First off, Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to love this but it just wasn’t for me! The story was overall well written , but just left me kinda meh? I honestly could not connect with any of the characters.

When I read a thriller I want it to keep me wanting more. But the pacing on this was just slower than I liked. I just needed more excitement. Overall, 3 stars out of 5!

I usually enjoy Lisa Unger's books but unfortunately Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six failed to engage me from start to finish. This locked room mystery seemed like it would be a book I would really enjoy. In fact, the creepy family dynamics in the first chapter really intrigued me. However, the rest of the plot went downhill from there. The biggest problem is that all of the characters lack depth and l could not connect with any of them. I struggled to finish the audiobook, despite the excellent narration by Vivienne Leheny. Three couples get away to a secluded cabin in the woods, where someone is trying to make sure that they don’t leave alive.
Unger explores themes of sexual assault, the Me Too movement, DNA, serial killers and more. Overall, this book had potential, but really missed the mark!

Thank you to Legend Press & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital arc

4.5 stars, rounded up! I LOVED this. I read it in a frenzy, in less than 24 hours. I want this to be spoiler-free so I’ll just say that I found the storyline incredibly unique and creative and while you may think you know where it’s headed, you’re probably wrong! My only gripe with this book was that some of the language was repetitive such as describing women as lithe or svelte and the general use of “tamp down”. That’s me being picky because the writing was super smooth. It was thrilling with an interesting mystery, family, friend, and relationship drama and a sketchy rental owner, all stuck in the middle of nowhere without feeling like an And Then There Were None copycat. Highly recommend!

Thank you netgalley & the publisher for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, Lisa Unger creates a nail-biter of a thriller starring three unlikeable couples on a weekend away to an isolated, luxurious cabin. Each of the six is hiding something, and those secrets are revealed as the plot develops. Unger does a great job of creating the creepy setting and the building drama through her descriptive language and alternating narrators. Thank you to NetGalley, Park Row Books, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

6 people staying in a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere, where danger lurks? Sounds like my cup of tea...in fiction only!

This is a fast-paced, suspenseful story about 3 couples who go to a secluded cabin to have a relaxing weekend vacation. They all need it after various stresses they’re all going through. Unfortunately, the relaxing time doesn’t last…as someone is watching them…waiting in the woods. Someone who wants to make sure they don’t have a good time.

Lisa Unger is back in the game after her last book left me feeling underwhelmed. The characters are interesting, there are some nice surprises, and the atmosphere is high! This is the perfect fall weekend read, under the covers or in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine.

What starts out with the intent of being a relaxing, much needed, weekend getaway for three couples soon turns into their worst nightmare. Someone is out to ruin the weekend. A story of secrets, revenge, payback, cheating, danger, drama, entitlement, and more. There seem to be a couple of loose ends but, overall, I enjoyed the storyline.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a super twisty and eerie “whodunit.” I loved not knowing what to expect. It was a great read!!

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger
4/5

My Thriller Checklist
X Psychopaths
X Past vs Present
X Who Done It?

First Thoughts: Multi POV’s are a hit or miss for me. In this instance it was both. I liked the different characters, but I was confused on the other story line. It of course all connects at the end, but I found myself the whole time just thinking who the hell are these people? What does this have to do with the Main Characters? I loved how it all connected at the end, but I felt confused at parts because of it. I loved the premise of DNA kits in this book. It reminded me of a documentary I watched recently.

Mini Book Description: Six individuals spend a weekend at this beautiful cabin in the middle of nowhere to have a fun filled weekend. The host plans this as a birthday present for his sister Hannah. Hannah and her husband, her brother and his wife, her best Friend and her new boyfriend all arrive at this beautiful cabin that had amazing reviews. Chaos irrupts when the storm comes, and people start vanishing.

Final Thoughts: This book did make it difficult to guess who was behind it because it gave multiple suspects. I didn’t really like any of the characters. They were all wrong/ messy in their own way. They all have so many secrets that I felt like screaming just talk to each other. When the ending was revealed, I loved how it wrapped up. The whole book kept me interested but the ending is was made me give it 4 stars. I love a good ending especially one that wraps up in a perfect bow. I love the angle Lisa went with the story. It could have gone many ways, but I love a dark underlying story.

Full Review & Spoiler Review will be posted on www.thebookishcrow.com Soon

I loved this book and from the moment everyone received those mystery DNA testing kits at Christmas I was hooked. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next and what other twists were coming.

I did find the formatting of this one hard to read however. The book had no defined chapters and I'm not sure if that was just a characteristic of the ARC or the actual book.

Thanks NetGalley for a free e-copy for an honest review

I am such a huge fan for “isolated setting, thriller” so I loved the setting and concept of this story

I had a hard time getting into this book at the beginning, but it might have to do with some many characters POV throughout the book, so I got confused who was who.
Once I got to know who’s who, I started enjoying the story. After halfway the pace really started picking up and I was flying through it. I loved the “shocking revels” and the ending.


I really like Lisa Unger and I will definitely pick up more books from her.

Thanks to Legend Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel. This is my second Lisa Unger novel (I loved Confessions on the 7:45). This one fell a little short for me. It took me awhile to get straight the multitude of characters and there seemed to be a lot going on but it all felt disconnected. Eventually the last quarter of the book tied it together but I felt most of the story felt a bit messy and hard to figure out.

I did enjoy the genetics/DNA testing angle of the story quite a bit - that part kept me entertained throughout. Overall I am giving this one 3 stars.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger, thank you to NetGalley for an ARC: I was immediately drawn into this book & pretty much did not put it down until the end. Who wouldn’t love a luxury cabin in the woods complete with personal chef for a restorative getaway - all expenses paid? A deadly storm is brewing, the rental host is too watchful, and the cabin has a secret past. Who do you trust as someone seems determined to crash their getaway.??

