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namitakhanna's review against another edition
3.0
The Marriage Pact is a creepy psychological thriller by Michelle Richmond
Jake is a therapist and Alice, a musician turned attorney, who receive an invitation to join The Pact as a wedding present . On joining The Pact they receive a Manual that has a list of rules and regulations that they have to follow so as to keep their marriage happy and intact. If there are some infractions punishments are meted out ranging from mild to severe. The Pact is extreme and everywhere but once you join there is no escape from this cult like group.
The book started off real well and I enjoyed Michelle Richmond’s writing .The concept is interesting and it did keep me intrigued but fell short of my expectations. The story is narrated from only Jake’s point of view and leaves Alice’s perspective out of the picture. The part that really bothered me was Jake was portrayed as this perfect husband and Alice trying to prove herself worthy of his love. The ending was anticlimactic as well thus my rating 3 stars .
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Bantam & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
Jake is a therapist and Alice, a musician turned attorney, who receive an invitation to join The Pact as a wedding present . On joining The Pact they receive a Manual that has a list of rules and regulations that they have to follow so as to keep their marriage happy and intact. If there are some infractions punishments are meted out ranging from mild to severe. The Pact is extreme and everywhere but once you join there is no escape from this cult like group.
The book started off real well and I enjoyed Michelle Richmond’s writing .The concept is interesting and it did keep me intrigued but fell short of my expectations. The story is narrated from only Jake’s point of view and leaves Alice’s perspective out of the picture. The part that really bothered me was Jake was portrayed as this perfect husband and Alice trying to prove herself worthy of his love. The ending was anticlimactic as well thus my rating 3 stars .
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Bantam & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
shelbfish5's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
roglows's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, this is a rough one. More of a 3.5 to 4 stars.
On one hand, I enjoyed the direct approach to the prose. Descriptive without being flowery. I liked the premise a lot, as disturbing as it was. It reminded me a tiny bit of The Girl Before; a legalistic, overly strict approach to a lifestyle and how those seductive boundaries soon become stifling. Murderously so.
On the other hand, the whole book made me anxious and sometimes the characters got on my nerves. Jake could be too perfect at times. Alice too inconsiderate. With regard to traditional marriage/gender roles, I liked that their roles were kind of flipped (he's the devoted therapist, always home to make dinner and welcome her. She's the successful, over the top busy attorney, always late to dinner and leaving messes). There were a lot of references to the bourgeoisie lifestyle (I get it; I've lived in the Bay Area), so many I started rolling my eyes. Were these indulgent or ironic? Couldn't tell.
I just don't know. TMP was certainly an ambitious undertaking. I loved the varied approaches on marriage and what of means to different people. Some of it felt a bit heavy handed (if not a bit preachy). Sometimes I really enjoyed this book, other times I just wanted it to end. The ending was, in fact, quite satisfying. This would make an excellent movie or show.
**got an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
On one hand, I enjoyed the direct approach to the prose. Descriptive without being flowery. I liked the premise a lot, as disturbing as it was. It reminded me a tiny bit of The Girl Before; a legalistic, overly strict approach to a lifestyle and how those seductive boundaries soon become stifling. Murderously so.
On the other hand, the whole book made me anxious and sometimes the characters got on my nerves. Jake could be too perfect at times. Alice too inconsiderate. With regard to traditional marriage/gender roles, I liked that their roles were kind of flipped (he's the devoted therapist, always home to make dinner and welcome her. She's the successful, over the top busy attorney, always late to dinner and leaving messes). There were a lot of references to the bourgeoisie lifestyle (I get it; I've lived in the Bay Area), so many I started rolling my eyes. Were these indulgent or ironic? Couldn't tell.
I just don't know. TMP was certainly an ambitious undertaking. I loved the varied approaches on marriage and what of means to different people. Some of it felt a bit heavy handed (if not a bit preachy). Sometimes I really enjoyed this book, other times I just wanted it to end. The ending was, in fact, quite satisfying. This would make an excellent movie or show.
**got an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
bethmorvant's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I definitely think had I read this 3+ years ago, I would have given this five stars. It’s a good read and would recommend it to those who love psychological thrillers that have that cult element to it.
