Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for an ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I am a huge fan of Lisa Unger and I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. Unfortunately it did fall a bit short for me. I give it 3.5 stars but just didn't feel like I could round it to 4 so unfortunately I had to ring down to 3. I did like most of the characters and I was rooting for single Mom Adele to win the game of extreme hide and seek. I wish there would have been more about the actual game itself. I did figure most of the twists out but still thought it was worth the read. I would recommend reading this even though it wasn't my favorite of hers.

Unger has yet to disappoint me. While this wasn’t my favorite, I still enjoyed it! I enjoyed the multiple POV’s, lotssss of secrets, and the vibes surrounding the island.

In this book, a single mom signs up for a challenge on an island to win a large cash prize in an extreme game of hide-and-seek.

I've heard great things about Lisa Unger's novels and was really curious about this new release. The name of the book got me intrigued! In this book, Adele and her kids are always expecting the worse. And I really admired this strong single mom character in the story. The novel started off with an interesting plot and multiple POVs that added great dimension. But soon things kind of went off the tracks for me with the story line. The focus shifted to the drama among the organizers of the challenge and left Andele and two other potentially interesting characters / challenge participants, pretty much out of the story.

I would have loved to see more of the challenge itself in the novel. There was so much potential for the page-turning thrill ride that unfortunately was missed. Regardless, I really enjoyed Adele and her kids's characters!

Give it a shot, friends, if you enjoy novels about influencers and YouTube challenges/quests and the drama that goes behind the scenes.

Social media influences, troubled marriage/family, FBI investigation, teen bullying, survival games, and more. This book had so many events taking place! I was pulled into this book based off the cover and the synopsis. There are multiple points of view taking place in the
Is thriller and some of them really kept my interest while others did not and I had a hard time keeping interest in the story. I feel like it started strong but quickly started to fizzle out that I lost interest. All of the characters were hiding a secret that comes out during a game of hide and seek-which never started due to all the crazy events and storm. This might be a thrilling read for others but not me.

Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten by Lisa Unger
*Advanced Reader Copy*
Publish Date: February 25, 2025
🌟🌟🌟🌟


Adele had the perfect life. Her husband was a smart, rich biotech company owner/inventor. She is afforded the life she wants as a mom of two: big house, hosting parties, never wanting for anything. Then one day it all comes crashing down. Now Adele is a single mom of two trying to make ends meet. As debt continues to mount Adele is not sure what she will do.

Enter Maverick Dillan. He invites Adele to participate in his annual extreme game of hide and seek. The setting…a remote island with an abandoned hotel. The goal….be the last player left hiding. The prize…one million dollars. What’s there to lose?

However everything is not as it seems. Things went wrong in the last game of hide and seek. Weird text messages and online trolls are threatening Maverick and his company. The locals claim the land is cursed. A storm is bearing down on the island. Will Adele get out before it is too late?

This was such a fun read. I could not put it down. Lisa Unger creates a tense thriller that kept me engaged until the very last page. You should definitely check this book out when it comes out Tuesday.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy.
#CloseYourEyesandCountto10 #NetGalley.

I'm a longtime Unger fan, but I'm afraid this one is a little gimmicky for me, However, the author's psychological insight and wonderful writing make it a worthwhile read -- and the premise may bring her new fans who haven't read her work before.

I loved the premise of this novel. An extreme game of hide and seek on a remote island at a derelict, abandoned resort. Of course things are not as they seem and each character has their own secrets they are hiding. The novel alternated between different points of view to give the reader background on each of the characters.

The main character was Adele. She is now a single mother with two teenagers. Her husband ran off stealing money and leaving Adele to deal with the fall out of his betrayal as well as an investigation by the FBI. She is desperate for money so when her son convinces her to join this extreme hide and seek game she agrees. She has tried to reinvent herself and knows this could be good for her influencer business as well as help her kids financially. What Adele doesn't count on is that the game is run by Maverick whose business is not going well. He is dealing with big scandals from the past games. Things are not what they seem and more lives could be in danger.

I really enjoyed this thriller. The location and the characters really made this one for me. It also did not turn out as I expected. The characters all had challenges they had to face and it was an interesting read to see how they met them. I really enjoy Lisa Unger's books and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for this ARC.

A really good concept that didn't pane out exactly how I thought it would. I was hoping for a bit more of a hide and seek game, kind of like Hunger Games, but there were a lot of other sub-plots that were going on as well. I enjoyed the main character, Adele, and her motivation for doing the challenge.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lisa Unger is one of those authors that I fail to resist. Honestly, I don't even put up a fight anymore. Her writing has bewitched me, body and soul. It's a foregone conclusion that when I open a title of hers, I wake up early or stay up late to see how the tale unfolds.

In this, an extreme game of hide and seek is led by an influencer( Maverick Dillian) who convinces other influencers to compete for a million dollars. Adele is a single mother of two teens, and she decides to compete in Maverick's challenge. Adele's husband is on the run and wanted by the FBI, and Adele needs some cash. Along with competitors- Malinka and Cody, Adele heads for an island with a haunting past. It soon becomes clear that this will not be an ordinary reality television show because the organizers have a whole whack of problems.

This fits my suspense thriller craving for the week. As the chapters switched between many characters, I was deep into the narrative wondering how it was going to play out. If I had a quibble, I was less interested in Adele's kids' storyline as I felt it was quite evident how that storyline was going to play out. That aside, it was a solid novel that kept me very entertained.




CloseYourEyesandCountto10 #NetGalley
Expected Publication 25/02/25
Goodreads Review 18/02/25

This started out okay but I honestly lost interest in the characters. This was not my favorite book from this author.

