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3.11 AVERAGE
3.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Lisa Unger’s Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten begins as a pulse-pounding adventure and swiftly morphs into a chilling survival thriller that grips you until the final page. What starts as a daring social media stunt becomes a harrowing descent into chaos, secrets, and survival.
This is one wild ride. Adele, a resilient single mother of two teenagers, is doing her best to rebuild her life after her husband vanishes under the weight of an embezzlement scandal. When her son tells her about a new challenge from the social media giant Extreme—known for its extravagant, high-stakes games—Adele sees a way out of their financial turmoil. The premise? A game of hide-and-seek on a lush, remote island, where a once-luxurious hotel now lies in ruins, and a million-dollar prize awaits the last one standing.
However, things are not as they appear on the surface. Everyone has secrets, and it quickly becomes clear that the Extreme crew and contestants might not be the only ones playing a dangerous game. Cue a tropical storm strong enough to flood the roads and cut off all escape. The game turns deadly, and the island’s eerie past seems to come alive as contestants begin to disappear. What would you do to keep a deadly secret—especially if you knew your life, reputation, or freedom depended on it?
Unger’s strength lies in her characters, and Adele is a standout. Her fierce love for her children, paired with her tenacity and vulnerability, makes her an easy protagonist to root for. Maverick Dillan, the show’s host and thrill-seeker, is magnetic and unsettling—a character who perfectly represents the darker sides of viral fame and manipulation.
While the novel takes its time setting the stage, introducing a wide cast and backstories, it kicks into high gear in the second half. The action ramps up, the storm closes in, and the suspense becomes almost unbearable. Though a few threads—like Adele’s missing husband—remain slightly unresolved, the central storyline is tightly woven and emotionally charged.
The blend of reality TV drama, island horror, and psychological suspense makes Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten a compelling, thought-provoking read. Unger deftly explores themes of desperation, identity, and the performative nature of social media, all while keeping the reader on edge with twists and high-stakes tension.
Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten is a gripping, heart-pounding thriller that explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her children—and the secrets people will kill to keep hidden. With its razor-sharp tension, layered characters, and haunting atmosphere, this is a standout survival story. Perfect for fans of suspense fiction and anyone drawn to the dark allure of reality TV, this one will keep you flipping pages well into the night.
This is one wild ride. Adele, a resilient single mother of two teenagers, is doing her best to rebuild her life after her husband vanishes under the weight of an embezzlement scandal. When her son tells her about a new challenge from the social media giant Extreme—known for its extravagant, high-stakes games—Adele sees a way out of their financial turmoil. The premise? A game of hide-and-seek on a lush, remote island, where a once-luxurious hotel now lies in ruins, and a million-dollar prize awaits the last one standing.
However, things are not as they appear on the surface. Everyone has secrets, and it quickly becomes clear that the Extreme crew and contestants might not be the only ones playing a dangerous game. Cue a tropical storm strong enough to flood the roads and cut off all escape. The game turns deadly, and the island’s eerie past seems to come alive as contestants begin to disappear. What would you do to keep a deadly secret—especially if you knew your life, reputation, or freedom depended on it?
Unger’s strength lies in her characters, and Adele is a standout. Her fierce love for her children, paired with her tenacity and vulnerability, makes her an easy protagonist to root for. Maverick Dillan, the show’s host and thrill-seeker, is magnetic and unsettling—a character who perfectly represents the darker sides of viral fame and manipulation.
While the novel takes its time setting the stage, introducing a wide cast and backstories, it kicks into high gear in the second half. The action ramps up, the storm closes in, and the suspense becomes almost unbearable. Though a few threads—like Adele’s missing husband—remain slightly unresolved, the central storyline is tightly woven and emotionally charged.
The blend of reality TV drama, island horror, and psychological suspense makes Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten a compelling, thought-provoking read. Unger deftly explores themes of desperation, identity, and the performative nature of social media, all while keeping the reader on edge with twists and high-stakes tension.
Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten is a gripping, heart-pounding thriller that explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her children—and the secrets people will kill to keep hidden. With its razor-sharp tension, layered characters, and haunting atmosphere, this is a standout survival story. Perfect for fans of suspense fiction and anyone drawn to the dark allure of reality TV, this one will keep you flipping pages well into the night.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Liked it (rounded up)
Lisa has a way of taking you on a journey you have no idea you're about to go on. You think it's going to be one thing...all signs point to that one thing...then by the time it ends you feel stupid for thinking you were on that journey when clearly everything was leading you here where you hadn't expected to be. This book is no different.
