Six people, secluded in a luxurious cabin in the woods. The weekend promises fabulous meals prepared by a chef, hikes in the beautiful forest surrounding them, and evenings spent relaxing, perhaps in the hot tub.

The group soon learns of a horrible murder scene that took place on the grounds about 10 years earlier and that the grounds are said to be haunted. It doesn’t take long for some of the guest to suspect they aren’t alone on the property. Is it the ghosts or someone far more threatening?

My thoughts:

This story was well crafted, told from multiple POV with past and present timelines verging together to a climax where all is revealed. But it isn’t just a thriller. It’s also a family drama begging the question; what makes a family? Is it our tie through blood or the choices we make? How well do we really know the people we are related to? I thought Unger did a wonderful job of showing what is in each character’s mind; their fears, secrets and motivations. She told captivating stories with the two timelines, keeping you interested in each and wondering how they would come together. It is well written from start to finish.

Really enjoyed this twisty locked-room thriller! I loved how the author weaved multiple seemingly unrelated storylines and characters and wove them all into a pretty shocking conclusion. I loved where she ended up taking this story and it definitely stands on it's own as a unique premise compared to most mystery thrillers. There were a few parts where the story line felt a little slow, but overall really enjoyed this one.

I personally enjoyed this one even more than Lisa Unger's previous books, although I did enjoy both of those as well, so I recommend picking this one up if you enjoyed her previous work. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for providing me with a review copy!

Locked room thrillers are a go-to for me and I was really excited by the title and description of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. Unfortunately this one was a miss for me. The book starts out at a family dinner where the older brother, Mako, is pushing this fancy vacation in the mountains for him, his wife, his sister and her husband, and his ex and her boyfriend. From then on, the book is told from the point of view of most of the family, plus another four characters.

It was difficult for me to get into because each chapter was either a different person or a different time. Even after finishing the book I'm not sure why some of these characters even needed to be included in the book at all. I read the first portion of the book quickly because I wanted to get to the ominous cabin trip. Once there, I lost most interest. It was pretty clear what was happening and I didn't really care about any of the characters since there were too many to get enough character development. Fans of a slower paced suspense novel might like this one, but it's definitely not the kind of twisty book that I'd stay up all night to finish.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, by Lisa Unger (Audiobook Review)

Lisa Unger's audiobook Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is atmospheric and creepy in the right way. I love secluded cabin stories and Lisa Unger checks off all the boxes in this chilling whodunit! The audiobook is narrated by the talented Vivienne Leheny. The narrators voices take you into the story and add an extra element of suspense to the listening experience.

Synopsis:
Three couples spend the weekend together in an elegant cabin tucked away in the woods. All six people have secrets, but one wants revenge. Who is behind the horrifying danger that is about to unfold?

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six would make a fantastic movie. The plot is filled with lies and unexpected turns. Add in the mysterious caretaker of the cabins and you are set for a wild ride. The book pushes realism to its limits, but that is what scary audiobooks are known for.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six audiobook by Lisa Unger is available on November 8th.
4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Audio, for this terrific audiobook! Your kindness is appreciated!

Looking for a book with lots of atmosphere and a group of friends and family that are extremely unreliable? Then this would be for you. Hannah has been gifted a birthday getaway from her brother to an exclusive cabin. Hannah and her husband join her brother, his wife, her good friend and her second half for what should be a relaxing, fun-filled time. However, each person isn’t quite who they pretend to be. As chaos begins can they get away from this dream cabin before their nightmares start to come true? I found this story to be a bit contrived but full of twists that keep you reading. The characters are so unreliable that I was almost fearful to cheer for any of them. I also just had a sick feeling with some of the twists. While I generally like locked-door thrillers, this one was just not for me. The audiobook narrator does a great job of altering her voice to make it easier to know who is talking. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy of this book.

Have you ever used one of the DNA ancestries tests? I never have, but this book would make me think twice before using one! I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. I did find some parts to be a little predictable, however overall, this was a great story! I had a lot of mixed feelings about the brother-sister relationship and all the enabling that was involved. Some characters were a little hard to warm to, but others were well liked. There is dual POV throughout the book, which for me is always a plus. I listened to this as an audiobook and enjoyed the performance by Vivienne Leheny and I absolutely recommend this one. I look forward to reading more by Lisa Unger.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Lisa Unger for providing me with this gifted listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six has a host of unlikeable and unsympathetic characters who overlap into each others lives. It features two stories running parallel - the first is about a teenage boy who's mother is mysteriously murdered and how DNA uncovers a world he didn't want to know. The second follows of group of privileged people on a getaway to a remote luxury cabin. The ending intersects the storylines for a big reveal.

Where I struggled was with the women - WOW there was a lot of bashing them in head and the world goes dark in the story. And, why did they take the blunt of all the injuries and the men were left unscathed? It literally made No sense when it wasn't truly who they were after.

I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced copy of <i> Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six </i> by Lisa Unger. I was looking for a spooky book to usher me into the fall season, and this one did the job nicely. Yes, I'm one of those people who pretends it's fall as soon as the temperature drops down to 85 degrees.

The title tells you what you need to know. Three couples rent a cabin in the woods and scary things happen. Not scary enough for me to call this a page turner, but still enjoyable.

Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a lovely weekend getaway with family and friends? The couples are in an isolated cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. The reviews are all five stars. The trip is a birthday gift for Hannah and spouses and another couple. The six friends need this sabbatical with five star food, good company and lots of relaxation far from the business and pressures of modern life.

But, it’s Florida and it’s hurricane season and a deadly storm is brewing. Bracken, the rental host seems just a little off. On top of the foreboding, the personal chef reveals that the beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the couples have secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, and even her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? And who is this new boyfriend who seems to be crashing the party?

This chilling story is told in first and third person narration from multiple points of view.

