Adele's husband is accused of wrong doing at his company and he has disappeared. The FBI is actively searching for him, but she doesn't know where he is and she hasn't heard from him. But her life and their kids' have been upended. They lost their home and their way of life. She's working hard to give them as much as she possible can, but she's struggling. When her son finds a reality contest that he believes she can win, she considers and applies. All she needs to do is to be the best "hider" in the contestant group.

What she doesn't know is that the sponsoring group may not be on the level. And the primary players in the company are all holding a lot of secrets - very damaging secrets. When the company employees and the contestants are stuck on an isolated island, with structures about to collapse around them, and with a huge storm about to collide with the island, the setup for a thriller is already there. It gets worse...

I've enjoyed Lisa Unger books in the past so I was thrilled that I was able to listen to an early edition of the audio book. I can easily see this book become a movie. The narrator was superb. As the action ramped up, so did her delivery. Very well done!

The book centered around a single mother who is a low level influencer. Her son encouraged her to sign up for an extreme hide and seek game on a small island in a dilapidated old hotel. Maverick, the creator of the challenges, is a popular streamer with no regard for safety. A storm comes in making the game even more extreme, but Adele stays since the million dollar prize would be life changing. In one of the previous extreme games, a woman went missing and still Adele rationalized staying.

I was rooting for Adele throughout the book. I did find the over use of slang terms by Maverick irksome.

Adele is a now single mother struggling to make ends meet with two teenage children and a husband in the wind, after he allegedly embezzled money from the company he worked. At the encouragement from her some Adele decides to compete in a game of extreme hide and seek with a prize of one million dollars. Things would be a whole lot easier with the win. The extreme team is met with local opposition even though the local government granted the permits with the promise of a huge tourism windfall.  As the games is set to begin, a hurricane is bearing down on the remote island. What could go wrong? Edge of your seat excitement. Twists and turns abound. A very enjoyable, fast paced read.

The narrator was great. The production quality was top notch.

5 stars

After committing a crime, Adele's husband, Miller, left her and their children, Violet and Blake. The FBI has followed her for years, thinking she knows where he is. She doesn't, and her family is struggling. When her son, Blake, recommends that Adele, who has a WeWatch following, go to an extreme hide-and-seek event to win a million dollars, she does. What could go wrong?

This thriller is as much about Adele's family as it is about the game, which goes horribly wrong. It's tense and fast-paced, and I enjoyed it.

This book had so many twists and turns. I enjoyed listening to this narration. It was interesting to see all the characters and how they handled the hide and seek challenge in their own way.

Not my favorite Lisa singer book but still amazing. She is a thriller master. The tension is built in so well it sneaks up and grabs you. It was a quick read from a go-to author. Easy to recommend.

3.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Audiobook

I had a hard time getting into this book and the storyline overall.
A look into the “influencer” lifestyle - how far will people go to get subscribers and make money?
There are a few different storylines all intertwined - some action and twists that will keep some readers guessing.
Overall, I found this novel just okay - not unenjoyable, but also not a book I would likely recommend.
Narration was great and definitely added to the overall enjoyment of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin audio for early access to this audiobook!

This story was okay. There were too many storylines going on at one time so it wasn’t always easy to tell what (or when) things were happening. This was an audiobook version so I don’t know if I would have been able to follow it easier had I been reading it with my eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this advanced copy.

𝑪𝑳𝑶𝑺𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑪𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑻 𝑻𝑶 𝟏𝟎 𝒃𝒚 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒂 𝑼𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 was my #ThrillerThursday that I was able to enjoy from @htp_hive @htpbooks & @harlequin_audio and it was a wild read for winter escape! Put this on your radar for the February 25th pub date!

This is a spectacularly catastrophic reality show event, bringing together a cast of wild characters that examines the growing need to be seen.

I don't like to say much, but this does give many perspectives of the people involved in the reality show, as well as a closer personal look into the life of one contestant in particular. This multi POV was at times a bit harder to hold onto, but having my ears and eyes on it helped. It actually feels like it would make a fantastic screen option!

Speaking of ears, I did really enjoy Vivienne Leheny narrate this wild ride. I thought she did a great job with all the characters and made them very individual.

I enjoy the journey Unger takes me in her stories. This one did make me think about the social media culture and how we monetize ourselves. It was a very entertaining way to consider!

Fun concept (a group of people participate in an "EXTREME hide & seek" challenge on a remote island), and I really enjoyed the multiple POVs, but this dragged and the ending was very anticlimactic. There were a lot of wild things that *could* have happened that would have made this better, but it followed a more predictable path, which was a big disappointment. Specific to the audiobook: The narrator had some real sketchy accents that were distracting AF

I think readers who love Unger will really like this - I tend to be hit or miss with her books, and it turns out this one wasn't for me - hopefully the next one will be more my speed because I do think of her as an auto-read/listen when I see her books on NetGalley.

