› Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is a suspenseful thriller with a great atmosphere. It's told in different time periods and from multiple perspectives. We learn about Henry and his mother in 1997, Hannah and her family in 2017, and Hannah at a cabin her brother rented for six couples in the present. We also get to meet Trina, who calls herself "The Watcher" and Bracken, the owner of the cabin who observes his guests with cameras all over the property. This story had me guessing the entire time and made me think of DNA kits in a different way. We learn that no one is ever ALL good or ALL bad. We all live in shades of grey, and morality is a chameleon. Do the ends ever justify the means?

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 6
Hannah is well-developed, with goals, strengths, and flaws. The side characters were a little flat and I had a hard time distinguishing one from the other.

› Atmosphere: 7
Good description of the setting, world-building and mood, but I struggled to feel appropriate emotions.

› Writing Style: 6
Quality writing, however, it is a little repetitive and the dialogue comes off as corny.

› Plot: 5
Excellent beginning, muddy in the middle, the pacing was weird from 80% on. The ending left me feeling unsatisfied.

› Intrigue: 5
The suspense lost me around the 80% mark. I just didn't care about any of the characters anymore.

› Logic: 5
I felt confused. Some elements don't make sense.

› Enjoyment: 5
The overall experience was a little meh for me.

Average 5.6

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is a claustrophobic, stormy thriller about family, secrets, lies, regrets and learning to not take anyone for granted. It makes the classic one-setting mystery more interesting with modern DNA kits. With unlikeable characters, multiple plot lines, timelines, and perspectives, this can be confusing. Get your pen and paper and get ready for a ride.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

We meet Hannah, Bruce, Mako, Liza, Cricket, and Joshua as they head out for a weekend getaway together in a luxe cabin in the woods.
Everyone has secrets; Bruce with his work issues, his feelings about his boss, Mako, who just so happens to be his brother-in-law, Mako with his extramarital activities, Liza with a health issue, and Cricket with her unresolved Mako feelings.
Incorporate a mysterious Airbnb owner with a penchant for spying, a torrential storm, and a vendetta to beat all vendettas and you are led down a road with surprising revelations, twists and turns, and a snapshot of the hidden characters of even the most upstanding characters.
This was a fun ride from beginning to end.

This thriller by Lisa Unger didn't do it for my like her last novel. I just thought it was a little predictable and cheesy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

Whoa - this one caught me a little off guard. It was twisted and dark in some places and had lots of misdirection! The multiple time lines with different characters occasionally made it hard to know who was who but I eventually got there. Solid read overall about nurture v nature- are some people just born bad?

Lisa Unger never disappoints. Like so many twisted thrillers, it is better not to know too much before reading, What I can offer you is this—three couples embark on a restful gateway to a luxurious secluded cabin only to be greeted by a dark and stormy night filled with more than just some gorgeous cocktails and mind-numbing edibles. Sketchy cell phone service, a busted generator, and messy characters with a lot of dirty baggage fill the pages of this locked-room mystery. Throw in a few ghost stories, characters have gone missing, and perhaps even a trail of blood, and you’ve got yourself a fast-paced atmospheric read. Don’t let the number of characters in this book scare you. They all come together for a wicked, fun ending!

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is told with multiple narrators and in multiple timelines. Listening to the audiobook, I wonder if having a full cast would have made the book more compelling. That does not impact my rating, but just wondering to myself. Hmm. Anyway, this book took a familiar theme (deranged family heritage) and put a completely new twist on it--DNA tests. Add in a luxury cabin far from civilization AND a storm and we know that a thriller is about to happen. I loved the setting and the atmosphere, I didn't feel like all of the story threads were needed and I felt like some were extra. Overall it was a decent read.

Creepy af!
I’ve read other books, involving DNA testing, but this one wins the award for the best reason I would think twice before sending mine over (mine is already sent lol).

On Christmas Day someone in the family is pretending to be Santa and has stashed dna test kits from one of those national brands to everyone in the family.
What follows is something you would never imagine that happens to take place in a snowed in cabin for the weekend.
Must read this winter.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙡𝙪𝙭𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙-𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧.

I have been wanting to read this book ever since my ARC arrived and I’m so glad I saved it for October. It started off with such an interesting set of characters, but it got too confusing with who was who. I had to go back a few times to try to remember the characters.

In this story, we follow three couples who rent a luxury cabin in the woods - spectacular views, a hot tub, and a personal chef. What more could you ask for? Siblings - Hannah and Mako - take their significant others…as well as another couple. They’re all expecting a nice and relaxing getaway weekend, but they are not prepared for the danger that unfolds: a deadly storm, secrets kept from one another, and a spine-tingling history.

I found this to be a captivating looked-room thriller. It took some twists that I wasn’t expecting. I did find some predictable things, however. It did take me a bit to get entertained by the story, but once I did I wanted to see how the story would end. I think the ending made sense - nothing too spectacular though.

Again, there were so many characters involved that I kept getting confused at first. I kept questioning who was who and what part they had in the story. Most of the characters were super unlikeable, but I still found their roles to be intriguing and entertaining.

Overall, this was a solid thriller. This is my first Lisa Unger book, but I most likely will pick more up in the future. If you’re a locked room fan then I think you will enjoy this one!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my physical ARC - all thoughts are my own!

I really enjoyed the writing, multiple POVs, and the characters. There were a few loose ends I would’ve liked tied up, but that didn’t deter me from overall enjoying this one. The drama and twists were very entertaining and bonus points for the Florida setting close to where I live!

