Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a wonderful mix of cute, creepy, and downright bizarre. Newlyweds Alice and Jake receive a bizarre wedding gift from a new friend: an invitation to join an elite club with the aim of keeping their marriage from ending in disaster. But do they really know what they’re signing up to?

The answer, of course, is no. Like most people, Alice and Jake don’t read the small print, and the Pact turns out to be the most peculiar and dangerous group they could ever have imagined.

I loved the twists and turns in this novel. It really doesn’t take the path you expect it to at all! The Pact is a sinister overseer to this whole story, at first constantly in the background and gradually becoming more threatening. I really liked reading how the Pact’s rules got more and more bizarre as our protagonists got deeper into the group.

I do think some of the rules are quite sensible – always answer the phone when your spouse calls (my boyfriend has a habit of not picking up the phone or replying to my texts unless I spam him and it drives me mad!); buy monthly gifts; plan a trip every quarter etc. I do think following those rules makes for a better relationship – and it keeps you in a routine, which I love because personally I’m a stickler for routines – but some of the rules and regulations get a little excessive and actually a bit scary as time goes on. Well done to the author for creating such an excellent sinister, creepy aura in what you expect to be another chick-lit novel.

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.


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A really good story that was in put down able at times. It had surprising twists and turns with at times dark but exciting content. The context was gripping with characters that you took to your hear. I was a little disappointed with the ending but this would not stop me recommending the book.

The Marriage Pact by MIchelle Richmond

Alice and Jake are the perfect couple – young, attractive, with fine careers ahead of them. Alice was a singer in a successful rock band but now she’s an up and coming lawyer while Jake is a partner in a growing psychology practice. They’re ready to get married. On the spur of the moment they invite one of Alice’s wealthy clients to the wedding. He loves weddings, he tells them. His gift is unexpected – an offer to join something called the Pact.

The Pact, Alice and Jake learn, is a society of like-minded couples who want nothing more than to achieve the perfect marriage. It lays down a few rules that are designed to bring the couple closer together and every few months everyone gathers at a Pact party to celebrate their marriages and friendships. It all sounds positive and Jake and Alice desperately want their marriage to work. Jake spends much of his time counselling couples on the verge of divorce. He knows better than most that a relationship takes commitment. Perhaps they could do with the help. So, with only a cursory glance at the paperwork, Jake and Alice join the Pact. And so begins a descent into a hell of their own making.

What follows is something from the realms of horror that, as reviewers have noted, has elements in common with The Stepford Wives. For the Pact is nothing but a sinister cult. It might be glamorous on the outside but its core is rotten through and through. The lengthy manual that Jake and Alice are given lays out the code and any infractions are met with punishments of increasing brutality and humiliation. Jake and Alice are trapped and what happens to them is appalling.

The Marriage Pact is undoubtedly one of the most gripping novels I’ve read this year. It’s a rollercoaster ride of suffering for Jake and Alice but it’s a thrilling read for us as time after time we wonder what could possibly happen next. The movement from the beginning to the end is staggering, so much has happened. The members of the Pact are successful members of society and it’s all stripped away before our eyes.

There is a fundamental issue with The Marriage Pact that you have to get past in order to enjoy it. Its premise is completely preposterous and unbelievable. This is compounded by the fact that Alice is a lawyer – why didn’t she read the contract? And the incredible resources that the Pact has in its power are just that – incredible. Everything feels that it is held together purely by compliance and submission. I wanted to shake these silly people from start to finish.

But, if you can get past this as I did, then you’ll have a lot of fun with The Marriage Pact. It’s well-written and there are sections of this novel that were golden to me. These bits, for me, weren’t part of the main plot but to do with Jake’s job as a psychologist. The novel is narrated by Jake and he likes to tell us about his day, giving us facts and figures, for example, about marriage as well as anecdotes about coming to terms with one’s past. I found some of these sections extraordinarily powerful and I actually took some tips away from it! Some of the book’s ideas went far deeper than I was expecting.

