If you're into slow burn thrillers, this novel is for you. I liked the premise of the book but found it overall dull with a very predictable ending.

“Close Your Eyes and Count to 10” is a thriller/mystery by one of the queens of this genre - Lisa Unger. I’ve read a number of Ms. Unger’s books - and like her others - this has a fantastic plot. An extreme adventurer, Maverick, sets up an ultimate “hide and seek” at a deserted hotel on an island. Four people are selected - all just happen to be either influencer (of course) or famous. The winner gets $1M US - which for at least two of the people could help change their lives for the better. Right before the games start, complications arise - from issues with the contestants, issues with the local people, issues with the weather - basically a plot with things under the right conditions coming to an exciting head. Although I find Ms. Unger’s plots incredible - and quite often binge read her books (staying up way too late) - while this book held my attention, I felt there were a number of issues. It was long with a lot of backstory information. I felt that Adele’s backstory could have just been a single-Mom raising two kids - instead we got her POV (and backstory), POVs from her kids (which didn’t add much), and POVs from people connected to her (which also didn’t add much). Around the 50% mark, a new POV is added - which would have been fine, if that POV had continued interwoven into the book, but it wasn’t. I think the overall idea for this book was good - but between a number of characters, a bit of too many things happening at the same time, a bit of confusing action, and an open ended ending - for me this wasn’t her strongest book. However, I did stay up way too late reading it and it did hold my attention. If you like Ms. Unger’s books, this might not be your favorite, but it was a pretty good ride of a read.

this is an interesting fast moving book. It has a lot of storylines that will appeal to my students, gaming, Extreme sports, a missing woman, a mysterious island, lots of people with lots of secrets. It also looks at what one would do for followers and how being watched constantly affect us. Throw in a missing husband, who conned people and his counterpoint, the man running Extreme and family and relationship issues. The author wove a lot of stories together and kept it interesting 4.5 rounded up

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Life is full of games in many aspects -its truly how you play with others. This gave us family problems and how we are “unaware” of whats going on under our noses. It gave ups and downs of social media and influencers and how its not all the wonderful life as its made up to be. Then once they are all together is when the true games begin. Who is going to expose what and where and how far will one go keep it not exposed while we are rooting for the one who is doing this thing for family. It’s a must read because I just gotta find out what is happening. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC #LisaUnger #CloseYourEyesandCountToTen #NetGalley

This was another wild and twisted novel by the author.

Extreme Games is hosting another challenge, led by Maverick Dillan. Maverick and his team are offering one million dollars to the winner of the challenge, held on Falcao Island. Cue Adele, a single mother supporting her children, in desperate need of that one million dollars.

But as the contest begins, it is clear the islanders are not happy with their presence, nor is the run down destination for the challenge. Lies, deception and twists are all part of this treacherous game and there is only one person each contestant can trust - themselves.

So many twists and turns and I really enjoyed Adele's backstory. I really enjoyed reading each of the characters and the part they had to play, even the unlikeable ones and the author created such an interesting and hostile environment on the island, it was hard to put down.

Title Close Your Eye Count to 10
Author: Lisa Unger
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing-Park Row
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: February 18, 2025
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pages: 352

Extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan invites contestants to a challenge of a game of hide-and-seek on the remote Falcao Island, No not the children’s game we are remember but a survival game with high stakes.

Of course, I was following Adele, who is trying to provide for her two children- Violet and Blake. Adele’s husband Miller (who does come back into their lives) is a fugitive who had abandoned them. Young Blake saw the info regarding the challenge. He tells his mom she is perfect. The l million-dollar prize is tempting enough that Adele decides the prize money is worth trying.

When Adele arrives on Falcao Island, things change once she learns of the island’s curse, Soon Adele worried not about winning but surviving.
Although this story isn’t that long is seems long as it is slow – there are a lot of so-so characters and I was anxious to move on. Once it moves on I was turning pages as fast as my eyes could focus.

Although I am not a fan of reality TV- I am a big fan of Lisa Unger.
She tells us in her ‘Acknowledgements’ that one of her big inspirations for this story came when she and her family - husband Jeffrey, and daughter Ocean Rae traveled to the Azores, a chain of islands in the Atlantic. Near the end of their trip they were rained out so on their way back to the hotel they hiked the rim of the volcanic lake. They came upon the abandoned ruin Monte Palace Hotel that had giant sign stating “DANGER – DO NOT ENTER”.
Needless to say this fascinated her and thus this experience was the seed for this story!

Want to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing/- Park Row for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 18, 2025.

Maverick Dillan, a popular gamer creates an exciting game of hide and seek. Locations vary from game to game and this one is on a remote island, Falcao Island. Invites for contestants are sent out promising to be the adventure of a lifetime.

Adele, a struggling singer mother of two became an influencer by need. Her son has brought to her attention this competition with a million dollar prize. The prize is too much for her to ignore.

Being chosen as a participant Adele becomes anxious about the competition. Something feels chilling.

This novel starts slowly but builds to a nonstop read unable to put down.

This novel is a gripping thriller that proves how a mother’s love is protective and boundless.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing Park Row for providing me with this ARC for an honest review.

