Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

I think at the end of the day this book was okay. It had a decent premise. Characters were okay. I did get a bit turned around at several points.

Rating: 3/5

When a mother is left behind to pick up the pieces of her husband embezzling money and disappearing, Adele chooses what she thinks will be a life changing amount of money on a game show. Extreme hide and seek from a famous YouTuber. Little does she know that the whole experience will bring about so many more questions and answers from her past. This mystery thriller will keep you questioning what’s a part of the game and what is real!

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc. a good thriller brings together all the puzzle pieces by the end and this one did not do so. there was a lot of repetition but i guess thats what you get when characters dont make sense together and the story goes in different directions.

I think this story idea has potential and would have significantly benefited from reimaginging some of the characters, as it was incredibly difficult for my millennial mind not to make comparisons to pop culture references of my time. For example: Steve Irwin and Mr. Beast, anyone?

It was also tough to root for any of the characters. Adele was just "fine" to me... I wasn't convinced she was interested enough to have an online presence to warrant her acceptance into the game.

Lastly, the abundance of plot devices also watered down their impacts for me. If I were to create a visual map of my understanding of the characters, conflicts, plot devices, and potential overlaps it would look as if a 5 year old tried to re-create Shoots & Ladders.

I know Unger can write an enthralling thriller. This book, I think, is a result of potential publisher demand to be topical and competitive with other thrillers coming out in 2025, but it missed the mark for me.

*Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. But it was strangely formatted and hard to read, so I waited for a hold on a library copy instead!

This was reasonably entertaining, but I feel like it’s trying to do too much. There are a lot of narrative threads out there, and while nothing is necessarily left unresolved, it also feels like nothing really gets developed very well (and the timeline is hella wonky - if I had been reading this as an ARC, I would have assumed that would be fixed by publish time, but this is the actual copy!).

Anyway. There’s this guy named Maverick Dillan who runs different Extreme challenges that allegedly raise a lot of money for charity. It’s unclear if the challenge is always hide & seek, or if that’s just the gimmick he’s currently fixated on. He’s run into some bad press lately, because a year ago at a haunted house hide & seek challenge, one of the hiders disappeared and hasn’t been heard from since. The court of public opinion blames Mav, and like any good influencer, he spends lots of time ruminating on how much some people seem to hate him. His newest challenge is set to take place on Falcao Island, in an abandoned resort. This catches the eye of single mother Adele, whose husband committed some kind of business fraud (tax fraud probably? Some kind of white collar rich dude crime) and abandoned the family about 5 years earlier. She’s been struggling to make ends meet ever since, and could really use a million dollars!

Obviously Adele is selected, she travels to the island and meets the other contestants (which…there are only meant to be 4 people total? That seems extremely lame. I suspect this is because there’s already so much else going on that asking readers to keep track of like 6 more hiders on top of all the other characters would be pushing it). And it becomes clear that Something Isn’t Quite Right. The islanders are hostile towards the production, Mav is being all shady, and one of Adele’s fellow contestants is less interested in the contest itself and more interested in getting justice for her friend Chloe (the aforementioned missing girl).

Through all of this we follow Adele, and Maverick, and his girlfriend Angeline, and BOTH of Adele’s children, plus some random inserts from a podcast about Chloe and message board posts about the game and Mav in general. There’s the story of what’s happening on the island with the hiders. There’s the ongoing implosion of the Extreme crew. There’s Adele’s children watching her from home. There’s whatever went on with Adele’s erstwhile husband. And then there’s a freaking murder that ends up being barely a blip because there’s JUST TOO MUCH plot!

My take: I don’t think we needed Adele - or at least she didn’t need to be such a significant character. Make the story about the Extreme crew instead - is Mav really stealing from the company? Are some of his “friends” plotting against him? What actually happened to Chloe? Who’s trying to sabotage this current competition? There's enough going on that Adele’s drama with her kids and missing husband doesn’t have much impact, because it’s really kind of derailing the rest of the plot. There’s a completely different book here about Adele and her kids and her husband’s crimes that I’d frankly rather read than the hide and seek nonsense.

Finally, the timeline is weird. There’s a lot of unnecessary jumping around - we get these random chapters that I think are supposed to represent videos filmed during the game, presented as flash-forwards. But once we get to the actual playing of the game, it almost seems like it’s over before it begins. I had a super hard time figuring out how long they’d been on the island and what was actually happening in sequence versus being presented in a flash-forward for suspense. Throw in the Chloe stuff and it’s a really muddled mess.

