That was pure craziness. A little slow to get going, a bit over the top, characters you love to hate and hate to love. I figured out the who and the why before it was revealed, but there was much more to it. And when things started to unravel, I was a bit breathless as it all came crumbling down. I had a bit of trouble wading through this one to begin with, but it paid off at the end for sure.

Predictable and annoying, I feel bad for thinking that but this book had promise and it did not deliver. Marin Machado is a successful business owner, wife, and mother. Her 4 year old son goes missing and 16 months later there are no leads. The premise sounds great until the story spins from missing child to finding out her husband is doing some shady things (to not spoil), Her therapy group, private investigator she hired to find her son, her best friend, and therapist all try to help her....and she won't let them. Marin becomes annoying and never goes back to likable. The rave reviews of this book made me hope for more.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I requested this one on NetGalley because the blurb sounded amazing, and I’m so glad I did!

Marin’s life is exactly how she wants it: college sweetheart husband, beautiful 4-year-old Sebastian, successful business, and a lot of money. Shopping at Pike Place before Christmas is normal, until Sebastian disappears. Marin and husband Derek quickly realize that someone took Sebastian and led him out of the market, a parent’s worst nightmare. Fast forward a year, and Sebastian still hasn’t been found. When Marin finds out her husband is having an affair, it sends her spiraling even further into depression. She realizes how far she will go to hold her little bit of family together, and ultimately, her husband’s betrayal leads to insight into what happened to Sebastian that long ago day.

This is the first book in a while that has made me gasp out loud when I got to the reveal and climax of the story. The POV is third person but shifts between Marin’s perspective and Kenzie, Derek’s mistress. This gives an interesting perspective into Derek and what the marriage has been like since Sebastian’s disappearance. The author also does a great job of tying both women together in multiple ways.

I absolutely loved this book. I was shocked by how the ending turned out, and I appreciated the author’s willingness to write some hard things. The struggles the characters go through and the deep parts of their psyche that we get to see were incredibly difficult to read about but kept me hooked. I definitely recommend!

This is deliciously juicy and thrilling! Jennifer Hillier never disappoints! All of the characters were perfectly developed and kept me guessing the entire way through. My favorite kind of book!! I think Hillier is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors.

Thank you Netgalley for this fantastic book! I enjoyed every second. I give this review voluntarily.

Little Secrets is a parents worse nightmare.. A little boy goes missing while out with mom. Mom will never be the same. But while she's trying to cope with her loss, guilt and despair dad checks out. He is having an affair. Marin needs to get herself together and move forward. A riveting, emotional read.

I read mostly romance so in order for me to really enjoy another genre it has to grab me from the very beginning. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen and it just never did. DNF at 30%.

Ever pick up a book, knowing you’ll probably have a good time, and then IT IS AMAZING? Yep. That was me with this book. I’ve previously read Hillier’s Jar Full of Hearts and I own all her other books (except for Wonderland - I NEED IT), so I knew I was in for a treat.

First of all, her writing is excellent. No complaints there at all. The subject matter for this one is dark (if you’d like content warnings, I’m here to ask or other reviews mention them) and difficult, especially as a mother myself. Her author’s note fully outlines this as well if you’ve already picked up the book. Hillier does a wonderful job with Marin - she is real and tangible and behaves in believable ways. This is so important.

Even the “bad” characters have depth. I had to really try not to like them. And this makes this book shine. To drag me along in spite of myself, turning those pages like my hands were on fire and the book my relief.

I’ll read everything Jennifer Hillier writes. Now I’m off to hunt down a copy of Wonderland and read the rest of her backlist.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

Not going to lie. I kept pushing this book off because I wanted to love it because it was on of my most anticipated book of the years and this book did not disappoint. I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

Marin’s life changed forever when her son, Sebastian, was abducted from Pike Place on a busy day in December. Over the next year she tries to survive the loss and is haunted by the unanswered questions. A captivating thriller that keeps you wondering, what happened to Sebastian?

Thanks to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for a review.

#netgalley #littlesecretsbook #jenniferhillier #bookreviews #thriller

Three days before Christmas, Marin and her son Sebastian are shopping and he disappears. Kidnapped.
16 months later, Sebastian is still missing and Marin is stumbling through life, trying to continue to put one foot in front of the other. Marin is married to Derek, her college sweetheart, but the disappearance of their son has drove a wedge between them to where they are mere roommates. Sal, her best friend and former boyfriend, checks on her daily. Marin feels safest with Sal during her darkest of days.
Will they ever find Sebastian? Will Marin and Derek’s marriage survive? Who would have kidnapped Sebastian?
This book is an excellent read! This is my first @jenniferhillierbooks book and it definitely will not be my last! If you love a good twist, I highly recommend this book!

