I liked the premise but honestly it was hard to follow, the game was never actually explained, and it seemed like all those crossing storylines was too much and then the main ones weren't as powerful.

Summary:
Adele is leaving her kids at home to compete in an Extreme game of Hide and Seek, where the winner will get 1 million dollars. With her husband gone after stealing an idea and then embezzling money, her and her kids struggle to make ends meat. The owners of Extreme are a group of narcissistic athletes who endanger people regularly. Mav, being the face of Extreme, is the worst womanizing of them all. This comes back to bite him in the ass because ANOTHER story line is coming in from some random missing woman named Chloe. It's confusing and messy.

Wow, such a great premise and a perfect, creepy setting. An extreme game of hide-and-seek with the challengers looking for an ultimate payout of $1 million. The company that runs the game has some controversy behind it, especially with their front man Maverick. The game contestants are all social media influencers that are looking to up their followers -- it will be great for them and Maverick. But over the course of several hours something seriously goes wrong...

Unfortunately, although the set-up for this book was great, the execution was underwhelming. I was waiting for Adele's story and the game to unite. It felt like there were little easter eggs as I kept reading, but nothing happened that wasn't expected. Plus, the names were confusing - Adele and Angeline; Hugo and Hector; Gustavo and Tavo -- if you read quickly and jump in and out of the story, it's difficult to keep everyone straight. The story didn't flow well for me and ended with a "that's it?" and disappointment.

Not as good as I hoped it would be. Very slow in the first half. Only got good at about 60% through. I was a little disappointed. The ending was both a surprise and predictable. Glad to be given the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

This was my first Lisa Unger novel, and I will definitely be reading more! "Close Your Eyes and Count to 10" is an exciting thriller about influencers who travel to an abandoned hotel on an isolated island to play the ultimate game of hide-and-seek for a cash prize. I've been loving reality show thrillers, and I especially enjoyed that this book was set on a remote island. I was hooked right away and devoured it. It was a bit of a slow burn, and the buildup to the actual game took a lot of time, with a lot of background information on the characters. I liked that the story was told from multiple POVs so that you can really get inside everyone's heads. Even though there were a lot of characters and POVs, it was easy to follow. I think I've been reading too many crazy plot twists lately, because I was a tad disappointed in the ending, but I appreciate that the author didn't mislead us.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row/HTP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!! This was a fast paced read with a lot of little references to modern technology and struggles. I liked the dual POV and dual timeline of this book and the amount of characters kept me engaged. Great quick read!

This book had potential. The storyline of 3 influencers competing in a reality tv show of Extreme Hide and Seek had good premise, with each influencer trying to prove something by entering and winning the game. However Extreme, run by Maverick Dillon, also had something to prove. The issue I had was that there were lots of story lines, some were unnecessary, some were messy, and some could have been developed more. The story ended as expected but there were lots of opportunities for better twists and turns. Thank you @netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun read! I'm a little tired of the competition aspect of some of these mystery thrillers, but I ended up enjoying this one. Lisa Unger writes some great books.

Such a fantastic, gripping read! I wish I could give it more than 5 stars! This was a twisted, fast-paced, interesting story, that I found I did not want to put down! It had a unique plot and well-developed, multi-faceted characters. It was suspenseful, thrilling and addictive! I was glued to my Kindle screen from the first page to the last. If you like unputdownable psychological thrillers as much as I do, you CANNOT miss out on reading this book!!!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

By far my fave book by Lisa Unger so far!

There was alot of bouncing around and point of views but it was all needed to tell the story and keep you interested.

So well done.

I had trouble getting into this book. influencers are stranded on an island trying to solve a murder. Some of the characters were unlikeable and I had difficulty connecting with any of them. The plot felt somewhat disjointed with so much going on at the same time. There is a lot of intensity during the read too.

Really enjoyed this one but the middle drug out a bit. Ending was absolutely unexpected and kept me wanting more. Maybe a sequel?!

Ok, I was intrigued by the premise, an extreme survival reality TV game, that goes wrong (obviously!) But the actual execution was... just not great.
*
There was so much about this that was just unrealistic. But not in a "suspend disbelief" kind of way, in a "was this even edited?" way. Inconsistencies in the plot, the characters, it made it so I had a really hard time with any expectations, but not in a good way. I also didn't understand the show at all - the reader never finds out the rules or parameters. And only 4 contestants to compete for $1 million? And if it's only supposed to last a matter of hours (starts at sundown and they'll be done off the island before a storm starts at midnight), why did the main character buy and bring all this survival gear? I won't mention the others to avoid spoilers.
*
There's also a lot going on outside the world of this survival game, which ultimately ends up being necessary but feels like filler for the majority of the book.
*
On a positive note, this was a really fast read. It was exciting, and I think if you don't think about the plot holes, it could be enjoyable. But I couldn't get past the inconsistencies.

