This was my first novel by this author and I have already purchased another !
This is not your typical thriller - this is a thriller that is a parent’s worse nightmare !
It took second for Marin to let go of her little so so hand and just like that he is abducted in a crowd full of people !
What follows is how Marin tries to live each day without ever being able to fully breathe !
She hires a dectective and makes her vow to never give up on finding her son - to leave no stone unturned! What is discovered is that Marin’s husband is having an affair ! This changes Marin’s focus as she tries to find out all she can on the other woman .
We witness Marin confiding everything to her childhood friend!
As we continued to read and hope for the safe return of her son - the author takes us on an unimaginable ride where no one is who they say they are !
You won’t know who to trust !
The twist , the chase , the lies and secrets all come to a head !
You have to read this one - you will not believe the ending !
Jennifer Hillier is a master at her craft !

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
Pub Date 04/21/2020

Little secrets is a mother's worst nightmare. You're with your four-year-old son in a busy shopping market finishing the last of your Christmas shopping. You answer a text from your husband, maybe 1 minute tops you look up and you can't find your son. The story has so many twists and turns. It left me completely floored. Never in a million years would I have guessed the ending. The struggles these parents went through broke my heart. Do yourself a favor and read it.
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Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

My first book by this author won’t be the last. Emotional and gripping. I couldn’t stop reading until I knew these characters were okay or figured out the end. Twisted and dark. Found a new go to thriller writer!

As a mother, I tend to avoid books with traumatic storylines related to children, especially with a child so close in age to my own. But, after multiple friend’s recommendations, I decided to read this one. And I’m so glad I did! Yes, there is a missing child and that first chapter in particular was gut-wrenching. This story put me through the ringer, and I felt all the feelings. The emotions were palpable from the page. I anguished with Marin over her missing child. But, surprisingly, most of the story was about the husband’s affair. It was told from both the wife, Marin, and the mistress, Kenzie’s POV. You cannot sympathize at all with Kenzie. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and she may have had something to do with the kidnapping. Marin is not coping well with her son’s disappearance. She blames herself, she’s self-destructive, and maybe a little crazy. But, as a mother, I can totally understand why she was the way she was. When she finds out about the affair, her sorrow turns into rage directed at Kenzie. There was a whole cast of characters to hate. The book was thrilling and once you finally put the puzzle pieces together, it was shocking. The end also gave the closure I personally needed from the story. This was my first book by the author, but absolutely will not be my last.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book caught me by surprise. I started and was like yes, this is awesome. Then I struggled in the middle but the ending was just as great as the beginning. Would thoroughly recommend this read!

Review 3.5 stars

Reading this sort felt like reading a r/AmITheAsshole thread on Reddit. ESH (everyone sucked here). Can’t really talk to much about the what going on the book without giving key elements away, but just know everyone sucks. No one really comes out of this a winner, and that can be a good or bad thing depending on where you lean. I don’t always like stories where there is a clear winner because that’s not life (really what’s the point of reading a thriller if it’s not going to mimic real life in some way), but the level of butthurt each character exhibited was mind boggling. To be honest, if this wasn’t for the fact that I got this book from NetGalley and it being one of my many book club reads (plus I semi-encouraged this month chooser to pick this one) I would have dnf’ed at the 72% mark.

But all that’s not to say it didn’t redeem itself in the end. Because It did. But good lord, you have to go through a lot to reach pay dirt. It slowly pulls you in at the beginning, but a good chunk of the middle just makes you want to bang your head against a wall, I understand you’re facing the unthinkable and trying to cope but even skill there are some lines you don’t cross and think your karma or conscience will ever be square. But hey who am I to judge.

Little Secrets is an interesting ride, not one you need to rush for but an interesting journey none the less.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Little Secrets - Jennifer Hillier

Thank you @netgalley & @minotaur for the ecopy in exchange of an honest review!

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I LOVED THIS BOOK. Absolutely delightfully disturbing and made my thriller loving heart SO happy! Believe it or not this is my first ever Hillier book and I was definitely not disappointed! This book hooked me in right away and I did not want to put it down. I definitely understand why you all say Hillier is a thriller master because I was on my toes and desperate to find out what had happened throughout the entire book! I found Marin an extremely likeable character, despite her own perceived flaws of herself and her (really bad) decision making skills. I felt Marin’s grief in my own gut throughout the entire read and sensed her motherly desperation to find her son.

One of my favourite parts of this novel is the depth, and multiple storylines that were happening concurrently. Hillier weaved a brilliant, complex thriller, without it feel it ever feeling overwhelming or cheesy. Consider me hooked on Hillier friends! I don’t know what took me so long! Shoutout to my thriller loving bookstagrammers for guiding me to this new found love!

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If you enjoy a dark & twisty thriller with lots of dark & twisty characters who could all probably use a new moral compass, make sure to add Little Secrets to your summer reading list!

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love darker thrillers and Jennifer Hillier is one of the absolute best! If you haven’t read her work before, you are in for a treat! I was REALLY hoping her latest wouldn’t let me down and I’m thrilled to share that this one is just as solid as her previous novels.

Marin seems to be leading the perfect life- a fantastic husband, a beautiful son, and successful careers.

Her life comes to a crashing halt though when she is out holiday shopping and her son, Sebastian, is taken. In this one split second of her looking away, her son goes missing and her entire world is shattered.

One year later, Marin’s marriage is struggling, they still have been unable to find her son, and she is in a spiraling depression.

As a last ditch attempt to find Sebastian, she hires a private investigator to reexamine the case.

What she digs up though isn’t information about Sebastian, but surprising information about her husband that changes everything.

