Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC!!
Prepare yourself for a heart-pounding thriller that will keep you gripping the edge of your seat. What begins as a high-stakes game of hide and seek—offering the promise of adventure and life-changing money—quickly spirals into a deadly social media spectacle.

Adele, a single mother with a complex past, is desperate to protect her children and make ends meet. When she gets the chance to join this extreme adventure on a secluded island, it seems like the perfect opportunity. But as contestants start to vanish without a trace, the atmosphere shifts, especially with a looming storm that casts a dark shadow over the game. The line between reality and a staged publicity stunt blurs, forcing Adele to shift her focus from competition to mere survival.

Explore the dark underbelly of social media and reality TV, filled with unexpected twists and intricate side stories that weave a compelling narrative.

I'm a huge fan of Lisa Unger, and was thrilled to receive a copy of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 in exchange for an honest review. The story follows Adele, whose husband falls into legal trouble and abandons his family. Adele is left to pick up the pieces, struggling to make ends meet. The one thing that gets her through is exercise, and she's built a following online for it. When Maverick, an influencer, launches a new live stream of a game similar to Survivor--people come to a place, handle a challenge, trying to be the last one left--all for a bunch of money that would fix all their income problems--Adele decides to do it. But nothing is as it seems. Lots of tension and fast paced action.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting and I really wanted to like it, but I feel like it fell short. First, I didn’t get as much of the “hide and seek” aspect that I was hoping for. Second, I’m all for multiple POVs - I feel like it gives the story depth and clarity. However, there were too many POVs to really keep up and be cohesive. At times the story dragged on and there were unnecessary details/chapters throughout. I feel as though I was left with some questions that were answered at the end, while also the ending was slightly rushed. I will say that I liked the idea of bringing social media into the story and having snippets of comments.. I almost wish there was more of that throughout. I will say, there were some good twists and turns towards the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade publishing for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one was not quite what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. I thought given there was a reality extreme hide-and-seek competition, it would focus more on the competition aspect. But it’s more about the creators/producers of the competition. I think if you go into this book knowing more of that, and expecting less twists, you might enjoy it more. I like the way Lisa Unger writes, but it’s almost more of a drama than a major thriller. Still very enjoyable, but I can see how others might be let down.

I read this in tandem with the audio. After restarting twice and on the third try having to stop multitasking and focus on the audio I threw in the towel. DNF @ 32%(x3) I love thriller and I’m on a big kick with it right now but this just didn’t work. The story was compelling at the beginning but I quickly lost interest.

A High-Stakes Thriller That Loses Steam at the Finish Line

“Whether you want to pay or not, the bill will come due.”

Lisa Unger’s Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 has all the ingredients for a five-star thriller—an extreme game of hide and seek, a supposedly haunted property, and a life-changing cash prize. The novel unfolds through multiple perspectives, each character carrying their own burdens, secrets, and motives. At the center is Adele, a mother still reeling from a scandal that shattered her family. When the chance to compete in this high-stakes game arises, she hesitantly applies—and gets selected. Meanwhile, Angeline, a former contestant turned lover of the CEO of Extreme, raises suspicions as the organization continues to grapple with the mysterious disappearance of a past player, Chloe. As the competition intensifies and a tropical storm looms, the question isn’t just who will win—but who is truly in control.

The betrayal, the tension, and the intricate web of mysteries kept me eagerly turning the pages, but the payoff didn’t quite match the buildup. Despite the gripping premise and solid character development, the ending felt rushed, leaving the resolution unsatisfying. As much as I anticipated this release and typically love Lisa Unger’s work, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 ultimately didn’t deliver the thrilling, jaw-dropping conclusion I was hoping for. With that in mind, I have to give this one a solid 2.5 stars.

Social Media Influencer and extreme gamer Maverick Dillan, creates a game of hide and seek on an abandoned island resort. Adele, a single mom of two teenagers is one of the main characters who readers will root for. I think the novel could have been a bit tighter if it had focused more on Adele’s story. There were quite a few POV’s and the ending was tied up, but struck me as a bit ludicrous. All in all, not a terrible read, but not completely sastifactory.

As a reader who consumes quite a lot of thrillers I tend to rate them a bit tougher than other books that I read. A great thriller for me tends to be one that hooks and compels me to keep reading and I love when I can't figure out the plot twist or figure it out last minute right before the reveal.

That being said, this one is a thriller I think may be good for those that don't read thrillers often. The premise of the story was compelling with the narrative around social media and perceptions we have of people based on what they present online. The idea of a hide and seek game in the remote wilderness is something I also liked about the story. I appreciated that the story was being told primarily from Adele's POV, a single mom competing in the hide and seek challenge for the cash prize to support her children due to life circumstances. As a mom myself and someone who remembers time before social media was what it is today, it was nice that the challenge contestants represented a mom and older contestants (Wild Cody another contestant). However, Adele's backstory plotline with her husband felt out of place and unrelated to the story aside from simply providing the narrative around why she was in the position to participate in the first place.

The pacing was a bit slower than I tend to like with the vast majority of the action taking place towards the end of the book. It started off strong capturing me with the compelling storyline but as it unfolded I found that I was drifting further away from being invested in the story and the overall conclusion. Unfortunately, for me I also found the book to be predictable and did not have the shock when the twist was revealed. Again, I think this would be a solid read for readers who don't pick up thrillers often.

ARC copy is important to note since I am reviewing after publication!
(4.5 rounded up due to how engaging it is)
Lisa Unger's Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is a captivating and thrilling read that weaves together mystery, scandal, and the tension of a high-stakes game. The story follows Adele Crane, a woman whose life is turned upside down when her husband is embroiled in legal trouble, ultimately abandoning his family. Left to pick up the pieces, Adele struggles to make ends meet, selling their home and living paycheck to paycheck. However, she finds solace in her online fitness videos, which give her a modest following.
Blake, her son, is an avid gamer who discovers that Maverick Dillan, a controversial influencer, is launching a new live-streamed game of Hide and Seek on Falcao Island. Blake insists that Adele join the game, hoping to win big. However, her daughter, Violet, is hesitant, given Dillan's company's recent scandals.
The book is divided between the tension of the game itself and the moments leading up to it, creating a unique pacing that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The layers of mystery surrounding Maverick Dillan, his company, and the game itself, mixed with the personal struggles of Adele's family, create a story full of intrigue. As a reader, you can't help but be drawn into the narrative, eagerly turning pages to find out what will happen next. While the book could easily be classified as a psychological thriller, it also delves into themes of family, trust, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Overall, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is a fun, fast-paced, and engaging read that you won’t want to put down. With its intriguing premise and suspenseful plot, it’s a thrilling journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

I am super harsh with my thrillers. I don’t hold them to a higher standard – but I think creating a believable book in this genre is incredibly difficult. That being said, nothing about this book was believable. The plot was fun. Conceiving a YouTube star would create extreme games of hide-and-seek worldwide for cash prizes isn’t far-fetched (a la Mr. Beast). But the remote island, a random single mom with an FBI-wanted missing husband, a missing girl, only three contestants for this extreme game, tsunami-type weather during the 12 hours of the game in a 40-year abandoned hotel that finally chooses to collapse in this 12-hour window? All of it was too much. I just couldn’t. I do not recommend this book.

Quick recap without spoilers:
Adele is a single mom of two teens after her husband abandoned them to avoid his arrest five years prior. She has a small online presence through her participation in fit challenges. When her son, Blake, hears about an extreme game of hide-and-seek with a million-dollar prize, he begs his mom to participate. Adele leaves her two teens and travels to a remote island to compete with two other social media stars under the rules set by Maverick Dillan, an extreme adventurer. The island makes it clear that interlopers are not welcome. Will everyone make it home safely?

This thriller will have you on the edge of your seat. A high stakes hide and seek game where you think will be adventure and a chance to win money that can change your life but ends up more of a social media stunt that turns deadly.
Adele is a single mother with a complicated background that is just trying to survive and protect her children. The chance to play this game on a remote island by this extreme adventurer sounds like a great opportunity until contestants start going missing. A creeping storm comes to give the whole game a sinister vibe that causes you to wonder whats real and what’s a stunt for more fame. Adele ends up just trying to survive the games instead of participating in them. Dark side of social media/reality tv is examined and lots of twists and side stories to weave the whole story together.

After 3 or 4 books from her I think it’s time to finally conclude that Unger just isn’t the author for me. I continue to be interested in her books because the premises always sound so good but the execution just never gives me what I’m looking for; I feel like her books reel you in with the premise to start but once you get into the story it starts going in a completely different direction (this is her 3rd book in a row i’ve read that this has been the case). The survival game show setting was SO promising but it just wasn’t that interesting ultimately.

