Mom of two Adele has a following on her fitness channel and decides to enter an extreme game of hide-and-seek to win a million dollars. Maverick is in charge of the games, which are set in a “haunted” abandoned hotel (what could go wrong lol). When people start disappearing and ending up dead, Adele must try to protect herself and survive the games. This was an average thriller; the setting was great, but the twist didn’t surprise me and there were too many POVs (I lost track of who was who a few times). If you’re just looking for a quick thriller with a creepy atmosphere, this might work for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for my copy! ALC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a difficult time with this one… Although it is a dangerous, dark and twisted novel (exactly the things I like)… I found it lacked enough originality. This thriller is based on a concept many of us have seen before. However, much like in the book, this book does up the ante on some of the details. It has some interesting characters, a juicy plot, and a bigger prize, but it reminded me too much of HG’s Everyone is Watching.

This is not typical of this author and is not reflected in other works I have read. Maybe she didn’t read the book mentioned above.

Maverick Dillan is a daredevil and extreme adventurer who plays ultimate games with epic prizes. Adele is a single mother who is struggling for money after her husband embezzled money from his company and disappeared. When she is invited to Falcao Island for a chance to win big prize money, she plans to go, play, win, and return to her kids.

When a huge storm comes in, the social media stunt turns deadly, and Adele is in a struggle for her survival if she wants to return home to her kids.


I thought the premise of this book was really fun. I loved that the entire game was posted on social media. I also loved that video games and online friendships played a role in this non-stop thriller. I listened to this book and it fept me on my toes. #gifted

"Close Your Eyes and Count to 10" by Lisa Unger has an interesting and relevant premise. However, I found the story itself to fall short of it's potential. The scenario, hide and seek challenge in an exotic setting, never really got off the ground and the format for the challenge was unclear and disjointed. It felt as though the two primary storylines were competing for primacy, making both lose impact and interest in the process.

Some of what I liked/what worked:
-The setting, which had potential as a spooky and dangerous place.
-The influencer and challenge premise: interesting and relevant! Liability aside, I could see this in real life.
-Elements of some of the characters
-The narration

Some of what I didn't like/what didn't work:
-Elements of some of characters. Backstories, motivations, etc. just didn't seem to pull through for me.
-The challenge--wasn't fully fleshed out enough. Too much "suspense" build-up to the beginning of the challenge and then it fizzled.
-The anecdotes oriented around the video game.
-Competing storylines.
-Miller and related storyline--bringing him back in for what, exactly?
-Reductive depiction of the local citizens of the island.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio, for providing me with a copy to review. This is the first book from this author that I have read/listened to and I would try another one of her books given the chance.

I thought the book started a little slow with a lot of character introductions, but then it got super exciting and action-packed in the second half. I loved the well-developed characters and the creepy island setting. The mix of reality TV and survival horror was really unique. I also appreciated the thought-provoking commentary on social media.
Even though there were a couple of minor issues, overall, I found it to be a really gripping and thrilling story about a mother's determination to protect her kids. It's a great read if you like suspense and survival stories, especially with a dark reality TV twist.

The audiobook was done super well. The book itself was a pretty mediocre read but enjoyable. I liked the premise. Just got annoyed with some characters.

**3.5-stars**

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 features a extreme version of Hide-n-Seek, played by various daring Adults, and streamed online to countless fans. Maverick Dillan is a wildly-popular creator and influencer in the Adventure space. This game is his baby, and even though it has been played before with disastrous consequences that still haunt him, he's up to host another round.

This round of the game is set to be played on the remote Falcao Island. In addition to Maverick and his people, we follow single-Mom, Adele, whose children get her to sign up for the game. After her husband left them, Adele has had to wear a lot of different hats in their family, including resident badass. When her kids show how enthusiastic they are for the game, and how much they believe in her, she would be hard pressed to say no. Plus, the $1,000,000 prize could change everything for them.

This story is very social media based, so it's not surprising we get snippets in a mixed media format to introduce the Reader to the game and the players. While I loved the set-up and the premise behind the game, as well as all the players involved, the social media aspects did feel a bit over-exaggerated. It felt a little, and this is just my opinion, that maybe the author was perhaps pandering a bit to the BookTok crowd.

That's a very minor point though. I thought the set-up and basic premise of this story were both very well developed. I love how pulled into Adele's life I felt, and how much I was rooting for her as a contestant. The game itself did remind of Hide by Kiersten White, but honestly, I feel like it was executed better here. No offense to anyone who loves Hide. I get it, but that one definitely fell flat for me with the gaming element. This one gave me more of the fast-paced energy and drama that I wanted. I would recommend it to Readers who enjoy books with a gaming trope. It's worth the read.

This does give a lot of insight into Maverick and his partners in their dealings behind the scenes of the show. That was a good element to add, although personally, I did feel like that took over a bit. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time with Close Your Eyes and Count to 10. I loved the idea of the game having a bit of a survival element, and the setting on a remote island was great. Also, Unger added in inclement weather, which I always appreciate.

Unfortunately, the further it went along, the more it started to lose me. I wanted more time with the contestants and what they were going through, and instead I felt that aspect was sort of overshadowed by the drama going on amongst the game's hosts, as mentioned above. It was still an entertaining read, however, even with these minor complaints. I just wish I could have felt as connected and intrigued with it at the end, as I did at the beginning. I would recommend the audiobook format. It was engaging and kept me flying through. I found the narrator very believable, particularly in Adele's perspective.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I haven't read a lot from this author, but I do want to pick up more of her work. Even though this wasn't perfect for me, you cannot deny the fluidity and captivating nature of her writing.

Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that had me hooked from the very first chapter. Lisa Unger delivers a tightly woven story full of suspense, emotional depth, and just the right amount of psychological tension.

The protagonist is layered and complex, with a past that slowly unravels in ways that keep you guessing. Unger does a fantastic job of blending the personal with the mysterious—each revelation feels earned, and the stakes continue to build as the story progresses. The pacing is solid throughout, and the twists are well-placed without feeling forced or over-the-top.

What really stood out to me was the emotional undercurrent running through the narrative. It’s not just a mystery—it’s a story about trauma, memory, and finding strength in vulnerability. The writing is sharp and evocative, with a strong sense of place and mood.

My only small critique is that a few plot points felt slightly too convenient, and I would have loved even more development in a couple of the secondary characters. But overall, this was a suspenseful, satisfying read that I would definitely recommend to fans of psychological thrillers.

I really enjoyed the premise of this one. The author did a great job setting the scene - a creepy, crumbling resort and an extreme game of hide and seek. The characters, though, were pretty one-dimensional. And the fact that everybody stayed so long was just implausible.

I did enjoy this more than The New Couple in 5B.

Thank you for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

Adele, who will do anything to protect her children, decides to enter the ultimate hide-and-seek competition hosted by the eccentric, charismatic daredevil Maverick Dillan. Held at the mysterious, abandoned Falco Island, the terrain is not the only thing that will challenge the contestants. Storms, hostile locals, concerning comments, and a mountain of secrets are just the tip of the challenges that Adele and the other contestants face. But with her family's survival on the line, she can only move forward into the competition in the hopes she survives and gets back home to her family.

Sarah's Thoughts: I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it didn't quite hit for me. A competition that reminded me of a combination of all the Nickelodeon game shows I loved, like Guts and Legends of the Hidden Temple. The multiple POVs were a bit chaotic, and it made it difficult to connect with any of the characters to care about their story. But it was interesting about how it pulled in unique POVs, like the Live Streams from one character or the podcast interviews from another. Vivienne Leheny was an incredible narrator and was able to bring a different vibe for each character that it was easy to tell the difference between the characters.

Read if you love:
🫣Multi-POV Thrillers
⛰️Challenge Games
💻YouTube Shows/Reality TV
🗿 Legends
🤫 Secrets upon secrets

I'm so glad I didn't let the reviews deter me from reading this. I loved it!! I read another Lisa Unger book years ago and wasn't super impressed, but this one was a great plot, fun characters, and much more well developed storyline. There was also depth to the characters and exploration of impact on technology on kids and family. 5 star read and great narration!

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger - not for me. Unger has many readers in our library though, so I'm sure we will buy a copy of this.

Thank you Lisa Unger and Team and NetGalley for letting me review a copy of this audio book. In this book we follow several members of an online community called WeWatch for athletes and daredevils. Mav Dillon and his company Extreme Games And Insane Challenges sponsors a game of extreme hide and seek on a remote tropical island. Several top WeWatch personalities are invited to participate for a 1 million dollar prize. There are storms brewing on the island. What could possibly go wrong? The participant that we mostly follow is Adelle, mom of two teenagers. Adelle chronicled her rage at her husbands betrayal and her successful journey back into the world of marathon running on her own Wewatch blog.
Lisa Unger is usually one of my favorite authors but I don't think I am the target audience for this book. I struggled with it. The reader was good with most voices but I did not like the accents she used for some of the characters.. Additionally, I greatly dislike reality tv and this felt very much like that. The frequent online commentary kept taking me out of the story. If there were 1/2 ratings, I would rate the audio book at 3 1/2 stars. I rounded up to 4. stars. I did finished the book because I really wanted to know how it turned out for Adelle. Lisa Unger is very good at making you care for her characters.

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

Audiobook Review: Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger
Narrated by Vivienne Leheny

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and truly appreciate the opportunity to discover new authors and share my thoughts.

This was my first book by Lisa Unger, and while it started off strong, I felt that the story could have been more concise. Some plot developments were predictable, but there were also surprising twists that kept me engaged.

The narrator, Vivienne Leheny, delivered a solid performance throughout the audiobook. Her inflections and tone were appropriate for the suspenseful moments, and she effectively conveyed the emotions of the characters. However, I did notice that the pronunciation of some Spanish and Portuguese words could have been more accurate, though this was a minor issue and didn't detract significantly from the overall experience.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 follows Adele, a single mother who joins an extreme game of hide-and-seek on a remote island, hoping to win a substantial cash prize. As the game progresses, it becomes clear that there are more dangers than anticipated, and Adele must navigate a treacherous environment to protect herself and her family.

Overall, while the book had its strengths, I believe it could have benefited from tighter editing to maintain a more consistent pace. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable listen, and I would consider exploring more of Lisa Unger's work in the future.

Thank you again to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I will never get sick of thriller books that have to do with social media/influencers/reality TV. I am usually not one to really like slow burns, but this one added enough to keep me going. I have read other books from this author and have always enjoyed them, this one was no different. I would definitely recommend!

Not bad but not her best work. I’ve found other books of hers 5 stars but couldn’t give more than a 3 star. The game show aspect was odd but characters were interesting.

When the real game begins, who will make it to the count of 10? 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. This book is intense, I enjoyed reading it

Overall this book was good, but it wasn’t mind blowing. I guessed both of the twists way before they were revealed. I thought the plot was interesting and had a lot of potential. I was surprised that most of the book was more about secrets and lies than about the actual game itself.