I'm not entirely sure how to word the review, though, because there's a lot going on in my head (just like there was a lot going on in the book). I thought the book was about Adele and her kids/husband, but quickly found out she was not who this book is about. I'm not entirely sure 𝒘𝒉𝒐 this book is actually about to be honest. I did love Adele and her relationship with her kids and just her in general. The ending for her in this book was super satisfying and I loved it. I'm not sure why her husband was even in the book as a tangible character because his storyline seemed to add nothing to the overall plot of the story. Just more noise.
I really loved how seemingly everyone (minus Adele) was an unreliable narrator and I do love an unreliable narrator. In this book I got 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 of them that my heart was happy because I didn't know who to trust and that helped me connect with Adele and kept me on my toes.
Maverick and everyone else on his team (I've already forgotten their names) were, honestly, all terrible people in their own ways (some absolutely more than others as we find out). I think a lot of his team could've been cut down to remove some of the additional noise from the book as it just seemed to muddy the waters and take away from the actual plot since there were so many POVs to keep track of.
I loved how every POV we got was literally different. It wasn't just retelling the same scenes from someone else's POV. It was actual additional insight and new information that fed into the "what's going on?!" vibe of the book since we can't trust any of them. This was probably one of my favorite aspects of the book to be honest. There was no repetition and Unger didn't keep throwing the same information at us over and over.
The disappearance of Chloe mystery that was then happening beneath the surface of everything was a lot of fun at first. I felt like it was a little too drawn out, especially when it became somewhat obvious what was going on with all that.
Vivienne Leheny did a fantastic job with the narration. She managed to keep every character different and distinct. It really helped keep everyone straight in my head.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I don't think I quite 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵, but I really did enjoy it. So, thank you to NetGalley for the ALC.
Lisa has a way of taking you on a journey you have no idea you're about to go on. You think it's going to be one thing...all signs point to that one thing...then by the time it ends you feel stupid for thinking you were on that journey when clearly everything was leading you here where you hadn't expected to be. This book is no different.
I'm not entirely sure how to word the review, though, because there's a lot going on in my head (just like there was a lot going on in the book). I thought the book was about Adele and her kids/husband, but quickly found out she was not who this book is about. I'm not entirely sure 𝒘𝒉𝒐 this book is actually about to be honest. I did love Adele and her relationship with her kids and just her in general. The ending for her in this book was super satisfying and I loved it. I'm not sure why her husband was even in the book as a tangible character because his storyline seemed to add nothing to the overall plot of the story. Just more noise.
I really loved how seemingly everyone (minus Adele) was an unreliable narrator and I do love an unreliable narrator. In this book I got 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 of them that my heart was happy because I didn't know who to trust and that helped me connect with Adele and kept me on my toes.
Maverick and everyone else on his team (I've already forgotten their names) were, honestly, all terrible people in their own ways (some absolutely more than others as we find out). I think a lot of his team could've been cut down to remove some of the additional noise from the book as it just seemed to muddy the waters and take away from the actual plot since there were so many POVs to keep track of.
I loved how every POV we got was literally different. It wasn't just retelling the same scenes from someone else's POV. It was actual additional insight and new information that fed into the "what's going on?!" vibe of the book since we can't trust any of them. This was probably one of my favorite aspects of the book to be honest. There was no repetition and Unger didn't keep throwing the same information at us over and over.
The disappearance of Chloe mystery that was then happening beneath the surface of everything was a lot of fun at first. I felt like it was a little too drawn out, especially when it became somewhat obvious what was going on with all that.
Vivienne Leheny did a fantastic job with the narration. She managed to keep every character different and distinct. It really helped keep everyone straight in my head.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I don't think I quite 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵, but I really did enjoy it. So, thank you to NetGalley for the ALC.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had a hard time getting into the physical book so I listened to the audiobook instead. Overall it was good, it wasn’t mind blowing. I guessed both of the twists way before they were revealed. I thought the plot was interesting which is why I tried the audio version instead. I was surprised that most of the book was more about the secrets and lies then about the actual game itself.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Intriguing concept. Love the strong female lead and the fact that she was older. The writing and background for each character was strong and you definitely become invested in their lives and stories. This was a solid adventure and a thrilling ride to be on. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced