If you’re looking for a slow burn thriller, multiple points of view and a locked room mystery this one’s for you. Fans of Ruth Ware’s One Perfect Couple will love Lisa Unger’s Close Your Eyes and Count to 10. This one will have you hooked from the beginning and reading well into the night.

3.25 stars-I have been reading Lisa Unger from the beginning and I would consider her one of my favorite writers, so I was so excited for the chance to read this arc. I was intrigued to start, you’ve got a little Ozark vibe going in the beginning with Adele’s (the mom) husband disappearing right before it is discovered that he is embezzling money from his company. Short on cash, Adele decides to enter an extreme hide and seek challenge. (I kept going because I was thinking, if Squid Games can make Red Light Green Light interesting…) but for me, this one just kind of fell flat. I didn’t not engage with the characters and the story felt very surface level, what you see if what you get ish. I was expecting a lot more depth in the story or some big plot twist, and it just didn’t really hold up for me. I still will always read Lisa Unger’s books. I am bummed I could not offer a better review, but thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

• Slow burn drawn-out atmospheric thriller mystery
• For fans of Rachel Hawkins, Ruth Ware, and
Ashley Winstead
• Multiple POV's, timelines, and inconsequential characters make this story very chaotic and confusing
• Contradictory plot lines
• Underwhelming, rushed, and unfinished reveal at the end
• Not enough time spent on the actual "hiding"
• Sick of Maverick-mentioned 651 times in a 384 page book
• Predictable plot
• Possibly a decent read for fans of locked-door-style mysteries
• Lisa Unger is usually a 5-star read for me, so l was disappointed that this one did not quite live up to my expectations

AHHH!! Yes! Just what I needed.

This was fast paced, entertaining, mysterious and a little eerie. If you're looking for a popcorn thriller or a locked room mystery, check this book out!

Told in multiple POVs with narrators that will leave you wondering what is going on?! Each person brings their own story line that adds to the plot. So many twists and turns and secrets, some you will probably be able to predict but others will leave you reeling.

Cover and Title: 5⭐ sooo good!

If you like a slow burn thriller that's more twists and turns than fast paced action, this is for you. Perfect for fans of Alex Michelades this story builds and slowly reveals itself.

A reality show that is already borderline unsafe goes way past the boundaries of what's expected when contestants agree to compete in a hide and seek game in a decrepit haunted house.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy to review.

I am beyond loving this emerging genre of reality show popcorn thrillers, this book was SO fun.

Meet Adele, mother of two kids, and a husband who has gone AWOL after being wanted by the police. To make ends meet her kids convince her to sign up for a reality streamed show of extreme hide and seek in an abandoned hotel on a remote island.

We get this story through multiple POV’s and questionable narrators. With a missing contestant from the previous extreme hide and seek, drama ensues.

This story was so fun and I couldn’t put this down. I loved the unfolding of the truth. The pacing in the middle fell a bit flat for me and I wish we would have seen more of the contestants trials and tribulations before the peak. It definitely became more about the crew than contestants.

Overall this was so fun and will be a great isolated thriller read for everyone who loves that eerie feeling!

Another winner-winner-chicken-dinner is the latest novel of Lisa Unger! "Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten" was a wonderful, quick read per usual for her!

While the novel starts with a slow burn, introducing a myriad of characters and backstories, it quickly picks up pace in the second half. The action-packed chapters and high-stakes scenarios keep the reader engaged. However, some subplots, like Adele’s absent husband, feel slightly unresolved, leaving a few loose ends.

Ready, Set , Go....

If you're looking for a slooowww burn locked room thriller type Vibe , then Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is for you !!

I have no doubt this book is going to be a huge hit !! The premises alone is enough to hook anyone , specially if you are a fan of reality TV game shows , such as Survivor or Alone .

When contestants sign up for the ultimate game experience of Hide and Seek hosted by the famous adventurer Maverick Dillan , the buzz it is creating on the internet for these social media influencers , is everything they need to get them that much closer to the $1 million dollar prize , but it is very clear from the get go that this island is riddled full of lies and deception. These contestants better watch their back as it looks like a deadly storm is heading towards Falcao Island and that may not be the only thing they are hiding from !!

Read this story if you like :
* Multiple POV's
* Reality TV Game Shows
* Decrepit run down Motels
* Secluded Island Vibes
* Secrets

I really wanted to love this book, it was actually one of my most anticipated ARC's that I received this year , but unfortunately this book was not for me . I felt there was too many POV's and for me all the characters voices in my head were all the same and at times the story felt " Stuffy" . I don't struggle with multiple characters typically but this one felt chaotic and blocky , there was no flow, I felt I kept hitting walls and having to reread the pages taking me forever to finish. I think this book could have been easily a 5 star read if it was told through a single person narrative and more focus on the contestants playing the game giving us more of a thrill and an atmospheric read .

However I really think fans of Rachel Hawkins, Ruth Ware and Ashley Winstead will inhale this book!

Cover Rating : 5 STARS!!!!! Just Gorgeous !

Thank you Netgalley , Harlequin Trade Publishing and Lisa Unger for this ARC

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

Internet influencers Adele, Cody, and Malinka travel to the remote Falcao Island for an extreme game of Hide and Seek and a chance to win a one million dollar cash prize. But the employees of Extreme seem as though they are all harboring dark secrets, especially the owner, Maverick. When the Extreme employees and contestants gather to kick off the game with a live feed to their growing number of followers, a group of locals arrive to warn them that a tropical storm is quickly approaching the island, and that they should leave the island and save themselves while they still can. Despite the ominous warning, the players are still determined to play, but soon someone goes missing, and the game quickly turns deadly….

