Genres:
Thriller, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Mystery
Pages:
384
Published:
May 9, 2024
Some families are virtually perfect…
The world’s population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.
But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show called The Substitute. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child, or risk it all for the chance of a real baby…
Set in the same universe as John Marrs’s bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate Tamagotchi—a virtual baby.
✧ Overall Score✧
2/10 …Ugh. Another book that I feel like could have been great. The idea was interesting but… it really tried to do far too much. The narrative was shattered and the ending felt SO soap opera and just… ham-fisted. Left me feeling frustrated and annoyed.
✧ Writing Style✧
3/10 Passable, but more functional than anything. Lots of being told exactly what folks are feeling and some very stilted dialogue. Kept referring to real life present events as things that had happened in the past which dated it horrifically for something that was like, just released.
✧ Plot✧
3/10 I wanted so much more from this book. There wouldn’t even BE a plot if it wasn’t constantly ~alluding~ to ~mysteries~ within each character’s segment that the characters themselves wouldn’t have been being so damn cagey about in their own POV? Tries to be twisty and just kneecaps any emotional interest or investment.
✧ Characterization✧
2/10 Just a step above cardboard cutouts. Bunch of smug ass posturing power fantasy bullshit in the final quarter. I honestly can’t say I felt for any of them, despite all the lurid stuff the author put into their stories. Like… okay, your daughter did something terrible. Make me care about that. Show me guilt. Don’t just… tell me that they are guilty…