Blog Tour: The Marriage Pact (Michelle Richmond) @michellerichmon @MichaelJBooks

Earlier this year, my friends at Penguin Random House UK approached me to take part in an experiential blog tour; they said they wanted to do something with a bit of a twist and I was sold! I am always up for trying some new content on Clues and Reviews. So, when I found out that the tour had to do with the psychological thriller, The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond, I was thrilled. I read this creepy, cult thriller last year and I really loved it (if you missed it, you can check out my review for that one HERE).

The rules of the experiment were simple: I was to take part in the marriage “contract” featured in The Marriage Pact; the one that wreaks havoc on the lives of the protagonists as they go deeper and deeper into this strange marriage cult.  Since I am a newlywed, I figured, why the heck not? Might as well stretch my marriage wings.   So, for two weeks, I lived by the rules and tracked whether or not it impacted my relationship and then reflected on whether or not I would be willing to sign a contract like this one in real life. I did not let my husband know I was partaking in this experiment until the second week since I didn’t think he would really get what I was even talking about. When I finally told him, I was right.

The rules I followed were as such:

1)      Always answer when your partner calls

2)      Exchange at least two thoughtful gifts every month

3)      Cook your partner dinner twice a week

4)      Unfollow your ex on social media

5)      Never spend more than two nights apart

6)      Tell your partner all your passwords

7)      Only wear clothes your partner deems attractive or appropriate.

8)      Enable the ‘find my phone’ feature so your partner always knows where you are

9)      Have no secrets from each other (and confess any old ones!)

10)   Don’t even think about trying to escape…

Care to see how my challenge turned out? Keep reading to see my experience following the contract from The Marriage Pact!

Book Review: The Marriage Pact (Michelle Richmond) @michellerichmon @randomhouse

When newlyweds, Alex and Jake, receive a wedding gift that invites them into an exclusive and mysterious group for married couples, they are flattered.   The goal of The Pact is simple.  Keep marriages happy and intact.  Seduced by the glamorous parties and sense of community, they embrace The Pact.  They are given a manual with all the rules, one being: don’t mention The Pact to anyone.   As Alice and Jake try to adhere by their rules, they realize how much different The Pact is and how dangerous The Pact can be.

I love any book that has a cult vibe, so when I discovered The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond it immediately moved to the top of my TBR pile.  I loved how this one took the domestic suspense genre and gave it a twist.   I was so glad to read something where the conflict lies not between the married but couple, but instead, the married couple against the world.   It really was like married people Fight Club.

Richmond is able to create two incredibly likeable characters in Jake and Alice.  They complement each nicely and were very realistic.  She also was able to create such a well put together and fast paced plot.  I was engaged throughout and was continuously worried about Jake and Alice as they navigated their way through The Pact.   Truly, at times, it became super creepy!   I couldn’t believe the lengths that the members were willing to go.  I read this one as a buddy read with Danielle from The Blonde Likes Books and we were continuously messaging each other with our worries.

I did feel like the ending was a random and kind of out in left field for me, especially in regards to the general tone of the book.

Overall, even with the random ending, I loved this book and would highly recommend it!!

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a digital copy of this novel; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

This one was a #cjsreads pick for July; keep reading to see what Chandra and Jessica thought of this one!