I wish there had been more suspense around the competition, but this book did pull me in and I read it very quickly. Fast paced and great for a suspenseful duh ride.

I usually always love a Lisa Unger book, but this one lost me about halfway through. The premise was exciting - a reality tv game of hide-and-seek with a large reward for the winner, set on an old deserted hotel plot. Add a tropical storm and it sounds like the perfect recipe for an exciting thriller.
I think where this went wrong for me was that during the middle of the book there were just too many different storylines and characters that all seems to be going in different directions, and I had a hard time of trying to keep track of how they all related.

Besides that, I did enjoy the main character and her kids, and really felt sympathy for their situation. There also was some creeping encounters amongst the gameshow contestants that were certainly engaging.

Not going to lie though - best part was the unexpected ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc in return for my honest review.

Pub Date: 25 Feb 2025

Story: 2.5 ⭐️
Audiobook narration: 4 ⭐️
Overall: 3⭐️

Oh, this book. This story itself was decently engaging, and I definitely wanted to see how the mess these characters made for themselves would turn out. But the premise—a fitness influencer enters an extreme hide-and-seek challenge put on by some shady online streamers—is infuriating because it sounds great but the execution is…not.

Don’t get me wrong: the arc of the story isn’t horrible, but the way it was set up and the premise that has been marketed to readers? That’s all a big ol’ let down. I think it would have been so much better if it didn’t seem like the whole point of the story was this freaking game.

Thankfully, the audio narration was pretty good, so I stuck with it until the end.

I haven’t totally written off Lisa Unger because of this one, but it may be a while before I pick up another of her books.

Full review on Goodreads; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6623601815

Sadly this one didn’t live up to the hype for me. I was so excited to read it. But it just fell flat. I was excepting more of the thriller aspect durning the hide and seek game and we didn’t get that. For the most part it was okay.

it was a decent book, 6/10. it was long but not super suspenseful, as much as it could have been for being this long. the premise was good, it was just a little underwhelming.

This books sucks I had to dnf 37% through. It’s ridiculously boring and I don’t believe anybody was able to finish this book

Revenge, money, extreme sports, and blood. That is what you will find in this Lisa Unger thriller - especially the last 30%. What you may not find? An actual game of extreme hide-and-seek.

Extreme adventurer and Social Media Icon Maverick Dillan has just announced the most exciting reality game of hide and seek to be played on the desolate Falcao Island. Maverick has not exactly been known for his ethics and honesty when hosting his Extreme games. Already, one woman has been reported missing from a previous game. When a woman named Adele, who is fiercely competing to protect her children from their fugitive father, finds herself a contestant on Extreme Hide-and-Seek, she has no idea the deceptive webs she is walking into. Told from 10 different points of view, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is a ruthless competition for survival where the stakes grow higher and higher.

This definitely was a good book, especially in the last 25%. I just felt that the isolated setting mixed with bad weather made it very common. I don't think I would have given the book the title "Close Your Eyes and Count to 10". The hide-and-seek extreme game made up about 10% of the actual storyline. I would have been much more invested had the game been the focal point of the book. This one just doesn't stand out. Plus, several MAJOR plotlines are never followed through. Most of this book trope is business drama, which I struggle with anyway. And if you are a fan of that trope, this book IS for you. I probably would have titled this book "The Edge of Revenge" or "Extreme Karma".

A special thank you to Lisa Unger, Netgalley, and HQ Fiction for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one started out strong and I was excited about the storyline but then it lost me. So many things going on and it just seemed to go on forever. Not her best book.

I wasn’t able to read this digital copy but I did end up buying the book. I will review and post it after I’ve finished reading it.

I think this book did a great job at highlighting issues with social media and how easily it is to get wrapped up in other people's lives and ongoing events that aren't always exactly as what we are led to believe. Social media can be very deceptive, as is evident in this narrative.

I hate to say it, but I was disappointed in this one. It was not a bad book by any means. However, it was overall very average and didn't have many points that stood out to me.

I struggled mainly with two things in this book:
1. I didn't like any of the characters. The majority of them were just truly awful people, and the ones that weren't terrible, we honestly kind of boring.
2. The multiple character POV. This is shocking coming from me because I am typically a sucker for a story told from multiple characters. In this book, however, there were some POVs that I didn't feel added much to the story, which made me struggle with the pacing.

Another issue I had is that I feel like the title is misleading. I was so excited for the setting of this with the epic game of hide and seek, but the game actually never happen. That was disappointing and anti-climatic.

I did enjoy the setting of this story and the creepy vibes. Overall, this was very average for me. The twists were not surprising, and I just did not like most of the characters.

I had really high expectations from one of my top authors, but this just didn’t deliver. The atmospheric setting was perfect and the characters were diverse and relatable, but the suspense and excitement were lacking and it just wasn’t memorable like her other books.

Lisa Unger has really honed her craft as a psychological thriller author! This extreme hide and seek, locked room thriller caught my attention from the beginning and kept me on my toes the entire time! I will admit: the ending did seem a bit rushed, but Lisa Unger managed a larger cast of characters well and balanced intrigue and suspense beautifully! Thank you, NetGalley!

