Affluent couples keeping secrets and committing crimes during a beach holiday in the Hamptons...

Told in a third person perspective over a 3-day period (day before, day of, and day after), this is a super quick read...and an addictive one! Although the characters (three separate couples) are mostly ass-hats, they all had moments during which I found myself relating to them in some way. Moments when I found them to be beautifully human and empathetic. And although I was fairly certain, following chapter 2, who the killer was, I found it didn't really detract from the story. There were a couple times I second-guessed myself, but ultimately ended up being correct.

Honestly, my biggest gripe with the book...the dimwit detective, Gabby Watkins.

"Oh, you had a motive? Well, you're under arrest. Oh, you mean you have an alibi? Never mind then."

Then she moved onto the next person.

"Oh, you had a motive? Well, you're under arrest. Oh, you mean you couldn't have? Never mind then."


I mean, come on. We're really supposed to believe this woman made sargeant? She's a total nincompoop. Beyond that, I found the rate of escalation to murder in this novel a bit implausible. One minute these couples are dropping their kids off at camp, the next they're committing murder. It just didn't ring true to me.

This has the potential to be an excellent mystery/thriller, with some mild tweaking. As it stands, however, I can't give it more than 3.5 stars.

**Much appreciation to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Cate Holahan for the advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: July 9, 2019
Review published on Goodreads: June 20, 2019

This is a good choice for your next vacation read if you are a fan of domestic thrillers. In this book we follow the events at a beach house when 3 couples rent a beach house together. When one of the vacationers ends up dead on the beach, Gabby ( a local police officer) must wade through the secrets to determine what happened. I found it entertaining and also liked that it carried an important message.

After sending their kids to camp, three couple share a week-long sublet with a private beach. Susan set it all up. She is new in town and desperately wants to make friends with the neighbors for her sack and the sack of her two kids, one of which is autistic.
Over the course of the first evening, as the alcohol flows freely, it is obvious that there are martial tensions and work frustrations between the couples. Before the morning comes one of the woman is found dead on the beach.

I enjoyed the story and it held my attention as the plot unfolded and the reader puts together who did it and why. I had a hard time separating the characters at first which made it a little hard to follow but after a few chapters it did clear up. Overall I would recommend as the story is quite entertaining.

People who enjoy the thrillers with unexpected twists and turns, will definitely be glad to have reached for that book!

(Also posted on my GR page)

4 solid stars

One Little Secret was good. End of story lol.

I didn't throw that word carelessly, and after a string of yea-ok and bad psychological thriller books, this one was a breath of fresh air. This book was a love child of Big Little Lies and The Girl on the Train, which, IMO, was a good indication.

One Little Secret was professionally written with characters (finally!) I did care about, a plot than managed to keep me swiping the pages, and a satisfying twist. The ending was a bit... how do I put this? rushed? draggy? But overall, this was good.

To be honest, this book left me quite confused, and I am still not sure how I feel about it.

At a very high level, this book is about three couples who are neighbors and decide to rent a beach house together. However, after a drunken night, one of them is found dead on the beach, and we follow as detectives try to piece together what happened that fateful night. Although all the couples have secrets, which ones are worth killing for?

This was a quick summer read, but covered serious topics such as abuse and underage drinking. However, I really wanted to like it, but I am not sure I actually do. It felt like Cate Holahan just tried to fit too much into one book, and then rushed to connect all the dots (some predictable and others slightly less so). I also did not like the ending, which usually brings down my review. Overall, I greatly appreciate what the author was trying to do, but it fell slightly short for me.

Thank you to netgalley and crooked lane books for this ARC.

Three couples renting a house, boozing it up, one murder, throw in an underage drinking party and this sums up this novel. The story was not quite believable but did keep you wondering who murdered Rachel. There's not just one secret but many that will come to light. Story didn't have a lot of depth but was a quick read.

Susan and Nadal have recently moved to the neighbourhood. Their kids and those of their neighbours are around the same age. Susan decides she wants to get to know the neighbours better (Ben and Rachel, and Louis and Jenny), so they plan a trip together while the kids are away at camp. On the first morning, one of them is found dead on the beach.

I really enjoyed this. I thought it was paced well, and I definitely wanted to keep reading. It’s told by way of “The day before”, “The day of”, and “The day after”, referring to the murder, but I thought it was pretty easy to keep track of where I was. In opposition to the title, there were actually quite a few secrets going on in this book! Of course, this is one with all the twists and turns.

Have you ever read a book and hated every character in it ? this is one of those stories, at least for me. And to me that means the author has written a really good story. If you can feel that passionately about characters in a book. These are horrible people. Liars,, Cheaters, perhaps even murderers ? but who is the killer and why ? 3 couples take a vacation together and all their secrets and personal problems come to the forefront. And a woman is murdered. There is another story that ties into the major one involving young girls and a date rape Find out how they all tie together in the latest cleverly written novel by Cate Holahan.

