4⭐️ What a ride this was! I really enjoyed the way this story built up its backstory through multiple POVs and how unique the idea was - I also love a good twist at the end 🌪️ A great addition to your thriller TBR Lists!
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A big thank you to Legend Press and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy to read and review! Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is available NOW✨

I am usually a huge Lisa Unger fan, so I'm not quite sure why this book failed to engage me. It had an interesting premise and was a "locked room" style mystery which is among my favorites. But I just failed to connect with the characters. Plus, it seemed like the author was throwing a lot of red herrings, just for the sake of creating confusion, but not to add to the coherence of the plot.

However, I was interested enough to finish the book to the end. I found the solution a bit unsatisfying, but overall, I would say this may just be personal preference. I can see how others, especially fans of Lisa Unger, would find this an exciting read.

Thank you Netgalley and Legend Press for allowing me to read this arc.

Summary: This story follows multiple POVs, including 6 couples who decide to stay at a secluded cabin. While there, strange things happen and secrets slowly start to unravel. One person ends up missing. The story also flashes back and forth in time past & present, revealing more and more about what is happening.

What I liked: I love the idea of 6 people going to a secluded rental (isolation trope). It started to remind me of the movie ‘The Rental’, which is very creepy.

What I disliked: There are almost too many characters to follow. And the timeline between the 6 at the cabin in the present and the story of Henry in the past felt disjointed for a long time. Wondering if it would have helped to reveal more of the current secrets the 6 in the present had and less of the build-up of Henry’s life. Because of the slow build-up, the story felt very slow until two-thirds of the way through. Almost every character was despicable in some way. Bracken’s character was almost unnecessary.

Overall: I give this story 2 stars. Possibly 2.5 if I were allowed to add a half-star.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
Author: Lisa Unger

eARC & Book Review
Pub Date: February 16, 2023


“This place is epic. You’re gonna die.”

In this atmospheric thriller, three couples rent a luxurious cabin in the woods for a relaxing getaway. However, their trip is anything but relaxing.

Featuring a group full of people with their own secrets, staying in a house with a deadly history, owned by an almost too-present owner, what could go wrong?

Answer: a lot.
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I’ll be honest right off the bat, I had higher hopes for this one. The idea was there, it was just executed poorly. The characters were irritating, so many stupid decisions were made, and it honestly took awhile to understand who was who — or was that just me? lol

The setting, however, was amazing. It was described perfectly and it really felt like I was in the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Legend Press for this aARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was very excited to get Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six but, for me it missed the mark. I found the characters unlikeable and the storyline a little disturbing. This one wasn’t for me.
Thank You to Legend Press, NetGalley and Lisa Unger for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I loved the premise of this book. It was entertaining and fast paced, however I found that it was a bit unbelievable that so many of the characters had secrets that impacted the whole group. I was really intrigued by the aspect of the unknown person gifting the DNA test and why! Having just been on a personal journey of discovery with my own DNA I was interested and intrigued. There were a lot of characters and a lot of backgrounds to keep sight which was somewhat confusing. I have read this author before and enjoyed her books. I loved the premise but for me this just didn’t really add up. I give it a three star rating.

This started out really intriguing. I love the concept of Origins; because it mirrors a similar company, 23&Me (and others) in real life. The author did an incredible job weaving this story together, but the end was a bit unrealistic. This is my first Lisa Unger novel, but I am looking forward to checking out more books by her because her writing really held my attention! This was a fun read. Thank you Netgalley and Park Row books for the free preview ecopy!

Firstly, thank you to Netgallery, Legend Press books and Lisa Unger for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

It was a fast paced and kept me guessing until the end! I did find some of the characters were a little underdeveloped but I still needed to know what happens!

Overall I enjoyed the book and all the twists and turns!!

Firstly, thank you to Netgallery, Legend Press books and Lisa Unger for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and it definitely won’t be the last! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an action packed thriller! It so brilliant I read it in a day!

It was a fast paced and kept me guessing throughout a perfect book for psychological thrillers fans like me! And end I did not see coming! I would encourage everyone to read this book in 2023 you will not regret it!

Overall I throughly enjoyed this book and all the plot twists that it presented.
10/10

A locked room mystery set in a secluded luxury cabin in the woods. Three couples trying to keep their secrets safe from one another. A groundskeeper who seems a tad too friendly. A big storm rolling in. Throw in some DNA test kits that seemingly magically appear. Nothing can go wrong.....right??

I was super excited for this book as the premise sounded great to me and I've enjoyed the books by Lisa Unger I have read. However, this one left me a little disappointed. It wasn't terrible, but I was definitely left wanting more.