This book has it all, a kidnapped child, a mystery relationship, a cheating husband, a best friend. A story of love, loss, family and redemption.

** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book

Marin and Derek seem like they have it all, until, their son Adam gets kidnapped from Marin while out shopping for Christmas presents. Flash forward to a grief-stricken Marin and a husband who's never home. While Marin tries to piece her life back together with the help of her support group, and her P.I. who finds out a little more than she expected. Derek has been having an affair with a younger woman named Kenzie, who seems to have a perfect life.

This book was such a wild ride! I didn't want to put it down, I was so sucked into this whole plot. My heart broke for Marin (and I guess Derek, just wasn't a fan of his), and I was very hopeful that her son Bash [Sebastian] would be reunited with them again. I loved how in the end everything was connected in some weird way, this was a perfect thriller that had me guessing until the very end. The twists were done so so well, just when I thought I knew everything something else was thrown in to throw me off of the guessing game trail.

I will have to admit that one of the plot points I had guessed early on, but the way it was revealed was done so well! And I had only guessed part of it, so much more was revealed. If you haven't read this book, I urge you to as it is a great book! I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Could not put it down! Had me hooked right from the beginning and I totally recommend for anyone who wants to read a page turner with good intrigue and twists.

3.5 Stars. This was an entertaining thriller. The exploration of grief and self-compassion was very interesting. I was very glad that the grief aspect didn't feel typical or tropey. The mystery itself was pretty well done. All in all, I'd definitely recommend (to adults).

I’m not usually into cheating stories, but this one sounded really good. Fix the situation? I can only think of a few ways that could happen and I desperately wanted to know. The book did not disappoint me.

When I first started Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier I was a little bored with the pickup. The first initial crime of the son being kidnapped quickly faded to a couple who clearly had issues, but nothing else really happening. I was a little worried I wasn’t going to like this book, but it quickly picked up. As a mother, I felt the pain for Marin and how devastated she was. I did not like her husband Derek at all for obvious reasons. His personality in the book really grated on my nerves, which shows the powerful writing of Hillier and this character. I think we were meant to dislike him. I also really disliked Kenzie, again because Hillier wrote a character to dislike.

I loved how this story progressed and the little side characters grew into important characters in the story and their storylines started to intertwine with the main one. I have to say I was pretty shocked by the revelations that came at the end of the story and that is hard to do. I usually can guess, so hats off to Hillier for really throwing twists and turns along the way to keep me guessing.

Honestly this book peaked my interest and then was pleasantly surprising. I thought I’d like it, but I ended up loving it. Jennifer Hillier has a new fan. If you love good psychological thrillers, then make sure to pick up your copy of Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier.

I liked the ending a lot -- but the actual plot/reveal felt a little muddled to me. It was a book I skimmed through - wanting to know how everything came together but not actually caring about the characters.

Wow! I was so excited to read this as I read amazing reviews for it. Hillier has a great reputation in the writing community and I see why. I can’t wait to read more by her. This was twisted and just so good!

My first book by this author and it was a decent read! Debated between a 3 and 4 star rating for awhile, but ultimately decided to round down. I read a lot of mystery/thriller books and am always looking for that shocking twist or ending that I don’t see coming. Truth be told, I wasn’t completely shocked by the way things turned out. I loved the quick pacing of the book, and appreciated how all of the loose ends came together towards the end. But there was no “wow” factor for me. Nonetheless it was enjoyable to read, and I’m looking forward to checking out more titles by this author!

Love a good thriller to help propel my reading & avoid a slump. Read this one in less than a day, & it was WORTH it.

Little Secrets is a domestic thriller involving Marin, her husband Derek, & their son Sebastian. Sebastian is kidnapped a few days before Christmas, and this story follows Marin & Derek as they cope with his disappearance.

Lemme just tell you. This is NOT going in the direction you think it is. Part of me is like, ‘should I have seen this coming?’, but I think it would have been really tough. It’s rare thrillers REALLY get me, but this one did. Highly recommend, A from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Jennifer Hillier book and I will be reading her previous books and everything else she writes from now on. I'm a slow reader and I whizzed through this book turning the pages like crazy. A story revolving around child abduction with plenty of other things going on, and secrets galore that kept me guessing until the end. Absolutely loved it!