I love reality tv and the thought of extreme hide and seek on a deserted island sounded like the perfect thriller. The book was fun with twists and turns but there were a lot of different characters which made the book feel a bit crowded. Overall it was a fun read and i recommend it to thriller lovers

I love the idea of extreme hide and seek which is initially what sold me on this story other than the fact that the one and only Lisa Unger wrote it. Found this thriller to be a quick and easy read, but found influenced plot line to be a little cheesy and overdone. Thanks for the ARC netglalley

While I was initially intrigued by the concept of this book, it lost me with the Mav storyline. There were so many people involved in the beginning that it was a bit hard to keep it straight. I felt the story was a bit disjointed and it wasn’t interesting enough to keep my attention. It took me a lot of resolve not to just DNF 😬

There was some mystery and some intrigue in this book, but overall missed the mark as a psychological thriller for me. I was excited that the blurb mentioned an extreme game, and although the plot did have this element in some chapters and the setting in some chapters. it was put on the back burner. There were a lot of characters and PoVs, and I was a bit confused and then a bit bored with all of their issues. I do appreciate the ability by the author to have developed a story with so many complex elements, and was invested enough to finish…but it pains me to say this wasn’t a favorite of mine.
I started as an audio read-the single female narrator was fine, perhaps I am spoiled listening to audios with a full cast when there are multiple characters and their PoVs. I did need to switch to the ebook to be able to try to keep things aligned and try to understand better:
Thank you to NegGalley, Harlequin Audio and HTP Hive for an advanced copy and offer my honest thoughts.

Extreme hide and seek, who can resist that! A single mum and fitness influencer who has been going through a rough time signs up for the challenge. The prize, $1 million is hard to pass up. An isolated island full of people who all want the money, and a dodgy crew of staff that are hiding plenty of secrets from each other. Add to that a storm brewing and it becomes a game of survival. This was a fun read and Lisa Unger books are always entertaining!

I love Lisa Unger's books! I really enjoyed the plot and the characters were easy to picture. This was a fast moving thriller once more of the action focused on "The Game".

Unfortunately I subtracted a star because I found the timeline of the scenes on the island confusing. This definitely won't stop me from reading more books by Lisa. She's one of my favs.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Being a reality TV show lover I had to get this one and it disappoint! A deadly game of hide and sick on a deserted island, be the last one to be found and win a million, sounds easy right? Not so fast! Everyone here has there on agenda and plenty are livestreaming! Adele was the perfect heorine, after her husband left with all their money and his company's money, she thinks winning this game will solve her money problems. But when it's all said and done Adele found more than money. "We're worthy of life and love because of who we are, not because what we do" "the only true prize in this world is living another day."

Due to the fact that it was written by one of my favorite authors, I had exceedingly high expectations for Lisa Unger’s newest locked room mystery/thriller, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10. After all, thanks to an atmospheric setting, strong female protagonist, and reality-TV-show premise, it seemed like it just couldn’t go wrong. Does that mean it was utter perfection? No, not exactly. You see, with a slow burn pace and a multitude of alternating POVs, it wasn’t the rollicking ride of unbridled thrills that I had been expecting. Just the same, nothing could stop this book from being one heck of a rollercoaster ride of suspense as this motley crew of characters were trapped by a storm in this atmospheric and eerie locale.

The biggest win in this psychological thriller, however, was most definitely the thought-provoking message underneath the popcorn thriller core. Critiquing social media and how it can exploit the struggles of those posting for the sake of mere entertainment, it was an eye-opening view of what we all tend to take for granted as we spend time online. Making this point even stronger were the realistic, vividly painted characters—with Adele front and center. A mother first and foremost, she and her children were the few individuals who I felt I could relate to amidst a cast of personas that felt decidedly extreme. All together, however, I nevertheless got swept up in a plot that kept me invested from beginning to end.

All said and done, with long-buried secrets, dark lies, and underhanded deceptions, this drama-fueled plot kept my eyes firmly glued to the pages. Could it have used some editing to keep the middle as riveting as the rest of the novel? Well…yes. But considering those last 100 pages delivered in spades, I’ll give a little leeway to one of my favorite authors. After all, there was a definite ebb and flow to the unease until the explosive climax led to the one heck of a surprising reveal. So if you like slow burns that feature plenty of secrets, this book is for you. Intricately plotted around a reality TV show gone wrong, I enjoyed this one even if I didn’t wholeheartedly love it as much as I would’ve expected. Rating of 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Lisa Unger, Park Row Books, abs NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Loved this book! It was fun read full of twist and turns you won’t see coming. This book will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happens next.

Spooky, atmospheric, dark and mysterious.

Adele, a mother of two, decides to go on an extreme activity reality TV show hoping to win the million dollar prize. The extreme event is being held in an isolated location with lots of history. Participants start to arrive for the competition, but all is not as it seems with the background and owners of the company who are running the reality event and many red flags are being hidden from the participants. In a past event, another participant had gone missing, and someone on social media is blaming Mav, the owner of the Extreme company for the participant’s disappearance. Things start to unravel before the competition starts and this book kept me guessing as to what was coming next. If you love “locked room”, isolated settings in your thrillers, this won’t disappoint!

Told by multiple character POVs and in multiple timelines - it became confusing at times to keep up, so but I fully appreciated The Game being in Italics.

