This was a slow burn for me. I felt nothing really happened until almost over halfway through. Don't get me wrong the chapters were short and felt fast paced but I just feel the story took way too long for something super exciting to truly happen. Also im not a huge fan of a ton of POVs and I felt the amount used in this book was unnecessary. Was definitely hoping for more with this one but its okay, no book is perfect and I will still continue to read Lisa's books.

As a fan of Lisa Unger’s work I was looking forward to this story. The idea of a hide and seek thriller seemed great unfortunately it felt like the actual hide and seek aspect of the book wasn’t there. The plot lines were good but some felt very forced and unnecessary. It felt like too many characters who overall didn’t have a giant impact on the story. A quick, fun read but not the best Unger book out there.

The company Extreme is known for putting on lucrative, crazy competitions as well as giving a huge amount of money to charities This time it's an Extreme Hide and Seek contest with 4 influencers. But there are plenty of secrets behind this successful company and a storm is starting to brew.

This book was more of a slow suspenseful novel. I enjoyed seeing the stories behind the influencers, their families, and the people who worked for Extreme. This book was not scary, which may be a turn off for some, and I didn't notice any surprises or twists either.

Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten by Lisa Unger is a quick-moving thriller about influencers who participate in an Extreme hide and seek challenge that goes off the rails. Mom-fluencer Adele has turned her life around after her husband left her, their kids, and his business behind to live life on the run from the FBI. Even though she tries her hardest, she still is behind on her credit cards and when the opportunity to make a million dollars comes up, she doesn’t back down from the challenge. Unfortunately, the challenge isn’t the only game being played on Falço island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The pacing of this book was well done, I kept coming back for more, and things moved quickly. I also thought the characters were well done, especially in the case of Adele, Mav, Adeline, Violet and Blake. The other characters I would have liked more information about. The story line was interesting, but once again, there were some plot points I would have liked more about or just more resolution. One personal pet peeve of mine, however, is just making up different names for social media sites and not changing anything about it. Everyone is going to know which one you’re talking about, so I feel as if you should either just use the name or make something up yourself. It feels very “ok boomer”. But overall, this was an enjoyable, tension driven novel.

Usually a huge fan of this author but this one was too heavy on the slow burn for me! That said, I will definitely pick up her next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc!

This book just wasn't for me. I am a huge fan of thriller books but this one did nothing to keep my attention. I am so sad because the description and cover looked promising but ultimately it did not work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Adele is a single mother of two teenagers, struggling to make ends meet, after her husband embezzled a large sum of money from his company and went on the run. Her son convinces her to go on an extreme reality show on an island off the coast of Portugal where she will compete with others for a $1M prize. Things quickly seem to go off the rails as a storm approaches the abandon hotel that is the site of the game.

3.5 stars. Rounding up because I got through it pretty quickly.

Some of this author's books are a big hit with me, others are a miss. This was in the middle at slightly better than average. The premise was ok. I don't always love a closed room mystery because I struggle to keep the chracters straight. Fortunately that wasn't a problem here. I think I just didn't really like any of the people invoived with running the game and didn't necessarily care about what was going on with them and I didn't find Adele's story particularly interesting, but I did turn the pages and get through it fairly quickly, so I obviously didn't hate it. It was ok.

Lisa Unger’s latest thriller is a little chaotic, but one might expect that from the account of a high stakes, extreme game of hide and seek that takes place at a condemned resort, on an island in the path of a hurricane. Told with a varied timeline, and from the perspectives of multiple social media influencers, the story is filtered through the lens of each online personality, and the result feels like watching a clip show highlight reel. The conflict is continuous, but the only characters who are truly hiding are entirely outside of the game. This is a disarranged thriller, but it does keep you engaged and guessing throughout.

I really found this book to be well paced, well thought out and an almost perfect plot. I couldn't stop reading and I felt this was definitely a page turner

A social media company holds a high-stakes hide-and-seek competition at a deserted hotel, and obviously, chaos ensues. There were so many twists and little puzzle pieces to put together and I stayed entertained throughout. Theres social media, murder, teens and adults, live streaming, a creepy location, podcasts, bullying, VR game, lying, cheating, villainous characters and so much more. I would recommend this to any fan of Lisa Unger or similar authors. It honestly gave me the vibes of a super creepy but modern version of the game Clue but with social media and all that entails thrown in to the mix.

This book was an extreme beast! I read it in just a day. If you have followed any YouTube drama in the recent months you have to wonder how fast this book was written. Is it a commentary on the YouTube creators and ko. Or a prediction of the inevitable downfall of anyone who climbs to fame. Many sings the praises of creators online. But when really dig into the character and content of these people. You have to question the morality behind it. But at the end of the day how do these come to fame? This book is a deep dive into the dangers truth that lurk behind “innocent fun”.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC. I have read other books from this author, and I enjoyed them and I also enjoyed this book as well. I really liked the characters, I like the plot that is started out as a game to win money and then turns into survival. I really felt like I could relate to the characters and I really, liked how fast paced the story was , from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend this author if you enjoy intense thriller books with great plot and good character development. I will continue to read more from this author!!

I absolutely loved this book! The idea of a social media company hosting a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek at a deserted hotel hooked me right away. It’s such a cool and unique concept. The non-linear timeline made it even more intense—every twist hit harder because you’re piecing everything together as you go.

The characters were fantastic, each with their own perspective that added so much to the story. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs; they kept me guessing the entire time about what was really going on and who could be trusted. The pacing was spot on, and the suspense kept me turning pages late into the night.