I also enjoyed Jake and Alice. It’s easy to feel irritated by Alice but her character is an interesting one and I was desperate for her to wake up. Their relationship, though, feels genuine and I did care what happened to them. The spiral into hell that is The Marriage Pact happens fast and it is very hard to put down. The ending has divided reviewers and I can’t say that it was entirely satisfactory for me but I can’t imagine how else it might have ended so I’m happy enough with it. This is a novel with fine writing and huge energy and heart and within were significant little nuggets of gold which I’ll carry away with me.

I’m delighted to post my review as part of the blog tour to celebrate the publication of The Marriage Pact. For other stops on the tour, do take a look at the poster below.

Great read, kept me hooked and a few tears of relief at the end although was a bit disappointed at their choice as I feel they both fitted the role offered very well indeed. Bit repetitive at times but stuck with it. Highly recommended.

You invite a charismatic stranger to your wedding: what on earth can go wrong? You are presented with an odd wedding present, part of which you cannot open: should you be concerned? After your honeymoon you are visited by a stranger who explains the wedding gift: are the alarm bells ringing yet? No? Well if they were there would be no story to tell, would there?

This is quite a daft book but it is entertaining in a macabre sort of way. What would you do to maintain your happy marriage? How prepared would you be to let others interfere to make it right. This is the story of Alice and Jake and the pact they make. You will need to take a healthy dose of reality suspension to enjoy this novel. It is well written and I was keen to see how it ended. I can’t say I warmed to either of the main characters but what the heck, it was a good story.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Interesting idea about a sect that is found on making the perfect marriage through a set of rules that are enforced with severe punishments. A bit too neat in the end, but right up to that point a really good and fast paced read. I was never sure why our heroes actually signed the pact in the first place though....

Now, this was a strange one, interesting but a bit wacky in its concept.
The marriage pact by Michelle Richmond was surprisingly good, The author has found a unique idea and evolved it from there.
With some surprising twists and turns that I didn't see coming this was a refreshing contribution to the psychological genre and I only had minor issues and niggles that pulled this down slightly for me.
So the marriage Pact involves newlywed's Jake and Alice who receive an enticing gift from one of Alice's Clients at the law firm she works at.
"The Pact"
designed to keep couples happy and fulfilled in their marriages, the rules seem to make sense and The Pact seems harmless in its intentions.
Initially impressed Alice and Jake start to realise there is more at stake than they realise as their dreams start to evolve into nightmares.
And no one leaves "THE PACT" ever.
So let me break this down for you first three-quarters of The Marriage Pact I loved, the story flowed, it was well written and my only minor criticism would be sometimes Jake could waffle on a tad too much with his inner monologue and I found this a touch irritating and longwinded.
Then came the last quarter, not sure what happened here but I really was not feeling it, the whole visit Orla at her home seemed unnecessary and a bit boring to me.
I would have really preferred another direction to be taken and a bit more of a pro-active stance applied here rather than talking.
Then came the ending, this is where my main issue lies, it was just so anti-climatic and blah and after all Jake's moralistic stances he just walks away, leaving the corruption behind for someone else to deal with.
I'm not saying he's wrong to do this, I just find it mildly surprising after listening to Jakes Inner moral compass throughout The Marriage Pact that he just abandons all his principles and jumps ship.
I would also have liked to see inside Alice's head as well, she was such a diverse character with so much to offer and I felt we didn't get to know her properly in her entirety.
So this was such a page-turner and even with the issues I've described, I have to give this a Four star as It was such compelling reading.
This was such an interestingly unique story that I would definitely recommend Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the Author Michelle Richmond for providing me with an Arc of The Marriage Pact, this is my own honest unbiased opinion.

I loved this book! I was in a mood for a fast-paced, thrilling read and OMG, it more than delivered. Looking forward to reading more from Michelle Richmond!

