Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, by Lisa Unger, was a slow start for me. Once I got the characters straight in my mind (can you say note cards?), the pace picked up and this mystery had me hooked. Though I almost gave up on this one, I am glad I finished it. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Review Date: January 26, 2023
Publication Date: February 28, 2023

I am sorry to say but I had to DNF this one at 30%. I really wanted to love this book considering the setting, family drama, secrets but there are just way too many characters and POVs. Once Trina was introduced, I was done! Not for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Legend Press and the author for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is a fast-paced mystery about family and what it means to be related to someone. I loved the creepy cabin setting and the way the story flashed from past to present and between different characters. It kept my interest from the beginning and had me guessing until the end. This was mr first book by Lisa Unger and I would definitely read her again. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This was my first Lisa Unger read, although I have one of her others on my physical book shelf! Her newest thriller Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six was such a fantastic introduction to her writing. From the prologue, the reader is gripped with a mystery and the tone is set. Perhaps what I loved most about this thriller in articular was the multiple perspectives by the larger cast of characters. We met three couples and got to be in their shoes several different times. In addition to this, there were two timelines. Both of these factors really built a great suspenseful mystery. To me, a successful thriller allows the reader to become the detective. I personally enjoy having lot's of characters, different timelines, two mysteries that you know are going to come together. I want to theorize and turn those pages. Lisa Unger created a story that was impossible to put down. Her characters were well developed which must have taken a lot of devotion considering there were 6+ of them. Each character also had an intimate relationship with one another which was so unique. We got to experience so many forms of human behaviours and relationships. The setting was atmospheric with the secluded cabin in the woods and that isolated, spooky feeling. She used the weather as an element to the plot which helped to drive it further. A lot of times with thrillers, the ending can make or break the story. I was completely satisfied with how everything was tied up and the pace of that build up. I can't wait to read more by Lisa Unger.

An enjoyable read with great promise. I felt the POVs were too many and not fleshed out enough, introduced and went nowhere. The DNA aspect was really interesting and could've been explored further, as well as the host.
Overall an OK read and good for people who enjoy dark atmospheric thrillers.
Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah and her husband Bruce have been invited by her brother Mako and his wife Lisa to join them for a weekend getaway in an isolated but luxurious cabin in the woods in Georgia. Hannah’s best friend and ex-girlfriend Cricket has been invited to join them along with her new boyfriend Joshua.

Hannah is uncomfortable leaving her baby Gigi for the first time, even though she’s being looked after by Bruce’s mum who Gigi adores, and she’s also worried about the big storm approaching the coast. However, she’s also been concerned about Bruce lately, as he’s been working too hard and has been distracted, obviously keeping something from her, so she’s hoping a weekend away will help bring them closer again. He’s not the only one keeping secrets on this trip which, as we have already guessed from the set up (isolated cabin in the woods, poor phone and wifi coverage, huge storm on its way), is about to go spectacularly wrong.

Although slow to wind up, there is plenty of suspense to be had in this busy thriller. There is a lot going on besides the weekend in the cabin. None of the characters are being honest with each other and some are hoarding big secrets that are just about to become danger for themselves and others. In addition to the three couples staying at the cabin, there is the shady owner, someone watching the cabin, a ghostly figure and DNA testing that has revealed more than people wanted to know. It’s all slightly over the top, but makes for a compulsive weekend or vacation read – though perhaps not in a remote cabin in the woods.

4/5 Stars

What could be more restful, more restorative than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef…

This story was a bit of a slow slog to start - there are a lot of characters to meet, however, it’s written in a way that allows the reader to understand how these characters all interact with one another.

From the start of the narrative, it’s easy to see that there’s a lot happening “under the surface”. The multiple narrator aspect allows you to see the relationships between the characters from different perspectives; it’s clear that there are bubbling tensions before the group goes on their weekend retreat. There’s also a historical timeline interspersed with the “current” story, which adds another level of complexity.

Many of the prominent characters in this story are also unlikeable. There’s nothing specific that you could cite, there’s just a low-level of discomfort when you read about them. And as the story progresses, this starts to make perfect sense.

Unfortunately, this is one of those fabulously complex stories that you cannot talk clearly about without giving away something significant to the plot. If you are a fan of thrillers, I cannot recommend this book more.

I enjoyed this! Good suspense but felt there was a lot of stories going on at once, in particular one regarding the host that doesn’t really ever come to anything? A good read overall and enjoyed the “origins” side of it!

This book was pretty good! I think it could have been great if there weren’t so many POVs. Got to be a little much. Overall a good spooky read though.

Thank you to Netgalley and PRHAudio for the ARC and ALC!

This was pretty good. I love a wintery cabin mixed with a spooky story. These characters have so much drama within their friend group and families.

I struggled a little with the back and forth between time periods, but overall this is a pretty solid thriller.

I thought this book had a very promising premise. 3 couples on a weekend retreat at a remote cabin. (And by cabin, I mean a luxury cabin with a hot tub, a chef, and a server.) Hannah’s brother, Mako, who owns a successful tech company, sets up the relaxing getaway as a birthday gift to Hannah. But soon, it becomes apparent that this weekend will be anything but relaxing between the impending storm and sordid pasts of the characters coming back to haunt them.

The book was a little confusing to me. There were several different character perspectives as you read, along with some shifts in the timeline. It was difficult to see how some of the characters played into the plot at all for sure, until the conclusion.

