Because this is a thriller, we know that Jack and Alice are in for a rough ride, and the novel doesn’t disappoint. I was genuinely concerned for their safety because pop culture has reinforced my opinion that a secret organization that guarantees a shortcut in life is up to no good. I thought Alice and Jake were flawed enough to make the writing interesting, but I did find myself gritting my teeth at some of the decisions they made. There’s a lot of room for eye-rolling and “yeah, rights” while reading this book but I think if the reader agrees to be swept up in the story they’ll enjoy it. A good read for summer and an even better read for newlyweds. The statistics/comments/study references on marriage at the beginnings of some chapters were a nice touch!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Chrissy

The Pact is a kind of elite club for a select few, you can only join if members of the club invite you and believe you would be a good candidate. It's sole purpose is to help you succeed in your marriage. It has had great success stories and stats for those couples who are in the pact. The way to a successful marriage is to follow some basic steps such as every month you purchase your spouse a gift of any can, every 3 months one spouse plans a trip/gateway to get some alone time etc. Some of these steps seem useful and nice and makes sense for keeping a happy marriage, but others....
And that is when our main characters start to question what they joined and agreed to. This book does a good job of testing love a relationships and trust. There are consequences for not following the rules and the methods of these consequences are unique. They tested our main characters and made you wonder if this will actually keep this couple happily married or will it set them against each other. Why was this Pact even created to begin with, and was the original founder aware of what is currently happening.
This book had me all over the place, thinking this is a cult, this is crazy, what in the world is happening, why is this okay. If one more person says "Friend" I'm going to loose my mind. I thought this was very well put together keeping you intrigued the whole time. The characters actions were not predictable and many times I was not sure if they were going to be on the same page on the different scenarios they were in or if it was going to pull them apart. Would them straying apart have even more crazy consequences?? I kind of predicted a part of the ending but that wasn't a huge plot twist guess so that didn't bother especially since I was not sure what the couple was going to do next. I just found this Pact (cult) so crazy but you just have to keep reading because you have to know why. The Pact run their own rules and their rules only and you just don't know who you can trust. I definitely think this is worth a read if you like domestic psychological mysteries because this messed with my head while I was reading it.

Paige Green

Rating: 2/5

Genre: Thriller

Recommended Age: 18+ (adult content, torture, violence, trigger warnings for torture)

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. Their life together holds endless possibilities. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice’s prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact.

The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact. And most of its rules make sense. Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . .

Never mention The Pact to anyone.

Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples.

And then one of them breaks the rules.

The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life. And The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule.

For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare. - Amazon.com

Let's start off with my need for thrillers is completely gone now. I had to DNF this book because it got way to weird and uncomfortable for me. While I thought that the characters were well developed and the writing was pretty good, I got a Stepford Wives and The Gift vibe from this book and it really creeped me out to a point where I had a few nightmares about it. When that happens that's when I call it quits on a book. Aside from the nightmares and the overall creepy vibe of this book, I felt that the books plot and pacing were off. It was probably my being uncomfortable that made this book too weird for me. 

Verdict: I can't really give a detailed review like I normally do because of how quickly I DNFed the book, but if you enjoy thrillers and if you loved reading The Stepford Wives or loved watching The Gift you might like this book!

Chelsea White

** spoiler alert **
           This book was a wild ride from start to finish. It started out innocently enough, but like most cults the Pact, and this story, spiraled out of control. I was on the edge of my seat while listening to this, and my dog got some extra long walks so I could keep listening. From the horror stories Joanne shared, to the complete twist that Jake learns while talking to Orla, this book was incredible and intense. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good thriller for the winter (or in general).

Simone Froelich

JengaEdging

Max Sebastian

How far is too far when it comes to protecting your marriage? Find out in this relentlessly paced novel of psychological suspense for anyone who loved The Couple Next Door. “Ranks with The Stepford Wives and Gone Girl as a terrifying look at what it really means to say ‘I do.’”—Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Switch Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. Their life together holds endless possibilities. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice’s prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact. The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact. And most of its rules make sense. Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . . Never mention The Pact to anyone. Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples. And then one of them breaks the rules. The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life. And The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule. For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare. Praise for The Marriage Pact “This fast-paced nail-biter goes in unpredictable directions. . . . It also raises thoughtful questions about individual agency and marital commitment. With strong writing, intriguing characters, and a compelling conceit, this psychological thriller seems destined for the top of summer reading lists. Recommended as a fresh voice for readers of Gillian Flynn or Ruth Ware.”—Library Journal (starred review) “Creepy and engrossing . . . [The Marriage Pact takes] readers deep into the heart of a marriage and exposes some of the darker drives, such as possession and control, that can lurk within even the most harmonious of unions.”—Booklist “Gripping, thought-provoking, and irresistible.”—Dean Koontz “Riveting psychological suspense! This book will keep you up all night, while making you second-guess everything you know and everyone you’ve ever loved.”—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Right Behind You

Mandi Jayne &
The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond

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