I’m so sad to say that I found One Little Secret a little disappointing. I loved the previous book I read by Cate Holahan (the cleverly written Lies She Told) and had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, while not a bad book, the mystery and the writing ended up falling a little short for me.

One Little Secret is told in alternating chapters from the POVs of three women. Jenny is a successful sports medicine commentator in an abusive marriage. Susan is a stay-at-home mom with a drinking problem and a workaholic husband. Together, with their husbands, they are renting a beach house with their other neighbors, Rachel and Ben. The third POV is from Gabby, the detective that investigates when one of the vacationing women is found dead. Out of the three of them, the only really likable character was Gabby, but I don’t feel like we ever really got to know her that well. I found both Jenny and Susan very frustrating. All three couples on vacation seemed pretty dysfunctional. I was actually expecting a lot more scandal from them, though, and was a little disappointed in how straightforward and cliched everything seemed to be.

I also felt like this almost read more like Women’s Fiction than Mystery/Thriller. While Holahan did do a good job of making me second guess myself at times, the mystery didn’t really involve anything surprising. Everything that happened seemed so coincidental and a little unbelievable. Also, I felt like every break in the case kind of just fell into Gabby’s lap instead of involving any real detective work from her. There was also a side plot involving the date rape of a young woman at a party that just barely tied into the main mystery. It felt tacked on as an effort to make some sort of relevant comment on today’s culture and was not given the attention such a topic deserves. The story seemed to focus much more on the women’s marriage, family, identity, and self-worth. The murder seemed almost an afterthought.

Overall, One Little Secret, was an ok read, but did not live up to my expectations. While the multiple narrators helped move the story along, I never really connected to any of the characters, which made it hard to care about what happened to them. While this isn’t one I would pick up again, I’d still be interested in reading more from this author.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

3 couples on a week long vacation. One night of drinking and secrets revealed. One dead body.
This domestic thriller goes back and forth between the night of the murder and the investigation. It's told through the eyes of the detective who is investigating and the couples involved. I liked how until the very end everyone was a suspect.
In short, it was a good read, I felt some of the characters were quite unlikable, but I understood the desperation they felt. I would read again if I rediscovered it later on in my kindle and recommend to people who enjoyed Big Little lies

Told in alternating time lines (well, three days- before, day of, day after) and third person narration, this is the story of an unwise vacation. Susan rents a beach house and then persuades two other couples to join her and her husband for a week. Sounds like a good idea. Well, it might have been if everyone hadn't started drinking, a lot. A lot of bad stuff spills out in confessional format but someone- who is it- ends up dead on the Bech. Holohan drops clues on this so you'll know (or can guess) early on but then you'll stay to work with Detective Gabby Watkins to find out why. And who did it. That you might not guess. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Talk about a beach book!

"Everyone has a secret. For some, it's worth dying to protect. For others, it's worth killing."

Three couples rent a fabulous beach house on the Hamptons the perfect place to get to know new people, no children allowed, What could possibly go wrong? well, Murder!! A woman was found dead on the beach, what happened to her? who is responsible for her death?

The plot is told in a three day period (the day before, the day of, the day after), and alternates characters bringing to the developt of the story the drama and suspect necessary to get us connected to this book, it is a story about secrets, a lot of secrets!! The reader should be aware that there is domestic violence in the book. I enjoyed the previous book of Holahan "Lies She Told", and I was looking forward to this one, I loved how the author creates characters so unlikeable, I wasn't sure who the killer is. It is a fast read, perfect for a Summer Beach Getaway. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #OneLittleSecret

For me, as thrillers go, "One Little Secret" by Cate Holahan was pretty close to perfection!

This character-driven psychological thriller brilliantly illustrated the fine line between love and obsession and served as a reminder that every choice made, good or bad, well-intended or otherwise, has consequences.

