I liked this book but 3.5 stars because it was too long. While I enjoyed all the elements of the story it dragged on for much longer than necessary.

The Family Experiment explores the world of AI and Metaverse by casting 6 couples and one single person as contestants in a new fan-fueled reality TV show. Each contestant/couple is desperate for a child but because of circumstances beyond their control, they’re unable to conceive naturally. The show allows them to raise a Meta [AI] child over 9 months in the Metaverse. The winner, [chosen partially by viewers and popularity] will receive 250 euros and the chance to keep the Meta child alive or use the money to have a human child in the real world.

As we meet each couple we learn that they all have hidden secrets that threaten to eliminate them from the game. The secrets are quite scandalous and along the way, we find it’s someone on a mission to take down each contestant and perhaps the show itself.

This is an excellent speculative fiction that makes you consider how AI and Meta technology can impact life as we know it.

I enjoyed the premise of the story and the presentation which made reading it more interesting and interactive.

Overall it’s a good story but could have been about 100 pages shorter.