{"id":31780,"date":"2025-03-25T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=31780"},"modified":"2025-03-24T23:07:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T03:07:03","slug":"review-close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-by-lisa-unger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/25\/review-close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-by-lisa-unger\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \ud83d\udd0d Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-31780\" data-postid=\"31780\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-31780 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_iohu568 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_g5q9568 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_np30568 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"967\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=640%2C967&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-31765\" title=\"close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger\" alt=\"close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?w=993&amp;ssl=1 993w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=199%2C300&amp;ssl=1 199w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=678%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 678w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=768%2C1160&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=400%2C604&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_gkcz568 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_6s2b568 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_wsei568  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25881 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png?resize=296%2C72\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Feb 25, 2025<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Park Row<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $12.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Adele Crane&#8217;s<\/strong> life is a shadow of what it used to be. She and her teenage kids are dealing with the aftermath of her husband&#8217;s embezzlement of money and disappearance. Her son, Blake, is being bullied and they are buried in debt. Then Blake tells his mom about a chance to win a million dollars in an extreme hide-and-seek game on an isolated Portuguese island for a reality TV competition.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">Adele is accepted but is puzzled when she starts getting text messages warning her to stay away from the game. She can\u2019t give up on the chance at the prize, so she soon finds herself thousands of miles away from her children in a dangerous situation. There is infighting amongst the show hosts and crew members, and a major storm is on the way.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">The story is told from multiple points of view, which works fine for the most part.\u00a0 However, there are also abrupt shifts in the timeline, which are sometimes confusing. The game eventually takes a back seat to real-life survival, which is very suspenseful. Some of the drama going on with Adele&#8217;s kids isn&#8217;t as interesting. This is where the multiple points of view take away from the main plot. While some of the background information on Blake and Violet is important to the story, the amount of details that are included slows the pace of the book.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">Back on the island, I enjoyed getting to know Adele, the other contestants, and the Extreme Crew. The book kept my interest, and I like the way things are wrapped up at the end.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_zxd5568 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4c5Rmda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4kU48zn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger\/1145462795?ean=9780369722423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Lisa_Unger_Close_Your_Eyes_and_Count_to_10?id=DGcDEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,106,569,48],"tags":[152,367,396,404,405,481,482],"class_list":["post-31780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christine","category-harpercollins","category-park-row-harpercollins","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-mystery","tag-psychological-thriller","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads","tag-thriller","tag-thrillersuspense"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \ud83d\udd0d Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/25\/review-close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-by-lisa-unger\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \ud83d\udd0d Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Charismatic daredevil and extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan invites you to the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. 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Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d","name":"beverley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"beverley"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/author\/beverley\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?fit=993%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"builder_content":"<img src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg\" title=\"close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger\" alt=\"close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?w=993&amp;ssl=1 993w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=199%2C300&amp;ssl=1 199w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=678%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 678w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=768%2C1160&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger.jpg?resize=400%2C604&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 993px) 100vw, 993px\" \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">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.<br \/><br \/>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.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Feb 25, 2025<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Park Row<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $12.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Adele Crane's<\/strong> life is a shadow of what it used to be. She and her teenage kids are dealing with the aftermath of her husband's embezzlement of money and disappearance. Her son, Blake, is being bullied and they are buried in debt. Then Blake tells his mom about a chance to win a million dollars in an extreme hide-and-seek game on an isolated Portuguese island for a reality TV competition.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">Adele is accepted but is puzzled when she starts getting text messages warning her to stay away from the game. She can\u2019t give up on the chance at the prize, so she soon finds herself thousands of miles away from her children in a dangerous situation. There is infighting amongst the show hosts and crew members, and a major storm is on the way.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">The story is told from multiple points of view, which works fine for the most part.\u00a0 However, there are also abrupt shifts in the timeline, which are sometimes confusing. The game eventually takes a back seat to real-life survival, which is very suspenseful. Some of the drama going on with Adele's kids isn't as interesting. This is where the multiple points of view take away from the main plot. While some of the background information on Blake and Violet is important to the story, the amount of details that are included slows the pace of the book.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\">Back on the island, I enjoyed getting to know Adele, the other contestants, and the Extreme Crew. The book kept my interest, and I like the way things are wrapped up at the end.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4c5Rmda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4kU48zn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10-lisa-unger\/1145462795?ean=9780369722423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/close-your-eyes-and-count-to-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Lisa_Unger_Close_Your_Eyes_and_Count_to_10?id=DGcDEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31780"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31785,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31780\/revisions\/31785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}