hbusarah 's review for:

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

2.5

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A few months ago, I read my first story by Lisa Unger and I was pleasantly surprised! I think this author has a lot of talent in crafting a twisty story and characters to root for. But unfortunately, I think this book wasn't right for me. I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on because it felt like so many tropes were thrown into this book to make it a more interesting story. It all felt like too much and really brought down my enjoyment of this book. I don't think the writing was bad, but I had read a short story recently and I liked how clear and thought out everything was in that much more than this full length novel. The game aspect of this game also brought down my enjoyment. I think something like that could be well done but in this case, it felt like we were supposed to care about the main character and hope for her to win but it felt like there weren't super high stakes despite the situation that made her sign up for this game in the first place. It all felt kind of out of left field. This didn't make me less interested in this author's books, but I should probably read deeper into the synopsis before I decide to pick something up from her.

In terms of the audiobook, I think this narrator did a good job. I'm not familiar with Vivienne Leheny's narration but it was a pleasant listening experience. I had a hard time keeping track of who's POV we were following sometimes, but that happens to me sometimes so it might just be a me thing.






Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Park Row for providing me with an eBook copy and Harlequin Audio for providing me with an Audiobook copy, both for review on NetGalley.