My rating: 4 of 5 stars 
I received an ARC of The Marriage Pact through NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you to Random House and Bantam Books for the opportunity.
Synopsis:
Newlyweds Alice and Jake are newlyweds. 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. 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. And – never mention The Pact to anyone.
Jake and Alice are about to discover that for membership to the Pact, like marriage, is for life, and The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule.
The Pact is a wild ride – don’t miss it!
Usually people involved in happy marriages chose to do thoughtful, loving, kind, and romantic things for their spouse.
But what if these actions were forced upon you? What if you had to behave in a certain way toward your spouse or suffer physical and emotional punishment consequently? Would you feel like doing these things if you had to?
The Pact is an ideological way that binds an individual to fully committing to their spouse. It reads like bylaws and prescribes a way of life that ensures a happy and lasting marriage.
Violate a bylaw and you might be charged with a “crime” and sentenced to prison-like confinement where you might be placed in solitary confinement, receive shock therapy, or forced to sit naked in a cell for days on end to contemplate your actions.
This ensures that members will do anything to avoid the dire consequences of not following the Pact.
What I liked about this book:
- I loved the reading about the Pact, which was uncovered slowly as the plot progressed. I thought the physical and emotional consequences of violating the Pact bylaws were inconceivable and morbidly fascinating. Where was this book when my cheating husband walked out on me? I needed this book back then!
- The book had a lot of interesting insights, facts, and background stories about the concept of marriage.
- It’s based in Northern California and has a lot of references to cities, streets, and landmarks in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have been to a lot of these places referenced in the book and they are just as the author describes.
- It’s written from the husband’s perspective yet the author is a woman.
- The Pact is the opposite of a lot of books out there about cheating spouses. A refreshing change to the normal boring infidelity plot.
Publish Date: 25 Jul 2017
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