I have to start by saying that I love Lisa Unger. Her writing is stellar and her books always keep me captivated until the very end. For some reason, though, I was not that fond of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. I can't put my finger on it, especially since it caught me right from the beginning and held my attention to the very end. I'm not sure if it was the characters that I didn't like--although I believe some were written that way on purpose--or if it was that there seemed to be way too much going on with each character, I just felt kind of disappointed when I finally finished the book. I completely get having flawed characters, but it seemed like every character in the book had so many flaws, I couldn't keep up. And I'm not really sure that we even needed to storyline about the man who owned the house--that seemed a little forced and just thrown in the story. This will not keep me from reading whatever Lisa Unger writes, however!

I've enjoyed previous books from Lisa Unger and I wanted to love this one more than I did. It was good, as in entertaining enough to keep my interest until the end, but ultimately not a favourite. It was quite slow burn for a while and I kept waiting for it to pick up. Thankfully, I got to a point where it did which definitely intrigued me.

Let's talk about what I liked...
I did really enjoy the multiple view points. It's a way of reading that always works well for me. I also really liked the atmosphere of the book. The author was able to paint a pretty vivid picture which I appreciated. There were also a few characters that I loved to hate. I've read a few books lately with a DNA/ancestry theme, so it didn't feel as fresh as I would have liked, but I still found it interesting.

What didn't really work for me...
That whole slow burn thing. I don't mind a book that starts off a bit slow, but in a thriller I do expect to get to some of the action a little bit quicker and there were times here where it dragged a bit. There was a large cast of characters - so many that it did take me a while to be able to keep track of everyone and sort it all out. Once I did, it was fine. Speaking of the characters, many of them weren't likeable and were hard to connect to.

Basically, this book was fine. It kept my attention but I felt like it needed more. Maybe a really epic twist would have given this one an extra star. If you like the author's other books, you'll probably like this one as well.

Lisa Unger delivers another page-turning story centered around a group of privileged family and friends who get more than they bargained for at an upscale vacation away from it all. As unknown entities force a reckoning with a revelation of long-buried secrets, it is evident that life will forever change for each of the vacationers.

A two star read is one that is just okay to me, and that unfortunately is what Lisa Unger's new thriller, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, is ... just okay. This dramatic suspense novel caught my attention in the first chapter where we are introduced to Hannah and her peculiar family dynamics over the holidays, but then failed to captivate me throughout the rest of the book.

This story about a group of family and friends who rent an isolated luxury cabin in the woods only to have their relationship put to the test amid a raging storm, spooky things happening around the property, and their lack of trust in themselves and each other, is a tale with many moving parts, all grinding against each other disjointedly to create a novel that just doesn't work.

I immensely disliked the amount of characters and points of view in this book. Just as we are settling into Hannah's family and getting to know them better, we are abruptly thrust into the lives of several seemingly random characters (although you know they must be connected somehow because why else would they have entire chapters devoted to their lives) whose backstories we also have to learn. Not to mention that the writing here feels shallow, unevenly paced, and entirely trope-ish. This is a book that tries to do too much while doing too little.

I have read a few Lisa Unger books and have always enjoyed them. This book was just okay for me but I'm not sure what I didn't love about it. I thought there was just too much going on. Too many red herrings, too many characters that didn't really need to be in the book. The DNA thing started out as very intriguing and then I lost interest. Nobody was even that likeable. It was confusing at times.

The other thing that annoyed me was that the author went to Goodreads to rate and "review" her own book. Too me, that's trying a little too hard, especially with a well-known author. I'm immediately put off when an author or a family member, relative, or friend does that.

So this review reflects what I felt about the book. It passed the time, it could have been a lot better. I don't understand the rave reviews, but that's just me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine, and freely expressed.

When Hannah's tech mogul brother, Mako, rents a luxurious, secluded cabin in the woods for her birthday, she is thrilled. A new mother, Hannah is excited to get away for a weekend of relaxation, with her husband, brother, sister in law, and her best friend. Her best friend is even bringing her new boyfriend, so it seems like the perfect weekend.
A private chef, a hot tub, and all the bells and whistles one needs.
As a huge storm approaches, the perfect weekend turns into a perfect nightmare.
This one has a lot going on. It is very fast-paced, so it was easy for me to keep up with the various plot lines. I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend it.