There wasn’t really anything about this book that screamed thriller, which was disappointing. I think if it was presented differently, I might feel differently about my feelings. I was expecting more of an actual hide-and-seek hunt. Didn’t really feel like much was happening until the end. Plus, the characters were REALLY unlikable, which is understandable for some of them.

📖 ONE OF MY TOP READS THIS YEAR

After the terrible outcome of their last game ending with a missing contestant, Maverick hopes this extreme game of hide-and-seek will save his company, Extreme Games. Taking place in what was once a luxurious resort, but is now a crumbling structure on Falcao Island, we meet the three players: a wilderness explorer, a social media influencer and a mom of 2.

Despite threats of an oncoming storm, and the insistence of an island native, warning of the dangers of playing the game, Maverick is determined to continue.

As the storm rolls in, let the chaos begin…. Secrets will be revealed. Betrayal and deception will be brought to light, and all the missing pieces will begin to come together.

I enjoyed how the story all came together. This book kept me interested and I didn’t want to put it down.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my ARC.

I always enjoy Unger’s books and this one was a thrilling, high stakes, action packed account of a reality contest gone wrong.

I thought that the hide and seek premise of a reality show where the prize is 1 million dollars was so fun! It didn’t quite pan out how I thought it would, but not necessarily in a bad way. I thought it would be more of a fight for survival amongst the contestants and while there was that element, it was ended up being more about the showrunners and their corruption than the actual game. We only get 3 contestants and the focus was mostly on the mother in the group, Adele, and her backstory. I did love her resiliency as a mother as she strives to make a better life for her kids after her husband leaves her abandoned and in debt.

The island setting itself was incredibly atmospheric and chilling. I loved the folklorish element from the local residents.

Overall I would have preferred more focus on the game but did really appreciate the thought provoking layer the author embedded into this story when it comes to fame, exploitation, and social media.
If you enjoy survival stories with well developed character backstories, I think you will enjoy this! I look forward to what Unger has in store for us next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HTP for my #gifted ARC!

This book had such a unique premise—an extreme, high-stakes game of hide and seek featuring social media influencers? I was immediately intrigued. Add in a mother fighting for her family’s survival, and I was all in.

The main character, a mom of two teenagers, had such a compelling arc. With her husband missing after embezzling money and leaving them in financial ruin, she decides to train, build her strength, and enter the competition in hopes of winning the prize money. I loved watching her determination grow as the stakes got higher.

There were a lot of characters and POVs, which sometimes made things feel chaotic. At times, I had to go back and reread to keep track of how everyone was connected. The biggest drawback for me was the pacing—some sections dragged, and the level of detail about every character’s backstory and thoughts slowed things down when I just wanted to get back to the action.

That said, once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. If you enjoy competition-based thrillers with strategy, survival, and deception at their core, this one is definitely worth a read!

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

Thank you to the author and @netgalley for an advance reader copy of this book.

I will start off by saying that I’m not a triller reader. I needed a break from my typical historical fiction/fiction and heard good things about Lisa Unger’s books.

This is a hide and seek game gone wrong. 3 contestants travel to a remote island to play a game of hide and seek on a reality tv show where the winner takes home $1M. During the course of the game things go wildly wrong. This story closely follows the main character, Adele, a bad-ass mom who has literally been thru it, on her plight to get off the island and literally save her life.

I will admit that at times the book went a little slow for me. It took forever to “get to the good part.” So to speak. It started strong and ended strong, with perhaps a bit of lag in between.

I gave this one 3.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up to 4. I can tell that Lisa Ungar is a talented writer, and I will now research her books and pick out the one with the best ratings to add to my tbr list. Of course, I am open to your suggestions.

I am probably in the minority here, but I just thought this book went on and on and nothing really ever happened. It was super boring. I am upset because usually Lisa Unger is a really good writer. I would still be interested in reading more books by her, but unfortunately this one was not for me. I did like the audiobook narrator though!

Many thanks to the publisher for the arc and alc!

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 in exchange for my honest review.

The more recent Lisa Unger books are hit or miss for me. The parts with Violet, Blake and the video game kept my interest, but the story on the island dragged.

Overall the book could have been 50 pages shorter.

Close Your Eyes And Count To 10
By Lisa Unger
Pub date: February 25, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my advanced copy.
All opinions are my own.

The premise is simple: a game of hide-and-seek in an abandoned hotel on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. Winner gets $1M.

The players: a pro wilderness explorer, a young influencer and a mom trying to prove her grit.

The problem: there is no money, the company is bankrupt and the shareholders are theives, murderers, and backstabbers. And as the game begins, the storm of the season rolls in and makes the simple game a life-and-death fight for survival.

On an alternate timeline, a woman is missing from the last round of extreme hide-and-seek.

This book has all the makings of a NYT best seller. The peek behind the curtain, so to speak, of the influencer and gaming cultures made for a plot line that was consistent through all the back stories.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I appreciate that not everything was figured out, but for the most part karma came due.

This was a fun read! I really enjoyed the multiple points of view, the podcast elements, and the way several storylines all weaved together. With an atmospheric setting and plenty of building tension, this book was one I didn’t want to put down!

Lisa Unger takes a bit of a departure in Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, offering a thriller that unfolds at a different pace than her previous works. While the initial chapters felt somewhat slow to me, the narrative found its footing during the high-stakes "game" of hide and seek. The tension started to build as the competition intensified, and the desperate measures the characters took to win the grand prize kept me engaged. While the overall story was intriguing, the slow burn at the beginning prevented me from fully connecting with the characters and plot initially but I did get there about 1/2 way through. A solid read for thriller fans. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this new release in exchange for my honest review. To be published February 25, 2025. Looking forward to Lisa’s next book as I love them all!!!!