As soon as I saw Lisa Unger had a new book I knew I had to read it. I've really enjoyed most of the books I've read by her, so I was happy to grab this one.

Description:
Charismatic daredevil and extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan invites you to the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. But as the players gather on Falcao Island, the event quickly spirals into a chilling test of survival. A storm rages as a deadly threat stalks the contestants, turning the challenge into something far more sinister than the social media stunt it was intended to be.

Enter Adele, a single mother with a fierce determination to protect her children at all costs. When she begins the game, she unwittingly enters a twisted web of deception and intrigue. Can she maneuver through the treacherous storm and the relentless competition and get home to her family? In a ruthless battle for survival where the stakes are higher than ever, the blurry line between the virtual and the real proves that the only person we can trust is ourselves.

My thoughts:
Lately it seems many authors are writing about extreme games for television that go bad. This is a good one that was exciting and tense. I liked Adele, the single mother who just wanted to take care of her kids. She made a good character. The setting on an island and the deserted hotel lent great atmosphere to the story. The storm was scary. The locals warning of the island's curse made everyone uneasy. The plot was fast-paced and tense and I just wanted to keep reading until the end. I think anyone who enjoys a good thriller will enjoy this one.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten by Lisa Unger is a thriller that follows a family in turmoil after their father and husband disappears—on the run from the feds. Struggling to keep things together, Adele enters a high-stakes hide-and-seek competition on a deserted island, only to realize that this game is far deadlier than she expected. Here, being found means death.

This was a quick, entertaining read. If you’re in the mood for a simple thriller, this one is easy to dive into. That said, I think it took itself a little too seriously. It had the potential to be a really fun, over-the-top thriller but never fully leaned into that. There were some great moments of social commentary, especially on influencers and social media, but I wish the book had either pushed those themes further or stripped them back altogether. The ideas were there, but there wasn’t quite enough depth to make them land in a meaningful way.

Thank you @htpbooks and @htp_hive for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I love a locked room thriller. It's my favorite genre. I also love Lisa Unger, and so I went into Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 with high hopes, but, ultimately, I wasn't able to develop a connection with it. It's totally possible that it's me and not the book, and there definitely an audience for this new release, and I will recommend it to thriller lovers, especially lovers of reality extreme games.

A fun and exciting premise that didn't quite hold up to my expectations. With a Reality TV show premise in an isolated setting, there was a lot of hope here. We were led with a slow burn and multiple POV's trying to take a stab against social media influencers. Overall, it just fell a bit flat. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

What starts as a game of extreme hide-and-seek quickly turns into a terrifying fight for survival on a storm-ravaged island. One of the things I loved most about this book was that it wasn’t just a straight-shot plot. There were multiple storylines weaving through, giving depth to both the game itself and the personal stakes involved. Adele, our protagonist, is a single mother who isn't your typical thriller heroine—she’s older, fierce, and often just faking it till she makes it. And honestly? That made her so relatable. We need more protagonists that are 30+.

The reality show aspect was immersive. If you’ve ever watched "Celebrity Bear Hunt with Bear Grylls" or any reality survival competition, you’ll get that same edge-of-your-seat feeling. But what really stood out was how the book tied in social media’s influence—not just in the game but in Adele’s real life. From the pressure her teenagers face to fit in, to the unrealistic expectations placed on mothers to "have it all," this book smartly explores how reality rarely matches the curated version we see online.

If you love island survival stories, reality-show thrillers, or books that dive into the messy, unspoken parts of being a mother, this one is for you. A gripping, fast-paced read that’s just as much about identity and resilience as it is about the game itself.

I did not enjoy this book at all- so much so that i had to put it down at 50% and do not plan on picking it back up. For a thriller, nothing thrilling has happened at all. I have absolutely no interest in the characters or the plot; and I believe this could have been prevented with a better paced and more streamlined beginning of the book. It should not take the first half of the book to even get to the main event described in the synopsis. Characters were all over the place and ynlikable.

