This book is absolute madness! It's a roller-coaster ride that will leave you breathless.

Reading the synopsis, I asked myself why I was doing this to myself. Reading about a kidnapped child, when you have two young kids, isn't ideal... But this book ended up so much better than I originally thought!

It is a difficult story to read, but the blindsiding twists and turns make you want to read more, and more, and more. I never thought I would read it in such a short time! It was heartbreaking to read about Marin's mindset after her son goes missing. I could picture myself in that same situation and was frightened by what I could do...

Major TW for suicide and self-harm.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Little Secrets is dark, suspenseful, & of course full of secrets. I love dark twisty books and this one worked for me. Little Secrets also hit me emotionally which isn't typical for a thriller. Marin's pain over losing her son was palpable. Marin's grief had it's own storyline & it added an additional layer to the novel. I appreciate thrillers with twisty, but realistic endings and Little Secrets came through. I've also read (and loved) Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier and look forward to picking up another one of her books.

The trouble with trying to review one of Ms. Hillier’s novels is that it’s extremely difficult to do so without spoilers. The latest is no exception, but I’m stubborn.

First, although I wanted to be empathetic with the protagonist, Marin Machado, the simple fact is that she’s not terribly likable. Of course, one suspects as the plot resolution approaches that’s how we’re supposed to feel, but it could just be me. Ms. Hillier’s characters are always painfully human, so it’s logical to react to them as if we were meeting them at a party and drawing our conclusions on short acquaintance.

Marin is doing some last-minute Christmas shopping at a crowded farmer’s market with her 4-year-old son Sebastian when she receives a text from her former lover and trusted best friend Sal. She lets go her son’s hand to respond—and he’s gone.

This is, as we’re reminded many times as the book progresses, is every mother’s nightmare. Marin’s guilt at having let go of a small child in a crowd is certainly justified. Her reaction to it is to essentially become the center of a universe in which anyone who doesn’t display an emotional level equal to her own is dismissed, never mind that her perception of those reactions is entirely narcissistic. No one can possibly suffer as much as she does.

The somewhat predictable effect of this nearly a year and a half after Sebastian’s abduction slowly evolves into a web of lies and betrayals that Ms. Hillier is so adept at weaving. Nothing—and no one—is what we think it is, and yet as the story advances one begins to suspect. Whether those suspicions are correct you’ll have to read to the end to discover.

I suspect many people will have a different reaction to Marin, and that’s why Ms. Hillier’s fiction is so compelling. Far too often in genre fiction the themes and tropes are so well-known we simply react on reflex. That’s not possible with Small Secrets, and that makes all the difference between a good book and a compelling one.

I received a copy of Little Secrets for free through Netgalley for an honest review. Wow, this book was so much more than I expected. You feel so much pain for Marin and her husband due to the fact their son Sebastian was abducted. And then you feel even worse for Marin because she then finds out that her husband is cheating on her with a younger woman. The twists and turns throughout the book kept me wanting more. I couldn't put the book down. Once I got to the end, I never would have expected what ended up happening, and I actually cried at the end of the book (I RARELY ever cry when reading!). I would highly recommend reading this book, and I look forward to reading other books written by Jennifer Hillier.

Thank you Minotaur Books for my copy.

I am such a fan of Jennifer Hillier’s JAR OF HEARTS so I was super jazzed to pick up LITTLE SECRETS. I’m happy to say this book exceeded all expectations. It’s pure compulsive, thrilling, twisty goodness.

Marin is at the end of her rope. One year ago during a hectic trip to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, in the blink of an eye, her four-year-old son, Sebastian, went missing. Marin is a wreck and the investigation has gone cold. She and her husband, Derek, barely acknowledge one another. She can’t live with herself if her son is found dead. One day Marin receives a call, but it’s not about Sebastian; it’s about Derek. Derek is having an affair with a younger woman, McKenzie, and what starts to unravel sets this story in high speed motion.

Hillier knows how to write a perfectly paced, well plotted thriller. None of the characters are particularly likable, but that never bothers me. This story is IMMERSIVE. We alternate between Marin and McKenzie’s perspectives, which basically guarantees you won’t stop reading until the end. Female characters are always my favorite perspectives to read from because they are so complex and complicated. They can be the kindest, most generous people, but also the most vicious. Also, it’s a nice detail that McKenzie is social-media-famous, adding another level of intrigue to the story.

If you need to lose yourself in an intense, expertly plotted, binge-worthy, emotive thriller then look no further: LITTLE SECRETS is for you. ★★★★½

Little Secrets is full of secrets, both big and small. This book is amazing and in this time of unease, when I've been having trouble concentrating on reading, this story and the lives of these people captured my attention and kept me spellbound. I was hooked from the heart-wrenching first chapter. So intense!

