Unger does such a great job of building suspense and keeping you guessing, and the characters are really interesting too. There’s just enough psychological tension to keep you hooked without feeling overwhelming. If you’re into twisty thrillers with lots of surprises, this book is definitely worth picking up!

If you love game shows, slow burn thrillers, and escape room vibes you will love this newest read by Lisa Unger.

Extreme daredevil and adventurer Maverick Dillan (Mav) invites you to play the ultimate game of hide-and-seek on the mysterious Falcao Island. As the players race against the clock to win a million dollar prize,the game quick spirals into a chilling test of survival

I've read a fair share of game show inspired reads this year, and what sets this thriller apart is Unger's
ability to maintain multiple threads of suspense – the immediate physical threats, the mysterious motives of fellow contestants, and the overarching question of who is really controlling this deadly game. This was such a blast to read, and kept me up at night. I highly recommend that you check this one out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝. 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭?

The concept of this one was intense: Maverick Dillan is a social media star thanks to his daredevil exploits and extreme challenges. Single mother Adele has had to rebuild her life from the ground up. She thought she had a solid marriage, but her husband Miller, accused of embezzling from his company, is on the run and has left her and their two teenagers almost destitute. When her son encourages her to enter Maverick's Extreme Hide and Seek challenge for a chance at a one million dollar prize, she decides to go for it. She has an athletic background with lots of outdoor experience, but most importantly, that money would be life changing.

I did enjoy the book, but the two characters and their alternating storylines seemed disjointed and never really blended together for me. I wanted more about Miller as well. I did love the creepy island setting, the abandoned hotel, and the wild storm that blew in, but very little happened with the actual game.

I found the majority of the book to be a commentary on social media culture, especially reality shows and televised challenged--how much is genuine, and how much of it is someone behind the scenes orchestrating and manipulating? It raises the question of why exactly do we idolize people who share every moment of their life, claiming to be an open book, while we all know everyone has something to hide and will go to any length to keep some things carefully concealed from public view and consumption.

3.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to HTP Publishing/Park Row Books for this early read! At the time this review was written, this title was expected to publish February 25, 2025.

Thank you to Lisa Unger, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel, in exchange for my honest review, publishing February 25, 2025.

The only person you can ever truly trust....is yourself.

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. I mean a group of social medial influencers playing an innocent childhood classic, Hide and Seek, on a mysterious island full of secrets and danger lurking in every shadow- what could possibly go wrong?!

I am a huge fan of locked room thrillers and reality competition survival shows. Think of the classic Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" mixed with the strategy of Survivor's tagline of outwit, outplay, and outlast with the danger of Squid Games. This was an exciting, tension-fueled, thriller that I enjoyed from start to finish. Although it did start off slow, I found that it picked up nicely and was full of twists and turns that I truly did not see coming. I felt like the climax and conclusion of the story was satisfying and tied up the loose ends I had questions about. I highly recommend diving in as soon as it releases.

Maverick, an extreme adventurer, runs these hide and seek challenges for big payouts. A desperate single mother, Adele, signs up in hopes of getting money to give her kids and her some stability. This one was a slow slow build for me. I also felt like I was in a reality game show and I appreciated the subtlety of the role of social media in people's lives and how some become influencers . I appreciated the multiple points of view and the character development that went along with it. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book!

Beautifully written, had me on my toes the entire time. This book reminded me why I love mystery/thrillers. Well done.

Yet again Lisa Unger has written a fun thriller!!!

She has a way of taking multiple POVs and allowing the reader to put together all the pieces to try to figure out the story. She paces her stories well enough where at the end of most POV chapters you're on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next!

This was no different. The setting of a reality show in this day and age was so well chosen. The plot twists and turns are always fun to read especially when you see so many perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed that one of the perspectives was her child, that elevated the story. I would love to see how she maps out all the storylines!!

I really enjoyed this and would read all her books!

Lisa Unger's latest thriller masterfully blends the allure of social media spectacle with primal survival instincts in this gripping tale of a deadly game gone wrong. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Falcao Island, "Close Your Eyes and Count to 10" delivers a perfect storm of psychological suspense and heart-racing action that will keep readers on edge until the final page.

At the center of this taut narrative is Adele, whose role as a protective mother adds layers of emotional depth to the survival story. Unger excels at crafting authentic characters caught in extraordinary circumstances, and Adele's fierce determination to survive for her children grounds the high-stakes drama in relatable human motivations.

The novel's premise – a social media-driven game of hide-and-seek orchestrated by the charismatic Maverick Dillan – brilliantly taps into our contemporary obsession with online entertainment and influencer culture. But Unger transcends simple commentary on digital age dangers, weaving a complex web of deception that forces readers to question the nature of trust in an increasingly connected world.

The author's masterful pacing keeps the tension mounting as the game's sinister undertones emerge. The island setting, battered by an unrelenting storm, serves as both a physical obstacle and a powerful metaphor for the darkening atmosphere of the competition. Unger's vivid descriptions create a claustrophobic environment where danger lurks around every corner, making the reader feel as trapped as the contestants themselves.

What sets this thriller apart is Unger's ability to maintain multiple threads of suspense – the immediate physical threats, the mysterious motives of fellow contestants, and the overarching question of who is really controlling this deadly game. The blurring of lines between virtual and reality adds an extra layer of psychological complexity that will resonate with modern readers.

Twisty and dark this book won't leave you disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC book in exchange for an honest review.

Close Your Eyes And Count To 10 is about a guy and his buddies who run an Extreme gaming/challenge channel on the Internet. They are hosting a game of hide and seek, where Adele, a mother, decides to participate in. But then everything goes awry.

