Book: Close Your Eyes and Count to 10

Author: Lisa Unger

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Audio, for an advanced audio copy.

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Lisa Unger is an author that I have heard so many good things about. She is an author that has been on my short list of authors I need to check out ASAP. Unfortunately, my first book by Unger left me underwhelmed. 

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 follows multiple characters through a social media live stream competition to win a million dollars in what is essentially a game of hide and seek on a remote island. A storm rolls in and makes for a dangerous scenario. 

The influencer host, Maverick Dillon, has a lot of secrets around him and his crew, including a girl who was never found during the last game. The mystery here was engaging. Some chapters were excerpts from a true crime podcast about this missing girl. This was the star of the book for me. 

When it came to the rest of the plot, there were a lot of characters that we followed and we got chapters from their POV, which made it a little confusing at times. I also didn’t find many of these characters interesting, and that included single mom Adele, who is the lead character. 

By the time the conclusion came around, I found myself slightly confused and bored. A book that had so much mystery just failed to hold my engagement. Since I have heard so many wonderful things about Unger, I will definitely be checking out another book by her. I hope this is just a one-off miss for me. 

Final score: 2/5