Close your Eyes and Count to 10
Lisa Unger
I have an interesting relationship with Lisa Unger books. There have been times I have loved them and there have been other times. CLOSE YOUR EYES is one of the latter. I feel like her most of her writing happens in the dark and I have appreciated it more when she steps into the light.
CLOSE YOUR EYES is about a mother, left to fend for herself and her family by her husband. She has made it through some of the tougher times alone. She is an influencer with more debt than support. More debits than credits.
One day her son tells her about a reality game based on the childhood game of hide and seek. The prize for winning it all is more money than she’ll ever see in her lifetime. He thinks she can win it all. She realizes she does too.
What she doesn’t know is that the game is set up with the odds stacked against the players. And to win, she’ll have to find the parts of herself long hidden, and lose the part of herself she has long held onto.
Books based on games don’t always work for me. And when this book was put together in the blender parts of it stayed separated like oil and water. It felt clunky and rocky, not smooth and it didn’t allow for an entertaining and enjoyable reading experience. It felt like work, and far more than it was worth.
I’m sorry this one didn’t quite work for me. I will continue to read Unger’s book and I’m hoping for a better connection next time!
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for the advanced copy!
CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10…⭐️⭐️⭐️
YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED
Ande Pliego
A group of thriller authors are invited to a writers retreat by someone known as J.R Alastor. Every author has their own theory of who Alostor is and why they were each invited.
One of them in particular has motives of their own and before the sun sets one of the invitees ends up dead.
Who is the murderer and who is responsible? It may not be the same person and it is certainly is not who you think.
This is my first experience with Pliego and I would happily revisit. It wasn’t a perfect book for me but there was enough there that I believe revisiting their backlist would be beneficial.
For the most part I enjoyed my reading experience. However, I felt like things were being explained to me and that was a big turnoff. It was as if the writing without the over explanation wouldn’t make sense.
There were a lot of bookish references and movie tie ins that made it interesting to me.
I believe if the author had left a little unsaid it would’ve shortened the material to a more succinct length and it would’ve been a more enjoyable read.
Ultimately, I found the dinner party mysteries to be a lot of fun. And trying to guess at who the bad guy was, was even more so.
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine | Bantam for the advanced copy!
YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED…⭐️⭐️⭐️
LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER
Neena Viel
Viel is my new favorite author, talk me out of it!
What parts of us step out when we step into the role of someone else and where do all of those fractured versions of our selves go?
I can’t be me and you at the same time. And I will win every time.
Calla is tired. And you would be too. She is now guardian to her younger brother after being persuaded to by her older brother. It was the best and only thing she could do at the time. But her brother is causing trouble and has made it harder on her than he should.
And she has her own life to handle, which unfortunately has taken a backseat with her brother at the wheel.
Now her brother is in trouble and they have to flee the city. Try as she must Calla just can’t seem to meet every one of her needs with her one and only self.
And all those other selves end up being absolute nightmares.
I loved every part of this bumpy ride. It was not only entertaining from start to finish but there was a HUGE nugget of commentary right in the middle. You can read it at either level or take them both on as I did. Either way it is an ensured good time.
I gave it five stars. I recommend it to readers who like to talk about the reality of our nightmares. Who like to know more about why we do the things we do even though we know it’s bad. And all of the things we do in the name of good that end up doing us harm.
What a great debut!
Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copies!
LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