I loved this book and all of the drama and secrets. Jennifer is a new author to me but I've already got more of her books on my TBR list. I love her dark and twisty mind, er stories. I highly recommend Little Secrets if you like to read edge-of-your-seat, page turners that you can't put down.

Summer is my favorite time of year to read thrillers, and I read Jennifer Hillier's Jar of Hearts a couple of summers ago. It is still one of my favorite thrillers, and it convinced me to read everything she writes. Jar of Hearts was shocking by the gruesome events, but this book was shocking for an entirely different reason. Marin Machado's son is stolen while they are at the mall. He was there one minute and gone the next. In just a couple of minutes her life changed forever. The story picks up a year after Sebastian goes missing. The FBI has followed up on all of their leads, but it was a dead end. Marin hired a private investigator to make sure that Sebastian is never forgotten, but as part of that she finds out her husband is having an affair. She was already devastated by the loss of her son, but now the rest of her life is in turmoil. Jennifer Hillier's books give me a sick feeling in my stomach and keep me on the edge of my seat. This story was different though for me because it was the first time I was reading about a missing child. That influenced how I felt throughout, and while I didn't love this one as much as Jar of Hearts, it was a solid thriller that I won't soon forget.

Little Secrets was twisted thriller. It was well written and fast paced to keep you reading. I figured out who the bad guy was pretty early on but wanted to make sure I was right. Hillier's first book was too intense for me so when this one was recommended I was excited when friends said it was good but not as gruesome.

Just over a year ago, Marin's four year old son disappeared. They were shopping at a crowded market in the days before Christmas and Marin lost him. Cameras show that he was led away by someone in a Santa Claus outfit, carrying a lollipop he'd been begging his mother for only moments before.

Marin has lived with the guilt ever since.

Then a PI Marin hired to help find her son reveals that Marin's husband is having an affair. After losing her son, Marin is determined not to lose her marriage as well. And she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep her husband devoted to her.

Little Secrets is a super fast read. I started on audio and switched back and forth between that and the physical so that I could read through as fast as possible! No childcare has definitely affected reading time and audiobooks from Libro.fm have been an even bigger part of my reading life of late than even before!

We meet Marin on the morning her son is kidnapped. And then we jump forward, sixteen months later. Marin attends a support group for parents who have missing children but otherwise she's tried her best to put her life back together.

Oh, and she's hired a PI that she hasn't told her husband about.

So when she gets a call from the investigator asking to meet, she assumes it means something regarding her son's disappearance has turned up. Boy is she wrong!

The thing is, Marin isn't really all that shocked to learn that her husband has cheated. In fact, she almost blames herself for the distance. Which is sad considering she already blames herself for their son's disappearance. But her solution for the problem...well, it's an avenue most people wouldn't take themselves!

Hillier does a great job of exploring Marin and her emotions. And she does a really good job illustrating just how many different layers there are to actual people. Marin's choices are certainly questionable, but it's easy to empathize with her even if you (hopefully) don't agree. And she's not the only character Hillier gives voice to as the story continues.

Like I said, it's a super quick read and an intense one as well. Perfect for summer hammock reading :)

An intriguing mystery with so many tentacles that the suspense lasts to the final page.

A one second decision or distraction can change your life forever and cause so much heartache that nothing else in your world matters. The evil in this book builds throughout. When Marin believes she is at the breaking point, her anguish increases with additional torment. How much can one person take? I would love to think I would have the tenacity that she does. Instead of curling up and withdrawing, Marin reaches deep and discovers how very strong she truly is.

I am choosing not to be specific in this review so that no spoilers exist. Suffice to say, this is one of those surprising books that I expected to like. Instead, I found it to be engaging, suspenseful and a truly great read. To say I liked it would be an understatement. It is highly recommended.


I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Hillier. Jar of Hearts made it onto my TBR, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I was initially concerned that they may have given away the punchline in the blurb, but there is more to the story than what you are told.

I really enjoyed Hillier's writing. She was able to draw me into a story that was not what I expected it to be. Due to the blurb, I went into this thinking it was mostly about a mother finding out that her husband and his mistress knew something about her kidnapped son and her trying to find out what happened to him. It was much more about her response to finding out that her husband was having an affair. Yet, it was still engaging.

I didn't love any of the characters; they are all flawed. However, I could also feel for the situations they found themselves in. Hillier writes fairly well-rounded characters. They did not feel flat, which made the story interesting.

I really enjoyed this one. I will definitely read more of Hillier's work.

When Marin's son Sebastian goes missing her life falls apart. Despite the FBI and police giving up on the case, Marin is convinced that Sebastian will still turn up alive. Her husband, on the other hand, seems to have already moved on.

