Thank you for providing me an advanced copy of the book!

This book embodies everything about a three star book to me - didn't love it, didn't hate it. It was truly just "eh." I think my main issue is that I think the idea of a reality show gone wrong thriller is getting a bit stale. Just in the past year, I've read two others - One Perfect Couple/Ruth Ware and People to Follow/Olivia Worley.

I just wasn't that connected to the characters, and the twists didn't knock my socks off.

Bottom line: Average popcorn thriller.

Unger's newest novel promises 'deception' and 'twists' and it certainly delivers. The novel follows a myriad of characters (who all have a large variety of motives and backgrounds) as they compete for a million dollars (for some) and company stability (for others). As someone new to Unger's prose, I knew that their style is enjoyed by many and was excited to try the novel out. However, the plot was unfortunately a bit of a miss for me; it was a little predictable and repetitive at times. Originally, I was drawn in by the concept of extreme hide-and-seek, but it wasn't the main focus of the novel. Overall, the novel was quick and enjoyable and anyone who likes thrillers, suspense, and interpersonal drama will surely like Unger's recent work.

For Fans Of: Ruth Ware, Peter Swanson
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
Genre: 🔪 Thriller
Violence: 🪓🪓

Premise: Single mom Adele—struggling to make ends meet with an MIA, embezzler ex-husband—enters extreme hide & seek game to win $1M. But with severe weather, locals attempting to block play, & conflict among the gamemakers, surviving may require more the besting her competitors.

Thoughts: I love the premise: taking a childhood game & establishing very adult stakes. The book is incredibly atmospheric. Unger paints vivid images of a once-luxurious hotel being reclaimed by nature. Then she turns up the volume with a foreboding band of locals & an epic mid-Atlantic storm. Though each character gets limited page time, Unger engages us through backstory & emotional state. This book has more POVs than most thrillers, as well as non-linear storytelling. But Unger keeps the action flowing without losing the reader in the details, making this a fast-paced read. That being said, there may be 1 or 2 sub-plots too many. Adele needs high stakes to leave her kids, & I loved the teens’ POV, but I’m not sure the storyline involving Adele’s family is fully realized. I’m still undecided if the novel’s ultimate resolution satisfies me, but it left me thinking, which I think is any author’s goal. I enjoy how the novel examines the role our online presence plays in our offline lives: is it possible to achieve balance when our sense of self is molded by strangers’ perceptions? Ultimately, a thought-provoking & entertaining read.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row Books, & NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated thrillers, but unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me.

Adele, a struggling single mom, whose husband disappears, joins a viral challenge hosted by a questionable influencer, lured in by the promise of a million-dollar prize. The setting—an isolated island and a decaying hotel—sets the stage for a suspenseful game where past secrets and social media obsession collide. With a missing contestant from a previous challenge and an influencer who thrives on manipulation, the question isn’t just who will win, but who will make it out.

Told through multiple POVs, the book explores the dark side of social media addiction and the lengths people will go for fame and money. While I loved the eerie atmosphere and the overall concept, the pacing was uneven—the first half dragged, though things picked up in the last 30%. Some twists felt predictable, and with so many elements and sub plots packed into one book, it occasionally felt overcrowded. That said, I did enjoy the ending, even if the journey there wasn’t as thrilling as I had hoped.

While this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations, it still offers an interesting take on influencer culture and reality TV style suspense. If that’s your thing, it might be worth a read!

The alternating narrators make it hard to trust in this suspenseful story. I sometimes had a hard time with it since there are time jumps along with the perspective switches, but the story was good and you will have trouble figuring it out before the characters themselves do. While I might not recommend this as a light read it is a clever mystery and for those who like action this is a good one.

I love Lisa Unger! I've read a ton of her books and love her writing. However, this book fell flat for me A super intriguing plot with lots of complex characters and a really great setting. The first half or so of the book, I raced through, but then it started to drag a bit and nothing was really happening. Then the ending. It was extremely convoluted, multiple questions were left unanswered, and it was just a confusing mess. Super disappointing.

Also, lots of spacing issues with this book. Anytime the was an "fl" in the book, there was a space between the f and l. Very distracting. Random page numbers were interspersed throughout the book.

Thank you Netgalley for an early arc of this book. I also got the audio arc and I did an immersive read which I really enjoyed the story more that way. This is my first book by this author. I thought it was really good. I gave it 3.5 stars.

This is my 3rd Lisa Unger and I think she’s just not for me. This one had such an interesting premise, as did The New Couple in 5B, and I was excited to dive into both, but just like her previous books, I just couldn’t get past the unlikeable characters and overall it just fell kind of flat for me. The audiobook didn’t really work for me either - the narrator was great but I don’t think it was the right fit for this book. I know so many enjoy this author, so you may still want to give this one a chance! 3⭐️

I’m a big fan of Lisa Unger and was so excited to read this book when I first heard about it. The idea of extreme hide and seek is exciting and when you throw in a remote island with a dilapidated old hotel during a storm, you get a winning combination! The multiple POV kept things interesting and fast paced. Overall this was a really suspenseful and intense read!