I had a hard time liking and connecting with a lot of the characters. They were so selfish and certainly had some odd relationships. Some parts and characters of the story seemed unnecessary and unrelated to the plot. Maybe these were intended to be red herrings, but they just felt out of place. The antagonist’s storyline was pretty far fetched to me, which made the conclusion less exciting and believable. I think it was just overly complex in the telling, but really not a lot even actually happened at the cabin. The climax was just a little too out there.

Was it entertaining? Yes. After a slower start, I definitely sped up my reading as the plot got more interesting to try to figure it out. However, the conclusion was very melodramatic and fell flat to me. If you like some odd plot twists and don’t mind the occasional departure from reality, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for providing me with an ARC to read and review.

This book had so much promise, the atmosphere was perfect but the amount POVs became too much. I really wanted to enjoy this book but unfortunately it was a let down.

What a FAB book by Lisa Unger! It's her latest, and I would say, her greatest so far. She builds up a mysterious cast of characters gathered together in an AirBNB-type setup, a "secluded cabin" that sleeps six. Lots of small mysteries are buried within each character's history, which is slowly revealed leading up to the first 1/3-1/2. The twists keep coming. I loved this book and can't wait for her next!

I really enjoyed this edge-of-your-seat thriller that leaves you wondering for the whole time who's evil. Basically this book is comparable to a bag of chips: once you open it, you cannot put it down, every chapter is a chip and you just want one more, then another one.

The plot is nicely built, the chapters tell different POV and there are two timelines but the book is easy and pleasant to read (at first I thought that would be confusing but it turns out it's one of the elements that kept me glued to my Kindle screen). The surprises kept coming and the atmosphere - the woods, the secluded cabin, the bad weather, the ghost story, red herrings here and there, the creepy and mysterious characters that you really don't know if they're going to play a part in the story - gently lead you through the chapters making you feel tense and clueless like the protagonists, well with an advantage because you can read the POV of the evil one(s) too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for allowing me to read Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger!

Another highly anticipated "locked room" thriller by the fabulous Lisa Unger! Three couples in a luxury cabin in the woods for a fun and relaxing weekend sounds like just the thing new Mom, Hannah needs. A close knit group, her brother and wife, Best friend with her new boyfriend(who may be "the one"), these are the people she can really unwind, let loose and feel like herself again. with. She is reluctant to leave her young daughter for the first time, but Hannah and her husband need this to unwind and reconnect. Her brother, wealthy, successful, has generously rented this luxury cabin for them all and it sounds like a dream. A dream that will very quickly turn into a nightmare. Add in a tropical storm, ultra dark secrets and lies, past and present timelines, and we have ourselves a twisty unnerving thriller. How well do we ever really know each other and how far we will go to protect our loved ones? These three couples are about to find out and hopefully they all make it out alive.

I had seriously high hopes for this book...but sadly have to say that I just didn't enjoy it.
To me, the blurb for the book is misleading. Yes, the three couples do go to a cabin BUT the whole book revolves around something that is revealed in chapter one and not even vaguely mentioned in the blurb.
There are a LOT of characters (way more than the 6 at the cabin) and a lot of different points of view. To the point of it being chaotic and messy. And tbh, there was at least one point of view I thought entirely unnecessary.
The "spine-tingling history" of the cabin fell short. The story line for the owner of the cabin fell short.
I found myself just wanting to be done with the book rather than enjoying it.
I'm sure there are other readers who will love this book (and I certainly hope so!) but I was let down.
The story had potential. I still feel like it didn't need as many players and I'd like to have seen things come together a little better.
I give it two ⭐ - those are mostly due to the fact that Lisa Unger does great with descriptions and the writing itself was good.

Every book isn't for every person so I'd like to reiterate that this is just my personal opinion and some of you may LOVE this one!! 😊
Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

I was really impressed with Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six! It had everything a thriller needs…a secluded cabin, numerous bad people, having to decide which person is the killer out of numerous individuals.

There were many twists and turns to this book. The story is told from numerous people, but there are two separate timelines going on until you reach the end. This book reminded me of the Netflix documentary, The Father. It’s definitely not the same thing but it does feel a bit of similarity to it.

Overall I liked the characters and the storyline. This is my first Lisa Unger book, and I will definitely be reading more from her!

***Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

Thank you to NetGalley, Legend Press, and Lisa Unger for an e-arc of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six in exchange for an honest review.

It was pretty clear to me from the start what direction this was going to go, and for the most part I wasn’t wrong. Most of the characters were annoying and lacked depth, and things that I thought were going to be important were superfluous.

Despite all of that, this was still an entertaining read, purely in the way that I love watching messy, family dramas.

I loved the premise of this story, and the eerie setting. A cabin in the woods, a small group of family and friends, an oncoming storm, and a ghost story.

I did tend to back off and get listless with the multiple storylines, a few which I still don’t see as necessary.

Overall, the ending gives us a good lesson for life, and all the feel-good emotions.

Thank you NetGalley and Legand Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What could go wrong.. renting a cabin in the woods? A fun weekend with friends is about to turn into a deadly nightmare..

Okay, this book was every fear I've ever had about rentals encompassed into one. I enjoyed it, but I had a really hard time following all the different perspectives.

My favorite thing about this book was how well Lisa Unger described the location. I'm not surprised by this because she is fantastic at that, but this book just didn't hit how I wanted it to. It may on a reread knowing all the characters. Thank you, netgalley, for a copy of this ARC.