2.5⭐️ this had a very interesting setup with a very flat execution 😭

i thought this was gonna be high stakes, adventure game show gone wrong vibes. the premise of “tough survivalist influencers get invited to an Extreme game of hide & seek on a creepy island and everything goes wrong” sounded VERY fun

the buildup was good, with introducing all the main “players” in the “game” and starting to show the cracks early on…

but then it just lost sight of the premise completely. no exciting twists, my adrenaline never rushed, and the ending was so lackluster

This book captured my attention from start to finish! I looked forward to my reading time each evening. The characters include a team of influencers that put together a hide and seek challenge for a handful of influencers with a big cash prize. All of the characters are flawed, but mostly likable. I liked the pace that the author revealed key details throughout the story.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row Books for early access to Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 in exchange for my honest opinion. And thanks to the random Books A Million in Beaufort, South Carolina, I stopped into while waiting for my friend to make a work call, because they had the book out early so I could take this picture!
The plot of the book is that Extreme Hide and Seek for Influencers is happening on the site of an abandoned hotel on an island in an area similar to the Azores. Now, I have trouble fully understanding how hide and seek could be an extreme sport, but I tried not to dwell on that issue while reading. The land seems “unwell” and the weather is predicted to be bad, and pretty much everything that could go wrong does go wrong. The action is jam-packed, but at the same time it was a little boring, as the tension was lacking.
I’ve only read a couple previous books by the author, but this wasn’t a new favorite. I’ll still keep reading her work, though! There is a LOT going on in this book, and all of the characters are various amounts of unlikeable. I stuck with it, but the book felt too long for what it was. And while there was a lot of crazy going on, I really just didn’t care all that much about how it ended or the big reveal. However, just because this didn’t feel like the right book for me, maybe it may be the right edge-of-your-seat thriller for you. Perhaps the audiobook will do a better job capturing the tension of the story. It will be available tomorrow everywhere - or maybe you can find a copy out early like I did!

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.

What do you get when you gather all the top talked about influencers onto a private island for an extreme game of hide and seek? Well prime reality television entertainment of course. But when the lines between what’s real and what’s a facade for tv theatrics becomes incredibly blurred each contestant finds they must fight for survival if they ever hope to leave the secluded social media driven hell they have unwittingly entered.

Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten boosts a unique twist on the secluded locked room/trapped thriller genre with its reality tv gone wrong aspect. As someone who has watched their fair share of reality tv and reality show competitions I was immediately drawn to this added plot narrative. However while I found the overall premise to be extremely intriguing I began to struggle with feelings of not getting fully invested in the slow burn mystery. I attribute this to the fact of the immense amount of multiple POVs. Making connecting to any one of them difficult. And while each character does have interesting pasts with their own secrets and skeletons the overall amount of POVs just made keeping track of each and every single one of them a daunting task. Ultimately making the reading experience feel more like work rather than the thriller escapism that I was hoping for. I did still end up enjoying the last wild 100 pages tho despite the disconnect I felt from the characters. Overall this was a quick read that while not being a complete love for me still managed to keep me turning pages despite a few bumps in the reading experience.

Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten comes out February 25th, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

Told in multiple POV with a lot of characters there was a bit of a slower start as everyone was being introduced. Even still, you could feel the underlaying tension which kept me invested. The last third is where the action truly hit which was exciting but I sort of wish there had been a bigger bang.

This was more than just a popcorn thriller as it dove deeper into themes such as the dark side of social medias and how far a mother would go for her children.

This was my second by Lisa Unger and well it wasn’t a five star I’m still becoming a fan of hers. I’ll definitely be working my way through her backlist.

Read if you love:
📺 Reality TV
🏝️ Remote island
🍿 Popcorn thriller
👥 Multiple POV

NYT bestselling author Lisa Unger (favorite author) returns following The New Couple in 5B with her latest, CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10—a twisty, intense, and engrossing atmospheric thriller.

