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.

Absorbing read!
I enjoyed Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger, published by Legend Press. The story follows a group of 6 (family and friends) who set out to enjoy a weekend away that comes to an abrupt end once dark secrets that they have fought to keep are revealed.
The twists and turns of this thriller were well thought out and kept me engaged from beginning to end. There were many characters to keep track of, which in the beginning made me a little crazy, however once the story got rolling they became more distinct and easier to follow. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast moving book that will keep you guessing and your heart racing!

Locked room

Secluded setting

Thriller that suprises

Soemthing in the woods.....

Chilling thriller that although had elements I had read before was still a lot of fun. CREEPY!!

A superb read, engrossing and pacey. Three close couples head to a luxury cabin in remote woods for a weekend and are trapped by a storm.
There are multiple strands to this story that weave an engaging if complex story. The characters are well-developed and aren't your stereotypical goodies and baddies. Packed with intrigue, this will keep you turning the pages.

So that book summary you read before you decided to pick up this book? Well, it is such a small part of the actual story. Sure, 3 couples end up stranded in an isolated cabin and sh!t is going down, but just like for the Titanic, this is the tip of the iceberg! There is family drama, ex-lovers drama, revenge drama, and people with serious mental illness drama all thrown together. At some points you aren't sure what direction you should be looking and it can get to be a little too much and in need of some streamlining, but I think that feeling adds to the overall suspense. I mean, in real life you don't go directly from Point A to Point B, right? And of course there were a few of the characters that really annoyed me. I'm never sure if I should be rooting for someone to be the next victim. This book is a rollercoaster of a ride; just don't read it during a thunderstorm!

Author of Confessions on the 7:45 , Lisa Unger, does it again! Three couples are invited to a secluded cabin out in the middle of no where for a weekend of relaxation, fun, and enjoyment but little did they know what would actually occur. The trip starts off semi well and quickly escalates in a horrible nightmare. Before this trip motives are questioned, secrets are coming to the service, and someone is doing something very bad. As they move through the evening what was meant to be nice evening in a hot tub with good company turns in a thrill ride you wont come back from without consequences.

I loved this book and it was the perfect spooky season read with many suspecting characters. I do think this is very much a typical quick read where they dont expect the terror to come but it does. It gives me a very campy vibe and follows track to similar books in this genre. This doesnt mean it is bad, just that it is common. The secrets and thrill behind it did keep me on my seat. The switch between POVs did create some depth to the story and that elevated the plot more. Also I think it was a little too typical in the sense of there was something done wrong, someone wanted revenge, and the good wins at the end. I would recommend to read and did enjoy this book!

I love the books that Unger writes so I was happy to get an advanced copy of her new one from NetGalley. I felt the book to be an intense read with several complicated characters. The setting like the title states provides a spooky backdrop to the thriller that unfolds. This wasn't my favorite Unger novel but I'm happy to have read it!

I couldn't get on with this novel. Too many characters with confusing plots and subplots from the very start. I felt as if I were were running three separate races at once.

Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for an ARC of this work. I overall enjoyed the book. I had a few concerns. There were so many characters and almost an overwhelming amount of plot and details for each. But did we need all of them to build out what became the focus? I’m not completely sure. It felt like so much of it was unnecessary and we could have gotten details on other parts. My other concern was the issue of rape in the book. Maybe there should be a trigger warning? Also the way it relates to a Cricket and how it’s almost a passing concern I didn’t love. But I think it was tied up nicely. I like Henry and Hannah as characters and how their story ends and the contract they make against other characters.

If you’re looking for. page turner from the very start, look no more, this is your book. I was hooked immediately as we start to learn about the family dynamics over Christmas dinner and everyone in the family received an Origins DNA testing kit from a secret Santa. The story then follows each character and their point of view as they go on a weekend trip to a secluded cabin and the events that unfold, along with secrets that are revealed.

I really enjoyed this read because I kept wanting to read more about the family drama, secrets and what was going on… it was messy and I loved it. This would have been a five star read for me except that the ending did fall a bit short for me, I was expecting a bigger twist and finale, which I didn’t get. I think the build up of the book was great but the ending could have been better, 4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Park Row, and Lisa Ungler for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Oh how I loved this book! I love good back and forth chapters between different characters. Mako was disgusting of course. LOVED Henry. Was kinda left falling flat with Brecken though..

I did not get a great first impression from “Secluded Cabin Sleep Six”, there were SO MANY names and characters and introductions that could have waited until the cabin scenes and not during the Christmas scene. Also the multiple POVs that are mix matched without a flow and a pattern really threw me off.

There was TOO much going on, too many storylines at once. This was a mashup of two books. Two books I would happily read if they were separate but together it made zero sense.

The connection that the characters had was weak at best and I am very disappointed in what I just read.

Excellent read and full of intrigue. This book is quite unique in its premise and has astute observations of human nature. It keeps the reader guessing till the very end when all the pieces fall into place. The descriptions of the locations and the characters make it easy to visualize and play it in your mind like a movie. Highly recommend.

Wow! SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX is Lisa Unger's twentieth Novel, and did she hit this one out of the fictional ball park!! I devoured this in a day/Night reading session and am still pondering its implications and depths. There are multiple themes in operation here, but first and foremost is Family: birth, found, chosen, discarded. What Ms. Unger does to develop these themes is extraordinary. I could easily reread and reread and reread. I want everyone to read SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX!

This one has a lot going on. There are a lot of different POVs, and one of them seems totally unrelated until 3/4 of the way through. It was a little confusing at times and I think I would have preferred it if some of the narratives were taken out (Cricket for instance didn’t really need a voice, and the Bracken part was a bit much with everything else that was going on. That part of the story was unnecessary).

You need to suspend belief a little to get into this one, but it was a pretty good twisty thriller that kept me interested until the end. Not a lot of likeable characters but I thought the plot and pacing made up for it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am normally quite a fan of Lisa Unger, but really couldn't get into this book. The premise did not feel unique, and this book was a "did not finish for me". I really couldn't get into it; or care about any of the characters. Disappointed and wouldn't recommend..

'Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six,' had so many of my favorite elements. I love thrillers set in the woods. There was a DNA website storyline (so relevant). I DON'T love reading about the ultra-wealthy, but it didn't bother me here.

Without giving too much away, the story did not go the way I had expected. I thought I had called all of the twists about 1/3 of the way in- but I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

Lots of trigger warnings though- take care of yourself, and look them up before reading.