Hm, I'm not sure what to make of this book. This was a book club pick for me. I felt myself forced to finish reading it; there were just so many characters and I had no idea what was going on. It was a good plot though. I've heard of Lisa Unger and she seems popular. I'll try another book of hers to judge. ( )

A luxury vacation quickly turns into anything but what it was supposed to be as a host of dark secrets rear their ugly heads. Hannah was fearful of being away from her baby daughter.... it was the first time, but she and her husband, Bruce, did need a break. Bruce was a workaholic and hadn't taken a break in years. The vacation Hannah’s older brother, Mako, has arranged sounded too good to pass on: so, a long weekend in a luxury cabin deep in the North Georgia woods, complete with a gourmet chef, in-house massage, and much more...Hell yes! Mako had become extremely wealthy by running a video game company, so the entire thing is his gift. Mako’s wife, Liza, will also be joining the group. Hannah and Liza don't know one another very well but Liza hopes the trip will change that. The guests that I thought seemed a bit odd to along was Hannah’s best friend....and Mako’s ex-girlfriend... Cricket, who could only e described as a good-time "party-girl". But they don't get Cricket without her new boyfriend, Joshua...which none of them know anything about. Hannah thinks that Joshua is the only unknown, but she’ll soon be proven wrong. The three couples arrive for the summer getaway even though there is a storm brewing in the Atlantic that could be headed their way. To add to the tension that is starting to brew we learn that There are tales of ghosts on the property that suggests there has been past violence there, but they could just be made up tales to add selling points to the property. The host and cabin owner, Bracken, definitely is very creepy and even scarier, is his promise of Wi-Fi along with other things...just might not be reliable. I thought, "do you think?" I've read this author for a long time, and she always writes a very good story. In this one she skillfully builds the tension right from the first page with a prologue about a Christmas dinner with Hannah’s family, that ends horribly when the mysterious gift of a DNA test kit for everyone is received. Strange gift, don't you think? Everyone claims to know nothing about it. By the time the vacationers reach the cabin, the ominous mood is firmly in place. Everything seems disturbing, from the gleaming array of knives in the kitchen to a skull-shaped chandelier. Before they even make it through dinner, one of them disappears, as does all contact with the outside world. The others begin a frantic search as the storm blows in and as it becomes clear that all of them are in danger...but from whom, and why? It will make you think about several things. How well do we truly know the people we let into our lives...what actually makes a family a family...and how far would we be willing to go to protect those that we love? ( )

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six definitely had an interesting premise, but that is where it stops. I wish that I could have liked this more than I did, but I struggled to get through it and looking back, I don't know why I didn't DNF it. Too lazy to get out of my chair and pick out another book, perhaps? Unfortunately, this book had a timeline that didn't add anything to the story, superfluous characters, and a storyline that really pushes the boundaries of believability.
There were a lot of different characters, but I think the author concentrated so much on the story line that much of the character development necessary to pull this off didn't really happen. You need to understand the motivations behind the characters and you need to feel sympathy for their actions and behaviours even if you don't necessarily agree with them, but all I wanted to do was shove both Mako and Hannah's faces deep into a snowbank. Most of the characters are cliched characters, one-dimensional, with little emotional depth.

The plot was unnecessarily convoluted, adding timelines and characters that didn't need to be there, just to add red herrings to an already bloated situation. I think authors sometimes forget that cleaner plots can be quite tricky and hard to figure out. I'm still trying to figure out why we needed the perspective of the owner of the house. And the jump in timelines wasn't seamless; in fact, it was quite jarring. None of this meshed together very well, leaving me rolling my eyes in frustration and annoyance.

It's a shame however, as the setting was amazing, and I could imagine all sorts of things going on in a secluded area such as this. The author definitely didn't make use of the elements that were available.

Verdict
Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six actually suffered from a story that really tried to do to much, creating a convoluted story line and characters that were not really developed and a conclusion that was really not believable. It's a shame as the setting was pretty cool and secluded, somewhere where I could see a lot of interesting things happening. There were some good themes that were explored, but overall, I think the story missed the mark. ( )

4 stars rounded up. unique plot line with the DNA testing. kinda predictable, but still good. I do feel like some of the connections were a stretch. unsure what role Bracken played in it all. ( )

Creepy af!
I’ve read other books, involving DNA testing, but this one wins the award for the best reason I would think twice before sending mine over (mine is already sent lol).

On Christmas Day someone in the family is pretending to be Santa and has stashed dna test kits from one of those national brands to everyone in the family.
What follows is something you would never imagine that happens to take place in a snowed in cabin for the weekend.
Must read this winter. ( )