This book had a very intriguing premise, but to me it was kind of executed badly. I didn’t like how social media focused everyone was and everyone constantly going “live” in dire situations was kind of annoying and extreme. It was kind of hard to believe that these characters could ever be real people, because of all the bad decisions they made. I know it’s fiction, but at some point the plot gets super unrealistic and then the whole story is unbelievable.

None of the characters were that likable and their thoughts and decisions had me so mad and annoyed. It also seemed like there were two totally different stories going on at once and I wish we knew more about Miller‘s return at the end, it just felt very rushed. The whole plot with Chloe as well, felt unfinished or something. Just kind of random and not very interesting.

There were a lot of instances where I felt intrigued, but also a lot where I rolled my eyes. There were also lots of grammar and spelling errors that made some of the book hard to read. (I know it’s an ARC, but I was expecting better) I liked seeing Adele’s growth throughout the story, she was a character I could tolerate, same with Wild Cody.

This was a slow burn for me. I felt nothing really happened until almost over halfway through. Don't get me wrong the chapters were short and felt fast paced but I just feel the story took way too long for something super exciting to truly happen. Also im not a huge fan of a ton of POVs and I felt the amount used in this book was unnecessary. Was definitely hoping for more with this one but its okay, no book is perfect and I will still continue to read Lisa's books.

As a fan of Lisa Unger’s work I was looking forward to this story. The idea of a hide and seek thriller seemed great unfortunately it felt like the actual hide and seek aspect of the book wasn’t there. The plot lines were good but some felt very forced and unnecessary. It felt like too many characters who overall didn’t have a giant impact on the story. A quick, fun read but not the best Unger book out there.

The company Extreme is known for putting on lucrative, crazy competitions as well as giving a huge amount of money to charities This time it's an Extreme Hide and Seek contest with 4 influencers. But there are plenty of secrets behind this successful company and a storm is starting to brew.

This book was more of a slow suspenseful novel. I enjoyed seeing the stories behind the influencers, their families, and the people who worked for Extreme. This book was not scary, which may be a turn off for some, and I didn't notice any surprises or twists either.

Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten by Lisa Unger is a quick-moving thriller about influencers who participate in an Extreme hide and seek challenge that goes off the rails. Mom-fluencer Adele has turned her life around after her husband left her, their kids, and his business behind to live life on the run from the FBI. Even though she tries her hardest, she still is behind on her credit cards and when the opportunity to make a million dollars comes up, she doesn’t back down from the challenge. Unfortunately, the challenge isn’t the only game being played on Falço island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The pacing of this book was well done, I kept coming back for more, and things moved quickly. I also thought the characters were well done, especially in the case of Adele, Mav, Adeline, Violet and Blake. The other characters I would have liked more information about. The story line was interesting, but once again, there were some plot points I would have liked more about or just more resolution. One personal pet peeve of mine, however, is just making up different names for social media sites and not changing anything about it. Everyone is going to know which one you’re talking about, so I feel as if you should either just use the name or make something up yourself. It feels very “ok boomer”. But overall, this was an enjoyable, tension driven novel.

Usually a huge fan of this author but this one was too heavy on the slow burn for me! That said, I will definitely pick up her next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc!

This book just wasn't for me. I am a huge fan of thriller books but this one did nothing to keep my attention. I am so sad because the description and cover looked promising but ultimately it did not work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Adele is a single mother of two teenagers, struggling to make ends meet, after her husband embezzled a large sum of money from his company and went on the run. Her son convinces her to go on an extreme reality show on an island off the coast of Portugal where she will compete with others for a $1M prize. Things quickly seem to go off the rails as a storm approaches the abandon hotel that is the site of the game.

3.5 stars. Rounding up because I got through it pretty quickly.

Some of this author's books are a big hit with me, others are a miss. This was in the middle at slightly better than average. The premise was ok. I don't always love a closed room mystery because I struggle to keep the chracters straight. Fortunately that wasn't a problem here. I think I just didn't really like any of the people invoived with running the game and didn't necessarily care about what was going on with them and I didn't find Adele's story particularly interesting, but I did turn the pages and get through it fairly quickly, so I obviously didn't hate it. It was ok.

Lisa Unger’s latest thriller is a little chaotic, but one might expect that from the account of a high stakes, extreme game of hide and seek that takes place at a condemned resort, on an island in the path of a hurricane. Told with a varied timeline, and from the perspectives of multiple social media influencers, the story is filtered through the lens of each online personality, and the result feels like watching a clip show highlight reel. The conflict is continuous, but the only characters who are truly hiding are entirely outside of the game. This is a disarranged thriller, but it does keep you engaged and guessing throughout.

I really found this book to be well paced, well thought out and an almost perfect plot. I couldn't stop reading and I felt this was definitely a page turner

A social media company holds a high-stakes hide-and-seek competition at a deserted hotel, and obviously, chaos ensues. There were so many twists and little puzzle pieces to put together and I stayed entertained throughout. Theres social media, murder, teens and adults, live streaming, a creepy location, podcasts, bullying, VR game, lying, cheating, villainous characters and so much more. I would recommend this to any fan of Lisa Unger or similar authors. It honestly gave me the vibes of a super creepy but modern version of the game Clue but with social media and all that entails thrown in to the mix.

This book was an extreme beast! I read it in just a day. If you have followed any YouTube drama in the recent months you have to wonder how fast this book was written. Is it a commentary on the YouTube creators and ko. Or a prediction of the inevitable downfall of anyone who climbs to fame. Many sings the praises of creators online. But when really dig into the character and content of these people. You have to question the morality behind it. But at the end of the day how do these come to fame? This book is a deep dive into the dangers truth that lurk behind “innocent fun”.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️