I couldn't put this down. Hillier does an excellent job of leaving breadcrumbs for the reader and slowly connecting the dots. I had to know what happened. The characters were well-developed. You get alternating viewpoints of Marin and Kenzie, her husband's mistress. The two viewpoints paint a very clear picture of the other characters involved.

After reading Jar of Hearts, I was excited to dig into another Jennifer Hillier book. And this one did not disappoint. Marin struggles with guilt after losing her four-year-old son Bash in a public crowd shortly before Christmas. Over a year later, he's still missing and Marin still has questions. But more than questions about her son, she has questions about her husband. When she finds out her husband Derek is cheating, Marin will do anything to keep her life together.

The prose is simple yet powerful, and the characters' emotions craft them into people we can relate to, understand, empathize with. It's a fast-paced story with a lot of emotions going on, but it doesn't drag the plot. It draws us further into Marin's psyche as she makes a decision that could destroy her.

The ending was a little unexpected, but it was well explained and supported. Overall, an excellent psychological thriller.

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier⁣
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I had to take a couple of days to figure out how I felt about this one. ⁣
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And to be honest I still don’t know haha⁣
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I definitely enjoyed it as it was fast paced (my kind of book) and it only had two different perspectives in it. ⁣
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To be honest, it picked up mainly in the end (maybe the last 100 pages or so). This was when we really start to find out all the juicy tidbits. The beginning chapters were basically the background story to get to the point in the end. ⁣
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Because of this, I felt like the end of the book was a bit rushed and I felt like I wanted more out of it.⁣
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But I still really enjoyed it! I’d probably read another book by this author. ⁣

So let me just by saying, the title of this novel, Little Secrets, is definitely an underestimate. It should be something like Epic Life Secrets. From the outside Marin and Derek have a perfect life. Independently wealthy, happily married for 20 years, they have everything. And their world’s revolve around Sebastian, a spunky 4 year old conceived through their last round of IVF. That changes in the blink of an eye when Marin loses track of her son in a busy marketplace. Surveillance footage shows her son leaving the grounds with an unknown person dressed as Santa Claus. Without any leads in the case, their son’s abduction goes cold, and 16 months later they are in a very different place. Marin and Derek have drifted apart. Marin remains focused on finding her son, while Derek appears to have different priorities. So, when Marin’s private Investigator informs her that her husband is having an affair with a 24 year old art student, Marin starts to lose the last of her sanity. She falls back on her old reliable friend Sal, a rough and tumble bar owner who has been there for Marin for as long as she can remember. Marin becomes sucked into a seedy underworld of “fixers” when she enlists the help of Sal’s friend Julian to make sure that her husband’s side piece is no longer a problem, but this journey ends up exposing all sorts of deception that Marin never was aware of, and it becomes clear no one in her orbit can be trusted. This is really exciting to read, and the little surprises keep on coming. It does have a reasonably satisfactory ending. Review posted to Litsy, LibraryThing, Goodreads, Facebook, and Amazon

I really enjoyed Little Secrets. It kept me guessing until about 75% where I kind of put two and two together. It was still a shock. Jennifer's ability to keep the reader guessing was truly so refreshing. I dont read this genre alot because I feel like most of the time it is easy to guess where the plot is going, but in Little Secrets, I had MANY predictions. It was a great read that kept me anxious and needy. Needing to finish the story before anything. If you are a fan of suspense and situations that are very real, this book is for you!

Awesome thriller! Even though this is every moms' worst nightmare. The story is told very well. The writing is good. The twist is rewarding. This was a very well written story.

Ok, wow! Where to begin with this review.?I had no clue what I was getting into when I started reading "Little Secrets". This was my first read by Jennifer Hillier. This book was a page turner to say the least. I devoured it and was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The pacing was fast. There were so many twists and turns. Now, I did figure it out early on but I think that has more to do with my love of all things thriller than an easy to guess plot. I can't wait to read more of this author's work!

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book felt so personal. I couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been to be Marin, losing her child and watching her whole life fall apart after. I definitely didn't see the ending coming. This book was written so well. I blew through it-I just couldn't stop reading because I had to know what happened!

I will eventually feature this on my IG and blog. I've been on a break from posting because of the racial tension in the US. I feel at this point it's more important for POC and BIPOC authors to have the spotlight than it is for my own content.

This is one of my favorite reads so far this year. The writing is fabulous. Great story development, with a mix of good and bad characters which always makes it interesting.
The story is about a child abduction, and is heartbreaking. It’s a complex story with many twists being revealed throughout the story. Everything I love about a good book. Jennifer Hillier has become one of my favorite authors of mystery/thriller genre. Can’t wait to go back and read some of her earlier novels. I read the kindle version of this book, and purchased the audible version so when I couldn’t read I could listen. Great narration! I didn’t want this book to end. I don’t give out many five star reviews, but this one is well deserved. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery/suspense/thriller.
A special thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.