The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond

Hello, Friend! Have you ever encountered a book you felt you shouldn’t like because there are just too many weird shit going on and they don’t make much sense, but then thought, fuck it, it’s still awesome? Well, The Marriage Pact was one of those for me.

Genres: Thriller, Suspense
Published: 25th July, 2017
Goodreads
Series: N/A
Rating: 4

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.

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So, a Pact, you say? To keep your marriage intact? Sure, sounds good. Thoughtful gifts, trips with your spouse, all sound pretty good. But don’t mention The Pact to anyone. Is it just me, or does anyone else smell cult?

I’m not married, but I often wonder how my life would change if I were to tie the knot. I usually conclude that it wouldn’t actually change much in terms of day to day life, but we’d have official rights to certain things we don’t at the moment. Well, Pact members have a bit more going on: a whole set of rules to follow, quarterly members-only parties, a great support system of like minded individuals who call every member “friend”, constant fear of screwing it all up. New members Alice and Jake clearly have no idea just what they have gotten themselves into, and not only because Jake was too lazy to acquaint himself with the guidelines.

Alice has just started out as a lawyer at a successful firm, and the crazy hours at work are clearly not helping keeping the marriage blissful. But fear not, the Pact is all too eager to help! When simple advice is not enough, there’s always another way to put things into perspective!

When Jake runs into an old friend at one of the Pact parties, he starts questioning their decision to join. Is he right? Or is the old friend a bad influence? As the tension slowly builds, the couple’s life turns into a nightmare. That kind of stress is surely not good for your marriage. But don’t worry, the Pact knows all the ways and means to put you back on the right track!

Dark, chilling and laced with paranoia, The Marriage Pact is an engrossing thriller that will make you question everything. Mainly the whole purpose of said organization, because if the story is lacking one thing, it’s a proper explanation about how this whole mess managed to get out of hand so quickly.

So yay for the thrilling ride, but you do need to suspend some disbelief to thoroughly enjoy this story.