I do enjoy Lisa Unger thrillers and was thrilled to be approved for the audiobook of Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten. It was a fantastic escape from the world read, very much out there and wild but it was fun to listen to.

Extreme hide and seek, who can resist that! A single mum and fitness influencer who has been going through a rough time signs up for the challenge. The prize, $1 million is hard to pass up. An isolated island full of people who all want the money, and a dodgy crew of staff that are hiding plenty of secrets from each other. Add to that a storm brewing and it becomes a game of survival.

I did enjoy the narration from. Vivienne Leheny, but I do think that a book with this many characters would benefit from multiple narrators to help keep track of which point of view is being told. There is a lot to follow.

Thanks so much to Harlequin Audio for my copy of this book to listen to.

Adele has had a tough five years. Having her husband take off and disappear after finding out he embezzled money from his company was a shock. Now she and her two kids, Violet and Blake, struggle to get by and Adele wonders how she’ll pay for college or ever be able to retire. But Adele has pulled herself up and has been building a following in her fitness challenges, reclaiming her life as a single parent. When her son Blake suggests she take part in an extreme contest of hide and seek on a remote island with a cash prize of one million dollars, Adele’s hesitant. Especially since there’s been rumors swirling about the host, Maverick Dillan and a missing girl, but the lure of that money makes it hard to say no.

This is the second story I’ve read where the main characters have lives centered around social media, living a life in front of the camera worried about views and sponsors. Maverick and his team were prodded on by this and it wasn’t a good thing. Makes you think about the pitfalls of social media.

There are many POVs here: Adele, her kids, Violet and Blake, as well as Maverick and his girlfriend and co-worker, Angeline, but at the center of this story, for me, was Adele. I was most invested in her journey, rooting for her having to pick up the pieces after such a devastating betrayal!

I enjoyed “seeing” true-crime podcaster, Harley Granger show up again!

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 was an engrossing page-turner! A crumbling hotel, an isolated island location, and approaching storm created an air of danger. However, I felt the mystery and suspense centered more around the personal conflicts and issues each character was facing rather than the actual contest.

I alternately read and listened to Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 and recommend either version. Vivienne Leheny’s did a great job making each character distinctive. Her narration enhanced my enjoyment of this addictive story!

3.5/5 stars. Entertaining read. I mostly listened to this one while at work.

Books like these are always an easy, enjoyable read for me. I generally love concepts like these for a plot although they’re not the most unique ones out there.

I got this book through my library and then later got approved on NetGalley after having already read this. (The struggle of forgetting to withdraw my requests)

Even though I had already read this on my own, I still appreciate the approval from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are always my own.

This book had me hooked. A high-stakes game of extreme hide-and-seek turns deadly at an abandoned island resort and Adele—just a regular mom who would do anything for her kids—gets caught in the middle. She’s tough, smart, and absolutely relentless because the only thing that matters is making it back home to them. The storm, the island, the creepy, heart-pounding twists… it’s nonstop tension. Lisa Unger nails the mix of psychological suspense and survival thriller!


Thank you Lisa Unger, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Harlequin Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Why am I surprised when I instantly get pulled into a Lisa Unger novel? Every time I pick one up, it takes about a chapter, maybe two, before I am feverishly flipping through the pages. CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10 is no different.

In her signature style, Unger delivers action, suspense, and beautifully complex characters. This time around, she tackles social media influencers and extreme gaming in a way that is as candid as it is entertaining. Though Adele becomes the stand-out character for me, there is a cast of men and women who help make this thriller go from a chance to win a million dollars to see them trying to just make it out of this alive.

What I loved about this book is how the reality of who each character is slowly comes out. Choices are made. Actions are taken. It is all completely addictive, but it is more than just an action-filled thrill ride. There is depth and layers to the Adele, Maverick, Angeline, Cody, Malinka, Tavo, and Hector. And as they are peeled back, truths are revealed at just the right moments. And then you have the balance of Adele’s children, Violet and Blake, at home. They ground the craziness of what is going on at Falco Island and add even more tension and emotion to the already fraught situation.

All in all, this was one great book. If you liked THE LAST ONE by Will Dean, this is definitely a book you will want to read.

