HOLD TIGHT on Netflix is a new series based on a Harlan Coben novel. This one has six episodes and a few familiar characters from another Netflix adaptation return. This is a Polish production (org. title Zachowaj spokój) and it works really well – just as it did last time. Read our full Hold Tight mini-series review here!

HOLD TIGHT is a new Netflix series based on a book by Harlan Coben. In other words, we’re back in the crime, thriller, drama, and mystery genres. Just as it’s the case with all novels by this best-selling American author. This time around, topics such as parental control, drug abuse, bullying, and violence (in all forms) play important parts.

Also, it features a few familiar characters from another Netflix adaptation, so if you’ve been watching the Harlan Coben series The Woods on Netflix, you’ll recognize them right away.

Continue reading our Hold Tight mini-series review below. All six episodes are out on Netflix now.

More focus on everyday issues

While Hold Tight is still a crime mystery and people do die, the main focus is more on familiar everyday issues than murder. The plot in this new Harlan Coben Netflix series covers subjects such as parental control (via spyware on their kids’ smartphones) versus children’s independence. Two things that are obviously in stark contrast, but not in any soapy drama manner.

Also, there are much heavier subjects such as teenage suicide and abuse of prescribed drugs. Plus, kids feeling (or simply being) very abandoned by the people, who are supposed to be taking care of them.

Finally, these many diverse topics are covered via quite a lot of characters. Don’t worry though, this is based on a story by Harlan Coben who does excel at controlling this. Something that also comes across in this Netflix adaptation.

Hold Tight – Review | Netflix Series | Harlan Coben

Hold Tight ties into The Woods

This latest Harlan Coben Netflix adaptation is a Polish production (org. title Zachowaj spokój) which even features a few characters from the previous Polish Harlan Coben series. That one was called The Woods and worked really well. It was released in 2020, and the returning characters are Laura Goldsztajn (Agnieszka Grochowska) and Pawel Kopinski (Grzegorz Damiecki).

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Our review of The Woods right here – spoiler free, of course >

Laura appears fairly early on in episode 1, while episode 2 opens with Pawel. In other words, you’ll see these familiar faces fairly quickly. The two series are stand-alone stories, so you don’t need to have watched The Woods to enjoy this. However, you really should check it out for the very simple reason that it’s a damn good series.

This new series is off to a great start as well, but the basic plot isn’t quite as intriguing to me.

However, it is still very much worth watching. Also, as with all Harlan Coben stories, many different characters play big and important roles in the various plots. All of which will ultimately intertwine in some way or another.

Watch Hold Tight on Netflix now!

The limited series has six episodes and the production quality is as impressive as ever. It’s a Polish production, so I would expect nothing less. If you enjoy this, you should be sure to check out some of the many other Netflix productions from Poland. I promise you, the production quality is always spot-on.

ANOTHER POLISH SERIES WORTH CHECKING OUT…

If you have HBO Max, you’ll want to check out The Thaw as well. It’s much darker than these Harlan Coben stories >

Also, the stories (whether movies or series) are often character-driven and have heart as well as intelligence as driving forces. Everything I enjoy in good crime, mystery, thriller productions.

Also, it’s even made by the people who brought us the previous Polish Netflix production based on a Harlan Coben novel. If you’ve already watched The Woods, then surely, you’ll be eager to check out this one as well. If you haven’t watched that one, then you can still enjoy Hold Tight as a stand-alone story.

Hold Tight is out on Netflix from April 22, 2022.

Details

Stars: Magdalena Boczarska, Leszek Lichota, Krzysztof Oleksyn, Agata Łabno, Mirosław Zbrojewicz, Grzegorz Damięcki, Agnieszka Grochowska

Plot

When a young man goes missing soon after his friend dies, life in a tight-knit, affluent Warsaw suburb slowly unravels, exposing secrets and lies.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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