The author's characterisation was faultless with an assortment of characters who were complex and insecure. I loved the writing style which was wonderfully fluid and polished. The intricately interwoven plot was superbly executed as the story slowly unravelled, creating yet more unease, tension and anticipation.

A truly wonderful and very highly recommended thriller that should not be overlooked!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

One Little Secret was a very quick, “whodunit” mystery. A woman’s body turns up dead on the beach, strangled and drowned. It’s up to Sergeant Gabriella Watkins to figure out who would have had the motive and means to kill her.

This was a QUICK read. Once I got past the first 3-4 chapters I read the rest in one sitting. The relationships are tangled and drive the plot as the chapters flip between the day of the murder and the day after the murder. This allows the reader to receive nearly every character’s interpretation of the day’s events.

Overall, while I didn’t experience much attachment to the characters, I enjoyed the pace of the novel and I liked that I got each character’s viewpoint of that night’s events.

One summer vacation, three couples, one murder. Rachel’s body is found by Susan and nadal, on the beach the morning after they have arrived. When police start investigating, they look deeper into the lives of these couples to try and find the murderer. When each persons life intertwines with the other in unexpected ways, each person could have motive to kill Rachel. Will the police find the real murder with absolutely no evidence??
This book has a slow start and I didn’t really get invested until halfway through, but once I did I kept trying to guess who did it! The details and back stories that unfold were beautifully written and it will keep you guessing until the very last page (literally).

3 1/2 ⭐️‘s
When three neighborhood couples rent a beach house together for a get to know you better week, things quickly escalate and someone is found dead on the beach. As the story progresses, we learn that every one had a motive, but who is the real killer? A good whodunnit by Holahan.

Would you die? Or would you kill someone to protect your secret???

No one is who they seem to be in the beginning, these 3 couples rent a place to get to know each other.
They however didn’t sign up for murder. A puzzle that you must solve, who is the killer???? This book sucked me right in, I read it in one sitting.

One Little Secret is a bona fide whodunnit book that will have you the reader suspecting more than just one of the six characters of murder. Cate Holahan will lead you down one path only to add a twist, another secret, and more deception, that keeps the tension building throughout this book.

I felt One Little Secret is well written and was easy to read; the plot was fast moving and kept me interested. The book is written from a third-person viewpoint, and the bulk of the timeline was told within three days, the day before, the day of and the day after. Three neighborly couples send their kids off to camp and then head off on a vacation of their own to a beautiful beach house in the Hamptons. What can go wrong? Well, when you combine a mildly alcoholic insecure homemaker, a househusband wannabe writer, an unscrupulous lawyer, an accident-prone ESPN host, a workaholic CEO of a tech startup and a self-centered doctor and then weave in lots of drinking, secrets, jealousy, and lies, it makes the perfect setting for disaster. Be prepared for lots and lots of drama, which for me was at times a bit over the top and outrageous. My favorite character in this book is the down to earth detective Gabby Watkins. Ms. Holahan writes this character perfectly, she is a tough cop in a male-dominated field, but she is also a wife and mother, and this brings out Gabby’s sensitive side. She is not infallible, making mistakes along the way in her investigation, but realizing them and then correcting her course of action. I felt this made Gabby was the most relatable character.

Overall I enjoyed One Little Secret, and I would recommend this book for fans of mystery, thriller, suspense books. Please be warned that there is an element of domestic abuse. I am giving it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I loved the Gabby character.

***I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion .***

This book is not an easy one.  It deals with abuse, rape, and murder.  So if those aren't things you can handle, then this is not for you. 

Overall I enjoyed this thriller, the story was interesting and I liked the overall premise of secrets destroying people.  However, one thing I did not like, was the characters.  I was certainly sympathetic to some of them, but none of them were particularly likable.  

I did enjoy the ending and while I had a guess as to the outcome, I didn't really know how it as going to end.  There was a certain tragedy about this book, that makes you want to examine your own life.

