I know they say you should not judge a book by its cover, but the title of the book didn’t exactly lend itself to the highest of expectations, mainly because the cabin in the woods sub-genre is so overcrowded. But how wrong I was as, rather than being just another irreverent mashup of classic thriller and horror trappings, Lisa Unger’s deft alternation between different time settings and seemingly unrelated characters for much of the book gave this novel an edge over every other cabin-set thriller I’ve ever read, turning it into very much its own thing, despite a handful of by-the-numbers set-pieces. But those set pieces never undermined the story, as the intricate and intriguing plot and generally surprising twists and turns keep the reader fully invested in the characters and their motivations and implications in the grand scheme of things.

The book follows three couples who head off to a luxurious cabin in the woods for a relaxing weekend break. The holiday is a gift from Hannah’s loving and generous tech mogul brother for her birthday, but the quiet weekend soon turns into the worst laid plan ever, as a deadly storm is brewing, there’s something decidedly off about the rental host, and the six friends each have their own complicated pasts, with secrets that run literally blood deep, all gradually bubbling to the surface during their stay, leaving Hannah questioning just how well she knows her brother, her own husband, and if she can trust her best friend, Cricket, and the new boyfriend she’s brought in tow.

What sets this novel apart from its counterparts is the heavy emphasis placed on an unexpectedly intriguing genealogical thread that is cleverly woven into the plot, opening the door to a thought-provoking meditation on people’s origins and why we are the way we are. This is bolstered by a cleverly plotted storyline that deviates into multiple timelines that do a fantastic job at keeping the reader eager to figure out where all the roads will ultimately lead. Add to this a diverse cast of characters and you’ve got the perfect whodunit, as the different layers are slowly revealed to show each character’s true colours.

Such a complex, off-kilter technique is never easy to pull off, as it can so easily detract from the core story, but Unger uses some cleverly disciplined and deceptive plot devices to really draw the reader in and keep you guessing right up until the final reveal.

The cabin setting could quite easily have been any other location but it worked here with the addition of some intimidating backstory for the cabin where they are staying. While most stories set in such remote locations tend to overdo it when it comes to no phone signal and the like to make it impossible for the protagonists to get help, Unger does a great job of economising her use of technical glitches, and when they do occur, they are much more believable than they typically are, and a lot of situations that might initially seem far-fetched end up having very good explanations.

In short, do not be put off by the well-worn setting and familiar-sounding narrative beats, because Unger spins a tale that is calculatingly compelling, and readers will find themselves well and truly engrossed by the sum of all the book’s parts, especially the sui generis inclusion of a fascinating meditation on how much of human nature is inherited, which forges so much extra mileage out of an initially straightforward premise.

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with Lisa Unger. I absolutely loved one of her books... but can't seem to bring myself to enjoy any of the other ones I've read. I found this book to be weird and messy. All of her characters were ridiculously unlikable. There were a lot of them with too many side stories. Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me.

"Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six" is a spine-chilling thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. This book tells the story of six family members who rent a remote cabin for a weekend getaway, only to find themselves trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

The characters are well-developed and each has their own secrets that begin to unravel. As the story progresses, we learn more about another story line that connects perfectly toward the end.

The author's writing style is crisp and engaging, and the pacing is excellent. The book is well-structured, with each chapter building on the one before it.

The setting of the cabin is perfect for a thriller, and the author makes excellent use of it to ratchet up the tension.

Overall, "Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six" is a fantastic thriller that is sure to keep you guessing until the very end.

I decided to give Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six a chance even though I wasn't a big fan of this authors previous release. Unfortunately, it did not convince me to come back for any more of their backlist.

This book has so much potential based on the title, a thriller set in a secluded cabin? I'm in! However, the story was super slow to get started.

The story is told from the POV of multiple characters - there were way too many to keep track of, and there was so little action happening in the first half of the book that I had a hard time following what was going on. When the action starts in part two the book got more engaging, but the large number of characters was still hard to keep track of.

Overall, the story was fine... it wasn't particularly suspenseful, and I got to the point where I wasn't invested in any of the characters, and I didn't care who lived or died.

Just average. Was a bit confusing as the story lines emerged. Didn’t enjoy the plot or ending. Normally a Lisa Unger fan but this missed the mark for me.

If you haven't read a ton of thrillers Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six could be a win, unfortunately as a seasoned thriller reader this novel didn't do it for me.

Hannah and her husband Bruce have decided to take a trip with her brother Mako and his wife Liza to a cabin in the woods for a getaway! What starts as a relaxing trip soon turns into something more. Hannah’s best friend Cricket and her new boyfriend Joshua decide to joint them for this vacation. They all have been friends for many years and look forward to spending time together, despite wondering why they are in such a secluded place. When they start seeing things believing the story of the place being haunted, and one of their own going missing, everyone becomes uneasy. Is one of them a killer, is someone out there, and just what is going on? This book reminded me of another book I read in the past, but the twist In this one was a bit different. While it was a good book, the author has done better in the past.

What happens when an idyllic getaway turns into your worst nightmare?

Hannah had a bad feeling about the vacation her brother Mako set up for them, their significant others, and a friend and her new lover. It would be the first time she left her darling infant for any significant period of time. Her nervousness was chalked up to nerves from being a first time mom. How bad could a trip to a luxurious cabin with a private chef be?

Throughout the story, a DNA mystery is being solved and dark secrets are being pulled to the surface all while the characters try to survive long enough to make it back home. I was riveted the entire time I was reading. I definitely suggest checking this book out!

