Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 has a very promising premise, however I've found it difficult to get into. I started this book in July and it continues to be a DNF for me. I enjoy this author's works, but this one felt a bit far fetched in terms of the main character's motives and it's very slow. Nonetheless, thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC provided by Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

In Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, Lisa Unger masterfully weaves a psychological thriller that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the final twist. Known for her ability to blend intricate plotting with deep psychological insights, Unger delivers another captivating tale that explores the complexities of memory, trust, and the shadows of the past.

The narrative centers around the enigmatic character of the protagonist, whose life is turned upside down when a series of unsettling events begins to unfold. As the story progresses, Unger skillfully unravels the layers of her character’s psyche, drawing readers into a world of paranoia and uncertainty. The exploration of the protagonist's struggles with her memories and perceptions of reality creates a deeply immersive reading experience.

Unger’s writing is both evocative and taut, effortlessly building tension throughout the narrative. The pacing is expertly crafted, with each chapter ending on a note of suspense that compels you to keep turning the pages. The author deftly interweaves flashbacks and present-day events, creating a rich tapestry that enhances the story’s depth and complexity.

The themes of trust and betrayal resonate strongly throughout Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, as the protagonist grapples with her relationships and the secrets that threaten to unravel everything she holds dear. Unger’s ability to create morally ambiguous characters adds to the intrigue, leaving readers questioning whom to trust and what lies beneath the surface.

As the plot unfolds, unexpected twists and turns keep readers guessing, culminating in a shocking climax that is both satisfying and thought-provoking. Unger’s knack for crafting intricate mysteries shines through, as she expertly leads readers down a path filled with red herrings and revelations.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. Lisa Unger has once again proven her talent for crafting gripping narratives that delve into the darkest corners of the human mind. With its blend of suspense, emotion, and complex characters, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Lisa Unger does it again. A game of hide and seek but deadly... Yikes 😳 right. You remember the game hide and seek but the difference is you can win a million dollars. This isn't your regular hide and find. Read today!

I'm bummed! I had to give up on this at 50%.. it's not that the writing was bad....it just felt like a few recent books that I read and it was dragging out. I usually love Lisa Unger and will still be reading her future books.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book: Close Your Eyes and Count To 10
Author: Lisa Unger
Publisher - Harlequin Trade Publishing
Pub Date: February 25, 2025

I need to start this review off by saying I am Lisa Unger's number one fan. I love her. She is an auto read/buy for me. So I absolutely hate saying I didn't care for this book. Ughhhhh.....it just wasn't for me. I am really not into the reality show trope and I think that was a turn off for me. I highly recommend all books by Lisa Unger but I guess you can't love them all. I don't even want to discourage anyone else from reading it because I love this author that much.

I’m giving up on this one. I am 51% through and nothing has happened. The plot boasts a story about a hide and seek game and nobody has hidden or seemed yet. I fell asleep reading it twice (which I never do) it was such a Snooze fest. This was more domestic drama (so far) than thriller or locked room mystery.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: February 25, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

I liked this one by Lisa Unger but unfortunately for me personally it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I have always enjoyed reading Lisas books and they are always fast paced and full of good characters and storyline. This book gives you a good storyline and plot (a real time streamed show where contestants are playing an extreme game of hide and seek for a large sum of money, the storyline is a great one I will say and the characters are well done but they didn’t stick and jive with me. If you love a good paced thriller read that has multiple POV throughout the book then this is absolutely for you. I will recommend this book to my bookish friends who I feel will devour and love this read because this is going to be a favorite for so many people!!! If these things interest you, put this on your TBR right away.

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row

This book just wasn’t for me personally. I really couldn’t get into it or enjoy it because it felt so much like the book everyone is watching that just came out recently but not as interesting as that one. It just felt like a repeat of something that has already been done and very recently been done.

Lisa Unger is an automatic read for me, but this is the first one I didn’t finish. I didn’t like a single character, so I wasn’t super invested, plus it was really slow. I’m told it picks up toward the end, but because I wasn’t interested in any of the characters, I didn’t finish. It’s a lot of gaming/youtubing which I also really do not care about at all. An island and a competition of sorts…I have no doubt it will be a hit and many people will like it, it’s just not my type of plot. I will continue to read Lisa Unger though, she’s a fantastic writer! This one just wasn’t for me.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

I love lisa Unger books. This one was good, but I found it predictable and toward the end I felt it started to drag. I will continue to read books by this author, although this one was not my favorite!

This book was really good for the first 75%. I was getting major Ruth Ware vibes and I LOVE Ruth Ware. There were multiple perspectives and it was easy to keep track of each perspective. The settings were fun (and a bit spooky). Unfortunately, the ending fell off the rails a bit for me. I know it's a fiction book, but nothing about the ending seemed realistic. There was way too much speculation and way too many things going on all at once. I dropped my rating down a star because of the ending. Despite this, I would still recommend this read to a friend! It was a fairly quick page turner that you could fly through in a chilly fall afternoon.

In Lisa Unger's latest thriller, daredevil Maverick Dillan invites people to play the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. But as the players gather on remote Falcao Island, the event quickly becomes a chilling test of survival. Combining a storm and the games turns the situation into something much worse than the social media stunt it was supposed to be.

