This was just ok for me. I really enjoyed the story but once we started getting more information the twist at the end felt a bit meh as I saw most of it coming.

I enjoyed the whole aspect of DNA testing and the community around it as I have never read a thriller that follows this plot line.

The vibes were fun, an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere during a storm (thankfully not a snow storm as this is done a lot in books).

We follow 6 different POVs, where 2 of them are characters we aren’t familiar with and have to piece together how they fit into the story and how they are related (no pun intended). Normally in books it is hard to follow so many point of views from a number of different characters but the writing style made it extremely easy for me to follow. I feel like Bracken’s POV didn’t really bring a lot to the story apart from the creepy host vibes and would have much preferred to follow Mako’s character however, I think doing this would have given too much of the story and reveals away! I would have loved more character development but unfortunately I felt we didn’t really get this due to following so many characters POV.

It wrapped up nicely in the end but the ‘twist/reveal’ could be seen coming. Excited to read more from Unger.

I have read other books by Unger and liked them all. Unfortunately this one didn't work for me.

I loved the idea of the book. Three couples rent a secluded cabin for a getaway. Right up my alley.

I normally like dual timelines and multiple points of view, but this one was just too much. Too many characters to keep track of. Too many unneeded points of view. Some characters could have been eliminated completely and it wouldn't have mattered to the story line.

This one was just too much in general.

I will look for more books by this author since I have enjoyed them in the past. Disappointed in this one.

Thanks to netgalley and Legend Press for the arc.

I am a big fan of LIsa Unger but have to be honest that this one fell a bit short for me. The characters were not likeable and the storyline was all over the place. The chaos did not feel like an Unger book at all. The mystery didn't leave me feeling contented. Overall disappointed , and I'm pretty easy to please.

Thank you to Legend Press and NetGalley for an arc copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this ! Had me on the edge of my seat the whole time . DNA, lies , secrets you name it . It’s all in this novel. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc. Definitely 4 stars

This is a solid suspense thriller, filled with atmospheric twists, engaging plot development, and effective pacing. I really had fun reading this in a few days.

The main limitation to my rating is that despite the fun and promise of the plot, I got a little lost in the details of multiple characters and flashbacks. For me this slowed/muddied the pacing a bit and made it harder to fully appreciate the story. Other readers probably won't mind this, particularly fans of this author (I am new to Unger but if this is a standard plot for her fans ,enjoy!!!).

3.5 stars rounded because I think the author did achieve the goals of the story, just with less effectiveness than was perhaps expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
2.5 stars
All highly unlikeable characters except for Henry and Piper, and we didn't get enough of them. I didn't care what happened to the rest of them, and if it was something bad, they kinda deserved it. A plot that's figured out fairly early, and not at all suspenseful which was disappointing. In fact, a lot of it was ridiculous. I kept waiting for it to get better. There was a whole plot line that was completely wasted/missing regarding the host/property owner, whom I would have loved to learn more about.

This was good and a typical Unger book - enjoyable with just enough intrigue and mystery to keep you engaged.

I do think there were too many flashbacks with characters changing their names for me to be fully on the same page, but all in all this was enjoyable!

How far would you go for your family? How ell do you know your family? What secrets lie within your family? All of these questions and more will keep you pushing forward in this thriller! Although the skipping back and forth in time was a bit confusing at first for me, the author does a good job of bringing it all together. It has some good twists and turns. Some I did see coming. Others I did not. But the book did keep me interested until the end. A 4 star read for me.

Lisa Unger has done it again with a twisty tale that keeps you guessing. This on however also comes with a big tale of family, and relationships. Weave in a dose of tech and genealogy! I really enjoyed this one and while she drops some clues, you likely won't have the whole story until the last few pages. Read it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly this won't be a positive review, as there really weren't any redeemable qualities about this book for me.

The book was a convoluted, yet somehow still predictable, mess without anything to really keep me engaged. There are so many different point of views, and with some characters changing their names, multiple flashback scenes at different points in time, on top of each character being described in very similar ways and working in the same field it just became hard to keep track of what was going on. Like I understand that the 2 main characters are friends because they work together, but almost every other male characters also worked in the IT field in some capacity, and was described as tall, handsome and muscled.

I was really anticipating this book. 6 people in a haunted cabin, which was neither a cabin nor really haunted, sounded fantastic. But it really feels like the author dropped the ball on every front.

Six Friends, spend the weekend at a luxury and secluded cabin. What starts out as a relaxing break from the stresses of life turns into a nightmare.
what I loved
- the premise of what could have been a great mystery and thrilling tale
- a couple of likeable characters and of course some very nasty unlikeable characters
- dual timelines

what I did not love
- introducing so many characters, which was very confusing and in some instances (Bracken) not entirely necessary
- too many subplots

Summary
A slow burn, and while it was interesting I lost focus halfway through the story. I would have preferred focusing on the DNA storyline and the main half-siblings (Henry, Mako, Cat) than the stories of Cricket, Hannah, Bruce and Liza.

PHEW. Love the plot / premise but this fell flat for me. So many characters! And yet unlikeable. I think if things were consolidated down it would have been an easier, more enjoyable read.

This was my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it. I love the secluded cabin in the woods type books. This one was good but has so many characters I was confused. It kept me entertained, and for that, I give it 3.5 stars.


Thanks for Netgalley and the published for an ARC of this book.

This ended up being a DNF for me. I've never read a Lisa Unger book before and I started seeing this everywhere so I thought I would be a fan. I got halfway, and I just couldn't continue. I found that the details we were being told were largely irrelevant. I found the descriptions of the women kind of offensive. I don't like books where the dots are put so close together I don't even have to think, and this had that. I also did not find the story particularly engrossing or realistic. This really was a significant miss for me.

Three couples decide to take a trip to a secluded cabin in the woods as a way to unwind and unplug. However, as the trip goes on, secrets emerge that could hinder every single relationship in the house.

In the beginning, I was extremely intrigued. Who sent the DNA tests to everyone on Christmas? Unfortunately, I had a hard time picking it back up to continue reading. The characters became annoying and the story felt super slow at times. I had a hard time believing anything that happened to be honest. I did like the premise of the story that couples go to a cabin for a getaway and secrets are told, but I think there was almost too much going on.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a little too much going on, making it very hard to take seriously, although I did keep reading until the end so it at least kept my interest. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Ok, so I thought this book was excellent. I did feel like some of the minor characters had storylines which could have been cut because they didn't go anywhere (like the cabin owner), but overall this is a fast paced book, which all came together satisfyingly at the end.

Thank you to Legend Press for this ARC on Netgalley!

I was very excited to receive this ARC as I’ve heard great things about it and had been planning to buy it myself. I enjoyed the several POV’s during the book and the setting. I love a horror where they are in a more secluded setting, it makes it that much more tense and creepy knowing that no one is around.

I found that most of the characters weren’t very likeable, but despite the flawed characters it did not make it any less enjoyable to read!

I gave this book a 4⭐️ rating and I would recommend it to anyone who loves their secluded cabin horrors and thrillers!

2.5 ⭐️ Strong premise, failed execution.

This premise sounds so cool (family/friends trip to a secluded cabin). Now here’s where we went wrong: the genealogy aspect had the potential to be so cool - note I said potential. It flopped spectacularly 😕 I found myself confused more than engaged.

The POVs were overwhelming and never came together in an aha moment. I found myself rereading to understand (thinking maybe I missed something - spoiler alert: I didn’t).

The pacing was way off and just dragged.

Idk I loved other books by lisa unger so I’m definitely disappointed this one didn’t work for me.

Three couples are going to have a getaway of a lifetime! Secluded cabin sleeps six that offers all the luxury and extravagance while the guests unplug from all the stress and relax with nature. Little did they know that this weekend getaway will not only unplug them from the world but will securely lock them in a hive of danger and fright.

It was a very fast paced thriller. There were two storylines being followed, one for the story of six adults -Siblings Mako (like the shark) and Hannah, Mako’s wife Liza, Hannah’s husband Bruce, Hannah’s bff Cricket (like the bug, what a name!) with her new and mysterious boyfriend Joshua, who were renting a cabin for the weekend and one is for a guy named Henry who was orphaned by the sudden death of her mother and discovered that he literally was holding an identity of a dead person from long time ago.

The story was all over the place, lots of characters, lots of voices and all have different points of view. The thrill and fear factor was there, literally. I have to admit that for a thriller, this was pretty decent. Its an easy read and will keep you hanging until all the plot will come together in the end. It did have lots of drama and secrets and psychotic issues that will surely keep the readers come digging for more. Mail-in DNA testing kits play a major role in this plot and that made me think twice of how secure and willing are we to get exposed like that for all the world to know. Was there some truths that deserved to be kept a secret forever or how necessary was it for us to find out the origins of our being? This book is worth my time spent for a good thriller!

Special thanks to Parkrow Books via Netgalley for the complimentary ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.