“A bolt of lightning cuts a jagged line in the night sky, casting the abandoned hotel in a brief white-hot flash. ”
Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

Hide and Seek - multiple players arrive to play a game of Hide and Seek organized by Extreme Adventurer Maverick
Island - But the island has some interesting history, and the players all have different motivations for playing
Storm - Plus a destructive storm is coming straight for them, and this could cause some interesting consequences

In this book we follow quite a few points of view, and thankfully the way the characters are introduced, it doesn’t really become too complicated. I appreciate that. But while this book is super fast paced, and most of the characters are shady or hiding things, I felt a little unsatisfied. I really wish I saw more of the players' interactions with each other, the history of the Island and it’s natives, and maybe just simplified the plot twists a bit. To be clear, this is entertaining and the mystery does compel you to finish, so in that case it may appeal to those who love thrillers.

I would like this a lot more if I didn’t still have SO many questions. I don’t need everything tied up into a neat bow but there are many a loose thread here. I really enjoyed the family in this story. I feel as if we got to know them fairly well. Maverick was well developed, too. The rest of the characters fell pretty flat for me. The story itself was over the top and interesting, yet it all kind of built up to nothing. I will still read Unger’s books but I hope the next one has less moving parts so that we can focus on the story.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 was a thrilling and fast paced read. I was so excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. I found myself rooting for Adele to win the hide and seek challenge and get her life back but also rooting for the other two players as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

Dnf unfortunately! I just was really bored and couldn’t continue but I liked the plot! Maybe I’ll go back to this at some point but putting it down for now. It’s very hit or miss with this author for me

Unger is great in this twisting, mysterious thriller set on an isolated island. This has been a common trope recently, but Unger add the layer of how the lens of social media can skew perception and how one responds to difficulties. I enjoyed the entire ride and loved how now everything was as it seemed and the gloss of influencers fell away to ambition and greed.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

First of all, the cover alone sucked me right in. I absolutely love it! And the premise for the book was intriguing, I was so excited when I received the ebook ARC for this one!

This was my first Unger book, but I feel that there is similar writing styles to Ruth Ware, so if you’re a fan of hers, you’ll vibe with the writing style of Lisa Unger as well!

If you’re a fan of isolation style books, reality game shows, influencers, secrets, and multiple POVs, this book might just be up your alley.

I had a lot of fun with this book. I was sucked into the story line and trying to get to know all the different characters and their POVs. Each character was so different from the next, you can definitely relate to at least one.

There was a lot of backstory going on with each character, I felt like it really made you understand the characters better. The amount of twists and secrets that were released were so satisfying.

As much as I enjoyed the plot, I was able to figure out quite a bit of the plot twists, which did take away from some of the fun, and I also felt like the multiple POVs did get a bit chaotic and didn’t flow well towards the end. I thought that the ending was done where there were no loose ends, which I appreciate.

If this book sounds like something you’d enjoy, definitely make sure to add this one to your 2025 tbr!

Thank you to HTP, NetGalley and Lisa Unger for the early review of the ARC! Forever thankful!

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is the first novel that I have read by Lisa Unger. This book will have you up late at night just to find out what will happens at the end. Adele is a single mother of two teenagers struggling to make ends meet. Her ex-husband has been on the run for the past five years and has eluded capture from the FBI. Now with no end in site Adele joins an Extreme compention where three other contestents are playing hide and seek the winner will get 1 million dollars. All they have to do is not be found. With a tropical storm heading to the island and the Extreme team are dealing with their own problems. Mav the leader is keeping secrets from his other partners. Alex, the CFO is missing. Tavo has his own agenda. While Angeline, the COO wants to only have Mav to herself. The biggest question is will everyone survive the night and this storm? I would like to thank both NetGalley and Park Row for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

"𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕, 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚, 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆."

Special thanks to @launger @htpbooks @htp_hive @harlequinbooks & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

👉🏼 swipe for synopsis ➡️

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️ [4.25]

Love the premise of the book, gives it a locked room, but with a YA feel (due to the game.) Such creepy atmospheric vibes, I'm almost as afraid as the characters of their company and surroundings.
The multiple POVs jump all over the place, but it makes it so much more suspenseful that way. I'm dying to know what happens every time a chapter ends.

This was another great fast paced thriller by @launger !

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
Feb 25, 2025

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ Were you very good at hide and seek as a kid? Which was your favorite, hiding or seeking?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller #lisaunger #closeyoureyesanscountto10
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If you’re a fan of game shows, slow-burn thrillers, and the adrenaline rush of escape rooms, Lisa Unger’s latest novel will surely captivate you.

In Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, you’re thrust into a high-stakes world where extreme daredevil Maverick Dillan, known as Mav, invites you to join the ultimate game of hide-and-seek on the enigmatic Falcao Island. This lush, treacherous landscape is the backdrop for a gripping race against time as contestants vie for a staggering million-dollar prize. However, the thrill quickly turns to terror as the game transforms into a chilling test of survival.

Unger brilliantly weaves threads of suspense, from the imminent physical dangers lurking in every shadow to fellow players' complex, hidden motives. The tension builds as you grapple with the unsettling question of who is actually orchestrating this deadly contest. Filled with unexpected twists and turns, this exhilarating read kept me on the edge of my seat—and wide awake at night. I highly recommend immersing yourself in this unforgettable adventure!

Lisa Unger is an author I always read right away. This book was a fast paced, eerie thriller that deals with being a single parent and the world of influencers where most things are smoke and mirrors. I wasn’t super connected to the characters but this was still a 3.5 star read for me.