This is one of those addictive little thrillers that are sure to pull you out of your reading slump. I could not turn the pages fast enough and would recommend this for your summer stack!

4.25 stars-
I wish there was more focus on the son and his kidnapping.

Marin, loses sight of her son in a crowded market for a few seconds and he's kidnapped. The police and FBI turn up nothing and the case fizzles. Through a PI hired by Marin to find her son, Marin learns that her husband is having an affair. This is where most of the story is focused-Marin wants revenge because how could her husband be cheating on her when they both have gone through something horrific and should be closer than ever.
The only one who seems to understand her and her grief is her best friend Sal.

I started to suspect certain things and people closer to the end and when I saw the truth is what was happening, my jaw dropped and I flew through the last bit.

I’m giving this book 3 stars because I went into this with high expectations. I read Jar of Hearts, which was superb! And I loved Creep and Freak. This book was lukewarm compared to them. If I’d not already read books by her, this would have been a great psychological thriller. But my previous reads were suspense, so I kept waiting for the action. I would still recommend it. It’s a good story, but it just wasn’t what I was looking forward to.

Jennifer Hillier is a new to me author. I have seen some really great reviews for her past books and couldn't wait to dive into her newest one, Little Secrets. I knew she was a mystery/thriller author but other than that I went in completely blind. I was hooked from the first page. The writing is suspenseful, gripping and filled with so much intense emotion. Marin is mom to 4 year old, Sebastian and wife, to husband Derek. The book begins in a Christmas Market where she and Sebastian are doing some last minute Christmas shopping when Marin's world is turned upside down in an instant and Sebastian is abducted right from underneath her. Since the abduction a year has passed and Marin has been going through the motions of life. She blames herself for her son's kidnapping and is feeling disconnected from her husband. Little Secrets is definitely an appropriate title! One secret is revealed after another to keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing where the story would turn or go next. I was stunned and reeling when it all came together in the end. A fantastic must read thriller! 5 STARS.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

I was immediately sucked into this story. It is about terrible things: a missing child, a cheating husband, and worse, but the characters are so well developed I was invested from the start. It is a page turner, and incredibly well written. A great read

Hillier writes powerful, tense psychological thrillers, and this is no exception. Never underestimate the power of a woman wronged! Readers will stay up late finishing this one.

Holy WOW! I loved Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier and Little Secrets was equally amazing!
I read this book in one exciting sitting!

Marin’s four year old son was kidnapped at a store, causing her marriage to hit the dumps. He's having an affair and all she has is a support group to get her by.

Twisty, perfectly paced, well written! Cannot recommend this book enough!

This book was SO GOOD! It felt like it was a thriller mixed with contemporary fiction. The character development was very well rounded. The emotions from all parties felt genuine. I loved the multiple POVs at just the right timing. ⠀⁠⠀
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It started off a bit slow but once I got into it, I couldn’t stop. The story was so unique, I loved it! ⠀

Okay where to start with this book?! I could not put down this book and ended up staying up into the wee hours of the night to finish it. This book was so well written and the plot captured you from the first page. The plot had great build up and there were so many twists and turns I could even predict what would come next. I will definitely read more from this author in the future. Did I mention I'm not even a thriller fan? that's how good this was! 4/5 stars!

Once the main idea of the story surfaced, I found it difficult to continue reading. It seemed like the characters weren't really moving towards any type of resolution (good or bad) and were just spinning their wheels.

Marin was doing what any mother does during the holiday when her son, Sebastian, was kidnapped. She was multi-tasking while at the holiday market. Her best friend, Sal, had called and she let Sebastian's little hand slip from hers. And just like that, he is gone. More than 400 days later, Marin is the shell of the woman she used to be. Her world is nothing without Sebastian. Her marriage is hanging on by a thread and so is Marin. She hired a private investigator months ago to finish what the police couldn't find Sebastian, only in today's report, the private investigator tells Marin that Derek has been cheating on her. Marin makes a dark decision that will change their lives forever.

Little Secrets is a dark, psychological thriller about a woman with nothing else to lose. There is no question that Marin is living her life with regret. The author does an amazing job of conveying Marin's despair. I felt so bad for her. And then she finds out that her husband was cheating on her with practically a child? Well, I get it. She was pushed too far. Derek, on the other hand, was a complete douchebag. From the very beginning, I thought that he was a jerk. And then he cheats on her and it was the last straw. I really couldn't figure out the "whodunit" and part of me wondered if we would never know. But I was wrong. And I was really surprised. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS. The ending was the kind of satisfying ending that all books deserve, but very few get.

Bottom Line -Little Secrets is going to be at the top of a lot of "Best of 2020" lists this year and for very good reasons. Little Secrets is dark and tragic and absolutely mesmerizing.

Fantastic. Jennifer Hillier writes such compulsively readable books. I started this book and then unintentionally finished it in one sitting. This book did have tropes I do not like...and yet I didn't care and found myself totally enveloped in the story. Some reveals/twists I guessed and found predictable, and some caught me totally off guard. Overall, this was a fast-paced and well written thriller that is perfect for thriller fans.

Riveting thriller I could not put down.

The story started a little dark and depressing with Marin’s son getting kidnapped and shortly after she finds out her husband is cheating on her with a younger woman. But I knew that was going to happen after I read the description. The characters were so engaging I was easily able to push through the depressing portion of the book.

I am glad I stuck with it. It turned into a “Gone Girl” type of book. I loved it! I defiantly did not expect the big reveal. I loved Jennifer’s witty sarcasm. Many laugh out loud opportunities.

This is a "Five Star", "Must Read" book.

I received this galley from NetGalley.