Three couples rent a remote luxury cabin for a relaxing vacation. Each character has baggage and many secrets. Unfortunately, their relaxation does not last long because someone is watching them from the woods. This person does not want them to have a good time. But who is it and why is this person stalking them?

Unger writes this story from many different POVs. At times I struggled to keep the characters straight and wondered what the connections were between characters. However, Unger pieces together all the information in the end. It was worth continuing to read to see all the pieces come together and make sense in the end. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! I give it 3.5/5 stars.

I was intrigued by the premise to Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six because I'm really into vacation thrillers at the moment - thrillers where a group of people go away on holiday and start to get picked off or something goes horribly wrong. Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. I was bored pretty much from the beginning, and I think the switching of perspectives had a lot to do with this. I didn't care for any of the characters that we were jumping between. I ended up reading 20% of this book and having to stop reading because I could tell I wasn't going to like this one and there was no redeeming it for me. This is such a shame because I had such high hopes!

I really liked this book, but thought it was trying to do a bit too much. I found it hard to keep up with at times because of all the alternating storylines and perspectives. The twist got me though, and really kept me engaged with the story. I’m definitely going to reread this one!

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.71

Going into Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six blind, I was not expecting the theme and direction this book takes. That said, Unger set the expectations right from the start and followed her idea fairly.
Secluded Cabin explores the impact of ancestry genetic tests and how one innocent choice can change one's life completely. The theme was well explored and used plausibly within the realms of fiction.
The characters were very well developed, and the tense atmosphere was superb throughout. I dare say this is one of my favourite books by the author so far.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

When I read this books summary, it sounded so interesting and had si much potential. However, when I started reading the book, I realize that it was not as good as I thought it would be. The characters were flat and the story was one dimensional. I thought the pace was slow but more importantly, the writing was just horrid to me.

This book starts with a weird Christmas gift--that no one will admit to and just gets weirder from there. The atmosphere was great, but I think that there were a few things that were a little overdone. The owner's view was absolutely pointless other than to show that he's a voyeur. It served no purpose in the overall plot. The women in the book also all seemed to be extremely fine with men who were obviously keeping secrets--not one of the women tried to speak up. I'd be suspicious if my spouse had a phone that I wasn't allowed to look at or answer. It strikes me as odd that all of the women in the book were fine with the weird behavior of their husbands/boyfriends.

Overall, this book needed some editing. The writing was great even riveting, but the content just didn't live up to the hype.

I'd give this 3.5 stars.

3.5 stars.

Three couples stayed in a luxurious cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway. Hannah’s brother was the mastermind of the retreat, and he wanted the best. Hannah and her husband were just looking for a brief holiday from stressful work and having a newborn. Hannah’s best friend, Cricket, was basically part of the family, so of course she had to tag along. With a literal storm brewing, would they survive their secluded cabin stay?

The start of this book was so strong and atmospheric. I found myself fully immersed in Hannah’s storyline, wanting to know more about her and the family.

Henry’s storyline, on the other hand, took a bit of time for me to get used to, especially because I didn’t know where he would fit in the story. Unfortunately I didn’t end up connecting with his character enough until the end.

The main plot itself was quite unique, but I wish the execution was a bit tighter as I didn’t feel the different elements merged back together in the end. There were a lot of things that ended up being coincidental or disconnected. Having said that, Lisa Unger’s atmospheric writing was still spot on.

I’ve read other books by Lisa zinger and this was one of my favorites. There were a lot of characters however it was very easy to keep track of all of them. These three couples were very interesting and the twists at the end were great. Some of the relationships were also very weird and the author really created an interesting situation which I loved. I loved the seclusion of the cabin and at times I wish I was there with them minus the weird guy and ghost story. I really enjoyed this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Very thought provoking in terms of family history etc. - it actually made me start digging a little deeper into my own family tree! - and a nice twisty turny plot! I enjoyed skipping around to everyone's different perspectives, and I was rather gripped by the storyline! Would recommend!

This novel had so many twists & turns that I didn’t see coming. Intriguing story of 3 couples off for a relaxing weekend but it seems like everyone has a secret or motive that will ruin the weekend.

When the connection was revealed I was surprised! Such a twist & interesting concept that I had never seen in a book before.

This book offers total escapism, a gorgeous setting, a well drawn group of characters and intense, spooky isolation. You can always rely on Lisa Unger to deliver a great story and with this new novel she doesn't disappoint.

Secluded Cabin is yet another thriller that intrigued me from the description, but ended up not working for me. I never know when this is going to happen and this was my first novel by Unger, so I am willing to give her another chance, as I do with novels like this that don’t really end up working for me.

I just love the idea of the secluded cabin setting; in fact my husband and I have stayed at a few cabins and I love being out in the woods. Alone. With hopefully no one close by! I love it so much that I freak myself out! But I LOVE IT! We even have a particular movie we will watch every time we stay in a cabin, and I frighten myself out every time we watch it!

For me, this novel fell victim for me because it was like it was made of two stories in one: the secluded cabin story and then a second story dealing with DNA and family but they do end up coming together. I was not interested in the DNA story, I just wanted a secluded cabin where people were being watched and killed! LOL. There were also too many characters for me to keep straight as I listened to the audiobook. There were also too many povs to go with the large cast of characters.

Maybe the next novel I read by Unger will work for me! I have several of hers on my TBR pile!