I loved the premise of a hide and seek game show gone terribly wrong. The prize to the winner is a million dollars. What lengths will people go to for money, fame and revenge. This is my second Lisa Unger book and it didn’t disappoint.

Extreme adventurer Maverick and his crew are hosting a show where contestants hide and the last one to be found wins the money. The setting is a spooky deserted hotel on an island in Portugal that is in ill repair and falling down. Adele a single mom is chosen as one of the contestants on the show. She was a likeable character and showed many admirable traits. Things don’t go as planned and the contestants are now fighting for their lives. Each of them learns so much about themselves, their strengths and weaknesses. Also the lure of wealth isn’t all that it is cracked up to be and that relationships are far more important.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada Doubleday Canada for this copy. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it especially to readers of mystery.

I was super excited for this book. Super excited. So excited that when I received the arc for it, I squealed with joy. Who wouldn't be about an extreme game of hide and seek on a remote island??

I should have known this would be my demise.

I was quite disappointed with this book. The summary was exactly what I was looking for, only for the book to let me down.

The beginning was great if not slow at times. And the "flashes" of the game going on were also fantastic because it got you excited for what was about to come. I was pumped. And then it slowed way down once we continued to get everyone's backstory over halfway through the book and during the game itself (which didn't really start until about 2/3 into the book?) Really compared to the rest of the book, the game itself seemed like a small portion of it. The ending even felt anticlimatic and somewhat far fetched. I felt I had to push myself through numerous parts of the story, hoping the end would be this great reveal, only for it to be a let down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

A high stakes game of hide and seek on a remote island?! What’s not to love! This million dollar prize will make a huge difference in the lives of the contestants and they are all there to win. This book is a fun blend of reality show and survival horror elements. I loved Adele and the lengths that she would go to for her children! I did struggle a bit with the pacing, but overall this was a fun ride. Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

With an exciting synopsis, I went into this one with high hopes. It started out well and I was fully invested until the games began. Things then started to become a bit confusing with multiple stories and many POVs. I found the pacing a bit off as well and found that the story dragged in certain areas. I was hoping for more from the ending too. This wasn't my favourite by this author but I will still read what she writes next.

This book kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next! A heartpumoing, anxiety filled wild ride. Really enjoyed this!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I have enjoyed a few of Lisa Unger’s books but sadly this one was a miss for me. I was not connected to any of the characters and there were so many side plots and backstory details that didn’t add to the Hide and Seek concept. This one took me almost a month to finish because I had to stop reading it for a couple weeks and come back to it to finish it. I think there was just too much going on that took away from the main plot. I loved the idea of this book but the game wasn’t even the main focus? Overall this wasn’t for me but I will continue to read books from this author!

Incredibly dry, had to DNF this. The writing is terrible, the story is unbelievable, and the characters are all written like a joke. Maybe with an audio cast it would be better but I’m not sure.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, is a new thriller coming out at the end of this month by Lisa Unger. Several influencers are invited to take play an extreme version of hide and seek where the prize is one million dollars. With so many large personalities, and a scandal from a prior game looming, can you really trust anyone when it comes to money? The game occurs on an island at an abandoned (creepy) resort, you can’t help but just feel something is not right. This is told through multiple povs, and we get to know these characters pretty well. I did find myself rooting for some more than others, and wanted more to happen to certain ones. The suspense was pretty good and this game quickly turned into one of survival. I thought this was pretty enjoyable but had a few pacing issues towards the end. I hoped this would go a couple different ways but ultimately had a predictable ending. I read this and listened to the audio version, that was narrated by Vivienne Leheny, and she did an amazing job! Vivienne brought these characters, their eagerness and worries to life. Lisa knows how to keep things in suspense and this kept me entertained from start to finish. This would be enjoyable for fans of survival thrillers and the not so glamorous side of reality tv.

Thank you to NetGalley, Park Row Books, HTP for providing me this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis sounds great - a secluded island with a cash-prize game of hide and seek that turns into survival… however. It was too slow paced with too many character to keep track of. I lost interest. Almost DNF. Many readers of mystery thrillers will still enjoy. This is just my opinion! Thank you netgalley for this advanced reader copy.

This was my first book by Lisa Unger and y'all I ATE IT UP.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book. An extreme game of hide and seek, on a remote island during a massive tropical storm, all while someone is out to get the founder of the extreme team? What could go wrong!?

This book had so much going on, it was fast paced and exciting and I absolutely adored our MC, Adele. She's a badass mom willing to do whatever it takes for her kids. I also really enjoyed the subplot with her running-from-the-law ex-husband. The other characters were great too, lots of personality packed between the pages - I especially liked Adele's kids, Blake and Violet.

While the ending wasn't entirely a surprise (it pretty much built right up to it), that didn't take away my pleasure at reading this book in any way. If you're a thriller lover, pick this one up! I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Love everything by this author. Always suspenseful, fast paced and sorry to fet to the final page. GReat story great intrigue and great entertainment.