This was a great thriller! I had not read a book by Lisa Unger in the past, but this book did not disappoint! I enjoyed Hannah's character and liked seeing the different dynamics between the couples. I would recommend this to a friend.

1.5 stars

Hannah and her husband get invited by her brother, Mako, to come join him and his wife (and another childhood friend and her new beau) on a weekend getaway. When they arrive at the cabin, all is well and good, but a storm arrives pretty quickly and the gang is trapped. While this storm is raging outside, a few dark secrets come out.

When reading thrillers, I only really care about the writing to an extend, and in this book it was fine, but the most important things for me are: characters, plot, and pacing and set up.

<b>Pacing and set up</b>
This book has multiple POVs and multiple timelines. Which: very confusing at times, by the way. It just felt messy. We follow the POVs of Hannah, Liza, Cricket: the ladies at the cabin. But there was also a POV from a guy called Bracken, who is the owner and renter of the cabin, and a POV from a guy called Henry, of whom we know nothing about.

<spoiler>I get that Bracken was a red herring. But his entire perspective became obsolete pretty early on in the story, which left me wondering why it was there in the first place. And then we have Henry, who is kind of the centre of this entire geneology plot line.</spoiler>

<b>Plot</b>
So, let's talk about that plot, shall we? <spoiler>Henry's mum was murdered when he was very young and he doesn't know who his father is. All he knows is that his mother used a sperm donor in order to have him. So, in his timeline we follow him throughout his life, trying to find out who his father is. He's able to track down a lot of half-siblings along the way. One of them being Kat. Kat turns out to be the antagonist of this story. By the time the couples have settled into this cabin, Kat and Henry have figured out who their dad is. It turns out he's a serial rapist and killer. Kat believes that their bio-father's "bad blood" runs through their veins and turns up at the cabin to eradicate their dad's bloodline. Because it turns out, Mako is one of their half-siblings too, and she thinks he and his closest family and friends deserve to die because he also turns out to be a bad apple and his family and friends have been enabling him.</spoiler>

I also felt like reveals where... revealed too early on in the story <spoiler> one example being: Joshua</spoiler>. And there's just quite a few loose ends here. I also just really didn't like the ending.

But the main thing I just disliked was how the author was trying to allude to the fact that "evil" is hereditary. She does try to turn that around by the end of the book, making it about the choices a person makes themselves instead of "evilness" being in their genes. But I felt like that wasn't really convincing and a little too late.

<b>Characters</b>
The characters only had flaws. And I like a book with unlikeable characters, but because they were very one note, they had no redeaming qualities, there was no relatability whatsoever. So, basically, I couldn't really care less about what happened to these characters.

It was along 288 page book that I found so hard going. The plot was confusing and didn’t make much sense. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and probably the last.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It did take me a little bit to get a handle on all the characters and their relationships, as it’s told from multiple characters points of view, some which don’t tie into each other until the end. It definitely made me rethink ever taking a DNA test to see my ancestry! There was good character development and so much going on all the time, it made my spin at points. Anyone that enjoys psychological thrillers will get a kick out of this book!

I’d like to thank Legend Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six’’ written by Lisa Unger for my honest and unbiased review.

Three couples from the same family take a long weekend break in a remote cabin in the woods. The cabin is luxurious with a chef, hot tub and wonderful views, but it also has an owner who’s watching them closely and a sinister history, and there’s a storm coming!

This a thriller from an author whose books I’ve read previously and thoroughly enjoyed and from the description it sounded my sort of book, so although I wanted to love ‘Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six’ I was disappointed that I didn’t. I thought it slow at times and confusing at others with characters and timespans that I couldn’t quite keep track of. I didn’t find the characters likeable although they were interesting. There was tension, suspense and twists and turns, but some parts defied belief and I found myself longing to reach the end. This is purely my opinion and I’m sorry my comments aren’t more positive but I’m sure I’m in the minority as a lot of readers have enjoyed it. I haven’t been put me off reading more by this author and I look forward to her next one.

Thank you NetGalley and Legend Press for the ARC.

Three couples go on holidays to a fancy and isolated cabin in the woods. The premise sounded very interesting, even if there are many books out there with similar plot I am always drawn to them.

The first part of the book was entertaining but it becomes a mess towards the second part. To many things going on at the same time which it makes it difficult to keep track with no very likeable characters.

The idea was interesting, the execution not so much.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
By Lisa Unger
Review and Rating 3.5 ⭐️

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is the first Lisa Unger book I have read and I went into it with high expectations. It is billed as a locked-room thriller about three couples on a weekend getaway to a remote, luxury cabin in the woods. The cabin includes a private chef, a hot tub, and gorgeous views. The house turns out to have a violent, sad, history, the owner may be watching a little too closely, and a storm is on its way. Not to mention, the guests all seem to have secrets they are hiding from one another. Will the weekend turn out to be the perfect getaway or a perfect nightmare?
The story actually has many POVs including another timeline with a character named Henry who eventually ties in to the main story. It also includes many subplots, so much so that at times it felt a little disjointed. (I thoroughly enjoyed the DNA testing subplot, I find that very interesting.) Ms. Unger somehow managed to tie it all together in the end though and I found myself racing through this one in a weekend. I really liked it and give it 3.5 ⭐️

I want to thank #Netgalley, Legend Press, and Lisa Unger for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.



Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

This was the first Lisa Unger book I’ve read but I’ll be searching her out from now on. Her attention to detail and prose style is beautiful without bogging down the plot. Her characters are believable, flawed and intriguing. I never quite knew what the next chapter was going to bring and I loved being taken along on the ride. A thrilling, pacy and well conceived descent!

