One Perfect Couple is Ruth Ware’s tale of reality television gone horribly wrong. Our protagonist, Lyla, agrees to appear on the show because Nico, her boyfriend, is trying to boost his acting career, and the show won’t accept single applicants; if he’s not there as half of a couple, he can’t even apply, let alone be chosen. So, fine fine fine. Lyla will go, and since she’s not a glamour girl, she figures she’ll get eliminated within the two weeks’ vacation time her job permits, and then Nico will get his show and she’ll get to go home.

It doesn’t work that way.

My thanks go to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

First, a word: because I was running late with this one, I borrowed the audio version from Seattle Bibliocommons. This proved to be disastrous! The actor voices Nico in such an exaggerated manner that nobody, myself least of all, could imagine someone as smart and savvy as Lyla pairing up with such an egotistical, whiny brat. I drop the audio before the twenty percent mark and from there forward, read it digitally. This is an improvement.

Lyla and Nico are directed to board a ship with the other contestants, and it takes them to a tropical island. Once there, however, they are besieged by a terrible storm. The crew members and producer are asleep on board the ship at the time because the show is a new one, and the crew’s cabins and other facilities are still being constructed. The contestants have been forced to turn in all of their digital devices so that none of the show’s progress will be leaked online before air time, and so when the storm smashes into the island, their communication devices are on the boat; they have become castaways. Worst of all, there is a serious shortage of fresh, potable water. Elements of well loved classics are borrowed; we have tidbits reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, smidgens of—I was going to say Robinson Crusoe, but that’s overstating it, so let’s say Gilligan’s Island instead. One by one, people start dying, and there is no way for the survivors to call for help.

I have read and reviewed almost everything Ware has written. She’s been a reliable source of enjoyable whodunits, usually four stars, sometimes even five. But here I feel as if she has missed the mark. There’s a fair amount of repetition, and whereas the first half is reasonably suspenseful, I found that the longer I read, the less I cared what became of the contestants. One thing I did like, however, was seeing these lovely women that, given the show’s parameters, should have been enemies, supporting, relying upon, and helping each other. That is the one sparkle I found here, and nobody can take it away from me.

The book itself, you can have. Or not. My advice is that if you are going to read it, get it free or cheap; don’t spend your precious dollars buying this one at full cover price, and avoid the audio. As for me, I will hope that Ware is back on track next time around.