Audiobook Note: I will be honest. I spent only about a quarter of the time listening to the audiobook, but it was not because narrator Vivienne Leheny was anything less than wonderful. Her pace and elocution brought the story alive, especially in the end chapters. If you are an audiobook listener, this is one not to miss.

I liked the complexity of this thriller. I felt like there were multiple storylines with the actual part of the book the ultimate hide and seek challenge being a backdrop instead of the main focal points.

With all of these storylines there were also a lot of points of view which worked ok.

I thought the narrator did a nice job

Lisa Unger delivers a gripping and fast-paced thriller in Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten, a high-stakes game of hide and seek that turns into a fight for survival. The premise is as fun as it is terrifying—a reality TV competition set on a secluded island, where contestants must outwit each other to win. But when the game takes a deadly turn, it becomes a race against the clock to uncover the truth.

This book is packed with tension, twists, and a strong dose of whodunit mystery. Unger masterfully weaves in themes of social media influence, hidden agendas, and the dark side of entertainment, keeping readers on edge until the final reveal. The protagonist—a powerhouse single mom with fierce mama bear energy—adds an emotional depth to the story, making the stakes feel even higher.

Vivienne Leheny’s narration is outstanding, heightening the suspense and drama in a way that makes the audiobook an absolute must-listen. If you love thrillers that are both smart and action-packed, this one is a winner!

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is Lisa Unger’s latest thrilling release. I really enjoyed the high stakes tension that this one brought and the fact that she wrote this book around a game of hide-and-seek was such a fun concept. Who hasn’t played that game at some point in their life? I also loved the idea that this was a social media competition. I love competition shows in general so reading something similar in a book is always a good time. However, keeping everyone’s storylines together was difficult for me. There’s just too much going on with each character that I had a hard time keeping track.

Other than that the narrator was fantastic, I was able to perfectly understand her Vivienne Leheny did a fantastic job. It was my first audiobook with her as a narrator and I can't wait to hear more from her.

I usually really like Lisa Unger and this sounded so interesting, but this story didn't work for me. The pacing felt off and I never got interested in the characters. I'm glad I was listening though, because the narrator kept it engaging enough for me to stick with it to the end, which did have a fun twist.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

Sadly, Close Your Eyes And Count To 10 is the second book of Lisa Ungers that hasn't worked for me.

Let me count the ways... I was enjoying this thriller until it all started to unravel and fall apart, losing both its grasp on reality and my interest. There were lots of indistinguishable characters. A big part of the plot does not appeal to me (both in fiction and real life). And I'm still not sure if I understood what happened overall.

How do I love thee... I was initially addicted, going so far as to bring up this new game show I binged in conversation (only to realize it was this book I was "watching")! I enjoyed how the characters each had a driving force behind their game show participation, with a matching backstory. I found Adele relatable and easy to root for and I really enjoyed the perspectives of her children (until I didn't).

Although Vivienne Leheny did a fine job with the audiobook narration, I think this is a book that would have benefited from having at least two narrators involved in the story telling; this addition would have helped define the characters a bit, giving more life and distinction between them.

Overall, the title-based plotline portion took a backseat to the subplot and I wish it was the other way around.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the complimentary audio copy to read and review.

‘Survivor’ meets hide and go seek in Lisa Unger’s new novel Close Your Eyes and Count to 10. Single mom Adele signs up for this physically demanding challenge when she is met with hardship after hardship and can’t pay the bills anymore. However, when she arrives on the island, she can’t tell if it’s the looming messages to get away, the disappearance of the girl from the last challenge or the island people telling them to stop right away that has her re-thinking this decision.

I really wanted to love this but it didn't live up to the promise of the premise. The idea of a Mr. Beast-style influencer-led survival show was fascinating and drew me in initially. However, towards the middle it really started to drag. I also felt like there were a lot of plot points and threads that simply got forgotten or diminished: Miller's disappearance, Blake's bullies, etc. The audiobook narrator did a very good job, especially considering the multiple POV's, but that wasn't enough to keep me truly engaged.

I love books about single mothers that will do anything for their children. I love books about how there is more to a person other than what you see on the surface. This book has both. And the narration does this book justice. I love the way they’re able to keep me entertained the whole way through. Of all plot twists, this was not the most shocking, but very satisfying.