Thank YOU so much to @htp_hive and @htpbooks for this ARC as a part of your influencer program! I am so thankful to be a part of The Hive! 🐝⁠
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An abandoned island, a raging storm, & a reality show with a hide-and-seek contest-- where do I sign up to read this?! That's truly how I felt. I loved the synopsis, I loved the cover, but unfortunately I did not love the book.⁠
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I know reality shows can literally be anything these days but the more I read the more unrealistic this whole thing felt. The show was completely unorganized which I suppose was part of it but if this was technically a successful company with millions of followers so it just didn't make sense. ⁠
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A contestant, Adele, who is a single mom because her husband abandoned their family due to being a criminal & is currently on the run, signs up for the show in hopes to cash in on the million dollar prize. She has two teenagers at home I just feel like there is so much going on. ⁠😵‍💫
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I didn't like anyone on the Extreme Team but one person & if you read it I'm sure you'll know who I mean.⁠
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The book jumped around a lot & even though I was happy with the ending, I feel like it took the whole book for something to actually happen. There were certain things not explained either which left me with questions. ⁠⁉️
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I feel like this book had so many good ideas but they didn't come together for me. ⁠☹️

✨ARC Book review! ✨
Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

What I liked: the overall concept really got me excited to read this book! I loved the idea of a high stakes hide and seek game in a desolate island. Some of the characters were really likable and I couldn't help rooting for them.

What I didn’t like: There was a lot lacking with this one. It was still a fun read, but I was let down that there wasn't more of the actual game. It was such an important part of the start of the book and then when it came time to play, it was ignored for what was going on behind the scenes. The person behind it all was a bit predictable too, but there were some good twists thrown in that made up for that.

Read if you like: binging Mr. Beast's games, Squidgame, or if you despise influencer culture
Would I recommend?: maybe? Some of her other books were better

Star rating: 3 stars

Thank you @netgalley for my copy! I love a survival story and one on an island always ends in mayhem. I also enjoyed the aspect of Influencers on an island with this one. There were lots of good ideas here, but I felt like they were not completely worked through. I felt like a spiritual aspect or a cult aspect could have been added to make this one more fun. All in all I will always pick up an Unger. This just wasn't my favorite.

DNF’d this one. I love LU but this one started off on a good note then became obnoxious then became really boring. Won’t be posting to any sites because I do love the author and will continue to promote the author I just can’t do this book.

Single mom Adele joins an extreme hide-and-seek competition hosted by daredevil social media star Maverick Dillan. But when a storm hits, the game spirals into chaos, and Maverick’s crew starts turning on each other. Cue the drama.

First off, can we talk about the cover? Obsessed.

So although I loved badass mom Adele, her son Blake was everything! What a sweetheart - this was so his story!!! I loved his growth and was easily the most likable character.

On the flip side - Maverick and his crew!! Narcissistic psychopaths - but for me, not the fun, layered kind.

The competition itself felt… off. Only three contestants, no body cameras and I wasn’t even sure of the rules. I know Hide-and-Seek online competitions exist but this didn’t appear to capture the reality.

Petra and the mercenaries brought more chaos—mainly in my mind! And Adele’s on-the-run husband was maybe a puzzle piece too many.

That said, the finale was epic! Suddenly I cared, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The final showdown was so dramatic! I loved it - but I also found the motivations behind it were kind of murky.

While this one didn’t fully hit the mark for me, fans of YA vibes might enjoy it. The ending definitely brought some fun, even if the rest felt a bit messy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for access to this eBook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa a go to author for me because I usually love her books. While this one is not my favorite of her books, I did still enjoy it.

Pros: I loved the setting and the fast pacing.
Cons: so many characters and so much going on! I wish we got to see more of the game.

Overall, I had to go back and reread a few parts. Some of the characters were just too similar for me. Like I said, I still enjoyed it but the bar is high for me with Lisa’s books and this one is middle of the pack. Out soon for anyone looking for a fast paced, twisty read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Lisa Unger and publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC! Close Your Eyes and Count to 10" takes readers on a thrilling journey through a game of hide and seek in an abandoned hotel on a secluded island! Maverick and his team at Extreme are orchestrating this high-stakes game to save themselves, while the contestants grapple with their personal demons, all vying to prove their worth and win a million dollars!

Where do I even begin with this book? It was absolutely captivating! The suspense, the mystery, the intrigue! Each character's storyline intricately weaves together, enhancing the overall narrative. There was so much happening, yet it flowed seamlessly, making it easy to follow. I managed to uncover a few twists, but the writing was so compelling that it didn't diminish my enjoyment! I simply couldn't put this book down; I was eager to see what would unfold next!

The set up:
A secluded island, a crumbling building, an extreme game of hide and seek, an online adventure seeker who is known to for his wild and crazy stunts, a missing girl from the last event, and a huge storm approaching.

Adele is a mother of 2 kids. Her husband is on the run, after stealing from his company.. She decides to enter an extreme hide and seek game where the prize is a million dollars. She hopes to win to get money to help her kids. Malinka and Wild Cody are the 2 other contestants, also trying to win the prize.
This story is told from many POV, but they are easy to follow. This is more of a slow burn mystery, in a somewhat locked room environment. The beginning was slow with the introduction of many characters. However, the 2nd part of the story picked up the pace racing to the end.
I always look forward to a new Lisa Unger novel. and this did not disappoint. While this was not my favorite novel of hers, I did enjoy it and I recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row books for the ARC of this book.