A slow moving story about a family who decide to rent a cabin for a getaway.
Each one of them had been given a DNA kit for Christmas from an unknown source.
When a storm comes in people are unable to leave and things become strained.
Lost of twist and turns, unlikeable characters and a confusing storyline.
Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by L. Unger, published by Legend Press, is a full-length, stand-alone novel. A thriller of its finest, twisty and full of unexpected turns that have the reader guessing til the last page.
Told in multiple povs its a story of secrets, lies, a layered story that had me reading the book in one sitting, I simply couldn't put it down. A fantastic 5 star read.

A big thanks to Netgalley, Legend Press, and Park Row for my gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had such high expectations for this book! Unfortunately, it just ended up being meh. I listened to most of it on audio because I was in serious danger of DNF. The premise was original and once something finally happened, there was adequate action. However, the characters were almost all terrible people in one way or another and there were entirely too many of them. I was finding it difficult to keep everyone straight. To make it worse, just when I thought I had a hold on everyone, we’re introduced to two new characters and another POV that could have been excluded from the novel altogether.

Overall, I wanted to love this one, but just didn’t.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger is a mysterious and creepy family drama that will make you question how well you really know your loved ones. Unger’s latest novel follows a wealthy, self-centered, tech company owner when he invites his closest family and friends on a very expensive vacation at a secluded cabin…that sleeps six. ;) We follow his yogi wife, his devoted sister, his code savvy brother-in-law, and his childhood ex-girlfriend/secret f*ck buddy/sister’s best friend, along with said ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. They all (some of them reluctantly) accept the invitation to this secluded cabin. We quickly learn that they all have something to hide…we’re just not sure what it is yet.

Meanwhile, we also follow a couple additional characters and their own, seemingly separate, storylines. For a while, I was frustrated that I couldn’t figure out how the various paths and characters would intersect. But Unger did eventually weave them together nicely in the end.

At times, I felt like there were too many characters and not enough connection between them. So that distracted from my reading enjoyment. I also didn’t really “like” any of the characters, but maybe that was intentional. I found the twist and ending to be pretty far fetched, but then again, it’s fiction. So enjoy the ride.
Over all, it was mostly a fun read that I enjoyed picking up each evening. Three stars for me.

Special thanks to Legend Press for the digital ARC via NetGalley. My apologies for what might be a delayed review on this one. NetGalley lists the pub date as Feb 16, 2023 (so I thought I had plenty of time!), but according to GoodReads, the book was published by Park Row several months earlier, on November 8, 2022. Not sure what happened there, but glad I had the opportunity to read and review it either way.

Sadly I DNFd this one 14% in.

I need more action, more seclusion, and less insecure people who complained a lot.

I had been so excited for this one because I loved locked room mysteries, but I think after trying this one I realized that I like locked room mysteries that quickly get everyone to the location. That didn’t happen here. I needed less family drama and insecurities and more settling into the setting.

This is my first book by this author. I was told not to judge her other books by this one because her backlist is fantastic.

The story is primarily told by Hannah. Hannah and her husband, Bruce are new parents. Hannah's brother Micheal aka Mickey aka Mako, is making a killing as a technology giant with a videogame currently in development that will make he wealthy beyond belief. Bruce works for Mako and he and Hannah live in Mako's former home. Hannah notices that jer relationship with Bruce is becoming strained as he becomes irritable and distant. When Mako offers the couple a getaway with him and his wife Liza, and Hannah's best friend, Cricket and her new boyfriend, they jump at the opportunity. When the three couples arrive at a glamorous cabin in the woods, it seems like the perfect place for a little R & R. But a creepy groundskeeper and weird chef and lurking shadows make it difficult to unwind. With a storm bearing down on the isolates cabin and members of their party going missing, it's only a matter of time until all of their secrets are revealed.

It felt like the author was trying to do too much. The nature vs. nurture argument was beaten to death in this book. The good vs. bad qualities of each character felt very black and white. It was too simple and somehow also incredibly compliment but not in a good way.

There are multiple viewpoints - like, a lot of them. It was difficult to keep the story straight. There were some POVs that were compelling and others, like Cricket's, that were unnecessary and didn't really serve a purpose in the story.

All told, this book felt messy and underdeveloped. It was a good idea but needed a few more edits before it was worth reading.
⭐⭐.5 stars rounded up.

***Spoiler """
I think having Trina, Josh, and Henry reveal the backstory for some of the "good" siblings instead of just focusing on the dirtbags may have made the story more interesting. Trina seems aware of her "bad" genes but goes along with their influence even though she is trying to destroy the bad genes.

This book was deep, messy, and felt a little unfinished for me.

It is a story of six people in a cabin, but the title doesn’t match the novel. It is a story of family and nature versus nurture which I did not love, but it did keep me engaged. Keeping me hooked is my number one priority, so I give 3 stars just for that. I wanted to know what happened.

There are creepy parts and characters that feel undeveloped for me, and I didn’t love the characters either. This left a lot of loose ends and not the good kind.

Ultimately, I read for a discussion group, and there was a lot to discuss. So, I will give Lisa Unger another try since this was my first read by her.

Read this if you love a messy family story, sperm donor story, evil versus good DNA
Don’t read if you think this is a locked in mystery or something close to what the title makes you think of because it is not.

Thank you @netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

#secludedcabinsleepssix #lisaunger

I love a spooky setting, and a country house in the woods during a severe storm certainly fits the bill. I liked a lot of this book, particularly the messier, more mysterious elements, but all in all the plot was fairly predictable and ended just about exactly the way I suspected. This doesn't mean there aren't some surprises--there are-- but they lacked real excitement. Paced quickly and expertly, but lacking depth.