This story is told in third person and follows multiple characters. I started reading this one via ebook then switched to the audiobook to finish. I enjoyed both formats. The audiobook was narrated by Vivienne Leheny, who often narrates books by this author. I found her voice for the characters to be pleasant and distinctive as well as compelling enough to propel me through the story quickly.

The storyline revolves around a hide and seek style reality competition created by an extreme sport social media celebrity named Maverick who appears to have just as many enemies as he has fans. He has an entourage of partners/employees that work on his projects with a whole host of personalities. The story also follows one of the competitors in Adele, a mom raising two kids. Adele was married to a man that swindled a bunch of people then left her holding the bag so to speak, so she is no stranger to being controversial in the eyes of the public either.

I really enjoyed the history of the Enchantments resort and the atmospheric setting of Falcão Island. I was attracted to this story because I’m a fan of reality show competitions, but I found that this story had too much going on besides the competition. The characters were a mixed bag and it was a lot to follow with all kinds of secretive relationships, melodrama and controversies from love affairs, money troubles, suspicious locals, blackmail, missing persons, and much more. I found the ending to be a bit anticlimactic. Still, if you’re a fan of popcorn thrillers, give this one a try.

Thank you to Netgalley, Park Row Books, Harlequin Trade Publishing, The Hive, and Harlequin Audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

I listened to this book as an audio, and although the narrator was fine, i really did not like this story. I thought much more of the storyline/ plot was going to take place with the contestants on the island, and that did not really happen until the end of the story. I found it to be all over the place and I didn't really find myself invested in any of the characters or their storylines. based on the synopsis i jsut felt like i kept waiting for them to get to the island and start the challenge which didn't come for entirely too long. I don't think I will be reading any more of Unger's books.

With a tagline reading “an extreme game of hide-and-seek turns deadly in this riveting new thriller,” I knew I’d be hooked from the start. And I was right!

This story was intriguing and I loved the high-stakes element and the constantly not knowing who we could trust.

I felt for Adele constantly, especially with her kids at home and a deep desire to support them.

I had the gift of listening to this on audio, and while the narrator did a good job and I was hooked, I was confused by whose perspective we were in constantly. With shifting narrators, I truly wish this had been narrated by a full cast, just to help listeners follow along with the story without feeling lost.

For me, I had a harder time connecting with the characters since I couldn’t tell who was who while I was listening sometimes. But even with moments of confusion, I enjoyed the overall story. It was action-packed and had a great premise. This wasn’t my favorite of Lisa Unger’s—which makes me sad because I truly LOVE her books—but it was still enjoyable.

Was a DNF for me. I’m not sure if it was the premise of the book or the narrator. Either way, I was not interested in finishing this book. I’ve read Lisa Unger before and was happy with her other ones but I just couldn’t get into this one!

I don't know if I was expecting more because I've loved everything I've read from this author. But something was lost on me along the way.
3.75

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows an extreme hide and seek game run by a famous influencer. A group of people enter the competition to win a million dollars. However, everyone had secrets and things quickly unfold.

I liked the concept of this book and I enjoyed the audiobook. I think the cover is amazing too. Adele was a great character to follow and I liked her badass attitude.

Unfortunately, this book had too much going on. I think there were so many point of views and way too many secrets and things unfolding. I wish a few things were cut out and I would have liked it more. I think this book focused on the wrong things.

Overall, this book was not bad but I don't think it focused on the right things and I wish it was a bit different.

When the real game begins, who will make it to the count of 10?

This was such a fun read. I loved how this book’s author incorporated social media, podcasts, and video games in this book. This book was very creative, and I think the author did a good job of coming up with an original idea. The setting of the book was fantastic and creepy. That being said I did feel like this book fell flat in certain areas. I think the mystery of Adeles husband, and the miss girl Chole could have been such a better twist. The three overarching stories did not gel into one and that was a disappointment. I also would have liked to have seen more fight for survival in this book. Adeles’ character was great, but I was not super invested in her kids and Maverick was super annoying, but I was entertained and finished it fast.

Thank you, Net Galley, the author, and the publisher, for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.