Filled with so many secrets and lies and I absolutely love it!!! I loved all the twists and turns, action pack read!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

𝐶𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 10 is a psychological thriller that captures the tension and intrigue of today’s reality TV adventure shows, which I love to watch. I listened to this one solely on audiobook and hearing it made me wonder if some of the shows I watch are truly like this. It definitely has me questioning some things about some shows.

Ava, a strong yet deeply scarred FMC, finds herself wrapped up in a high-stakes reality TV game, while Nolan, a podcast host with hidden motivations as they navigate their way through this game with added suspense and mystery. The story weaves in themes of trust, manipulation, and the weight of buried secrets, creating a narrative that keeps you guessing and hooked from start to finish. Unger’s ability to dive into the mind while exploring the influence of media was done well.

After having the privilege of attending her last two book signings, I’ve quickly become a dedicated fan. Hearing her speak has been amazing and fun, and I’m committed to diving into her backlist.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: Cat and mouse, plenty of drama

This book was all over the place. There were a lot of secrets and lies.The pacing was inconsistent. It was a bit hard to keep up with. For the most part, I enjoyed this high stakes and tense read.

I really wanted to love this book. The cover drew me in and the description of the rundown hotel and setting set the scene for a creepy game of hide and seek. The influencers competing for the cash prize are a mismatch of personalities and the team running the game have so much drama it completely took away from the creepy/thriller tale I was looking for. The timelines and multiple POVs seemed to make the story less coherent. I couldn’t tell when the actual game and purpose of the plot began and how it was going to work. I think the cheesy online comments made the story seem more melodramatic than suspenseful. I was hoping for more.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Charismatic daredevil and extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan invites you to the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. But as the players gather on Falcao Island, the event quickly spirals into a chilling test of survival. A storm rages as a deadly threat stalks the contestants, turning the challenge into something far more sinister than the social media stunt it was intended to be."

As usual, Lisa Unger 's storytelling sucked me right in! Unger brings action, suspense, and well-developed characters. This time, she explores the world of social media influencers and extreme gaming in a way that’s both honest and fun to read. While Adele stands out as the main character for me, there’s also a whole group of men and women who help turn this thriller from a game with a million-dollar prize into a fight for survival.

What I loved about this book is how the true nature of each character unfolds slowly as the action is quick! There’s depth and complexity to characters like Adele, Maverick, Angeline, Cody, Malinka, Tavo, and Hector. As their secrets are revealed, the story becomes even more gripping. And then there’s Adele’s kids, Violet and Blake, back home. They help ground the chaos on Falco Island and add even more tension and emotion to the already intense situation.

I was attracted to the concept of this novel and although it had great potential I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed and bored! The multiple POV’s were thought out well in the early development of this story only to be made insignificant as the games progressed. At around 40% the entire player POV became filler even though the story was centred around this extreme version of hide and seek!

I was hoping we would get more resolution surrounding the disappearance of Adele’s husband, did I just miss something here?? Where did he go?? Why?? What happened to him after??

The one aspect that I did enjoy was the commentary on social media and how it impacts the ways in which we perceive others! Things can look completely different on the other side of the screen. 👀

This novel was one that I was excited to read from an author I had not yet experienced. It seemed intriguing from the beginning, posing a plot revolving around adult hide and seek with extremely high stakes. For the protagonist Adele, it was an op opportunity to win a large sum of money to make up for the position her family was left in when her husband embezzled money from his company, leaving her and her two children, Violet and Blake, in shambles as well as all of the families who worked for him. Ultimately, their family was living in somewhat exiled due to his selfish behaviors. When she embarks on this journey, there are three other competitors meant to join the game, all known competitors and bloggers meant to spark viewers for the host channel’s game. Meanwhile, the people who run the event are finding themselves in sticky situations, revolving around their own drama and rumors that have been harmful to their reputation and funding. This game is an opportunity for their company to bounce back as long as all goes well, but when a girl who previously disappeared in an earlier challenge keeps popping up and people keep looking for more information about what happened to her, it becomes increasingly clear that there is some type of darkness lurking that can only come back to bite them all. Ultimately every person involved has a choice to make: should they stay and try to wait for the money or should they leave and go home where they know they’ll be safe? At the end of the day, all they can do is close their eyes count to 10 and hide.

This novel was a fun read overall. It was full of tension and depth as the characters’ backstories became revealed, and the reader becomes more aware of the past that each character has through a limited perspective, giving an opportunity to build up and develop an interesting and intense story with moments of clues for the reader to build upon and realize what is happening and what is to come. While I could figure out some of the twists and turns, there were others I couldn’t. In reading an advanced reader copy, I will say I’m not sure if some of the discrepancies were carried over in the final, however, there were a few confusing pieces of information along the ride. Overall, it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story overall and I would say this is a story that most muster or thriller readers could enjoy.

I like the concept but not really the book I think the game could have started off better. Z z z z. Z z. Z z z z