Enter Adele, a single mother who enters the game to make life better for her children unknowingly enters a twisted web of deception and intrigue. She and the others must survive the game and the storm to get back to their lives. It was a really great story with many twists and turns.

Overall, I'd say this book is a 3.5 ⭐️read for me. It has its flaws, like in my opinion the ending chapter dragged on way more than necessary.. it definitely kept me on my toes & had little shocking moments throughout the entirety of the book!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Park Row for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

Lisa Unger has done it again. This is the type of book that you can binge in one setting if you wanted to. This book kept me invested the entire time. Adele Parks is a mom of two and a counselor at her kids school after her husband disappeared five years ago for embezzlement. Adele gets the opportunity to participate in Extereme’s Hide and Seek competition. Adele is an influencer who remade herself getting into fitness and doing competitions that has made her pretty famous. A girl named Chloe disappeared from Extreme’s last event the year prior and since then Extreme has come under quite a bit of scrutiny. Adele and the other contestants are in the middle of a different game with much larger stakes. Sadly lives are lost during the game and secrets are revealed. Some questions are never fully revealed so it lets you draw your own conclusions. There are quite a few surprises and double crosses that are revealed in such a good way. The passing is great and I throughly enjoyed this book and will be buying a physical copy once this book comes out.

A Deadly Game of Hide-and-Seek. The characters are well-developed, each with their own motivations and secrets. Adele's determination to provide for her child drives her actions, while the enigmatic Maverick Dillan, the competition's host, adds an air of mystery and danger. The other contestants are a diverse group, each with their own unique qualities, adding depth and complexity to the story.
Unger's writing is atmospheric and evocative, painting vivid pictures of the storm-tossed island and the psychological turmoil experienced by the contestants. The tension builds steadily throughout the novel, culminating in a heart-pounding finale that will leave readers breathless.
Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten is a thrilling and suspenseful read that will keep you turning the pages long into the night. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with a twist, this is a must-read.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger is a gripping, high-stakes scavenger hunt like no other! The protagonist embarks on a quest to win a life-changing prize, but the risks are just as monumental, and even Mother Nature has her say in the outcome. But it’s not the competitors she should fear most—it’s the game organizers lurking behind the scenes. True to form, Unger weaves a thrilling narrative packed with twists, keeping you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Expertly written, it’s everything I’ve come to love and expect from this master storyteller.

3 1/2 stars to be exact . I really enjoyed this book. It started off very strong, I was super intrigued, however then I got bored and found myself not wanting to pick it up. I like the concept, it was fun but not very thrilling. The ending fell flat for me. Everything I expected to happen did, there were no surprises or thrills but I enjoyed the modern day vibes, thank you NetGalley for this advance readers copy. It was a crazy, wild, fun ride this book. If it was just a little more face paced, and something more twisty in the end and I felt some things needed a bit more explanation but I connected w the characters and I felt like it had some really Good life lessons to learn from!!!

I'd like to say that the title, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, and the cover of Lisa Unger's latest novel wasn't the main reason for me to read it, but that would simply be untrue.

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.

Enter Adele, a single mother with a fierce determination to protect her children at all costs. When she begins the game, she unwittingly enters a twisted web of deception and intrigue. Can she maneuver through the treacherous storm and the relentless competition and get home to her family? In a ruthless battle for survival where the stakes are higher than ever, the blurry line between the virtual and the real proves that the only person we can trust is ourselves.

Lisa Unger has a celebrated career in writing psychological thrillers that can chill us to the bone. Her latest release, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, took me on a suspenseful journey filled set in an unsettling atmosphere. Despite my admiration for Unger's storytelling, this particular novel left me with mixed feelings.

The premise itself behind Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is captivating—a charismatic daredevil named Maverick Dillan orchestrates a seemingly thrilling game of hide-and-seek on a remote island. However, the big distraction for me was the multitude of perspectives presented throughout the novel. While stories with multiple viewpoints can enrich an overall narrative by offering diverse insights into unfolding events, here it felt overwhelming. Characters seemed to blend together in my head as I was unable to really give each person their own voice. This distracted me from the overall story at hand.

The slow burn pacing also posed a small challenge for me during segments. There were moments where tension should have escalated instead stretched thin due largely due varied tempo shifts between chapters. This is not something that completely turned me off from the book, but made it more difficult to fall in love with the novel.

Overall, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger is a good book with an excellent premise. The drawbacks of multitude of perspectives and pacing didn't take away completely from enjoying the book. Unger continues to craft tales with an unsettling atmosphere, unique plot line and thrilling twists, this one just didn't hit as hard as others in the past—The New Couple in 5B was one of my favorites of 2024. A big bonus for this book was the cover, damn that thing is beautiful.

I am a huge Lisa Unger fan so I was excited to pick up this one. 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.

The premise was very promising but the other characters once they got to the island seemed a bit hard to distinguish from each other. They seemed to blur together and didn't have much to tell them apart.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 was a little bit of a slow burn for me however I enjoyed it very much. Lisa Unger can do know wrong to me ! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.