I was excited about Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 — an extreme game of hide-and-seek on a stormy island with a shady crew that sounded like the Hunger Games of hide-and-seek. But it didn’t live up to the hype. 

There were too many storylines — the game, Chloe, Adele’s missing husband, and the island’s dark past — which I felt overshadowed the main plot. The long chapters and too many characters made it hard to stay hooked, and the slow pacing didn’t help. Speaking of characters, the narrator did a good job managing the different characters but this book could have benefited from multiple narrators. 

The setting and atmosphere were solid, but the core game element got lost. Not one I’d recommend unless you’re patient with slow burns and complex plots. 

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars