I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just okay to me. There were a couple things that I fixated on that made me enjoy it less than I should have. First, she used the word fecund at least three times in the first part of the book. I don’t know why I noticed this, but I did. Second, she said someone was going to be a maid of honor rather than matron of honor. There were a few things that didn’t seem to line up correctly. I felt that the story moved kind of slowly and I didn’t really like the whole sperm donor aspect bringing in a bunch of other characters to keep track of.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
By Lisa Unger

This book was just perfect for reading in front of my fireplace with the change in seasons we have been experiencing in my neck of the woods!
Unger always pulls me in with her captivating twists and turns, and this book was no exception.
It had it all, a “Clue” style whodunnit trapped in a “locked room”scenario…..how can you go wrong?
I really enjoyed this one.
Thanks so much to @harpercollinsca @parkrowbooks @netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

QOTD: Do you have a camp or a cabin you spend time in? My family has a cabin but I never get to it lol we do go camping in our camper lots though!

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"Hannah's buzz was long gone. This secluded cabin, which had seemed so serene, now just felt like a house of horrors."

This was my first Lisa Unger book and I really enjoyed it. The concept of isolation, especially in the woods, draws me in every time.

Hannah is a new mom. She is reluctant to leave her baby but her older brother Mako is insisting that she and her husband, her best friend Cricket and her new boyfriend, join Mako and his wife for a couples weekend in a luxury cabin in the Georgia wilderness. There is also another storyline--that of Henry. Henry was orphaned as a teen when his mother was murdered and he has been searching to figure out who he is ever since. The entire time I was reading I was wondering how and when the two storylines were going to intersect, which was a little distracting, but mostly kept me moving forward. There are also A LOT of red herrings in the story. All in all, I didn't guess the ending to this one at all, and will definitely be looking for Unger's backlist.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me reading because Unger switched perspectives frequently. That said, there was one character's perspective that I think could have been omitted in order to simplify the plot. All in all, it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a really fast-paced, quick thriller for me. I am not sure it'll be particularly memorable - it seemed rather run-of-the-mill, but I did thoroughly enjoy it! I do love a crafty heroine as a main character.

Overall an entertaining mystery read. The story alternates between the various characters' perspectives and also past and present. There are several different story lines occurring that were finally connected at the end of the book. I did not find the characters to be especially likeable, but the setting and conflict made up for those shortcomings.

Secluded Cabin, Sleeps Six is a suspenseful, atmospheric mystery that you will want to read in one sitting.
The “locked room” isolated setting was great for building tension and I enjoyed the intersecting past and present storylines. I especially liked Henry’s story and I wish he had more pages devoted to him in the book.
The large cast of characters and POVs was at times confusing. Even though I guessed the twist, it was still interesting to see how Unger revealed it.
Overall this was a decent, fast paced story that fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley will enjoy.

I was definitely intrigued with this one.

The setting of the cabin is creepy. The own of the cabin has cameras hidden inside so I for sure thought something was going to come of that. However nothing happens with him … you could remove his whole POV from the book and never notice.

There is also mention of ghosts … and nothing came of that either.

90% of the characters are super unlikeable, I’m not sure if that was intentional or not.

The whole DNA testing and unknown siblings was super interesting and I was curious to see how all the character storylines were going to come together.

I don't quite have an explanation for why Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is Lisa Unger's 20th novel, and it's also the first time I've read one of her thrillers, but it certainly won't be the last of her novels I'll read, because as far as taut, creepy, convoluted, and mysterious novels go, this one definitely ranks among them, and it's a 5-star read.

Told by multiple narrators, and moving backwards and forwards in time, this is the sometimes confusing story of 3 couples, a married, uber-wealthy, man, who runs a lucrative tech games company and his wife, Mako and Liza, who just discovered she's expecting, Mako's sister and her husband, Hannah and Bruce, who are the proud parents of a precious baby girl named Gigi, and if that's not enough, Bruce sometimes works for his brother-in-law, Mako, and then there's Hannah's best friend and her current boyfriend, Cricket and Joshua. Mako has planned and given them a very posh gift--a 3-day weekend to rest, relax, and get back to nature at a very secluded, very expensive, privately-owned cabin in the middle of nowhere, and by cabin, think every luxury Architectural Digest vacation home you've ever seen, with every possible amenity you can imagine, complete with a private gourmet chef and his apprentice, oh, and yes, there's quite a large storm system on the horizon.

Sounds idyllic, doesn't it? But from the outset, there's a reluctance felt by some of the characters to be there. The owner of the exclusive rental property, Bracken, has secrets, as do every single one of the 3 couples, and there's a ghost story about a family who were murdered on the property decades ago, talk of ghostly sightings of a wailing mother seeking her lost daughter haunting the property, and as if that wasn't enough, there are two more narrators, neither of whom seems in any way connected to the 3 couples, and, as we follow the thoughts, actions, and fears of all the characters and their storylines, you can't help but wonder how they could possibly all be connected, all of which makes this "dark and stormy night" novel one that will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning, as you slowly discover that all of them are tied together in ways you'd never suspect, and all of them have skeleton's in their closets, and secrets of their own.

Masterfully told, Ms. Unger's complex novel was the perfect read for late October, with Halloween just around the corner, and although it's the first books of hers I've read, it most certainly won't be the last. In short--it was an excellent, gripping, and un-put-downable read.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

I wanted to love this book - I really did. But, the characters were really hard to connect with. The one I struggled with the most was Mako/Mickey. That he had all of this power over all of these people made him someone I didn't like, which in turn made it hard to feel sorry for any of his family or friends. The things that were covered up from high school on were cringe worthy.

With that said, my interest was held. But, the ending was a huge let down. I was hoping for so much more and was disappointed.

I’m a sucker for a stuck in the woods thriller and this one did not disappoint! The caption is right and if you’re a Ruth ware fan you’ll definitely be into this one. A solid cover to cover thriller I was not disappointed bye

I love a locked room thriller. And this secluded, atmospheric getaway is filled with tension and drama and does a wonderful job of keeping you on your toes until the final reveal.
One of my favorite things was how right from the get go, Unger develops the characters in such a way that it doesn't feel overwhelming or that we just got everything dumped on us. Within the first few chapters it felt as though I understood most of their motivations and reasons.
I don't usually like the multi POV but it worked just so well and didn't feel as jarring as other novels have been.
All in all a solid locked room thriller.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable story with a lot of complexity. I'd recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading Riley Sager!

Lisa Unger, I loved this book! I did not foresee a few of the twists and turns. It was suspenseful and from 50% on, there was no putting this book down. I haven't read a book before with this underlying premise (no spoilers!) and found it really thought provoking. I like books that make me think. The only thing I had trouble with was keeping track of all of the characters. Well written, a quick read, and very entertaining. Thanks!!

A rather mediocre thriller. Two storylines that take a long time to come together into something cohesive and don't pay off to feel worth the effort. The 'bag guy' has a rather tenuous motive for everything. More than anything, our primary character (Hannah) continually enables her brother not just in minor ways but including covering up crimes and not seeming to really care about the damage he has caused to others. With the exception of possibly Bruce, not a single likeable character in the primary bunch.

What an awesome locked room thriller! Three couples are headed to a secluded cabin for a relaxing weekend retreat and the only thing lurking is a storm on the horizon, but they have it under control. We all know that is not going to be true and in actuality there is a lot that is about to happen to our couples…

The audio for this is excellent, and while there is a lot going on with this story, I did not have any trouble keeping the characters or story straight. I was not sure where this was going to go but I was pleasantly surprised, I did figure this out but it did not take away from how much I enjoyed it overall. I love both family dramas and locked room thrillers and the storm element that kept the group trapped was great, along with the fact that the couples had no idea what was coming to them.

This was highly entertaining and I thought it was very well done overall. Unger is an auto read author for me and she did not disappoint with this one. You will definitely want it on your radar when it comes out on 11/8/22!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio and Park Row Books for the ALC and advanced digital copy to review.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six had all the fixin's for an eerie, atmospheric, locked room setting. We have three couples with secrets and dysfunction, a remote luxury cabin location, an incoming storm, and sinister paranormal happenings.

Ooooo, right?

Told using alternating perspectives and flashbacks, the story follows these three couples (each with bags of emotional/relationship dysfunction) during their weekend away in a posh secluded cabin that goes off the rails almost immediately. It's a great locked room premise, but the story and the inclusion of a secondary POV didn't come together for me as well as I had hoped.

First, there's too many POVs and timelines and things soon get messy, distracting and a bit frustrating. Too much time was spent on Henry's POV which took away from the building tension in the cabin. The two stories eventually come together but the big ah-ha moment was a bit lackluster and while the use of DNA themes was interesting, it was also the premise of another book I was reading at the same time (The Match by Harlan Coben), so things got a bit murky in my cranium. That's my bad and not reflected in my rating.

Unger introduces important themes (I particularly found the enabling aspect interesting) and has a character or two who are stereotypical but enjoyable to hate. But I wanted less familial dysfunction and more focus on the sinister vibe of the cabin and the paranormal aspect which was introduced but pretty much forgotten.

In the end, this book has a great premise, but was a bit of an underwhelming read that felt more confusing than chilling.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Park Row books for my complimentary digital copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

I loved locked in mysteries! The fact that this book also involves a shady husband and a mysterious woman makes it different than the rest! Lisa Unger books have been and will continue to be must reads for me!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I was excited by the premise, but I had a really hard time getting into it. It just didn’t do or become what I was hoping it would. It had promising aspects, but in the end it really fell flat I think.

A bit of a convoluted plot surrounding the offspring of a psychopath who was a prolific sperm donor. The offspring are now adults and their lives become intertwined in a good versus evil scenario. There were few surprises at the end.