I also loved the social media aspect—it gave the whole story this modern, game-show vibe that made it feel super relevant. It left me constantly wondering who was going to make it out and who wouldn’t, especially with the eerie history of the last game hanging over everything. My only tiny complaint is that I wish we got to see more of the contestants’ struggles before everything hit its peak, but overall, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the story.

This was such a fun and gripping read. If you’re into thrillers with twists, suspense, and a little social commentary, you’ll love this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have been a huge fan of Lisa Unger for a while now, so naturally being approved for this ARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row and Lisa Unger from Netgalley I was incredibly excited! The cover art itself is beautiful, the idea of the book is also intense.

I liked the idea of the real life challenge and thought of many reality shows that we watch. I loved the description of crumbling hotel, the way that Unger chose to base it upon the real life hotel in Sao Miguel of the Monte Palace Hotel from the 1980's. Aftermath of pulling up photos there were things that I had read in the text that were captured really well. I appreciated the various characters, their flaws and thoughts, and their multiple view points and intentions throughout the book. There were a few moments where there was lack of clarity on my part of reading, from the different point of views, yet slowing down and really recapping really helped me. I was surprised on the relevance of the "influencers", which is a current time in our world and could be a real life thing.

The plot really started picking up around 50% through, but I truly think it was necessary to build understanding and character lines. I would recommend to anyone who is a Lisa Unger fan, anyone who likes intense, suspense, and thrillers with twists. Thank you again Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row, Lisa Unger, and Netgalley for being able to read this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: This book has already went on my favorites list for 2025 and will be in my top books of the year. That being said, I'm not sure if this book will be well received across the board. It just happened to check every box for me. I think it's important to know this story isn't really about a hide n seek on an island (that doesn't happen until the last third of the book). This is the story of a failing company, a cold case murder, family drama, island protections, and just comprised with morally grey characters.

This story goes back and forth in time and place. I am not going to rehash the synopsis, hopefully you've read that before reviews. If not go read the book then come back. I'm just going to make a list of things I loved about this book because I'm not sure how else to do it.

In no particular order:
1) a single Mom fighting for children
2) teenagers back home using technology and live streaming to follow their Mom's time on the island
3) a creepy island with dedicated natives who protect and honor the land
4) morally grey characters with their villain origin stories included
5) lying, cheating, murder
6) social media and influence culture is heavily used
7) extreme sports and an interesting, new premise used within the island trope
8) mixed media, multiple POV, multiple timeline to keep the story moving at an interesting and exciting pace
9) a virtual reality game used by teenagers back home who are being bullied and live another life within it
10) book contains so much more than the premise
11) true crime podcast episodes
12) dangerous weather... cuz duh

This book was just such a hit for me. I can't wait to read it again. There is so much going on, but not too much were you feel like it's filled with things that aren't relevant. Everything feels like it's placed with a purpose and packs a punch. I hope that you will give this book a try! Gosh I loved it so much. I can't wait to read it again, even knowing the ending.

Maverick Dillan, extreme adventurer opens up a new game of hide and seek, inviting contestants to apply for the thrilling game. Set in a desolate hotel on a small island, these contestants will be competing for one million dollars. Each contestants wants that money while Maverick wants to use their fame to boost the show's ratings. When a storm settles over the island, the stakes are raised and fear is heightened. Adele, a mother of two looking to save her family with the winnings, gets sucked into a web of lies. The question shifts from who will win to who will make it off the island alive.

Lisa Unger puts together a sneaky group of characters, all have their parts like a game of Clue. It's a slow burn with several points of view and many twists. It was a little to slow in the beginning and then the end packed a punch. I could have used another 10 pages to really finish the story though. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This was definitely a slow burn locked room type thriller (which is right up my alley). I wanted to LOVE this book because it had everything I look for in a thriller. But to me this book was done in too many POVs that the story became too stuffy. This book took me too long to finish because I kept hitting walls and kept having to reread pages because the story became too confusing. I think it would have benefited the author just to write this story in one POV; it would have easily been a 5 star read for me.

Thank you HTP for an early copy of this book and for the opportunity to promote this book on my TikTok. I enjoyed this book and think it's great for anyone who loves competition style thrillers or survival. books.

I was given a copy of this book for a review.

This was not my favorite Lisa Unger book. I had trouble getting started with it and then I just never really got caught up in the story. It wasn't awful and I did finish it but definitely not my favorite of her books. You can pick up your copy and decide for yourself in February 2025.

The book is set around a realty contest story. Four contestants are supposed to hide at this deserted hotel location. If they are the last to be found by Maverick (an extreme adventurer) they win loads of money. All the contestants have the need for large sums of money so they are in for the extreme hide-and-seek game. Maverick and his team also have background issues including money woes and dissension among them. Besides all this, there is a big storm brewing and will close down the area until it passes. The storm prevents one of the players from arriving for the "game". There are a couple other story lines in the background with characters in the book; one contestant's husband embezzled money and ran and hasn't been found, another supposed killed a lion, Maverick himself is involved in a disappearance of a contestant from a previous challenge and most people think he knows where the woman is and did something to her, so a lot going on. Will any of the contestants win the "big" prize? Will Maverick come out the winner in the end? Will Chloe (the missing contestant from a previous challenge) be found? It is all ultimately revealed and an interesting story, just not real my personal favorite.

This title deals with what people will do for money or when they are backed into a corner and desperate. Good characters though some were not as well developed even though they were important to the story. Quick read that keeps you engaged.