Description:

An extreme game of hide-and-seek turns deadly in this riveting new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger

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

Charismatic 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 social media stunt it was intended to be.

Enter 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. Can she maneuver through the treacherous storm and the relentless competition and get home to her family? In a ruthless battle for survival where the stakes are higher than ever, the blurry line between the virtual and the real proves that the only person we can trust is ourselves.

Adele’s Review:

4.5 Rounded up to 5 Stars

When the opportunity to review Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 arrived, I could hardly wait to start the book. For thirteen years, this reviewer has followed the author’s career and devoured each one of her novels, novellas, and short stories.

The central characters in her latest novel are fully developed, enabling the reader to relate to their roles in an extreme hide and seek competition on an obscure island. The contest is bound to be a disaster, of course, since the book is a thriller. Adele, the protagonist (love her name, lol), and the antagonist, Maverick (love his name, too), an influencer who promotes extreme events, have clear reasons for participating.

Adele needs to win the million-dollar prize to help her family. Mav needs to save his gaming company from bankruptcy and feed his insatiable need for attention. His drive for social media follows, views, likes, and sponsorships has driven him to the brink of insanity. The compulsive need of influencers like him to grow their audience is at the heart of Mav’s story. His unquenchable desire for attention mirrors what we see every day on social media.

Challenges to extreme hide and seek become more deadly and complex as unforeseen problems enter the mix. Fans of reality TV shows like Survivor and Deal or No Deal Island will enjoy the storyline but will soon learn that Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 hosts a far deadlier game than those we see on television.

Unger’s book is deeply layered with multiple plotlines and points of view. I would have preferred fewer shifts from one character to the next but otherwise enjoyed the story construction. One thing I absolutely loved, which added immensely to my reading enjoyment, is the close relationship between Adele and her teenage daughter, Violet. I found it refreshing to follow a girl who supports her mother wholeheartedly and champions her in everyday life. This reviewer has seen too many teenage girls portrayed in books and movies as difficult, unlikable, and entitled. Violet is a fully formed character with a healthy self-esteem who loves her family and stands apart from the caricatures we too often see in fiction.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Close Your Eyes and Count to 10. Recommended.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6854097334

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D17R4GK1/