The Family Experiment by John Marrs

 

The plot:  Awakening Entertainment is about to launch their newest initiative: MetaChildren--children that exist entirely in the Metaverse. But first it's hosting a new competition reality show called The Family Experiment where four couples and one singleton get the chance to raise a virtual child from birth to age 18 over the next nine months. Millions of viewers will watch the livestream and vote for the winners. The prize? The right to keep their virtual child...or risk it all for the chance to have a real baby. 

My thoughts:  Set in the near-future, Marrs explores an unsettling and thought-provoking 'what if' scenario and all its unintended consequences. What if people could raise a virtual child as a replacement for having real children? 

I loved that he played out his scenario in the form of an immersive reality livestreaming show. The couples were all flawed and had some dark secrets in their pasts that led to some very unexpected twists and turns along the way. They weren't necessarily likable, but their stories were all compelling! This is one of those books that pulls you in from the first page and keeps you reading (and guessing) until the very end. I really appreciate the way Marrs writes. This book is set in the same world as his novel, The One, which I also enjoyed. I like that his novels are unique and always surprise me in some way. This one is definitely darker than The One--there's no real happy endings here--but it's very much a 4-star read!

Happy Reading!