TW: Cheating, gaslighting, body shaming, toxic relationships, toxic friendships, cutting, death of baby, miscarriages, ivf, rape, suicide

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:What could be more restful, more restorative, than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s loving and generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’s his birthday gift to Hannah and includes their spouses and another couple. The six friends need this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R, far from the chatter and pressures of modern life.But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? And who is the new boyfriend, crashing their party? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 396
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. The beginning started so good

What I Didn't Like:
1. All the different character perspectives
2. Hanna - she loves whining
3. All the characters are seriously horrible
4. Way too much happening

Overall Thoughts:
This book was pretty predictable but not in a bad way. I was very entertained while I read it. The tone and atmosphere in this book was pretty good.

I love books/movies where people go to an isolated area and something creepy happens.

Hanna is so unbelievably annoying. All she does is go on and on about her husband cheating and leaving her daughter behind. It's not even like they are having problems in the bedroom. We read about two separate times they have pretty outside the box sex.


I am so over the whole different characters for different chapters, but this book took it to another step and threw down a different timeline too. How confusing. I mean why would you do that to your readers? There are SIX different perspectives in this book!


This story has EVERYTHING in this book...too much if you ask me. It's all so over the top & ridiculous. There's cheaters, rapists, serial killers, murderers, abusive men, women seeking revenge, black mail.... It's just too much. Between the switching timeline, 100 characters, a peeping house owner, and complex plot just way too much is happening. I seriously got so confused at who all was cheating and who they were sleeping with too. Who was pregnant with whose baby...etc



This book is full of women being pregnant and having miscarriages. Like every woman mentioned is pregnant, has a baby, had a miscarriage, or lost their baby after it was born.

Get the fuck out of here.... Their father was a serial killer/rapist hahaha. What????


"It's not pretty, men shouldn't cry".
Oh I didn't know you had to be beautiful when you're upset. 🙄 What a stupid line!


Final Thoughts:
My dream ending for this book was that every and I mean everyone was locked in the house and it explodes killing a of the characters. That didn't happen. So the next best thing for me is to stop reading books from Lisa Unger. She's just not for me.

Recommend For:
• Complex stories
• Family dramas
• Multiple characters
• A lot going on
• People who bicker a lot

This was a fun take on a locked room mystery. When the tag-line mentions a trip to die for, I’m already questioning from the beginning. Even being on high-alert from page one, I didn’t see most of the twists coming. I enjoyed the inclusion of the whole “what makes people a family?” question, and while I didn’t necessarily love how it all shook out, I was definitely invested in this story. This was an exciting winter thriller for sure - bonus points if you can read it during a snow storm.

I like Unger’s books but this one I really struggled to finish. It had too many characters, the switching between them was confusing at times, and the suspense took awhile to build. Just not for me this time.

I loved the suspense, I have purchased this book for my library and it is a go to book to recommend to my thrill seeking readers!

Suspenseful and quick paced, this was a very enjoyable read for mystery lovers. It held a note of suspense throughout, with a shocking ending.

A weekend away for three couples in a remote cabin. What could go wrong? A lot if you are these three couples. Each one has secrets and the secrets are coming to light. This is a multiple POV book set across time. My favorite part of this book was all the surprises. When I picked up the book I couldn’t imagine what would happen. Lisa Unger has written another great book!

Even better than I expected. Kept my head spinning until the very end! I loved the layers of complexity to each and every character, how everything looked perfect on the outside until you saw a little closer. I will definitely be recommending this one to my thriller-loving friends.