The two biggest problems for me were that there were too many plot points and the characters lacked depth and development. I get that all the plot points were thrown at us to try and keep us on our toes, but they ended up falling flat. There were just too many and when they all tried to connect in the end, it just seemed far fetched. As for the characters, they didn't seem fully developed, which is fine at times if they develop through the story, but they did not. In fact, I ended up liking all of the characters less and less throughout the whole book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

📚 So Many Books

📖 Book Review 📖
📱”Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six” by Lisa Unger

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A thrilling locked-room mystery set in a luxury cabin in Georgia. Three couples in an isolated cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s loving and generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’s his birthday gift to Hannah and includes their spouses and another couple, her best friend since forever. The six friends need this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R, far from the chatter and pressures of modern life.

But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? And who is the new boyfriend, crashing their party? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried.

The plot was very hot, cold then hot again as the two stories began to come together. I enjoyed the integrated DNA testing in the plot, and how nature vs nurture was discussed. I also liked the creepy family dynamics and how old memories were used to explain the characters.

Thank you to @netgalley for the digital ARC.

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Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six was an interesting read about genetics and murder.

But ultimately I wanted more from this one. I really enjoyed the duel timelines and Henry perspective. He was probably my favorite character. What I didn’t enjoy was how middle of the road this book felt. The setting was beautiful and atmospheric and perfect for murder and revenge. But unfortunately we didn’t get much of either.

I would still recommend this book to people who are new to the thriller genre. It would be a good introduction.
2.5/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book 4 of the year was definitely unsettling. I’d give it 3.5 stars. I rounded up to 4 on goodreads because I leaned closer to that. Definitely an unsettling and creepy thriller. The psychological aspect might have been the creepiest piece. Thank you to @netgalley and @legendpress for the copy to read.

I am partial to mysteries set in secluded settings where the characters are trapped, and this ticks all those boxes. The characters are all suspicious with hidden motives, the setting is remote and creepy, and the red herrings abound. There are plenty of twists, turns, and reveals until everything comes nicely together for a satisfying ending. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it.

This was my first read from Lisa Unger (how did that even happen?!) and I really enjoyed it. I was quickly drawn into the characters and the backstory. I was totally invested in finding out what each of them was hiding, what it was that was really drawing them to the Overlook, and what the fallout of their secrets and past mistakes would be.

All in all, I found it to be a very enjoyable read. I look forward to diving into more by Lisa Unger. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Legend Press for the advanced copy.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is a tense thriller filled with secrets and mystery. Lisa Unger is no stranger to drama and her latest novel is filled with a family of characters who all have secrets and lies they have been telling each other just to save face and look good for social media.

My one complaint about the novel is that it throws at lot of plot points at the reader in an effort to keep them on their toes, however I feel the misdirection falls flat in many of the chapters and the reader is left wonder where exactly the story is going. I kept waiting for the final payoff, where the plot (or mystery) comes together and honestly was disappointed by the resolution in the end,

I consider Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six a mediocre thriller at best, and know Unger has written better novels in the past. Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for the opportunity to review this novel.

I had higher hopes for this one. The constant repetition of character traits seemed excessive, particularly as the characters are all cliche - many of them described as "virile" . There were also too many characters to keep track of. The plot seemed far fetched at times and reminiscent of a teen horror movie. I also struggled to buy into the likenesses among half siblings being so pronounced. I was expecting more from the creepy host which was a let down. By the end I was looking forward to it just ending.

Quick take: Lisa Unger is one of my go-to thriller writers and I enjoyed much of this book. There's intrigue, secrets, past bad deeds. And a baddie with an agenda.

It reminded me a little of Linwood Barclay's Find You First, as it dips into DNA testing kits, sperm donation and genetics. Posing the age-old nature vs nurture question... not to mention good vs evil.

Unger's given us some very likeable characters and some who are less-so. The pacing is great so you want to keep reading, though we change narrators and move about in time.

I thought I knew where this story was going and kinda wished it'd gone in that more obvious direction as I felt the motivation on offer (underpinning what happens to our six cabin-sleepers) overcomplicated things a little and diluted or redirected some of my hatred that came so easily.

I'd certainly still recommend this fast-paced psychological thriller.

3.5 stars

This was a fun thriller. I did think it was a little obvious but the writing was solid and the ride was entertaining. My first read by this author and I’ll read others based on this one.

Did not finish - not my cup of tea but thank you for the opportunity to read. The flow of the writing didn’t grab me so I didn’t make it past the first few chapters.