A weekend getaway for three couples in a luxury cabin in the woods. The storm coming is only the beginning of the nightmare that awaits them. Will the six of them make it out and will they figure out what the person causing the nightmare really wants? And will those who survive ever be the same....

I was entertained enough, but the plot was confusing and all over the place. There was also a character with an unnecessary amount of time spent on and they didn’t really connect to the overall story.

I love this Author. A little stepped back by this book. This was a very hard read from the start. Slow & long. Not my favorite by far but deff don’t skip it! The end just might surprise you!

I wanted to really love this book because Confessions on the 7:45 had me in shambles trying to race to figure out what was going on. While this book wasn’t for me, I definitely won’t give up on Lisa Unger. I think she’s a great writer, and she knows how to develop the tension-like atmosphere. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, and I didn’t connect with them on any level. I thought the setting was neat, but all of the characters started to get lost for me because there were a lot of them to keep up with. Thanks to NetGalley for this arc!

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is a mystery/thriller that is, unfortunately, bogged down by its ambition.

What works (without delving into spoilers) is the backstory and twists. It relies on an interesting detail that is all too real in this day and age.

What doesn’t always work is the sheer number of ongoing POV’s. This can at times be confusing and I can’t help but always feel bored a certain characters chapters when compared to others.

Overall, this is an okay thriller and an easy read to pass the time. While it is not necessarily something I would be recommending at left, right and center, it has still peaked my interest enough to check out the authors other work.

Thank you Netgalley and to the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for this read. I have been reading this book for a long time to the point I was just trying to read a couple pages a day to get through it. The book started off well but it went down hill quite fast for me. I even had to start suspending my belief way too much to even try to enjoy reading it. I finished it and it was not terrible to it was not very good. Just way too much going on in this book and it made it hard to like..to me.

Three couples head out on a weekend getaway at a luxury cabin in the woods. But as a storm blows in, the power goes out, and the personal chef discloses that the cabin has a terrifying history. Soon, no one is who they seem and the 6 friends wonder who will make it out alive.

This was a good one! The characters are well drawn and complicated. The setting is perfect for the story and everyone has their part to play. Definitely keeps you reading throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available now.

Y’all I had such high hopes for the latest Lisa Unger novel. Locked room thrillers are one of my favorite tropes. Unfortunately for me The Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six fell all kinds of flat for me. I absolutely couldn’t stand any of the characters and wasn’t invested in them whatsoever. There was also too many povs that made it a little overwhelming. This felt like a really slow burn that I almost didn’t finish. I kept hoping it would turn around. I’ve read a few Lisa Unger books and enjoyed them but this one wasn’t it for me. Thanks to Netgalley for an arc to read for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book!

This was messy with unlikable characters (which isn't always a bad thing). However, the concept isn't anything new and I found the pacing lacking. The DNA results element was an interesting twist, which I liked!

4.5 stars!

In her latest novel, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, skilled storyteller Lisa Unger takes the notion of “family”, dissects it, peers at all the angles of the concept, warm or dark, and treats the reader with a terrific tale of suspense from start to finish!
Told primarily in two timelines and multiple POVs, the story begins with a traditional family gathering at Christmas, hosted by parents Leo and Sophia, and attended by their grown children, Mako and Hannah, as well as their spouses. The evening is complicated by the mysterious, anonymous gifts of DNA kits for each adult.
Six months later, super-wealthy Mako and his wife Liza arrange a couples’ getaway for Hannah and Bruce, and longtime family friend Cricket and her new boyfriend. They meet in a luxurious, guest house deep in the woods, where they are promptly trapped by a fierce snowstorm and isolated by the lack of cell and wi-fi service, aka a perfect Locked Room scenario. I love this plot device, and the author skillfully ramps up the suspense with couples’ drama, stalkers, a voyeuristic landlord, and an alternate timeline involving another family 20 years prior.
All the threads of the characters’ motivations and tense drama come together masterfully in an edge-of-your-seat conclusion!
I highly recommend this to admirers of Lisa Unger’s writing, and to readers who like psychological thrillers with intricately woven, complex plot lines. This is quintessential Lisa Unger suspense!!

Thank you to Park Row Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

An okay thriller. Had a little bit of unnecessary parts in it. Also missed the mark a few times and could've had some jaw droppers. Felt like a typical 2000's horror movie at first. Pretty predictable and had no twists (imo)
Thank you NetGalley for the arc. Not all can be 5 stars (44

4.5 stars

Woooooooooow this book was definitely not what I expected! So many twists and turns that kept me guessing....

However, I feel like some of the twists were a little predictable, but the identity of characters is what really threw me! The book is told from many different perspectives and from many different times. I think it was the author's way of keeping us confused so we wouldn't put the whole picture together until the very end....

IT WORKED!

I have read another book from this author before and the social commentary of the author is that technology, although very convenient and can open a lot of doors, is also a recipe for disaster and this book is no exception. She dives deep into the debate of DNA testing and uses it towards our villain the situation of the plot. It was a very interesting take on this debate and it has really added to my thoughts regarding this issue.

The plot also dives into the ancient struggle against nature vs. nurture in an interesting way and I also found that extremely fascinating. The characters are interesting, but had so many secrets they were keeping from one another that it was hard to rely completely on their point of view so the plot was a true puzzle and wasn't revealed until the very end.

Overall, this was a VERY interesting read, but not as thrilling as I would have liked..... I wanted more murder with a title like that one...