Overall, I would rate this as 3.5 ⭐️. I would recommend to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

A little too "cheesy" of a thriller for me. I think I may be over this particular genre, especially when influencers are involved. As usual, Unger's writing is great and easy to read, I think this type of thriller just isn't for me. Thank you, NetGalley.

I really enjoy this authors writing style.

Who doesn’t love a good Hide-and-seek game! It was a slow start for me . However, once I got about half way in I was hooked! I couldn’t put it down.

There were alot of characters and had to really stay focused to keep them straight.

Overall I really enjoy the story, cast and twist!

*Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This book is a Mr. Beast hide and seek game gone horribly wrong. And that parallel made it horrifying plausible to me. From the first page alone, I was hooked. The problem was that it took so long to get BACK to that tension. We also had WAY too many PoVs going on, without them adding much to the story. The PoVs also completely lay out the plot, but without foreshadowing characters' motivations. Things just happen! Really just a story of a good plot, without good execution.

This book follows Adele, a single mother competing in a Mr. Beast type hide and seek competition for a million dollars! I loved this concept, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations

This books biggest crime was being boring. The POV switched every chapter to some inane character such as; the protagonist’s son playing a video game, a podcaster searching for the missing contestant of the previous hide and seek competition, an agent trying to find MC’s criminal husband. These POV’s added nothing, and I found myself skimming if not completely skipping these chapters.

I don’t like to be so harsh when given advanced access to a book, but honestly, save yourself the time from picking this one up.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 started off really strong. I was intrigued by the characters, their individual drama (and trauma) and the game itself. I really enjoyed the idea of the husband on the run and the devious nature of Mav and his company. Adele is a strong FMC that I really liked. The setting is fabulous - a little eerie and troubling, yet exotic and beautiful to picture.
The multi POV helped keep the tension and keep you guessing. The approaching storm added to the fear and apprehension. The true nature of each character is slowly revealed, causing red herrings at every turn.
The last 1/4 of the story really failed to keep my interest, however. The story seemed to get overly complicated and slightly unbelievable in my opinion. The buildup for the storyline of Adele’s missing husband had a twist that I saw far in advance and then ended far too quickly and with a less than satisfying conclusion. The resolution of “whodunnit” also felt a little convoluted and a bit of a let down.
I did enjoy the social media aspect and the first 3/4 of the book satisfied my thriller expectations so I give Close Your Eyes and Count To 10 by Lisa Unger ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

I have shared this review on Amazon,

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/a1339599-891b-4212-b529-327a605dbde0

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7088447350

And Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGog8CmPqxx/?igsh=MXRoMjFxd2VxbnRkdg==

Adele Crane's life is a shadow of what it used to be. She and her teenage kids are dealing with the aftermath of her husband's embezzlement of money and disappearance. Her son, Blake, is being bullied and they are buried in debts. Then Blake tells his mom about a chance to win a million dollars in an extreme hide and seek game on an isolated Portuguese island for a reality tv competition. Adele is accepted, but is puzzled when she starts getting text messages warning her to stay away from the game. She can’t give up on the chance at prize, so she soon finds herself thousands of miles away from her children in a dangerous situation. There is infighting amongst the show hosts and crew members and a major storm is on the way.

The story is told from multiple points-of-view which works fine for the most part. However, there are also abrupt shifts in the timeline which are sometimes confusing. The game eventually takes a back seat to real life survival which is very suspenseful. Some of the drama going on with Adele's kids isn't as interesting. This is where the multiple points-of-view take away from the main plot. While some of the background information on Blake and Violet is important to the story, the amount of details that are included slows the pace of the book. Back on the island, I enjoyed getting to know Adele, the other contestants, and the Extreme Crew. The book kept my interest, and I like the way things are wrapped up at the end.

I received an advance copy of this ebook for review consideration from HTP Hive and HTP Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 had me on the edge of my seat from the very start. The concept of an extreme game of hide-and-seek on a remote island sounded thrilling, and Lisa Unger did not disappoint. The tension builds quickly as the contestants realize the game is anything but fun. I found myself rooting for Adele, a mother willing to do anything to survive and protect her children. The atmosphere was intense, and the plot kept me guessing with its twists. My only slight issue was the pacing in a few spots, but overall, it was a gripping, fast-paced thriller I couldn’t put down.

**Initial Reaction**: 8

**Characters:** 9

**Setting:** 10

**Plot:** 8

**Pace:** 7

**Style:** 9

**Ending:** 9

**Enjoyment:** 9

69 / 16 = 4.3125

Rounded Rating = 4.25

Lisa Unger does it again! I really enjoyed "Close Your Eyes and Count to 10"! The island and game strategy story line was great, and kept me at the end of my seat. Full of suspense you won't be able to put this one down!

Social influencer's are invited to an island to play a game of hide-and-seek for a $1M cash prize. The contest is hosted by extreme adventurer Maverick, and a fun game quickly turns into a game of survival. Maverick's haunts from his last contest torment the current contestants. A storm ravages the remote island as the game kicks-off, and the hiders must forget all the rules to survive.

This is a reality gone wrong with lots of POV and tons of secrets. Could the setting been a bit more creepier, absolutely! I want more of this budding romance with Cody and the mom.

Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row