Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I started reading Little Secrets back in March and stalled out around 49% because I was just not connecting with the characters and found myself unable to stay focused. I really wanted to find out what happened, but I also just didn't really care at all.

Fast forward to today when I came across the audiobook and was able to finish the second half of the book. I found my place, hit play, and went about my household chores. I was able to quickly get back into the groove of the story and was quickly captivated and trying to find more chores so I could finish.

I am not sure what the issue was the first time. I honestly blame the timing on this one - it was the start of the stay-at-home orders and my mind just couldn't focus on anything. But once I got back into the story I was good to go and actually found it held my attention.

5 Stars: 5/5 Star Rating
This is another winner!! Marin and Derek's son is kidnapped from a mall right before Christmas while Marin is shopping with Sebastian. Marin blames herself and Derek blames himself for not saving their son from being taken. Now they just want closure. They hope their son will be found alive but it's been well over the time limit set for most children to be found alive. But mothers and fathers can continue to hope. Marin hired her own private detective to search for her son and never told her husband. When the private detective uncovers some other important information, Marin becomes equally obsessed with uncovering more secrets. Secrets, secrets, secrets, Marin certainly has her own little secrets and Derek has his own little secrets. When will all the secrets end? Marin just wants to control her life again, and she may just have found a way to gain some control once again....once and for all.....
I love this book. It is dark at times, and yet the characters are likable and real. If my child had been kidnapped, I can imagine feeling much the same way...out-of-control and desperate for answers. I have to be honest that I never saw this ending coming as it did and I doubt readers will either, but trust me, it's worth reading !
I received a digital ARC of this book from netgalley and Minotaur Books. All opinions expressed are my own.

You won’t see the end of this book coming. Interesting plot. The characters aren’t very likable or relatable, but this is still a very interesting, twisted tale.

What I loved: This book draws you in from the start. I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what was around the next corner. And when they say little secrets. Uhm understatement. Them some big ass secrets. I mean ddddamn. This story is wild! There’s so many twists and turns. I suspected some things. And normally that would bother me but for some reason it didn’t. I think because there was more bang behind it. I just thought wow! Every time something came out. This book will screw with your emotions and send you on a rollercoaster and I loved it!

What I didn’t love: So I’m not sure here because it was a top notch book. Can I say that I didn’t like some of the characters. I mean they worked so well in this story but I really want to throat punch a few.

Overall: I mean Jennifer Hiller has done it again. I read Jar of Hearts last year & It was a 5 ⭐️ read too. So basically I need to track down all her books.. like now. So you should too!

I really enjoyed Jar of Hearts so when I saw this on netgalley I couldn’t request fast enough. I of course meant to read it before it published, but with everything going on my brain couldn’t focus. I will say I preferred Jar of Hearts, probably because I had no expectations and it was super messed up. This one was really good too, a solid read. It definitely hooked me, it was fast paced and I wanted to know what on earth was going on. It was twisty and shocking - I didn’t guess anything at all.

Everyone has their secrets and hopes and desires and obsessions -- some little and some not so little. This is a well-crafted suspenseful novel that maintains its integrity throughout, meaning no logical inconsistencies or fortuitous happenchances. I will definitely read more of Hillier!

Review! 4🌟

Book: Little Secrets
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Publisher: @minotaurbooks
Buy or borrow: Borrow

Thank you so much @minotaurbooks and @netgalley for the advanced egalley and physical copy in exchange for an honest review!
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TW: mental health, suicide, physical abuse
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Marin and her husband, Derek, have the perfect life. They both are self-made and feel good about the companies they created and the wealth they have gained. Marin and Derek also have the perfect son, Sebastian, that they tried so hard to have. The boy they brought into the world to unite their marriage is their everything and when he is taken, their world comes crumbling down. Marin is a shell of herself and Derek has thrown himself into his work, or so Marin thinks. As Marin discovers new information about her husband, Marin decides she has a new enemy to face which will lead her to connections she never knew possible.
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Little Secrets is a classic multi perspective thriller but sets itself apart from the rest with the multidimensional characters. From the beginning I was interested in Marin’s story and the author, Jennifer Hillier, wrote about her grief and the loss of her son in a way that felt very real for the readers. The book is split into multiple parts which helps guide the suspense. That being said, I felt the book got off to a slow start and although I was interested in the story, I found the first part to drag. Once I got through the first part I really enjoyed reading the rest of the book and I was really interested in the chapters from Kenzie’s perspective. I thought that all of the characters were really multidimensional, especially the “enemy” who was Kenzie in this story. Although I was able to predict the end of the book from a few clues that were given throughout, I still found this book to be interesting and worth a read.