I definitely think had I read this 3+ years ago, I would have given this five stars. It’s a good read and would recommend it to those who love psychological thrillers that have that cult element to it.
deanab's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very good, fast-paced book; however, towards the end it did seem to drag out the story a bit.
plantyofbooks6's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kourts_reads's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars!!!
at first, i thought “huh interesting concept for married people” and then someone messes up and has to suffer the consequences of The Pact. I would NOT wanna be apart of that, no fricken way
at first, i thought “huh interesting concept for married people” and then someone messes up and has to suffer the consequences of The Pact. I would NOT wanna be apart of that, no fricken way
aleung0993's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I wanted so badly to love this book. The concept was fun but ultimately unbelievable. I was not bought in to why anyone would sign up for this chaos in the first place and I certainly didn’t buy that a lawyer would sign a document that completely hands their life over to a group of strangers. The ending also fell flat for me and again exceptionally unbelievable. These two people who have been the bane of the groups existence from day one are the perfect fit to take over?? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.
It was a relatively quick read all things considered and I was entertained, just left way more questions than it answered.
It was a relatively quick read all things considered and I was entertained, just left way more questions than it answered.
psychotherabee's review against another edition
3.0
(A copy of this review can also be found here: https://beautifulilies.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/the-marriage-pact-by-michelle-richmond/ )
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this novel. It’s a bit of a slow-burner, but at the same time, it’s never not enjoyable to read. The novel is told through Jake’s perspective – he talks about how much he loves Alice and how they got married and how they came across The Pact, something of a cult that brings law into marriage. If you don’t pick up that phone call from your spouse, if you’re emotionally unfaithful, The Pact will punish you for it.
The goal of The Pact is to make marriages last. And it does just this – Jake is pleased when Alice comes home earlier from work, and it aids their marriage. Except when Jake and Alice learn that the key to The Pact’s success if that couples who don’t fit in mysteriously disappear. Through prison sentences and torture, Alice and Jake have to find a way of leaving The Pact while holding onto their lives.
This sounds like an exceptionally suspenseful novel. On Goodreads, it’s marketed as a thriller. But for me, it didn’t really have that fast-paced element, except towards the end. It was suspenseful when Alice and Jake were forcefully taken away, and when they went on the run – but it was also anticlimactic in the sense that the build-up didn’t quite match the end result.
I feel this is more a fault of marketing, perhaps. Because for me, I enjoyed this novel as more of a “books that make you think” novel. I’ve never thought harder about the concept of marriage and why it’s so unsuccessful these days. Also, with Jake’s insight as a relationships counsellor, I enjoyed reading the facts about marriage and generally life itself.
To summarise, this was a really enjoyable book to read. I finished it in a day because it was that good. I just wouldn’t say it’s particularly a thriller, perhaps something of a dystopian mystery novel, but definitely a philosophical book that provides a deep insight to marriage.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this novel. It’s a bit of a slow-burner, but at the same time, it’s never not enjoyable to read. The novel is told through Jake’s perspective – he talks about how much he loves Alice and how they got married and how they came across The Pact, something of a cult that brings law into marriage. If you don’t pick up that phone call from your spouse, if you’re emotionally unfaithful, The Pact will punish you for it.
The goal of The Pact is to make marriages last. And it does just this – Jake is pleased when Alice comes home earlier from work, and it aids their marriage. Except when Jake and Alice learn that the key to The Pact’s success if that couples who don’t fit in mysteriously disappear. Through prison sentences and torture, Alice and Jake have to find a way of leaving The Pact while holding onto their lives.
This sounds like an exceptionally suspenseful novel. On Goodreads, it’s marketed as a thriller. But for me, it didn’t really have that fast-paced element, except towards the end. It was suspenseful when Alice and Jake were forcefully taken away, and when they went on the run – but it was also anticlimactic in the sense that the build-up didn’t quite match the end result.
I feel this is more a fault of marketing, perhaps. Because for me, I enjoyed this novel as more of a “books that make you think” novel. I’ve never thought harder about the concept of marriage and why it’s so unsuccessful these days. Also, with Jake’s insight as a relationships counsellor, I enjoyed reading the facts about marriage and generally life itself.
To summarise, this was a really enjoyable book to read. I finished it in a day because it was that good. I just wouldn’t say it’s particularly a thriller, perhaps something of a dystopian mystery novel, but definitely a philosophical book that provides a deep insight to marriage.