Who didn't love hide-and-seek as a kid? Well, step right up and get ready for an extreme game of hide-and-seek where your survival is at stake. Perfect for the thriller fans out there, and in typical Lisa Unger fashion, she weaves an epic tale of cat and mouse.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 soley because it took me time to try to figure out all the characters and was slow in some parts which should never happen in a thriller book, hence thriller.

Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

pretty fun thriller, I LOVE lisa unger and this one is super cool, worth the recommendation. tyssm for the arc, would suggest

Lisa Unger does a great job of writing a variety of books. I find every book I read by her feels very different from her other books.

I did not like this book as much as I liked The New Couple in 5B.

I really enjoyed the secluded island setting and the premise of the Hide and Seek game with influencers. I also liked the POVs of Adele's children. I was very interested in reading their POVs to find out what was happening back 'at home' while Adele was competing on the island.

I didn't like the jumps in the timeline. For example, one moment the influencers were just getting to the island, then it would jump to a contestant POV while playing the game, then it would jump back to a memory of Adele's with her husband.

I also think that covid and the pandemic were mentioned way too often. It seemed like there was mention of it in every chapter.

Overall it was a solid thriller, and I will recommend it, but it was not one of my favorites.

Ah, locked room thrillers or thrillers set in secluded settings are some of my favorites. This one also dabbled in a fun survivalist type aspect with them playing the hide-and-seek game. Ah it was fun. Lisa Unger always delivers fast paced, high-octane thrillers, and this one was no different. Her thrillers keep me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next, and I absolutely love them. This one is told through several points of view, and while there were more than I usually read, I didn’t get confused or lost at all, it was great. The setting of this book is what really captivated me. It’s based in an old, abandoned crumbling hotel on a secluded island. I also love books about reality tv. While I don’t watch it, I sure do love reading about it. This one focused mainly on the money side of reality tv versus how scripted it is, which was rather interesting. I loved how the pieces of this thriller slowly came together, and I didn’t see all the twists coming.

If you are looking for a fun, fast-paced thriller, then check this one out.

Available February 18, 2025
Lisa Unger

Adele is a mom of two teenagers. Five years prior her husband of many years stole from his company, left the company and his family high and dry and dropped off the face of the earth.

Now Adele finds herself on a reality show trying to win a million dollars and trying to save her family.

It’s SQUID GAMES meets SURVIVOR, with tons of twists and turns.

A great thriller from Lisa Unger, a slow burn at first but then as tension builds more & more is revealed to a climax that will satisfy your questions!

This book has it all. Mystery, games, family drama, and more. The struggle is it almost has too much going on to follow the plot. The characters are enjoyable and the game aspect is solid. It was difficult for me to get into because it started off rather slow. This book will be a hit, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

A group of social media influencers, a mysterious island, an epic game of hide and seek that turns deadly. I enjoyed this read, though it wasn't mind blowing. The story kept me pretty interested and engaged, but I felt that some aspects of the story could have been developed more. It felt like there were threads in the story line that were left hanging. There were also characters who could have been developed more. I didn't love the ending; I felt more could have been done with that, too. Overall though, it was an entertaining read that kept me wanting to read more. It served well as a bit of a palate cleanser for me, and I'd recommend it as something refreshingly different.
Review was posted to Goodreads on 9/18/24 and to the Facebook group, "Psychological Thriller Readers," on 10/11/24.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book. Abandoned crumbling hotel on a secluded island, sign me up! I did enjoy the multiple POV's, though some of the time switches had me a little confused. But I couldn't put it down. The absurdity of what some of the characters were doing for views or sponsorships, made me so frustrated in the realest way possible. Unger did a great job of showing how skewed these type of "influencers" can be. Despite it starting off a little slow, I really enjoyed it. The plot was woven together well and the story was twisty and intense.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row, Lisa Unger, and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a variation on the classic “locked room” thriller—here the contestants on a streaming reality show are dropped into an abandoned resort complex during a wild storm for a game of hide and seek. The book is comprised of the stories of three influencers: Maverick, an adventure influencer who created this game; Adele, a mom who needs the prize money; and a podcast investigating the influencer who disappeared during one of Maverick’s previous competitions. The timelines jump around and it took me a while to fit them together. It is a very good book, but for me it fell short of Unger’s previous novels, which I adored. I think that part of the problem was that it was too long; parts of it really dragged. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

(4.5 stars) This book got me out of a mini reading slump!

Multiple POVs; such an entertaining, twisty, thrilling ride; obsessed with the plot, the setting, and the characters; I was constantly on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next; so much tension and suspense; the second half was also action-packed; there were a lot of components to the plot - bordering on too many - but I still enjoyed it all.

Special thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row, Lisa Unger, and Netgalley for a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the idea for the premise of the book, reality tv show on a deserted island. This book was better than the other book with a similar premise that came out earlier this year. (I won’t say the book or author, because I love her, that book just feel short.) Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 was everything I wanted “that other book” to be. I was thrilled, I was entertained, and I will be reading more books by this author. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy.

Close your eyes and Count to Ten
by Lisa Unger
Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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.
It’s hard to go wrong with a Lisa Unger novel. Although this isn’t my favorite of hers, it’s still a very gripping, heart-pounding thriller. I was thrilled when I was able to get the ARC of this book.
I love the reality tv setting for this novel. The characters are very well written, each with a distinct personality, and you’ll never guess the extremes one will go to for money in this one. I highly recommend this 4-star novel to thriller lovers and anyone who loves a very well written book.