One Perfect Couple — Ruth Ware

Book review

When I’m not writing (or reading), I like to enter competitions, which is how I won an advanced copy of One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware. There’s something exciting about getting hold of a book that isn’t widely available for sale. So, I read it straight away.

This was the first book I’ve read by Ruth Ware, and it didn’t disappoint. It begins with the main character Lyla. She’s not the typical reality TV contestant. Instead, she works as a scientist, but her job is uncertain and her boyfriend (who wants to make it as an actor) convinces her to take part. The details about the show are sketchy, but the contestants have to enter as part of a couple, and the aim is to find ‘one perfect couple’. Lyla reluctantly agrees, but things don’t go to plan.

One thing that kept me intrigued was the sections after most of the chapters. These skipped ahead in the story and were a mixture of radio distress calls and written diary extracts by an unnamed person. By process of elimination (who was mentioned and who wasn’t) I figured out who was talking in most. However, not everything added up, but I kept reading, guessing that it would make sense later. Thankfully, it did, and this showed how great Ware is at what she does. This book would definitely encourage me to read more of her work.