Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

30 reviews

kileyglispie's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Hannah has some misgivings as she leaves for a luxury weekend away with her husband, her brother Mako & his wife, & best friend Cricket & new squeeze. It's the first time Hannah has been away from her baby so she is understandably anxious but also her husband has been acting suspiciously of late. Hannah doesn't want to jump to 'is he cheating' but what else could it be with secret phone-calls & emails he doesn't want her to see? As the six friends arrive for a weekend of outdoor activities & indoor luxury, the weather changes & the group are stuck in the isolated cabin. Furthermore there's something a bit off with their rental owner & the house has a tragic backstory. As the weather cools outside, inside tempers heat up, & it seems someone has a deadly agenda.

This author's books seem to be a bit hit & miss for me: I really liked Under My Skin but wasn't keen on Last Girl Ghosted. This one sits in the middle, it's quite good but I didn't really like it much. The characters are necessarily mostly unlikeable & the reader experiences most events through Hannah's eyes but the second strand of the story which is told by a character called Henry takes you out of the secret-filled cabin which dilutes the tension. The stories do eventually dovetail but it only partly works. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

books_hay's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

airgood's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

chantale's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

islesbiyana's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

marjshopes's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sarahmaemae's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.25

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

whatkaitreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bandysbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I love a good thriller and had yet to read a book by Lisa Unger, so when I had the opportunity to try out Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, I jumped in. This book is a thriller that follows a group of friends/family as they go to a remote cabin for some decompression time. It becomes clear that something isn't right and that there is more than meets the eye with several members of the group. While I'd hoped that it would be something special, it turned out to be just okay.

This is the type of thriller that relies on being so wildly out there that you couldn't possibly have guessed where it was going. While the fact that it was surprising was good, it was so far into left field that it felt implausible. I won't spoil it in this review, but suffice it to say that while you can see where some of the inspiration comes from, it's pretty untethered from reality.

Additionally, there is a massive red herring plot line that we spend a decent amount of time exploring as a distraction from the twist. I don't mind a distraction or two, but we spend so much time on this particular plot line for it to result in nothing felt frustrating.

Overall, this book was a sort of run of the mill thriller that relies on slight of hands and convoluted plots to create a "shocking" twist. Had it been brought into a more realistic conclusion, it could've been decent, but I just couldn't take the ending seriously.

*I received an E-ARC of this from Netgalley. This in no way affects my review.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings