I received this book through NetGalley. I enjoyed reading this book. It was a little slow in the beginning but half way though it starts to pick up. It’s about six people, friends and family, who go away to a secluded cabin for a much needed relaxing getaway. Things are great until a storm comes and things go awry. I can say after reading this book I don’t ever want to go to a secluded cabin!

Really great mystery thriller. I love Lisa Unger's books and have read quite a few over the years. I absolutely did not see the twists coming. She does an amazing job of setting a creepy scene from the beginning and throws in red herrings to keep you guessing. For those readers that like CoHo, check out Lisa Unger's work. You won't be disappointed!!

I always enjoy reading a Lisa Unger novel and this one did not let me down!

Well written, gripping and tense, very enjoyable and perfect for a cold night read

Thank you to Harper Collins, Park Row, and NetGalley for my gifted advance digital copy!

Hannah’s brother Mako has rented a secluded cabin in the remote woodland of Georgia and invites Hannah and her husband Bruce, along with their childhood friend Cricket and her new beau, to join him and his wife for a chance to unplug and unwind. Mako’s not known for his modesty, and the house he rents is anything but cozy. It’s also completely secluded, comes with a creepy caretaker, and has little to no cell service.

I flew through this newest offering from Lisa Unger! The story is told from multiple POVs, and a little bit of information is revealed each chapter, which kept me reading and trying to puzzle everything out til the very end. I’ve seen this described as a locked room mystery, and I’m not sure I agree with that characterization, as it is fairly obvious who is behind all of the misdeeds at Elegance Overlook (and it is revealed fairly early on). What’s moreso interesting about this is that it explores the dynamic among Mako and his family/friends, and you don’t have the measure of everyone til the end.

One small thing that irked me (and it is a seriously small thing) is the repetition of certain words at certain points in the text. ‘Fecund’ and ‘assignations’ in particular really stood out to me. Again, a small thing that by no means affected my reading experience.

If you enjoyed FRIENDS LIKE THESE or IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE, I recommend this one! To be honest, I liked it much more than those aforementioned titles.

It was supposed to be an idyllic luxurious retreat in the woods to give the three couples a break from their lives and get them relaxed for a bit. But this retreat falls apart in multiple ways possible. It’s the usual issue with all the thrillers with a secluded cabin in the woods, when they realize it is creepy and has negative vibes, why would they just not run away from it? In this case, Hannah and Bruce seemed the most normal couple and Cricket and Joshua were completely bonkers as a couple. Mako and Lisa constantly had some undercurrents that indicated sinister and possibly scandalous secrets. A few other additional characters that I did not care for quite some time until I realized how they might possibly be connected to the cabin couples. It kept me engaged and it had quite a few interesting twists but somehow twists regarding the key plot were not that shocking though the plot theme was interesting and refreshing, on the whole, fertility concepts felt used way too much. Some of the twists gave away the plot right at the beginning but I felt it was right at the middle of the book it became very interesting with some secrets unraveled at that point.

Overall it was an engaging thriller read and had an interesting plot line!

Typically people stuck in a secluded cabin is my least favorite thriller trope, but for some reason I could not put this one down. The ending was not a huge surprise but it did make me thing A LOT about the concept of nature vs nurture. Definitely recommending this read and I think I will be thinking about this one for a while.

I would definitely be interested in checking out more from this author, but I’m not sure this one really did it for me. There was a lot going on to the point where it felt almost convoluted some of the storylines would’ve made great books separately. The Origins/Henry story could have been cool to read about on its own. I thought all of the intersecting storylines were good but it felt like a lot. There are also trigger warnings for rape and sexual assault in this. Nothing graphic but it is a prevalent portion of the plot.

The author did a great job of setting up the story and the relationship dynamics. I liked how all of the points of view converged at the end and I liked watching it all come together even if I didn’t entirely love the way this was executed.

Lisa Unger is a "go-to" author for me as I adore her books so was delighted to pick this one up! Three couples (some family, some friends) go for a weekend away at a luxurious retreat that's secluded and promises to have all the amenities. But it's far from being the weekend they all envisioned as there are rumors of decades' old disasters, and the host himself is odd. Each of the participants seems to have a secret in his/her past and they all received a mystery Christmas gift that no one claims to have given. Like most of Unger's novels, this one moves at break-neck speed with tension ratcheting up as each page turns! It's creepy good trying to unravel the mysteries as more and more "clues" are given but none of them are any the wiser! I would advise not taking this book on vacation unless you are sure of your location (or be sure to keep the lights on)!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Great book. Loved the writing and the story. The author really hit it out of the park. The details and description were excellent and helped me paint a picture of what was happening.

This book started pretty strong for me - but around ¼ of the way in I was able to pretty much generally predict where it was going. I think there were too many different narrators/characters/dramas going on to really become invested in any of them too deeply.

There were some parts of the book where very specific sentences/turns of phrase were repeated word-for-word, sometimes by different characters in chapters right after each other, but I don’t believe that was an artistic choice. It was kind of strange and I kept flipping back and being like “wait am I having deja vu?”

With that said, there were some portions that surprised me with how they played out - and overall the book was a fun, fast read that I didn’t struggle to get through and didn’t have to force myself to finish. This was my first introduction to Lisa Unger and I would read another of her books again for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.

This book is the very definition of overkill.

An approaching hurricane cutting off access and electricity. The owner of the cabin is a creepy Peeping Tom. There's a women hellbent on getting revenge.

Those plotpoints in and of themselves is enough for a great locked room mystery.

But Lisa Unger insisted on throwing every possible thriller trope in the mix and it ruined the book. There was a rape storyline, a corporate corruption storyline and a genetic mix up storyline, all of which made the story more convoluted than it needed to be. Also, there were other storylines incorporated that went literally nowhere (affairs, miscarriages, selling nudes of teens to the dark web).

I feel like the Origins/DNA relatives plot would have been great (because I enjoyed Henry's story) but it was misplaced and should have been a book on its own.

This book just had too much going on for its own good. Sometimes simplicity is master storytelling. I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy it, but there are some great reviews for this book out there so if you think it's sounds interesting, definitely give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have no desire to vacation at any cabin in the woods after this book. I have a constant urge to look over my shoulder, fearing that someone is watching me. Rotating between six POVs, the past and the present are tangled together. The past and present slowly unravel as the story unfolds, with dark secrets that desire to remain secrets threaten to be revealed. Throughout the book, chills crawled down my spine. Every moment I thought I could guess what would happen next, Lisa Unger throws in a perfectly calculated plot twist to throw me off of my game. This physiological thriller was exactly what I needed with my recent thrillers not coming up to par. The anger and frustration I had towards certain characters showed the writer’s ability to create a beautifully rounded character. The characters flourished in their flaws. Trying to determine how characters are connected was a puzzle I enjoyed attempting to solve. I highly recommend this book!

This author has been on my TBR list for awhile, and I’m sad it took me so long to read her. Such a gripping book that I devoured quickly. Definitely going to be reading more by this author

Life is about genetics and biology and what you do with what your given. Life is built upon choices.
Mako plans an elaborate getaway for his wife, his sister, and her best friend. Elegant Overlook is a secluded cabin that sleeps six people.

Hannah needed this weekend trip to reconnect with her husband Bruce. Mako her brother invited them as payment for Bruce’s help. As a bonus he let her invite her best friend Cricket.
What they hadn’t expected was a weekend of secrets and hidden agenda’s. To make matter’s worse a storm was headed there way.
The story revolves around the lives of six characters staying in the cabin. Lisa adds a few additional characters to the plot.
There’s an interesting DNA story woven in that brings forth some disturbing characters. All in all there was a steady pace of intrigue built around this DNA concept. Using an isolated location with the storm cutting off power and cell service added to the thrilling vibe.
The further the reader delves into the pages of these characters lives pieces of the puzzle begin to complete themselves little by little.
My interest ran high and low depending on the activity of the characters and the progression of information. The execution for this type of story is much like most books lately with a slow climb to the top pushing all twists of activity towards the end allowing for a rather slow burn.

Lisa Unger has twenty books under her belt. Might I say I’ve read 12 of those books so far. I have a few more to read. Lisa Unger has an impressive writing style that grips readers from beginning to end. The entire time I was reading I was trying to decode the secrets.
This is a character driven story with a plethora of information being dished out. The main theme that ties these characters is in plain sight, yet it sits on the edge teetering with its teasing notions.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is a psychological thriller about three couples who vacation in a luxury cabin in the woods of Georgia. The story line follows six different POV and also flips between the past and present. I was interested in the story and while the final twist did not surprise me in anyway. I found the book hard to put down and I wanted to keep reading to confirm my theory. There is one point of view that I felt didn’t matter and only added a creepy factor that I felt took away from the novel. That person’s point of view belonged to a different book. Overall, I enjoyed this book and was satisfied with the ending. I really like Lisa Unger’s other novels as well, like Confessions on the 7:45, so I will continue picking up the newest Unger book!

Thank you NetGalley and Legends Press for sending this book for review considerations. All opinions are my own.

This was my first read by Lisa Unger and what a great read it was! The story keeps you on your toes until the very end. I love the setting of this one as well as the connections between the characters. Definitely a wonderful popcorn thriller that I was unable to put down!

Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, Lee Child, Peter Abraham—of all the authors of the airport junk I read before bed, only Megan Abbott, Tana French, and, yes, Lisa Unger are actually good at the whole, you know, writing part. Making sentences that do more than impart information. It’s a pleasure to read a novel as well-written as it is suspenseful. And suspenseful it is. (But for epigraphs we have the most overused, shopworn, tote-bag-ready quotations in the history of literature and philosophy—surprised she didn’t also go with “To be or not to be, that is the question.”)

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six releases November 8, 2022

I felt very caught off guard reading this. I was expecting a locked-room mystery - and while it technically was, you could also clearly tell that there was a lot of stuff going on, and a lot of secrets that each of these characters had built up, prior to anything that even took place at the isolated cabin.

There are many pov’s in this, six total. Some are of the guests staying at the cabin, and some are not.
Honestly, I thought that Henry’s pov was unnecessary. Although he does end up fitting into the plot eventually, the narrative of his with the dual timelines just didn’t fit seamlessly, and took away from the atmosphere of the isolated cabin in the woods.

I almost think that this mystery would have faired better if the ending was written first, and then worked backwards to uncover everything.
The whole DNA testing, genetic traits, and unknown siblings was fascinating but to be a stronger plot point, it could have been fleshed out or developed better.

All of these characters were highly unlikeable. While this sometimes works in favour of a story, in this case I just could not stand any of them no matter how hard I tried.
The judgement and comparative nature from Bracken on what type of person his guests were - whether they over-packed to his standards, or were in possession of expensive items was just so off-putting to me, not to mention the many fantasies he had of being intimate with his female guests, watching them shower or have sex, WHILE he himself was intimate with his employee. The guy was a straight up creep.
”As he made love to her [the housekeeper], maybe he’d be thinking of Liza [the houseguest].” Gross.
I also wasn’t a fan of the prologue how the characters body sizes were compared to each other. A size twelve, vs a size zero, and how Liza was stick thin and gave bony hugs just because she was a Yogi and vegan.

Trina’s prose was much more lyrical than the rest of the characters, and I actually really enjoyed those chapters. I wish there were more of them!

Nothing special with the “ghosts” or the premise of the cabin being haunted came to light, which was so misleading and a missed opportunity.

Content warnings:
Contains cheating, mentions of suicide, IVF, miscarriage, a peeping tom, self-harm (cutting), rape, abortion, animal death, eugenics, and murder.


“I watch. I am the watcher. From my place in the shadows, I see it all.”

“The male gaze. It slides, just glancing over the objects in its field. Rarely seeing what is there, merely confirming what it already believes to be true. It only rests on the thing it desires, only notices what whets the appetite.”

“You want someone to read your mind, to anticipate your whims, to cover for your shortfalls, to make you look good, to laugh at your jokes. In other words, you want someone to stroke your enormous ego, daily, in ways that you don’t even notice.”

“Maybe family is more than where you come from, maybe it’s also where you’re going, what you build with the choices you make.”

Thank you NetGalley and Legend Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

👎🏻The characters were all placid, stereotypical characters. They were cookie-cutter and had absolutely no depth.
👎🏻Too many characters and different side stories going on, and the majority of them were unnecessary.
🤷🏻‍♀️ The writing itself was a bit amateurish in regards to word choice and it was lacking proper flow.

The description of this, three couples get stranded at a resort during a storm while on vacation doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of this story. While at first it seems like there's so many POV'S, it's not as bad as it seems once you get the hang of it. The further you read, it actually ends up really working and brings everything together perfectly. This is a story about dysfunctional families, the love for them and the lengths some will go to in order to protect the ones they love regardless of their flaws. This is not for the light hearted and can be dark at times. Lisa Unger remains at the top with her new thriller. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Legend Press for this ARC.