Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger is a thriller about a reality podcast game. 

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Extreme Games is the brainchild of the charismatic daredevil Maverick Dillan, and he's about to host another game, with the prize money of $1million.  It will be a game of hide-and-seek, with the participants brought to Falcao Island, where they will be able to hide in the old abandoned (and said to be haunted), Enchanted hotel.  This isn't the first hide-and-seek game he has hosted, and someone went missing the last time.

But who can resist the lure of that money?

Adele is a single mother of two.  Her husband built a thriving company, which went belly-up, and neither he, nor all the money has been seen for years.  The FBI is still looking for him.  Adele was left with nothing.  But she has been working hard.  Once upon a time she ran marathons.  She has gotten herself back in shape, and has shared her journey online.  When her son Blake suggested she sign up for this hide and seek challenge, she feels strong enough to win.  He and her daughter Violet both feel she can do it.

But Adele is entering into a game she knows nothing about.  A lot is going on behind the scenes, and one of the contestants hasn't been honest.  Mind you, neither have the production crew.  There is a lot riding on this "game".

And when a storm pops up that could bring down the hotel, everyone is in danger..


My Opinions:
First, I can't believe I picked another "reality" anything to read.  I really have to read the blurbs before grabbing a book just because I like the author.  Reality tv is not my cup of tea, so reality podcasts are not really either....well, the true crime might be.  Sorry, getting side-tracked.  I'm not into the whole social media "influencers" plot-lines.  

So, although the plot was not really anything  I was interested in, the characters did win me over.  I loved Adele and her family.  Even Miller was okay.  I also really liked Cody and Petra - who was a really interesting character.  The story-lines for all these people were really good.  The rest of the characters were all "iffy".

There were a number of twists in this book, which made it interesting, and kept it entertaining, and the atmosphere of an abandoned hotel that is literally falling down was quite good.  I do wish that more of the actual "game" had come into play, as that was one of the things that drew me to the book.  Who doesn't like a good game of hide-and-seek?

After all my complaints, it was still a good book, and I look forward to whatever Lisa Unger has in store for us next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy. The premise sounded so good but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Sometimes multiple POV’s work just fine but here it felt like too many and I just didn’t like any of them. I also wish there had been a bigger focus on the game of hide and seek. I’ll still check out more of this authors work but this was a miss.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
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I love Lisa Unger! When I was able to get a copy, I was so excited. Last Girl Ghosted was absolutely amazing.

This is a thriller based on an island off Portugal. Influencers were invited to play the ultimate game of hide-and-seek for a cash prize. Hosted by extreme adventurer Maverick, the players gather and it turns into a game of survival. When the players arrive, a huge storm is coming, and tensions are high because a player went missing during the last game. There are many secrets amongst all the people on the island.

I enjoyed the plot of the story, I thought it was unique and pretty fast paced. Truthfully, I didn’t feel too connected to any character. It was hard to care for them, and halfway through I started to lose interest.

I feel like some ideas weren’t too flushed out. One of the stories had potential, but I felt like it didn’t really connect or go anywhere.

Overall, it was interesting but it wasn’t my favorite. I’m not the biggest fan of locked room mysteries, but I’m still glad I read it!

Thanks to @htp_hive and @netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. It comes out February 25!

This one missed the mark for me. I did not care for it and it did not hold my attention. Most of the characters were blah and didn't stand out in any way. I could not stand Mav or any of the people working with him. The storyline on the island dragged and was not suspenseful. The storylines of the husband being missing (not a spoiler) and the bullying of the teenage boy did not connect in a meaningful way. I was glad to get to the end of this one.

Thank you to the publishers for an early copy of this book! I really liked the premise of this one and the characters. I loved that this shifted between multiple points of view and that the story was told from a lot of different perspectives. I thought that this was very current and really makes you think about social media and influencer culture. There were times I felt like this got repetitive, or a little slow. Overall I really enjoyed this!

"Close Your Eyes and Count to 10" really took its time getting into gear, but once it did? The suspense was 🔥! I’ll be honest, I wasn’t fully hooked until about 55-60% into the book, but once it picked up, I was intrigued. This one is a slow burn with multiple POVs, so it took a bit to weave everything together.

The premise had me intrigued right off the bat—an intense game of hide-and-seek on a remote island for a cash prize? Spy Kids meets Survivor vibes all the way, but I was hoping for a bit more... action, I guess? The plot is pretty busy with a ton of characters and subplots, and I’ll admit, there were several loose ends that didn’t quite get tied up. It’s one of those books where the drama keeps you entertained, but you still want more at the end.