*A small rant: Can I just say it bugs me to no end when authors try to come up with alternative names for popular social media sites? It’s SO jarring and cheesy, and it always takes me out of the narrative trying to figure out which site they’re actually referring to. I don’t know what the protocol is - I’ve read plenty of books about influencers and whatnot that use the actual app names, so it’s clearly something you’re able to do. I don’t know if there’s some kind of copyright fee? Either way, it feels cheap and takes me out of the story. We’ve got WeWatch (YouTube), Pop (Snapchat), and Photogram (Instagram) just to name a few. Like…if you’re going to use all of these things, your publisher should shell out for whatever lets you use the actual names. Rant over.*

Lisa Unger is an author whose books I know will always deliver. Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 was the perfect recipe for a thriller – a group of really unique characters, an isolated setting, a social media/reality TV kind of competition, everyone keeping secrets, and lots of twist and turns.

In addition, it had a really great commentary on social media in our current world.

Welcome to Falcao Island: tropical paradise by day, twisted death trap by night. Social media sensation and all-around adrenaline junkie Maverick Dillan (yes, that’s his actual name) invites thrill-seekers to the “ultimate game” — an epic hide-and-seek event that promises fame, fortune, and probably a killer TikTok montage. But things go off the rails real quick when the influencers become the influenced... by fear, that is.

Enter Adele: single mom, unlikely contestant, and woman with zero patience for nonsense. She didn’t sign up for murder tag in a monsoon, but here she is, dodging danger while trying to get back to her kids. If you like rooting for reluctant heroes and mothers with grit, she’s got that vibe. Unfortunately, despite being pitched as our main character, she’s often shoved out of the spotlight by a cast of supporting players who really want their fifteen minutes of fame—even if it means dying for it.

The plot comes with a storm (literally), masked figures, hidden agendas, and more betrayal than a season finale of The Bachelor. It’s tense. It’s atmospheric. But... it’s also kinda slow. Like, "we’re halfway through and still talking about everyone's backstory" slow. The real action doesn’t hit until the 60-70% mark, and by then, you may already be mentally packing your bags.

As for the twist? It tiptoes in like it forgot it was supposed to make an entrance. The ending felt more like a “Wait, that’s it?” than a mic drop.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 has a solid premise and strong writing, but it plays hide-and-seek a little too long with the good stuff. It's not Lisa Unger’s strongest, but if you're in the mood for a popcorn thriller with stormy vibes and influencer drama, it might just scratch that itch.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

A little slow for me in the beginning but really ramps up as you get to the meat of the story! The hook for this one really grabbed my attention. A deadly game of hide and seek set on a remote, abandoned island? Yes please! A really fun read with a super colorful cast of characters.

This book was not for me. I thought the concept was really good and I was excited to hear more about the games, but that wasn't the focal point (which is fine, I just had different expectations. I thought one "twist" was kind of unexplained but that could have been me. I think I may just not be a fan of the authors writing style, but I know plenty of people who enjoy her books. Overall I would give this book a 2/5. The pro was that it was a fast read.

🫣🫣.5

I would like to thank NetGalley and Park Row for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

I usually enjoy Lisa Unger’s books, but this one was an exception. I want to warn you ahead of time, so you don’t hurt yourself rolling your eyes too hard, that there are several mentions of a “Tough Be-atch Competition”. Similarly, characters are described as being tough be-atches. Unfortunately, I did suffer a severe strain to the muscles of both eyes while reading this book, but I’m expected to make a full recovery. 🙏🏻🙌🏻👀🙄🤦🏻‍♀️

Also, this sentence irritated me: “That old song—who sang it?—about how you can check out when you want, but you have to stay forever, played in his head, eerie and distant.” Umm, is this how we’re describing Hotel California now? I don’t like it here. 😔

“Plots were hatched. Agendas run. Deception. A game. A stunning betrayal. A murder. All the things that people do best.”
— Lisa Unger, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Harlequin Audio for an e-ARC and audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Single Mom and new influencer Adele has had her world rocked. When her husband disappears under mysterious circumstances, Adele is left raising her two children on her own and will provide for and protect them at any cost. New to the influencer world, which she’s working in to support her children, she receives the opportunity to join extreme, rich adventurer, Maverick Dillan’s, ultimate game of hide and seek. Located on a remote island, Maverick plans to put contestants to the physical, mental and emotional test with the hopes of winning a one million dollar prize. While her intentions for joining are purely to support her family by participating in a fun social media stunt, Adele never sees it coming when the game actually takes a deadly turn, forcing her to fight for her life and hoping that she will make it out alive to even see her children again.

🏝️While this book was fairly fast paced, I felt like it missed the mark for me overall. I was actually more invested in the storyline of Adele’s husband’s disappearance than I was her participation in the game. I also didn’t realize that there would be so many ancillary characters and their backstories pulled into Adele’s storyIine and the ending felt a bit predictable.