This was such a delightfully gripping thriller! This is very much a reality show goes wrong, and even though reality TV and gaming isn’t my thing, it’s a new plot to me as far as thrillers go, so this really was a fun read that kept me captivated the entire way through. This book will definitely have you wondering what internet influencers and gamers will do for followers! I always love multiple POVs and storylines, and I thought the ending was really satisfying as well. Also, can we talk about the gorgeous cover!?!? Icing on the cake! Don’t miss out on this great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 🌟 I definitely enjoyed this book. Loved the different POVs in each chapter. I’ve read quite a few books with the trope of reality show goes wrong on an island, though. So I didn’t really find this to be too original.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the eARC!
This was insane. This was such a wild ride. It had a lot of build up, for an epic payoff.
I just can’t get over the fact that Adele left her two kids to play the game though, like WHAT? What were you thinking?
Lisa Unger is so good at painting such a great picture for her readers, because I could straight up envision all of this.
I liked the social media aspect, as it was very game show like. Almost like Fear Factor. It just left you wondering who was going to make it out and who wasn’t, especially after what had happened at the last game.
Suspenseful, intense, overall a fantastic book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for allowing me to read this book. I found it to be entertaining, however I wish it were more about the actual challenge in the book. I'm not into social media and online gaming so that part in the book did not really interest me. It was a fairly quick read and I would definitely try some of the author's other titles. I found it to be somewhat predictable but then again if you read enough in this genre you get pretty good at figuring things out occasionally.

4 ⭐️ Much like the New Couple in 5B, I devoured this book. I loved it so much but my biggest issue is the the predictable ending but overall I think this is going to be a huge hit when it finally hits shelves and I do recommend everyone add to their list of thriller mystery TBR piles! This book doesn’t come out until February 2025 but I think it will be a fun wait for this crazy story.

This book has a lot going on with multiple storylines, multiple POVs and it truly does get intense, in that it gets your heart pounding in a few spots. The main story being Adele a single mom who has her own backstory of a mistrustful husband who is on the run from the law and joins an ultimate hide and seek challenge on a remote island, put on by a famous extreme stunt social media influencer and of course things go sideways. This book has a lot of commentary on the social media and gaming world and the dangers, pitfalls, and obsessions people have with so called ‘social media influencers’ and l loved it. Does anyone remember the movie Nerve about a bunch of high schoolers doing crazy stunts online for views? It reminded me a lot of that movie and its theming. It was a unique story that is very relevant in today’s world and I liked how all the stories came together using different formats to tell the story (podcasting, live streaming, flash back and forwards). Get your popcorn ready.

Read this if you liked:
* Locked door mysteries - secluded settings
* True crime podcasters, social media influencers - live stream reality shows
* Slow burn story in a medium paced setting
* Multiple POVs and storylines

Big thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Lisa Unger for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Also, I can't wait to see what the cover ends up being?!? Dying to see it.

Pretty good read. There were some things I wasn’t the biggest fan of but it was a quick and entertaining read! I would definitely recommend this book. There was some drama, a little thrill and some pretty high stakes. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Unger brings you into the world of streaming an extreme challenge and you will feel like you’re a part of the challenge. This book is a real thriller and will have you on the edge of your seat until the end. As always Unger delivers a great story. Thanks for the advanced read.

I'm a huge fan of Unger's so was delighted to get this one and it was a thrill-a-minute! Adele is a single mother with two children, seventeen-year-old Violet and fifteen-year-old Blake. Ex-husband Miller has been on the run for years after being convicted of fraud and embezzlement. Blake is being bullied at school but won't tell as he's fearful of reprisals., but he's a big fan of online games. So when Adele decides to compete in Extreme Hide and Seek on a remote island for a prize of 1 million dollars, he's scared for her but proud that she's willing to do what it takes to get them out of debt. However, when she arrives on this island, something seems "off" but she's determined to follow through even though it will be live-streamed. And then the craziness begins! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time as the pacing keeps you reading as there are surprises on each page!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Adele is a single mother struggling to provide for her children. When her son tells her about a competition, an extreme game of hide and seek, the million dollar prize is enough to get her to apply. Soon she is off to the remote Falcao Island where the competition will be held. What she finds are locals warning them to leave and the company founder, Maverick, who seems willing to do anything to shore up his failing company.
There is a lot of time spent on character building. Even before things start to go wrong (bad weather, disagreements among the extreme team members, comments from followers that imply, Maverick was responsible for the disappearance of a former player), the vibes from this creepy location made me wonder if anybody would survive this game. I won’t risk sayingv much more about what happens, but it intrigued me enough to stay up way too late reading.
If you’ve ever wondered, what an influencer will do for followers and sponsors, this story was a real eye-opener.

If you loved The Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware and Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf, this book is for you! A high stakes reality show sets the heroine on a crazy adventure, where the ultimate risk is losing her life. Highly recommend this thriller!

Extreme Games and Insane Challenges invite you to the ultimate game of hide and seek. Maverick and his company host extreme challenges that are broadcast over social media for all the world to see. Their latest challenge takes place on a remote island in a crumbling hotel that may or not be safe, especially since a contestant from the last hide and seek challenge is still missing. All four contestants have their own reasons for entering the challenge, including a 1 million prize, but is it worth the danger and uncertainty. Fast paced, edge of your seat thriller that is impossible to put down. I have read all of Lisa Unger’s books and this is definitely one of my favorites!