An interesting cover and title that immediately draws you in. This multi-POV story follows several characters, including Maverick Dillan, whose company hosts an ultimate hide-and-seek competition on eerie Falcao Island. The elders don’t want him there, and I found their backstory and the crumbling gothic hotel especially intriguing. The mystery kept me engaged, but the multiple storylines made it feel a bit scattered, and the pacing was slow at times. Vivienne Leheny’s narration was excellent, with great tones and inflections, especially as the story picked up.

Fist Off Thank you Net Galley and Publishers for an early copy of this book.
I tried and tried to get into this story but it never grabbed my attention. 1st storyline is a struggling mom who's husband is missing because he committed fraud.. then it goes into she is going to enter this contest that is hide in seek on an island where its Haunted.. maybe? I dunno this one was just not for me.

I thought the narrator did a great job with this. I was actually able to listen to it faster than I normally do because of how clearly it was spoken.

I ended up liking the concept of this book more than the book. I thought it was going to be more about the game of extreme hide and seek that these influencers were playing, but it was more about the corruption of the people who were putting on the game.

I also found some parts to be confusing. There were multiple times where the participants seemed to already be in their hiding places, but then they would be speaking to the hosts or back in tents with other contestants. Even by the end of the book, I wasn't sure whether they actually started the competition or not.

I found the writing in this book to be quite juvenile. It felt like Lisa Unger was trying to portray how teenagers talk, but it came off as inauthentic, like she was imagining what their vernacular might be, rather than understanding it. This really pulled me out of the story.

From the very beginning, I wasn’t engaged. The way Adele just shows up and easily gets onto the game show felt unrealistic. There was no sense of struggle or real challenge in getting there, which made the premise feel flimsy. The game itself seemed like it was supposed to be exciting, but I couldn't get invested in it—or in Adele's backstory. Without a compelling hook to draw me in, I just couldn’t care about the stakes of the game or the danger that was supposed to be lurking.

I’ve only read one other Lisa Unger book, and I gave it two stars. After reading this one, I don’t think I’ll be trying her work again. The writing just didn’t do it for me. It felt shallow, and the characters weren’t fleshed out enough for me to connect with them. I was hoping for something thrilling and gripping, but it didn’t deliver in the way I expected.

That being said, I did want to acknowledge a couple of positives. The narrator was great, and the cover of the book was really pretty, but those were the only things that stood out to me.

Very relevant in today's social media frenzy. Thriller meets realty series. 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 intended social media stunt. Adele, a single mother with a fierce determination to protect her children at all costs. When she begins the game, she unwittingly enters a twisted web of deception and intrigue. This has several POVs and all were easy to follow. This is more of a slow burn thriller and with the secrets and characters, it’ll hold your attention and provide quite the experience If you enjoy realty series this book is geared to you. Thank you to NatGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing

I really enjoyed this book. The mysterious island, a contest, what's not to love. The descriptions and characterization kept me engaged the entire time. The first part is a slow but stick with it. The second half is amazing.

Many thanks for my gifted copy. This review will be shared shortly to my Instagram account.

Oh boy. I really really hated this book. I’m actually shocked that I finished it but I kept thinking there will be a twist that will make it worth it. There wasn’t. The entire thing was so predictable and that was even through all my cringing at the absolutely embarrassing social media stuff, the gaming, the ‘tough biatch’?!!! Ugh. I was cringing, rolling my eyes and making a face the entire time.

This was ok. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. I liked the build up of the separate storylines and the premise in general. The characters were different and interesting. But the way everything played out was anticlimactic. This is one that just may not have been for me. I can see others enjoying this book way more if it’s something they’re in the mood for.

As for the narration, I give it the same rating. At times it was phenomenal, other times it felt robotic.

These are just my overall personal opinions!

After her husband was found to have done illegal activity with money from his business, Adele's life became extremely difficult trying to raise two kids. She decided, with the support of her teens to do an extreme challenge to win a million dollars in order to help offset bills and pay for her teens' college. The influencers running the challenge have their own problems to overcome, and once the challenge starts, everything turns topsy turvy. I loved that some of the twists were not what I thought they would be, and that the direction of the book wasn't predictable. It was fast paced, and the characters all had a lot going on in their lives, including Adele's teens. I liked the messages that this book examined. It discusses strength, family, and what success means. A great thiller!

Ooh, I enjoyed this one from the very start!! The narration was superb!!!!

A big hide and seek competition for a huge amount of money is what we have here, and Adele NEEDS a that money. She needs it to pull her and her children out of the rut her husband left her in.

She makes it into the competition and arrives as a big storm approaches. This event is also a big deal to Maverick, the man behind the curtain. This even could make or break his business. Not only do they have the storm to contend with, but this game quickly proves deadly and Adele just needs to survive.

With a big cast and a wild plot, there is never a dull moment. Lisa Unger knows how to tell a story.