Book Review: One Perfect Couple | Ruth Ware

This is a spoiler-free review of One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware. If you’re looking for spoilers (and how to explain that what the heck happened at the ending of the book), head over to my spoiler-review for all the details and my thoughts.

It would be hard to argue that Ruth Ware isn’t one of the most well-known and admired contemporary authors publishing today. Her books have global appeal in commercial fiction space. Even non-bookish friends have read The Woman in Cabin 10 and others. Personally I can say she is an auto-buy author for me and has written some of my favorite books.

Today I’m reviewing her latest book, One Perfect Couple. Ware’s books have taken a turn towards favoring a plot-driven story over a character-driven story in her two most recent books. Though that isn’t my personal favorite style, commercially this is a style that has a lot of appeal. What did I think of One Perfect Couple? I have a lot of thoughts so I’m ready to jump in!

What is One Perfect Couple about?

Lyla is a PhD whose about to run out the time on her latest post-doctoral contract with little hope of a renewal. When her boyfriend Nico begs her to join him on a reality competition show, she’s not remotely interested. But Nico is an aspiring actor and she understands that the exposure for him could boost his career. Plus, it’s not like she has a good reason to turn it down.

It isn’t long before Lyla and Nico find themselves flying to Jakarta and boarding a boat that will take them to the island where The Perfect Couple will film. Joining them are four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana. Hours after boarding the boat, the five couples turn over their phones and all access to the outside world. The next morning, they arrive at an idyllic, remote, island resort and the game kicks off.

Things quickly begin to go wrong. After each challenge, one person will be kicked off the show and their remaining partner may be coupled up with someone else. The results of the first challenge rattles everyone, and emotions bubble over in the aftermath. But that problem is quickly set aside when a terrible storm rolls in, damaging several of the villas, killing one cast member and one production member, and cutting them off from the rest of the crew who departed on the boat the night before.

As the group struggles to survive on little water, food, or shelter, unable to communicate with the outside world, tensions run high and they begin dying one by one. Are the deaths accidents, or are they stranded on the island with a murderer?

What did I think of One Perfect Couple?

Up front I want to say that I enjoyed this book, but it’s completely unlike Ruth Ware’s usual writing. If I didn’t know it was a Ruth Ware, I would have never guessed it was written by her if I were given one hundred guesses. Ware’s books have evolved over the years, with her early books having iconic gothic settings and isolated characters that possessed a cinematic quality (see as an example, The Death of Mrs. Westaway). Her settings are often as much of a character in her stories as the lead character is, and that makes her books special and unforgettable.

Starting with The It Girl, Ware began moving away from that style. She still had interesting settings and isolated characters, but the tone was much less gothic. In Zero Days, she moved further away from her signature style towards a straight thriller. One Perfect Couple is a survival thriller more than it is a psychological thriller. I found the survival elements compelling, but it lacked the intrigue and magic of her previous books.

Set around the premise of a reality television show, I’ll be the first to admit I was surprised that Ruth Ware watches reality television—particularly a show like Love Island which seems to be the closest comparison to this. I guess we can all enjoy some trash television! The premise does fit with Ware’s signature style of isolating her characters, though it lacks the gothic feel of prior books.

I have a lot of thoughts on how the book unfolds, the characters, and in particular how Ware chose to write that surprisingly emotional ending. If you are looking for spoilers and detailed thoughts on the whole book, head over to my spoiled review. Otherwise, keep reading here for a spoiler-free review!

Where is the tension coming from?

One Perfect Couple is billed as a reimagining of And Then There Were None, which is technically true (there are ten people marooned on an island and dying one at a time, after all), but that comparison sets up a very different type of story than what we got. There isn’t much mystery surrounding the who or even the why. It’s clear to the reader and those on the island by the midway point who is responsible for the murders and what the motive is—survival and resource guarding. I felt some intrigue wondering if they were working with someone or manipulating someone to help, but the reader and the contestants on the island aren’t kept in much suspense over who the killer is.

What is fueling the “thrill” in this thriller?

Aside from the killer, much of the tension actually comes from two main sources. The first was the survival of the people on the island. They have limited drinking water and food supplies, limited first aid items, and no mechanism to leave the island. There is a radio that they try each day, hoping to reach the crew boat or another boat. It quickly becomes clear the crew boat isn’t coming back, and may not have survived the storm. The survival elements are stressful and Ware does a good job describing just how dire the situation is. The depleting water felt like a timer was on their lives, counting down to zero.

The other source of tension comes from the people on the island and how they want to operate to survive. Is this a democracy? Should someone be in charge, and who should it be? The remaining contestants should band together for survival, but can they trust that everyone will be equitable in terms of how the food, water, supplies, and work are distributed? I’m sure you can guess the answer to that is no. The fact that everyone seems to know who is likely responsible doesn’t detract from the tension of the story, but it does change it. The question looming over the book is whether they can survive long enough for help to come, or if they’ll run out of supplies before that happens. It also means that each death, while tragic, adds a few extra days to their lifespan on the island.

Final Thoughts (TLDR)

Ruth Ware’s One Perfect Couple is a departure stylistically from her previous books. Longtime fans may miss the character-driven, psychological suspense style from her prior books and her iconic gothic settings, but will find this plot-driven survival thriller compelling. The setting is vivid and retains the cinematic-quality of her other work. There is built-in, well-crafted suspense driving the story forward as the reader and characters know they are on a countdown to be rescued before they run out of supplies to survive.

The notion of being trapped on an island with a murderer is less compelling, as the reader knows early on who is behind the murders (as do the characters). Journal entries written by one of the contestants portray a different view of what may be happening, and add some intrigue as the story unfolds. Don’t expect any big twists—this is not that style of thriller. The ending was much more emotional than I expected, and I think it will appeal to a lot of readers.

Overall, I recommend this book—by the second half I couldn’t put it down. Go in knowing that there won’t be major twists nor suspense over who is behind the murders, and enjoy the way the characters navigate the situation they are in.

If you liked One Perfect Couple, what should you read next?

About the Author

Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One, The It Girl and Zero Days have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times, and have sold more than nine million copies. Her books have been optioned for both film and TV, and she is published in more than 40 languages. Ruth lives near Brighton with her family. Visit ruthware.com to find out more.