The narrative is so gripping that it feels like you're part of an extreme hide-and-seek that turns into a deadly game of survival.

Who will make it to the count of 10?

About...

Maverick, a charismatic daredevil and extreme adventurer, is hosting the ultimate game of hide-and-seek on the remote Falcao Island for his Extreme Games and Insane Challenges show. The hotel Enchantments was once grand and luxurious.

Adele, a single mom to two teens, Violet and Blake— desperately needs to support her family after being abandoned by her fugitive husband.

She has a new career as an influencer and decides to join Maverick's game, and her kids support her chance at the million-dollar prize.

There was a plan. Plots were hatched. Agendas run. Deception. A game. It was a stunning betrayal. A murder. All the things that people do best. Then comes a storm to wash away everything that does not belong.

A storm rages as a deadly threat stalks the contestants, turning the challenge into something far more sinister than the social media stunt it was intended to be.

Between herself and the other contestants, the atmosphere is thick with tension on this remote island and the local warnings about the island's curse. Then contestants vanish, sinister things occur, and the devastating storm turns into a twisty and dangerous survival game.

How will she ever escape?

My thoughts...

CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10 is intense and adrenaline-fueled, keeping you glued to the pages with the chilling setting, with fears, suspicion, mystery, and suspense. The strong character development makes you feel connected and invested in the story.

Unger demonstrates her storytelling prowess in CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10. She deftly handles the characters, weaving their stories together in a compelling narrative like a rock star. Her commentary on the impact of social media adds a thought-provoking layer to the story.

Is the internet and social media changing how we live our daily lives? Are we all performed, cropped, edited, and filtered? How does it affect your relationships, family, and people skills if you are always in front of the camera worried about the followers, sponsorships, etc.?

Heart-pounding and gripping readers will root for Adele and the lengths she will go to protect her children in this compelling tale of survival and resilience in this twisted web of deception, a treacherous storm, and relentless competition.

The author ratchets up the suspense with the sinister backdrop, the disappearances, not knowing whom to trust, the impending danger, and the dark sense of doom lurking with each page turn.

I have been a fan of Lisa Unger for many years and have read all her books. Each book is an adventure, and CLOSE YOUR EYES is an action-packed locked room mystery that will leave you breathless. I enjoyed the author's note and the inspiration behind the novel, which would make for an ideal book club pick.

Recs...

CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10 is for Unger fans and those who enjoy reality TV and shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Challenge, and Big Brother. (showcasing the dark side of reality TV).

You will enjoy Lisa's latest survival game if you enjoy rocked-room atmospheric psychological suspense and works by authors Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, Sarah Pearse, Lisa Jewell, and Alice Feeney.

Many thanks to Park Row Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReachBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 25, 2025
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I wouldn't say this was my favorite by Unger but it was definitely twisty, with a group of influencers travelling to a remote island for a reality competition only to have the bodies start piling up. Told from multiple POVs, it was at times difficult to keep track of who was who but certain characters stood out more than others and I had one in particular I was rooting for. Good on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Ruth Ware or Alice Feeney. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

What to expect in Close Your Eyes and Count to 10:
- An isolated setting
- Shady main characters
- Fraud and money laundering motivations
- Strong female lead
- Influencers galore

3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

In this multiple perspective slow burn mystery, we are following Adele--a single mom, and a cast of influencers. The story begins with Adele casting herself into a Hide and Seek game sponsored by Extremists (a social media account that promotes extreme adventure and life threating stunts) on an isolated island in the Atlantic. Adele cannot resist this challenge since the winner will walk away with a million dollars. She and her two kids are struggling after their father was found doing money laundering and has been on the run. So, naturally Adele flies off to the island but while there, things begin to go terribly wrong. A powerful tropical storm tears apart the hotel and buildings for the Hide and Seekers putting everyone in grave danger. The Extremist organizers face challenges of their own and the entire game takes a catastrophic turn.