🏝️I thought the narrator of the audio book did a great job at providing distinctive voices to the multitude of characters and her pace matched the thrill seeking part of the story very well.

🏝️Read this if you enjoy locked room mysteries or popcorn thrillers

Thrillers are kind of hit or miss for me. Sometimes, I love them and I think they're amazing and other times, if I can see through the mystery too quickly, I lose interest early on and find them to be more of a chore to read / listen to. Unfortunately for Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, it was the latter for me.

I feel like the plot was already a little flimsy for a premise with a bizarre gameshow and the contestants who wanted to be on it having loose motivation to ignore all of the many red flags around them. Lisa Unger has definitely written better premises before so this was a bit weak by comparison.

I think that was really my main issue, there were so many red flags that ALL of the characters ignored numerous times. I was so frustrated with their behavior that I found the book too unbelievable at that point.

I still really like Lisa Unger's writing and would definitely read more of her books but this just wasn't my favorite.

Lastly, thank goodness I listened to the audiobook here because I probably wouldn't have finished if I read this one. The audiobook kept my attention and kept the suspense through the storytelling. The narrator was excellent.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maverick Dillan is hosting an extreme game of hide and seek on an island in the middle of nowhere. A storm is raging and making this a more intense game than originally planned.

I was engaged enough to want to continue to read and figure out the ending. The book starts following the life of a single mom, Adele, who enters the game. However, the reader is switched between so many POVs that I was unsure of the main characters and didn’t fully connect to them.

Thank you to Lisa Unger, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't Unger at her best. I lived the premise , Extreme Hide and A Robin an island with an deserted and dilapidated hotel. The main character, the mom, Adele is coaxed into trying out by her gamer teenage son. Then chaos ensues which makes the game and other characters react in various somewhat predictable ways. The background of the characters wasn't developed and their story lines weak. Interesting enough to keep reading to the end but left a lot of holes.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I have always found myself enjoying Lisa Unger's work, rather it be a new release or a backlist title, and Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 was no different. I enjoy the building of her psychological suspense plotlines woven in with her interesting characters and while I found some of this story to drag just a little bit, I overall really enjoyed my time with this one. Huge thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my early copy!

Lisa Unger is a name synonymous with gripping suspense, and her latest offering, "Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten," certainly throws readers into a high-stakes scenario. The premise is undeniably intriguing: charismatic adventurer Maverick Dillan hosts an extreme game of hide-and-seek on a remote island, promising thrills and social media fame. However, as a violent storm descends and a real threat emerges, the game turns deadly.

At the heart of the chaos is Adele, a fiercely protective single mother who enters the competition with the sole aim of winning. Unger paints a compelling picture of Adele's determination and the primal fear she feels for her children's safety. Her perspective provides a grounded emotional core amidst the escalating danger on Falcao Island.

The initial setup is strong, with the isolated island setting and the impending storm creating an atmosphere of unease. The diverse group of contestants, each with their own motivations and secrets, adds layers of potential suspicion. Unger skillfully builds tension as the lines between the game and reality blur, leaving me questioning everyone's true intentions.

However, while the premise held immense promise, I found myself slightly underwhelmed by the execution in certain aspects. The pacing felt uneven at times, with moments of intense suspense followed by stretches where the narrative seemed to lose some momentum. Some of the secondary characters, while initially intriguing, didn't quite reach their full potential, and their storylines occasionally felt less developed than Adele's.

The exploration of the blurred lines between the virtual and real, a central theme highlighted in the synopsis, felt somewhat surface-level. While the social media aspect of the initial game is present, its deeper implications on the unfolding events could have been explored with more nuance.

Ultimately, "Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten" delivers on its promise of suspense and intrigue, particularly when focusing on Adele's desperate fight for survival. The storm-ravaged island provides a suitably claustrophobic and menacing backdrop.

This one had me tense from the start. Lisa Unger nails the psychological suspense with eerie vibes, layered characters, and just enough twists to keep me guessing. I didn’t fully connect with every character choice, but the pacing and atmosphere made up for it. Dark, twisty, and perfect for a one-sitting read.

I was so excited for this book and so let down. The hide and seek reality show vibe could have been so good but I was bored.

I did not finish this one as it did not keep my interest even after 60%. I think there were too many characters and too many plots going on. I think the overall concept is cool but maybe choose either Adele’s story or Maverick’s.

The idea of the extreme hide and seek game pulled me in. Unfortunately, it wasn't so much about the game as it was about the creators and business owners of the game. I was disappointed about that. The podcast part of the story added an interesting perspective. I felt that the other story about the disgraced father/ex-husband didn't really fit but it was finished up at the end as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to listen to this story.