I don't know what I was expecting when I started this, probably a mild thriller but it ended up almost like a horror story. It was completely unbelievable but God I could not put the book down. Really enjoyed it, would recommend it as it was very readable.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'The Marriage Pact'. it was an interesting, if not disturbing read. While I could imagine the initial scenario, I felt that the 'prison' was too far fetched and not an enjoyable part of the book. It is a good portrayal though of how principles can be lost sight of when power becomes involved.

Really interesting fast paced novel about the sanctity of marriage.

Alice and Jake are invited into a 'club' but two people who come to their wedding as an afterthought. The gift, an invitation into an exclusive marriage pact. Only the 'club' isn't always what it seems...

'Friend' - i read this in two sittings.

It made me think about the purpose of marriage and relationships, and how they are valued in today's society.

Very interesting read. with lots of twists and turns. 4.5 *

This is probably the best book I have read all year. The Marriage Pact had me reading at all hours of the day and night until I had finished. There were several points where I physically held my breath mainly when the punishments took place in Fernely. The idea of a marriage pact is so believable in todays society within cults etc. The atrocities within The Pact were horrific. I would so recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a psycological thriller.

Really enjoyed reading this, was really rooting for the couple to get out of the situation they seem to have found themselves in and kept me gripped until the end...

A very tense and chilling thriller where the suspense and sense of dread builds the further you get into it. A bit far=fetched in places but II still carried on reading it.

Clever book, a complete mix of suspension, disbelief, incredulity, and maybe a tiny bit of intrigue. The story of a couple who are selected to join a Pact, although they have no idea just how pre-selected they are. The pact will help you stay married. But at what cost? Do as they say, behave yourself and you'll be happy ever after. Or will you? I really enjoyed this book, it made a change from a thriller with a twisty plot. It was full of suspense, some very dark moments, but left you wondering what was going to happen next and how it would end. I liked it a lot.

A totally bizarre book which had me completely enthralled and appalled at the same time!

The thought of having your relationship monitored to this extent and it actually being successful, made my stomach churn as I was reading it BUT I was compelled to continue - as if it was a dirty secret!

How I live my life should have made me hate the book but it was SO well written and cleverly dotted with facts and figures that I just devoured it!

I am sure this will be the Marmite read of the year but I LOVED it!!

A rather disturbing tale of a secret society apparently dedicated to the noble intention of helping married couples achieve a long and happy marriage. A young couple are ambivalent about their membership and the increasing impact upon their lives and privacy. It’s a bold and novel premise which is explored in some depth.

The author sustains the suspense and feeling of foreboding well but I did have to deliberately suspend my disbelief to accept their willingness to give up their personal and civil rights. I found some of the situations tending towards masochism which made me uncomfortable but I’m fairly sure more experienced readers will regard these scenes as mild and not unsuitably graphic.

This is a very different read that I thought it was going to be. The storyline is different and great but it gets 3.5 stars from me as at times I thought this was very far fetched and also I think the last third of the book felt like it had lost its plot but the ending was good.
Alice and Jake are getting married, Alice is an up and coming lawyer and weirdly invites one of her clients she's helped along with others win a big case. This starts the path to "the pact" a weird secret society that has been brought together to strengthen a marriage as well as making it happier. There are strict rules that the couples must follow and any deviation from the rules leads to brutal correctiveness which at times was quite a hard read especially with Jake I found.
Jake is a therapist and I liked that his thoughts were thought provoking as he deals with helping other couples finding themselves in difficult places within their own marriages but never mentioning the pact to anyone at anytime. Jake and Alice are repeatedly told to find peace within the pact but do they?? I felt by the end that I did know Jake more than Alice but that didn't deter my enjoyment I just wanted to dig deeper with Alice.
I would like to thank netgalley and penguin uk - Michael Joseph for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book mainly for its quirkiness! It is an enthralling read trying to work out what will happen next to this couple who have got themselves so entrenched in a cult. The concept of a perfect marriage is wonderful but it cannot be forced. Some of the ideas for a perfect marriage are superb and would help but The Pact cannot ever be broken which causes so many complications and fears. A great psychological thriller with an unusual ending. An author to read more of.