But let me tell you, the last 25%? That’s where it truly shines. The twists came at me left and right, and there were even some emotional, heartwarming moments (maybe even a tad cheesy, but who cares, it worked).

Bottom line: "Close Your Eyes and Count to 10" is perfect for fans of reality TV, multiple POVs, and isolated island settings. It’s got drama, secrets, and twists—just don’t expect a fast paced thriller. I gave it 3 stars, mostly because it was entertaining, but the story didn’t quite live up to its full potential for me.

There was a LOT going on with this one. Perhaps…too much? The premise had me really intrigued - “Extreme Hide and Seek, at an abandoned hotel on some remote island.” However, the “game” didn’t start until about 60% of the way through the book. There were soooo many characters to keep track of (even though only three contestants in the actual game), I kept getting some of them mixed up. There was the game, then the scandals with the company putting on the game, then a missing persons case, then a podcast, oh and the FBI is looking for one of the main characters husbands, also a spooky shaman who is warning them about the island and has her own private security. I’m sure I missed a few things. Idk, this just felt like it was trying to do too much and it didn’t work together for me.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

Thank You NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a complimentary copy of this novel!
If you like extreme reality style TV game shows, then this novel is for you!!! A few years back, Adele’s husband fled when he embezzled a lot of money from the company he worked at. He’s been missing since. Now, Adele is a single mom with two teenage kids – Violet and Blake. She is struggling to make ends meet for them. Enter the extreme game of hide and seek on Falcao Island. The game is being led by Maverick who is full of his own self. Adele decides to become one of the contestants in the hopes of winning the 1 million prize money and increasing her followers since she’s an influencer. However, the game becomes hindered by a few things. There’s an impending storm brewing that could very well flood a major portion of the island and abandoned location being used for the game. There’s also Petra with a mercenary group who tries to warn Maverick and his group they should leave because the building is unstable. Then there’s the girl, Chloe, who went missing from a previous game and Maverick is being blamed for her disappearance. With the water rising, the three contestants – Adele, Cody, and Malinka – must band together if they are to survive this extreme game of hide and seek!!! Who will make it out alive in time before it’s too late?
This novel is a bit of a slow burn, but there was enough intrigue to want to find out what happens!!! I definitely recommend this novel and you can look for it when it comes out February 25, 2025!!! 4 stars

I just learned that even an auto-read author may not always put out the right book for me, and that is ok. I should have read the description more before requesting this ARC instead of just submitting based on the author. It's not the right thriller/suspense plot for me and I DNFed at 25%. Perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is a fun, mysterious, and a little suspenseful popcorn thriller about an extreme game of hide and seek with influencers and master gamers as the contestants. Set on a remote island in an old abandoned hotel. Of course, being highly centered around social media, and their sponsors, the game is being live streamed and documented by the hosts and each contestant. Told through multiple POVs including a true crimes podcast, social media posts, and viewers comments.

I was worried this was going to be a book that has already been done multiple times, but it was actually more of a behind the scenes of the game leading up to the start of the game, instead of the game itself, which was interesting. I thought it was a good representation of how social media and/or gaming tend to be a big focus in our lives and how some feel like they have to post everything they do, the good, the bad and the ugly, hoping to go viral usually for views and fame. I will say, I giggled at the names given in replace of real life social media names.

A lot of POVs and a lot of secrets but pretty predictable. I really enjoyed the story and was completely immersed but I kept waiting for a twist or reveal that never really came. There were so many ways it could have gone but I felt like it went the most predictable way. And of course, like in most remote island thrillers, before the game actually gets started, a tropical storm hits the island…but I felt like the story was missing the dark and stormy atmospheric vibes.

The narrator did a great job with giving the characters their own distinct voices making it easy to follow and giving an entertaining performance from start to finish.

This book was filled with twists and turns that will keep you guessing what will happen next. I liked the closeness that this contest held to reality shows like Fear Factor or Survivor, and the relevant influencer/social media aspects included in the story.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book: an extreme hide-and-seek reality show. Unfortunately, this book failed to keep my attention. I made it 30% in and they still hadn't officially started the game yet. It seemed strange that all the participants were able to meet and keep their phones. I just wasn't convinced so I had to give up. I would consider trying again if this gets released as an audiobook.