When three couples rent a beach house for part of the summer on the shores of Long Island what could go wrong? When a body is found on the beach each of the guests become a suspect. The book is told across three days the day before, day of and the day after which I enjoyed. Every couple has a secret that they don’t want revealed. Detective Gabby Watkins begins her investigation and she’s refusing to stop her investigation until she figures out the truth and what really happened. I absolutely loved her character she was a strong female who definitely can handle her own. This book had everything rich families, beautiful wives, spoiled kids who were sent to camp, murder and secrets. When Gabby begins her investigation of a possible drugging and rape of an au pair she never imagined it would have a connection to the body on the beach and to the wealthy couples at the beach house, soon she’s investigating infidelity, abuse and possible legal entanglements and how is it all connected? I give this a solid four stars. The author did an amazing job holding the readers attention. I love how all the story lines were connected and the ending definitely had me saying WOW!

One Little Secret by Cate Holahan is a book that will suck you in from the start. I read this one quite quickly, needing to know how it was all going to play out. Nobody is who they seem in the beginning and the twists keep coming. A great, fast paced read for anybody who likes a good whodunnit.

3 couples, a weeks holiday with no children in a beach house in the Hamptons. A chance to relax and get to know new people - what could go wrong? Murder - that is what! Copious amounts of alcohol has all the secrets being spilled - work stress, martial tensions, kids - you name it. In the morning a woman is dead on their private beach - who wanted their secrets kept secret that badly? Enter Detective Gabby Watkins - an investigator who is like a dog with a bone and determined to get to the bottom of it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

I always love the suffocating feeling of murders taking place away from home. This thrilling whodunit had an amazing cast of characters, and I loved having a smart, female detective at the helm. What a great read!

“Marriage was like a poker game in that the stakes increased the longer each player sat at the table. After a dozen years with the same person, the pot became so large that’s no one could walk away over anything less than a monumental display of cheating. All other grievances had to be shrugged off.”

Love and marriage, love and marriage, they go together like a horse and carriage or perhaps more like a long walk of a short pier as we learn in this tale.

A kid-free vacation (every parents dream vacation, am I right?😂) turns into a murderous adventure then the inevitable mayhem ensues in, One Little Secret.

This is a solid, well written read as expected by the very talented Holahan. Yet, it’s sadly not my favorite read of her books so far but still deserving of 4 stars.❤️

How well do you know your neighbor? This murder mystery puts that question front and center. Three couples that live next to each other take a beach vacation together while their kids are at camp. One of the wives ends up murdered on the beach. Who did it and how many of the people in the house had a motive to do it? A great mystery that makes you stop and think about what you choose to know about your neighbors.

This title just did not do it for me. I guess, overall, I just didn't find any affinity for any of the characters, so that makes it a bit difficult to get into the novel as a whole. I think there are many better examples in this genre.

These suburban thrillers are becoming a favorite of mine. I love trying to figure out all the secrets that are being contained in the little housing divisions. Often there are more than one and they get juicer as the story goes one. This book was no exception. It honestly had me guessing right up until the end.

Susan is new in town. Her family moved in support of her husband's company and Susan is trying to get settled with her twins boys. A week away with the new neighbors isn't exactly a relaxing vacation, but it will give everyone a chance to get to know them an vice versa. Or that's what Susan's hopes were at least.

After the kids are all off to the respective camps and the adults have arrived at their home for the week tension starts to fill the air fast. It seems most in the house are hiding something. Something that effects one or more people that are in the house. Something that ends up killing one of the house guests, ensuring a closer look at each remaining person until the suspect is found.

A very interesting and entertaining read.

I really enjoy books that make you question the behavior of the "innocent," and because it's unclear for most of the book who is responsible for what and whose complicity contributed to events, this definitely falls into that category. I compelling, fast read.

Pros: Interesting storytelling, easy to follow plot, twists and surprises along the way, and ending ties up well.

Cons: While a decent read, it was also a bit forgettable.

Enjoyed.