The narrator, Vivienne Leheny, did a great job at presenting the different voices and bringing the characters to life. I almost felt I as I were isolated in the woods right along with the characters.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I can't wait to read others. She had me on the edge the entire book and I couldn't wait to see what, ultimately, happens.
The setting is a common one--6 friends and relatives are escaping for the weekend to a remote cabin that could be off the grid, And it certainly does go off the grid! Yet, it is unique by the interweaving of the characters' stories. Modern-day technology and the current interest in determining one's DNA, background, and ancestors are deftly pursued. The uneasiness and stress is ever-present and the foreboding intense.
The rapid pace moves faster and fast and the ending doesn't disappoint.

This was a very fun read! I enjoyed the “who done it” aspect, as well as the isolation trope. The tension was good and pacing was consistent. I took a star off because of some of the relationships and character development, but it was still very enjoyable.

Pleasantly surprised by this one! It's my first book by Lisa Unger, and I've been reading a lot of thrillers recently, so I was expecting more of the same- family drama, marriage trouble, mixed with a vacation gone wrong. And it is to an extent, but its also so much more than that! The story did not at all turn out like I thought it was going to from the opening scene. There's a lot going on but I really enjoyed it, and I will be checking out other books by this author!

I stopped at 40% - it wasn't bad, it wasn't stellar. Just in the middle for me. However, I can see it going over really well with our patrons.

This was a mixed back for me. I couldn't connect to any of the characters and I didn't find the story particularly suspenseful. I though the premise was totally preposterous and kind of silly. That said, there's always something sinister about a cabin in the woods that makes for a great setting. Totally atmospheric. If you generally like this sort of thing, go for it. If not, you can skip this one.

I love audiobooks, and audiobook thrillers are even better! I suddenly become very productive when trying to figure out twists while listening to an audiobook.

'Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six,' had so many of my favorite elements. I love thrillers set in the woods. There was a DNA website storyline (so relevant). I DON'T love reading about the ultra-wealthy, but it didn't bother me here.

Without giving too much away, the story did not go the way I had expected. I thought I had called all of the twists about 1/3 of the way in- but I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

Lots of trigger warnings though- take care of yourself, and look them up before reading.

This book was a wild ride! A major domestic thriller that reads almost like a soap opera! If you like intense family mysteries and drama, this is the book for you. Twists and turns you won’t ever see coming!

Three couples on a trip of a lifetime turns into a nightmare with Lisa Unger's latest book Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to the audio version of this book. This type of story has been told before but the DNA test addition was a new twist. The story moved quickly but there were moments when it went cold for me. There were multiple points of view and there were times when I felt a little lost, but did find my way back into the story. The end did tie things up well, and I thought about the book even after I was finished.

While I seem to be amassing quite the collection of Lisa Unger books care of my favorite used bookshop, this is in fact the first novel of hers I have actually read. Although it wasn’t my favorite thriller ever, I did really enjoy it and found it hard to put down. I will think twice before staying at an airbnb again after reading this thriller set in, you guessed it, a secluded cabin.

This story is told in a mix of first and third person narration from multiple points of view. Although I do love a good multiple view point thriller, although I usually prefer when all viewpoints are told in first person and struggle to connect with the characters when told in third person. I was okay with the mixing of first and third in this one since it seems to make sense within the story and I understood the authors reasons for doing so.

My only criticism with this book is that I felt like there was a lot revealed at the end and everything wrapped in a nice bow, which for this story, didn’t seem to fit in my opinion. It seemed like something messier was needed in order to be a bit more believable. And there is an added element at the end that I don’t want to spoil, but that I am not a big fan of.

I listened to this via audio and felt the narrator, Vivienne Leheny, did a great job at bringing these characters to life. I would say she helped to enhance this book, adding especially to the more eerie parts of it. Her narration combined with Unger’s prose made me feel as though I was in the woods right alongside these characters.

All in all though this is a solid thriller that I recommend reading, especially if you are a fan of domestic thrillers, and I will definitely be checking out Unger’s backlist asap.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received this from Net Galley on audiobook and thank them, the author, Lisa Unger, and the publisher for the advanced copy, in lieu of my honest review. I don't like to give any bad reviews, but I've been getting better in the past 5 years at doing so, or it won't really help anyone.

There are two stories going simultaneously. One is about a teenage boy whose mother disappears. He’s a really good egg and his story is both interesting and sad. It includes DNA discoveries that spin off and help create both drama and resolutions, and I loved these sections of the story.

Unfortunately, the second story seems to be the main one Re time spent by the author. There are a host of unlikeable and unsympathetic characters who go to a very luxe and secluded cabin for a birthday celebration and relaxing getaway. Of course there’s a storm, electricity goes out, tree goes down and blocks the road, and did I say there are many, many shady characters with overlapping relationships!?

It fell short with me bc it was interesting at times, then gave way to farcical and rather silly events. It was also hard to care for anyone but the young man in the story. Everyone else had big secrets and lied about their past and present. Maybe too many nonsensical twists?

When DNA tests mysteriously appear under the tree at the family Christmas, no one knows who left them. Most family members disregard them and Michael's wife throws hers away.

Flash forward a few months later and Hannah, her brother Michael (Mako), their spouses, and a family friend (who happens to be Mako's former girlfriend) and her current boyfriend all head for a vacation getaway in a secluded but luxurious mountain cabin. Mako's treat. But with some unusual décor in the house, a hurricane heading toward them, and some other strange occurrences, the weekend quickly takes an ominous turn. The property is said to have ghosts due to a long ago murder. Are the problems really because of ghosts or is there something even more sinister at work?

Long buried family secrets collide with the present for Hannah and Michael, putting the whole house party at risk.

Recommended for those who like a good mystery, especially one with a plot twist or two.