This was as crazy as a spanish novela with over the top plot lines and plot holes. I didn't care for the overarching eugenics but it did make for some interesting moments. It is a thriller with some murderous tendencies and interesting characters that are awful. There's only two people in this entire story who are likeable in a sea of weird and morally wrong people. I did think it was enjoyable because I read this very quickly but most of the time I was thinking what the heck is going on here.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger. I have never read a Lisa Unger book I didn't like. She is a thriller queen! Trapped in the middle of nowhere in the worst weather conditions with a group of people you can't trust is never a good scenario. Fast paced, suspenseful story about 3 couples trying to have a relaxing vacation. Someone is watching them and making sure that that doesn't happen!

What is better than a getaway with friends? Hannah’s brother found the the secluded luxury place and is giving her this getaway. They take their spouses and another couple to a cabin in the woods!

The owner of the cabin is a little too present and their chef reveals an interesting history of the place!

As tensions raise in this secluded setting will their deep secrets come out? Get ready for a wild ride!

Thank you Park Row, NetGalley and author Lisa Unger for this ARC. Available now!

I love when a book has multiple unreliable characters and then everything gets jumbled and you don’t know who you can trust and it changes frequently. That’s what this book is like: twists and turns and multiple viewpoints. At first the cast of characters was overwhelming, but it didn’t take long to get a handle on who was who.

This was a good “what is going on” book. Lots of characters to keep you guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured out there was another twist.

A restful getaway with close friends and family....who wouldn't jump at the chance?

Hannah isn't exactly jumping at the thought of leaving her child, but is looking forward to some adult time with her husband, brother and friends. A perfect time to relax and catch up with the ones that she loves the most. Hannah's expectations are soon to be shattered though.

As a horrible storm moves in Hannah becomes increasingly stressed. Will she be able to get in touch with her son? Will they be able to make it through the storm? At least she's surrounded by the ones she trusts and loves the most.

A story that has twists and turns you can't see coming. Definitely a thought provoking and intriguing story. Makes you again contemplate on how well you know those closest to you, even if they are your own flesh and blood.

This book is an exceptional read. Lisa Unger does not disappoint at all.

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I loved this one! There were so many amazing aspects that played out so well. It wrapped up really nicely, yet not too cleanly/perfectly.

Multi pov multi timeline, conspiracies, new friendships but basically strangers, messed up family dynamics ! what else can you ask for?

When Hannah’s gaming entrepreneur brother, Mako, suggests that her, her husband, he and his wife, and a longtime family friend, Cricket, and her new beau, sped the weekend in a luxury cabin deep in the Georgia woods to relax and unwind, Hannah reluctantly agrees. It’s the first weekend she’ll be away from her little girl, but she figures, what could go wrong? The answer, almost immediately, is, a lot. From the eerie air about the secluded cabin, to the strange cooking staff, and the ghost stories about a family that was killed on the land, the group is immediately tense. Then they begin seeing strange things. What is happening at the Elegant Overlook cabin? The group needs to figure it out before they lose their lives.

The novel moves between various timelines and points-of-views to tell the story, with Hannah being the main protagonist. Also: this novel has scenes of sexual assault, so if that’s a trigger for you, yo may want to select another book.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It had an amazingly spooky atmosphere right from the start, with a Christmas scene, where a strange package shows up at the family’s celebration. That really sets the scene for what is sure to be more strange happenings to come, and trust me, they do. Then we get to the trip itself, where things jus rocket into overdrive and it doesn’t let up. I mean, with secluded cabin right in the title, it’s bound to be a good thriller, right?

And trust me, the core mystery/reveal at the heart of the story is a doozy, one that is well laid out throughout the book and that I enjoyed seeing unfold. It was a great reveal and had some extra little “surprises” in there as well. There were just a couple little things that didn’t get answered or wrapped up as well as I would have liked, but you can’t have everything, which I think is realistic.

Overall, this book was an amazingly suspenseful thriller that I really tore through to see what was coming next. If you like thriller with a great story/mystery behind them, you’ll love this one. It’s got both a great storyline and enough chills to keep you up at night.

Highly recommended!

Very torn on this book. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six started off with a hook that kept me reading. I soon felt the plot turned messy. The different POVs mixed with the flashbacks of the unknown Henry character felt confusing for me. I felt this was trying to be as thrilling as possible but ended up being completely unbelievable. While I enjoyed the book overall, this felt a little like a miss for me.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read a copy of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. I have been meaning to read Lisa Unger for awhile, and I finally got around to it with this one. There were some things I liked, as well as some things I would have changed. The premise of this one is rather interesting; a serial killer sperm donor and the debate on whether violence is innate or learned. One of the siblings tracking everyone down to find out what they have been up to, and then taking justice into her own hands if they have committed crimes, which I don't see how that makes her any better than them, but I digress. One of the things I often struggle with in thrillers is when they are more character driven than plot driven, and I felt that was definitely the case here. There was Liza, Hannah, Cat, Mack, Bruce, Josh, Braden or Brecken or something, and the list goes on... I definitely had a hard time keeping everyone straight at first, and I think the story would have had more of an impact of there had been less characters and more plot. There's also a lot of backstory with these characters, so we were often being taken out of the present and going back in time. I felt myself wondering where the story was going more than once, and was honestly left scratching my head a bit. Overall this was a 3 star read, which for me, means the book was average... I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either.

This book didn’t do it for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters which made me get annoyed with them so easily.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review