One Little Secret is a murder mystery turned into a human behavior study of what happens when troubled marriages, money and career, and overwhelming parental duties collide when three married couples end up under one roof. What was supposed to be a relaxing, adults only vacation turned into a murderous affair night one, but what the reader learns very quickly is that the murder is only the tip of the iceberg.

Review posted to Goodreads and Instagram 6/14.

There's a spot, usually about 2/3 through a book where I either don't want it to end (because I'm enjoying it so much) or I can't wait for it to. This one was the latter. I didn't like or (worse) care about the characters. I found them all equally despicable. They were all shallow people, only interested in themselves or possibly, their children and of course, money. They seemingly had no redeeming qualities. Huge disappointment! #OneLittleSecret #NetGalley

In One Little Secret, three couples who are neighbors decide to rent out a beach house for a nice getaway. By the end of the trip, one person is dead and the remaining friends are all murder suspects. The story is told over a three-day period- the day before, the day of and they day after. This story is told through alternate timelines and main characters. There are unexpected plot twists throughout- keeping you guessing until the end. It’s a quick read that keeps your attention. I definitely recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel, One Little Secret by Cate Holahan, is filled with secrets besides one little secret, it involves six friends, actually neighbors who rent a beach house for a week. They all gather after leaving their children at camp and head to the beach. It's winey and boozy and there is competition - jobs, lives, wives! It's a great mystery of each of these friends, who are three couples, can you believe anyone or all that you hear. Loved it, couldn't put it down.
Oh yeah, one ends up dead! #NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks #OneLittleSecret

This is another great story in the genre of a thriller. It reminds me of Big Little Lies, and kept me guessing until the end. The characters, for the most part, are all very sympathetic, so that I didn't want any of them to be the killer. If you like Girl on the Train, One Simple Favor, Big Little Lies, etc, I would recommend this book. I wasn't sure of the ending until I read it, and yet it was still believable, which is not always the case with such novels.

Whew! I'm exhausted after reading this book (in a good way of course)! Three couples on vacation at the beach, a murder, a rape at a house party, and a savvy detective. These all come together in a convoluted plot line that had me gasping at every twist. The novel is titled One Little Secret, but let's face it; is there ever just ONE secret where marriages are concerned? Complicated relationships, kids, lawsuits, passion, victimization, abuse, and loyalty all come in to play. This will definitely not be my last Cate Holahan book! Pick this one up for the beach this summer!

This started out a bit slow but quickly picked up the pace. Just when you thought you had it figured out, it would twist to a totally different way...then twist back. Good summer read.

Another good page turner by Cate Holahan. Once I got through a bit of a slow start, the story picked up and things began to move along. This will be a great beach read, which is exactly where I read most of this today. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a light whodunit, with a variety of characters, set in a beach house.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

One Little Secret should be titled Many Large Secrets. This book is a messy read. There are so many snarled stories entangled and each chapter smooths out the story even more. Three couples rent a beach house together for a week. Only things unravel from the outset. One will end up dead, two were having an affair, there were two lawsuits, and many lies. It's chaotic at first trying to keep all the figures and their plots straight. Finally, the true killer is revealed, but st that point, the sacrifices have already been made.

Three couples. All seemingly friends rent a beach house for a week while their kids are at camp. But each person has at least once secret from the group. When Rachel winds up dead detective Gabby is determined to find out what happened to her and what everyone is hiding.

So I thought I had this one figured out right away, and I was a little bit right but not totally. The twists just kept coming! I really liked this book-it was a quick read and while for part of it I was just waiting for it to finally confirm my thoughts, after that I was dying to know what happened.

One Little Secret- a book about a group of neighbors who rent a beach house together- trying to become friends, even though they all have reasons to not get along. After a night of drinks, arguments, and accusations, one of them wind up dead.
I enjoyed parts of this book. It was well written, kept you guessing, very intriguing. The characters- kind of all over the place. Maybe that's what kept drawing me in- "what else can possibly come up in one night?!?!" Well, a whole lot. From tempers, to passiveness, to accusations, it was a little hard to keep up at first! It definitely had me guessing who did it. Great storyline. I loved the way the chapters flipped back from the day of to the night before. Great way to hold attention, and keep everything fresh in my mind.
I was however pretty disappointed in the lack of justice for most of the women in this novel. Starting with the case that the main detective is investigating at the beginning of the book. That girl deserved more. I was so sad about how that ended. I also think that for all 3 of the wives in the beach house, all of them were shown as weak and victims. It made my heart go out to each one of them. No matter what they did (or didn't do!) in the end I think that they were wronged by the world, the justice system, and their spouses. The detective? I hated, HATED the mother's day visit with her. I think there could have been a better way to reveal what came out of that. I like to think of her as stronger than what that last scene showed her as.

All in all a really great fun beach read. I think this could make a great movie. Are you listening Lifetime? Snatch this up!