It started out as a social media stunt—an extreme game of hide and seek on the grounds of a crumbling abandoned hotel. Hosted by daredevil adventurer Maverick Dillan and his crew, the prize for the winner is a million dollars. But it quickly becomes a deadly game of survival when a storm blows in and an unknown threat is stalking the contestants. Adele is a single mother of two, struggling to make ends meet after her husband's deception. She's in it for the money, but also to prove her strength and independence to her kids. Even before the game begins things start to fall apart: the warnings of the island's inhabitants, the tension among the Extreme crew members, and the ominous groans of the hotel's foundation... will any of them make it out alive?
In the author's notes at the end, Lisa Unger admitted that the story is based on a real abandoned hotel, Monte Palace on the island of São Miguel where she visited with her family. Looking up pictures of the hotel helped me picture the ominous setting in my mind as I was reading the story with the addition of the storm adding to the tension. The chapters were told in multiple POV from Adele and each of her children to Mav and his crew, piecing the story together s you read along. I loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How far would you go to provide for and protect your family? Fitness influencer and single mother Adele is willing to go the distance when she signs up for an extreme game of hide and seek. But is it just a game she’s playing or are the lines blurring and is her past coming to find her? Maverick has had an incredible run as an extreme adventurer influencer. This new game of hide and seek is his chance to pivot after the last one went terribly wrong and a girl completely vanished. Will he be able to change the tides and his fickle viewers minds, or is he on the road to being a washed up has been?

This book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the extreme aspect of it. Things I would never be able to experience, but the reality is that there are people out there doing this stuff. It’s just kind of mind boggling. I appreciate though that Laura didn’t just show the glitz and glamor side. Real life might not be as twisted and deadly, but I’m sure there is some gritty stuff every influencer hides.

I love how Laura is able to pull a story together, with so many seemingly unrelated pieces that just slowly fall in to place one after another. She’s writes characters that you love; now whether you love to love them or love to hate them is up to you, but the emotion is there!

I will say it felt like there was A LOT of pieces/stories and while they all fit, some just felt out of place. I understand the need for them they just felt off.

That said, it’s a fast paced book from beginning to end and will have you hooked from the start. I would absolutely recommend this book to friends and family when it is released on February 25 2025. I devoured it and would have read it even faster had responsibilities not gotten in the way.

I feel like in the beginning I was really invested into the story and what will happen. About 60 percent into the book too many story lines came out and none really felt finished. The ending kinda fell flat and wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be

This follows multiple perspectives and three different story lines. A few character’s enter into a game show of hide and seek to win money on an island.
This story was just okay for me. It had its really good moments, but I spent much of the book having a hard time following all the character’s and story lines. This style of writing just isn’t my favorite.
The big reveal wasn’t super surprising either, and I would have liked more suspense on the island, which wasn’t talked about enough in my opinion. It just over all wasn’t what I expected.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

𝘈 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺- 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 2 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘦 - a single mom struggling, whose husband up and disappeared and signed up for a game show to win $1million (Hide and Seek) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬- the one that hosts the game.

» Uhh- I loved how this story started off.
So strong, and promising. And then it got extremely slow with tons of side plots that did absolutely nothing for me.

» There was no counting to 10? I feel like things were so crammed, and muddled leaving things hard to follow. It’s almost like the authors mind had so many ideas this just went way off track.

Sadly this author is not for me.

I really got sucked into this isolated setting book, filled with some shady characters, someone who needs a redemption arc and a plain old mom who wants to provide for her kids after her husband was caught embezzling and ditched them. I didn’t feel any sort of way about any of the characters though so to me, this wasn’t character driven at all and I was just kind of along for the ride, not connecting too much to any of them. It also sort of petered out at points or felt a bit repetitive but I was still hooked, thus my four star rating.

Lisa Unger's books always keep me hooked and this one was no different, I found myself drawn into the danger and not wanting to leave until I knew everything.

📖 Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger 🏝️🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was another good read by Lisa Unger. I always enjoy a book with multiple POVs and podcast/live feed components. It just adds so much to the story first me. I loved how much backstory was provided for the characters. It makes you root for Adele due to her past! A competitive game of hide and seek on an island was a fun concept! It includes deceit and some suspense. I enjoyed it overall.