Much thanks to Lisa Unger, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Boo to Harper Audio for denying me the audio edition. *raspberry*

This book is a slow burn for sure; the only thing intriguing in the beginning was the DNA tests from Santa in the prologue. Scratch that, the book's just slow in general. Much of the introductions and arrivals to the cabin could have been slimmed and trimmed. Lots of inner monologue. It took FOREVER for something to actually happen, for the plot to kick in beyond "omg I think I saw something! No wait I'm drunk lol"

I didn't mind switching back and forth from present to past, though I'll always prefer a linear chronology; it was all the head hopping that drove me insane. Hannah, Trina, Henry, Bracken, Cricket, Liza, probably more I don't remember. No! Just no. If you require that many points of view to tell your story, you're not telling it well. I didn't feel like I spent enough time with any of them to truly connect with any. Except maybe Henry, he was particularly sympathetic.

And I have to say, shame on you, Unger, for trying to get readers to be okay with Bracken's voyeurism. Aww, poor guy, he has no one and just wants to understand people. Um, no, he was a creep, and shame on that lady for not reporting him. Beyond that, we didn't need his POV. That entire storyline could have been cut. He connected to nothing of the main plot, added nothing but wasted time.

Speaking of Bracken, is there a loose end regarding him? Was he connected to Liza? Or am I thinking of a different POV? See, all those POVs get tangled. Also, I wouldn't have recommended making Bracken's name so similar to Brandon's, that's almost deliberate confusion.

Another thing---was Alice's murder ever solved, or did that remain a cold case? I can't remember and don't care enough to go back and look. I remember they said the case was this close to being solved but they didn't have enough evidence to get enough evidence (lol) to charge anyone. Was that all the further it got? If so, that's pretty unsatisfying for a mystery book.

Beyond the slowness, head-hopping, and Bracken, though, I did like this story. I enjoyed the mystery of who were donor babies and the drama surrounded it. I enjoyed the theme of family the narrative explored. Of nature versus nurture. I suppose it's accurate enough to say I liked the story, just not how it was told/executed.

I love locked room mysteries so I was all in with this one. I never felt like this had me guessing as to what was going on or who was bad, etc. It was all kind of easy to figure out. The book was an easy read and entertaining, but could have been so much more.

While I thought parts of the story were interesting, as a whole it was too slow and not much happens for 80% of the book.

From my blog: Always With a Book

I have long been a fan of Lisa Unger, ever since reading Fragile a few years back. I love that her books are dark and twisty and that you think you know what it going on, but you could not be more wrong.

I loved this creepy locked-room mystery. Right from the start, I was pulled in and while I didn’t necessary love the characters, I found myself intrigued by their behaviors. Having the story told from multiple points of view adds to the suspense. The introduction of the DNA tests definitely gave me pause and had me wondering how that would work its way into the overall plot, and of course the secluded cabin in the woods with a threatening storm coming lent itself to an atmospheric, tense read.

There are a lot of moving parts to this story and I loved how it all eventually comes together. I loved that the way this was written, with all the characters having their own secrets and complicated relationships with each other, naturally leads you to be suspicious of them. Each time I thought I had figured things out, there would be a new twist that would shake everything up.

I’m hesitant to say much more about the book for fear of spoilers, so I will say this…I loved this book. It might be my new favorite of Lisa Ungers books. It’s definitely an entertaining, dark, binge-worthy read and I highly recommend it.

I didn't finish this one. It just could not hold my attention. I hope to get back to it eventually and give it another try.

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC.

Y'all, this one was just not for me.

It had too many twists, including some real, real over the top ones. There was also so much going on, some really heavy themes, and it was just again too much for me to read. I also struggled to keep track of all the storylines and narrators and connections, and well, everything

Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this recent release.

3.5 Stars. When three couples rent a luxurious cabin for a dream weekend getaway, the last thing they expected was for it to turn into a nightmare. After the isolated cabin loses power, things seem to head south. As the night goes on, the six friends begin to question how well they truly know one another, and what secrets they hide.

This locked-room mystery delivers all the elements of a quintessential thriller novel. Multiple point of views and different timelines keep you in suspense as the reader, but did jump around a bit. While the novel had many typical thriller elements, the storyline also took a unique direction. Overall, it was fairly fast-paced and a decent read!

Thank you NetGalley and Park Row Books for my gifted e-ARC!