THE MARRIAGE PACT MICHELLE RICHMOND

MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️ PUBLISHER Bantam PUBLISHED July 25, 2017

SUMMARY Alice and Jake are getting married. Alice is an attorney and they received an unusual gift from one of Alice’s rich and powerful client’s. The gift was a elegant wooden box and contained two engraved writing pens and a second box. The second box was labeled “The Pact”. The box was locked.

The client emails Alice after the wedding and asks her a few questions: “- Would you like your marriage to last forever? - Do you believe that a long marriage will go through periods of happiness and sadness, light and darkness? - Are both of you willing to work to make you marriage last forever? - Do either of you give up easily? - Are you willing to try new things? - Are you willing to accept help from friends if they have your success and happiness in mind”

It all sounded great. Vivian, another member of the group came by their house to explain the Marriage Pact further. She unlocked the box which contained a contract and two gold leather rule books. If Jake and Alice signed the marriage pact they’ll be a part of the exclusive group that values marriage above all else. It was created in 1992 and has worldwide membership. And their marriage will last forever.

Some of the rules include always answering the phone when your spouse calls, exchanging gifts monthly, and taking a trip once per quarter. It all sounds like a great idea. There’s a rule book to guide Jake and Alice on their way. And a community to help you if you falter.

Of course they thought it would be fun to be apart of this exclusive and elite group. Just what a marriage needs. They signed the contract without even reading it. That was their first mistake.

And then when one of them breaks a rule and they find out how the community enforces rule violations. They also learn The Pact is forever just like marriage.

How far Will Jake and Alice go to protect their marriage and each other?

REVIEW Wouldn’t it be great to have guidance to a blissful and secure marriage? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a rule book telling us what to do? What a concept! The thought is captivating! But how does it work? Make sure you know the rules.

This book is inventive and different. It’s a page turning thriller and it’s crazy scary.

There were some slow parts. Jake who is the book’s narrator, provides us with facts and statistics about marriage. It’s all great information, but this story doesn’t really need it. It’s great without it. Sometimes Jake’s thoughts and asides get in the way of the story itself.

This is my first Michelle Richmond book, and I’ll be looking for more. Her writing is clear and flowing and easy to read. I loved the book and think all married couples should read it! I’ve been telling my husband all about it!

Book Review: The Marriage Pact

The Marriage Pactby Michelle Richmond (Goodreads Author)The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond will have you hooked the minute Jake and Alice sign their contracts. The question is, what did they just sign up for?This novel has so much important information that pertains to all marriages alongside what the Pact will go through to protect the institution of marriage. Jake and Alice have always been…

I would like to thank NetGalley, Michelle Richmond, and the publisher for the chance to review this book. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into when I first started this book as to me it was a bit slow going but eventually picked up the pace and left me questioning the characters of the story on who might have done what. The only thing I really didn't like was that it seemed to start out a little too slow and at times I felt like maybe there was a bit too much detail going on. Another thing that kind of got to me is Jake and Alice are both supposed to be intelligent people but really I guess you can say they lack common sense, which you will understand what I mean as you read the rest of this review.

Newlywed's Jake (psychiatrist) and Alice (lawyer) sign a contract for The Pact without reading the fine print so to speak, but they both feel like they can use the support for their marriage as they both want it to last forever. The Pact believes in supporting one another, keeping the marriage intact and happy. Of course, everything sounds like a good idea till they realize that like a marriage you can't ever leave The Pact and some of the rules are just a bit too much, while other ones make sense. Once every quarter you need to take a vacation, every month you need to get each other a thoughtful gift, must answer all calls from one another, attend these lavish parties getting to know the other members and oh surprise weigh-ins. If it seems like you are putting work before your spouse you get stuck wearing some device that they monitor to make sure you are putting more effort into your marriage. Also NEVER mention The Pact to anyone.

What Jake and Alice thought was going to be the "perfect" marriage turns into a nightmare they want to escape, but have no way to. When rules aren't followed things take a darker turn and of course there is some twists along the way that are thought-provoking. Jake and Alice just want out but is there really a way out or will they end up just disappearing as well.