on July 25, 2017
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: Library, Net Galley
Goodreads
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.
The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact, and most of its rules make sense: Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . .
Never mention The Pact to anyone.
Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples--and then one of them breaks the rules. The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life, and The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule. For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare.
Wowzer, this book! What a fascinating concept to write about! A secret group, not a cult, called “The Pact” who want to help you to have a better marriage. It is an exclusive group, you don’t know about this group unless you have been invited and before you can be invited you are vetted extensively without even knowing.
How many people are in this group? Who knows? But it seems to be that they are EVERYWHERE! My head was spinning with the outlandish things and shocking things that went on within the group and if you broke the rules, well let’s just say, there is nowhere you could run away to as they would find you. Scared yet? You should be.
The dark side of this pact is just plain atrocious, the things they do to people and the worrying thing is that the participant is willing! Willing!! I mean by Jove how I will never know. The nice side of the pact really does make you appreciate your partner and your marriage. The little gifts, the trips away, the rules….wait what oh yes rules! As I say you break them, well then it is a felony! A felony! That is when it all hits the fan!
I loved that even though this story is about Alice and Jake, we see everything from Jake’s point of view. I got to say, it was refreshing, but also….frustrating!!! When Alice seems to be in trouble for everything, he was put on a semi pedestal, he could do no wrong and Alice was forever in the wrong. I mean it just drove me crazy, the bracelet and then later that collar!! How is it fair! Plus the weighing in, god how could they stay in such a toxic environment. But then….there is no running from the Pact, there is no escape. However, when Jake is unsettled with the pact as he begins to (finally) question their ethics and starts to dig, well all those eyes are on him and that is not pleasant.
I must admit, as much as I found this fascinating, I found elements hard to listen to/read because it was just well awful. The fat-shaming, the locked away in cells, I mean they went to prison. It felt like they were truly being tortured. I just couldn’t fathom how these people had so much control.
As I began to learn the routine of the Pact, the bike messengers, Declan and Vivan, I was dreading it when you knew their names were coming up, or if it was a Wednesday! I mean how much could one couple take!!
The twists were quite delicious, the end was fitting and so well deserved outcome. If you can suspend all belief for a while then this book might be one that captures you. I was just so intrigued, I mean could it be real? I am just not sure it bears thinking about! It is an intense thrill of a book, it makes you want to keep reading and not stop until you get to the end. However, I wanted more at the end, I need more, an extra chapter will be fine. I think that everyone I am interested in are ok but I would love the confirmation. What I think is quite…clever, is that there could be another book, maybe?
I found that I just wanted to keep listening and the narrator of the audiobook had a nice voice that just kept enticing you to keep listening. This is a book that will stay with me and to be honest probably take somethings away with me but if I ever receive a box from someone…I am putting it straight in the bin.
Until next time xxx
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