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

This is my first Lisa Unger book and unfortunately I wasn’t a fan. I ended up DNFing around the 40% mark. It was such a slow loving story that I lost interest really quickly.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is a slow burn thriller. There are multiple POV's and a vast array of problems. Our FMC, Adele is currently a single mother because her husband was caught embezzling money and ran off. Adele is trying to move on and has become a social media influencer. Her son Blake, encourages her to go on a reality game show called Extreme Hide and Seek. The show is set on an island that is basically falling apart and a massive storm is headed its way.

The founders of Extreme Hide and Seek are a mess. On the verge of going bankrupt due to their last challenge ending with a missing person and other various issues, they need this challenge to be successful.

As the story progresse, we learn about each character and a bit of background information and finally how the story all ties together.

While, I enjoyed this, I definitely felt like it could have been a bit shorter and a few less POVs to keep up with.

The story ended up being not what I was expecting, and some things were predictable but overall I enjoyed it. The characters were well thought out and I liked the different POVs.

I thought this one was fine, but once again, it was one that I liked the concept more than I liked the book.

The is about a game of extreme hide and seek for a bunch of influencers, put on by an influencer and the winner gets $1 million dollars. Of course, things go wrong.

I thought this was such a fun idea, and it starts out following one of the participants. I thought it was going to be more about the challenge and the game. Instead, the book ended up being more about the influencers who were hosting the game and the corruption surrounding them. I found this to be far less interesting and ended up not really caring what was going on with them.

At times, we would get a little bit of a look at what the contestants were up to, but it was hard to follow. I kept thinking that the game had started because they would be at a hiding spot and talking about it, but then they would be meeting with the hosts of the contest again, or they would be in tents with the others, so I couldn't keep up with where that timeline was. It is unclear to me if they ever even started the game of hide and seek.

There were also too many extreme side plots and things going on for it to flow coherently. It felt more like the author had ideas for several different books that were all kind of crammed in. By the time we got to the plot twist and the direction it was going, there were so many ways it could have gone that I didn't even really care anymore.

Overall, the book was fine. I was just letdown because it was not what I expected it to be. And I still would rather have read about the participants and their game of extreme hide and seek.

This book has such an intriguing premise—an extreme game of hide-and-seek that turns into a deadly survival thriller. The concept hooked me right away, especially with its commentary on influencer culture and the dangers of chasing viral fame. I really liked Adele as a main character; her determination and fierce love for her kids made her easy to root for.

That said, the execution felt a bit choppy. The pacing was uneven, with scenes jumping around in a way that made it hard to stay fully immersed in the tension. There were some solid twists, but a lot of them felt predictable or didn’t land with the impact I was hoping for. The atmosphere was there, but the suspense didn’t always hit as hard as it could have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC of this book!

I really liked the idea of the book, especially the whole "hide and seek" vibe on the island. It’s a great setting that could’ve created a lot of tension. The plot with contestants trying to escape while someone is out to harm them sounded great, but it felt way too busy. Every character had some secret, and it seemed like there was just too much going on all at once. If they’d focused on fewer plot points, it could’ve been way more engaging. Also, I get that it’s in the final stages of editing, but the online chat part felt kind of distracting the way it was written. Overall, it seemed like it could’ve been a really good thriller based on the description and cover, but it just got a bit too messy.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger ⭐️⭐️💫

Surprisingly, I struggled with this one. I loved the premise. I loved the setting - abandoned, creepy vacation resort. It really set the stage for a perfect game of spooky hide and seek.

However, this book didn’t pick up for me until about 60-70%, which was a long time. The beginning 2/3 had so much background, so I was a bit bored.

Also, there were many characters and many different POVs, which I typically don’t mind but here it felt like too much. I didn’t love any of the characters; they all read young even if they weren’t. And they all had a ton going on which didn’t really fit well into the story. It almost felt like two different storylines playing out together. The threads never tied in for me.

Readers who enjoy many POVs, social media and podcast tie ins, and atmospheric settings will enjoy this one.

Received an ARC of this book and am a fan of Lisa Unger. I must admit that I wasnt a fan of the book at first. I am not into influencing and games BUT I decided to give it a chance. And while it really took off as I got into it I did find myself turning the page to find out what happens next. As a kid I always loved a good game of Hide & Seek (do kids even play that anymore?) and this was certainly an adult version of it. Loved how Unger added in video games and of course a little romance.

I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to more of her writings.