Most of the plot developed at a slow pace, and I enjoyed the multiple points of view as it added layers to revealing the story. For the characters, my favorite by far was Adele. She had gumption and stopped at nothing to take care of her two children. Unger's writing has a dark and mysterious undertone and adds some lore to the island's backstory. I found this interesting, but it also wasn't flushed out completely. There is a local islander involved in several pivotal scenes who ends up going away and isn't involved with how the story ends.

What fell flat for me was how this book is promoted. I was under the impression that most of the story revolves around Adele and her fight to care for her family. This is not entirely the case. There are several influencer characters that take up the majority of the plot. Also, I anticipated the Hide and Seek game to take the book in a different genre direction and become more of a survival thriller. The ending tied up everything nicely, and was expected.

This is a classic slow-burn reveal mystery, and I had a good time, but wouldn't say this is my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and Park Row publishing for this digital ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Park Row for a copy of this ARC. Rounded up from 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the storyline and I liked the characters. I liked the multi-POV but I just felt like the storyline fell a little flat for me towards the end. It felt mysterious and scary at first but as things are revealed, I felt like I lost the steam to keep pushing along. I feel like the Miller plot line just gave up along the way and i thought it was going to be stronger and scarier. Overall im still happy I read it but I just feel like there was an element missing for me.

Close Your Eyes & Count to 10 immediately hooked me with its eerie atmosphere. Set on a remote island, the abandoned luxury resort—once exclusive to the wealthy—creates the perfect backdrop for suspense. The story unfolding through multiple perspectives, shifting between different characters and timelines and featuring a podcaster analyzing past events, added an extra layer of intrigue. What really stood out to me was the uniqueness of the plot—I’ve never read a mystery thriller centered around a game of hide-and-seek. If you’re looking for something fresh and gripping, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a read

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger is an intense atmospheric thriller that will have you racing to figure out what is going on in this twisted game of extreme hide and seek.

When Adele's son Blake poses the idea of applying to compete in a new social media game with a cash prize of $1 million, Adele decides why not? She is struggling to make ends meet after her husband Miller disappeared having embezzled millions of dollars. That prize money could go a long way and as an up and coming influencer Adele knows that her fan base will want to see her participate. The game is hosted by Maverick a popular WeWatch influencer. Having created his Extreme team and performing daring stunts and hosting live challenges, he has amassed fame and fortune. But this challenge is crucial because only Mav knows that the company isn't as successful as everyone thinks. He absolutely needs this game to be a success but it goes completely "FUBAR" from the start.

I absolutely love Lisa Unger's novels and this thriller is no exception! Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 was a great new take on the social media/reality trope that has become very popular. The plot was original enough that I was immediately invested. A creepy island with a crumbling old and decrepit hotel made for the perfect background. Fast paced and immersive, this thriller is definitely one you don't want to miss!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Unger, and Harlequin Trade Publishing/ Park Row Books for this ARC. Expected publication date is February 25th 2025

I thought this was going to be something completely different than what we got, but ultimately I did enjoy this, The setting was perfect. I didn't really care for the focus on Adele's missing husband and would have preferred more time with the contestants. I think the mystery around Chloe and the conclusion around that was stupid. But I did love the drama within the 'Extreme' group, and watching how it all played out. I think this is entertaining enough, but suffers maybe from a little too much going on.
I do absolutely still recommend it!

60% in, I didn’t connect with a single character or feel anything was going on. How many more times would the author repeat that the two hostages were unknown and never found? Or mention how Luke was so good and great even though he became a hostage kidnapper/murderer and abandoned his family for 7+ years? Cam out here waiting 40 min at his coordinates? Couldn’t be me, girl. Wish I had quit it at that halfway point, this was a total miss for me.

A remote island. A devastating storm. Social media influencers. A missing person. An intense game of hide and seek. What could go wrong? Lisa Unger delivers another thrilling read from multiple points of view and unreliable narrators. Slow to start and a little underwhelming at times… but the last 100 pages make up for it!