I honestly don’t know how to feel about this one. There were too many different storylines and when they all came to their conclusion, it just didn’t seem to fit (not to mention their conclusions were a little lackluster). It felt chaotic and like I was reading multiple different stories at once. I saw in a previous review that Adele faded away as the MC and I agree. For someone who is painted as the MC in the book, she faded into the background and was hardly in it. A simpler storyline overall would have made this book go a lot further in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC!

Lisa Unger masterfully combines the eerie tension of a survival thriller with the unnerving allure of influencer culture in Close Your Eyes and Count to 10. Set on the stormy, desolate Falcao Island, this novel plunges readers into a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek that spirals into a deadly test of wits, survival, and trust.

What Worked:
Atmospheric Setting: Falcao Island, with its abandoned hotel and impending storm, is richly described, creating a foreboding backdrop that amplifies the tension. The claustrophobia of the island mirrors the characters' growing desperation.
Complex Characters: Adele, a single mother with everything to lose, stands out as the novel’s emotional core. Her determination to protect her children adds an authentic and relatable dimension to the chaos. Meanwhile, Maverick Dillan’s charisma and dark undertones exemplify the dangers of social media celebrity culture.
Suspenseful Plot: Unger expertly layers suspense, weaving multiple perspectives and storylines to keep readers on edge. The blend of past interviews, social media clips, and true crime podcast episodes adds a unique narrative texture.
Social Commentary: The novel explores the darker side of influencer culture, questioning the morality behind curated online personas and the cost of fame. This commentary is woven seamlessly into the narrative, adding depth without overshadowing the thriller aspects.

Overall:
Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is a gripping exploration of survival, trust, and the blurred lines between reality and performance. Lisa Unger’s ability to create suspense and craft multifaceted characters ensures readers are hooked until the final twist. While the slow buildup may not suit all tastes, the atmospheric tension and timely commentary on influencer culture make this a standout thriller.

Recommended For: Fans of closed-room mysteries, survival thrillers, and readers intrigued by the intersection of social media and real-world danger. This is a must-read for Lisa Unger’s fans and anyone seeking a psychological thriller with a modern twist.

5⭐️

Adele, a single mother dealing with the fallout of her husband being on the run from the FBI for fraud, will do anything to protect her children. That's how she started her career as an influencer on the social media site WeWatch. When extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan creates an ultimate game of hide-and-seek with the chance to win a million dollars, Adele applies to participate. The game will take place at an abandoned hotel on Falcao Island, a building set to be demolished before it falls down on its own. Odd things start happening almost as soon as the group arrive on the island and it's clear the locals don't want them there. And to make matters worse, a big storm is coming in. Adele finds that not only is she fighting to win the competition but also survive the night.

I loved this! I'm fascinated by the life on influencers, especially extreme, outdoorsy, fitness influencers. I'm well aware that social media is a highlight reel and it's always interesting to see what's actually going on behind the scenes. Maverick's confidence and good looks clearly got him as far as he's made it in this world and it was wild to see how corrupt and in debt Extreme actually was as long as they looked good on screen. Angelina being the voice of reason in a company full of testosterones was a nice addition and I wasn't surprised at all when she ended up being corrupt as well. I liked the way this compared big influencers like the members of Extreme, Wild Cody, and Malinka, all who have had huge controversies and aren't necessarily on the up and up to Adele, a woman who tries to be authentic in everything she does.

I really liked the way this story was told, as well. Between the different POV's, the clips of lives from the different players social media, past interviews, as well as a true crime podcast by Harley Granger who was featured in Lisa Unger's holiday novella last year, this story telling style was just very compelling to me! I also really liked the POV of Blake and Violet and how shady Blake's communication in RedWorld felt.

I would definitely read more books featuring Harley Granger's podcast world!

Thank you Netgalley and Park Row for providing this book to me!

Lisa Unger is always a must read for any thriller fan!

This one brings contestants together on a mysterious island to compete for a million dollars.

Unger expertly weaves suspense and crafts an atmosphere of suspicion, keeping readers guessing about multiple character motives.

Pick this on up if you love Unger, closed-door mysteries, and escape room type mysteries..

I've been a fan of Lisa Unger for a long time and this one was an ok read for me. I wasn't super invested in the characters and the plot did seem to drag a bit, but it was an ok read. I liked this, but it wasn't my favorite of her books at all.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me on my toes and it was thought provoking. Highly recommend for those who enjoy suspenseful books and being surprised.

I’ve liked almost all of Lisa singers books and I really enjoyed this one too. I loved the island setting and thought it really helped with creating more tension. It was a little hard to keep track of all the characters at the beginning but I was able to keep them straight after a few chapters. Overall it was a very fun thriller.

I loved the premise of a hide and seek game gone wrong on an abandoned vacation resort with a crumbling hotel. What better setting?

I love how the story was told through so many view points. Some of the character were actually insufferable but they were supposed to be.

Sadly I feel like there were so many moving parts going on and it didn’t mesh in the end. So many side stories that went nowhere. The story almost felt unfinished to me. There was so much build up which I loved because it added to the suspense but then it felt like a snap of the fingers to reveal the twist with barely any explanation then it’s over.

I’ve loved other books by Lisa Unger so I’ll keep reading anything she puts out, this one just wasn’t my favorite. It was fun though and I know others are going to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed this book but it was different from other Lisa Unger books. I was expecting more of a domestic thriller but this was not that. It was more of an adventure story and even at time had some horror elements.

Close your eyes and count to 10. I usually love Lisa Unger books. But this one didn’t hold my interest very well. This is a book about desperate people who will try anything for money and internet popularity