I stayed up WAY too late last night finishing this one but I couldn’t 👏🏻 put 👏🏻 it 👏🏻down!

If you read Jennifer Hillier’s book “Jar of Hearts” which was DEFINITELY a 2018 fav of mine, this one will definitely not disappoint!

It was fast-paced, completely unpredictable, and terrifying all at once.

There are some definite trigger points in this book most importantly including a child kidnapping (NO SPOILER HERE) which happens very early on in the book but that fear is a real one for any parent. In fact, I always refuse to watch any Criminal Minds or Law and Order when it deals with a child because it scares me so much!

But in this case, the kidnapping was a minor part where the fallout and emotional toll after were really the main focus.

This has definitely been my favorite book of 2020 so far, so definitely check it out!! It’s the perfect thriller while quarantined!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley #littlesecrets

Little Secrets plot is pretty much my worst fear as a parent. Losing a child in a crowded place and having to go on knowing that you might never see them again absolutely terrifies me. For the main character, Marin, she has to move on from that horrible day, all while watching her husband drift away from their marriage with an affair and no news from the FBI or the private investigator she hired to help find her son. This book has a few twists that I didn't see coming and I was hooked on finding out if Marin would ever find her son. 4/5⭐️

Oh wow, what a fantastic read. I've started and stopped so many new books lately, unable to become fully absorbed, but Little Secrets was the breath of fresh air I needed.

Fast paced, thrilling, multiple points of view, you never know where this one is going. But it was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier is one of the buzzier psychological thriller releases of spring 2020. I’ve begun to tire of the genre, so I wasn’t sure what surprises this novel could offer me. Well, I’m happy to report that the outcome was definitely not what I was expecting. This intricately plotted, suspenseful novel follows a women named Marin whose son has been abducted. Months go by and she secretly hires a PI to investigate his disappearance after the police move on to other cases. To Marin’s surprise, the PI uncovers that her husband is having an affair with a much younger woman. This revelation will not only drive Marin to a breaking point, it also has shocking implications for her son’s investigation.

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken. A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold and the publicity has faded. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek’s lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek. review: Thriller and suspense novels have been my go-to genre this quarantine and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. What starts off as a kidnapping turns out to be so much more. This book is told from both Marin and McKenzie’s perspectives and it makes for an interesting way for the story to unfold. It gives the book more dimension and I loved trying to guess where it was going to go! This book was highly addictive and a fast paced read for me. If you’re a fan of thrillers, I suggest giving this one a read. rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

This is my second book by Jennifer Hillier. This was definitely a good book just a little slow at times. It was well written and the story line was good. So full of lost friendship, deceit, extortion, strain on marriage, and the kidnapping of a child. Definitely a great ending to a wild book.

🤫Review for “Little Secrets”🤫

Description: All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret...

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family- until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. The discovery sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.

“Little Secrets” is a story about tragedy, a marriage that is falling apart, and a wife who’s determined to keep what is hers. All the characters have their own “little” secrets that will come to the surface, and there is a shocking twist that you’ll never see coming.

This was the first Jennifer Hillier book I’ve read, and now I can’t wait to read more by this talented author!

This was an enjoyable thriller with plenty of twists and turns. My only worries about it is that the first 100 pages were a bit slower, and I in the end guessed one of the main plot points. That being said, I still think it was well written and the characters were dynamic. It was interesting how towards the end, it was hard to like any of the characters because of the plot details. Every character had a negative and positive side to them. That was a different detail to this thriller.

SYNOPSIS | It took less than 6 minutes for someone to kidnap Marin's 4 year old son in a crowded market. One year later and the case has turned cold and she hires a Private Investigator to continue the investigation, but the PI also uncovers that her husband is having an affair.

MY THOUGHTS | Oh gosh I loved this. As a stepmom, I can absolutely relate to the heart wrenching realisation that your child isn't holding your hand anymore in a public place and the sheer panic that ensues. I thought this was a really great thriller that kept me guessing and trying to figure out who did it, why they did it and wondering if Marin's son is still alive.

"Little Secrets" tells the story of every mother's worst nightmare - Marin's young son gets kidnapped while the two of them are out shopping several days before Christmas. There are barely any clues left behind and the FBI ultimately give up on their search after a year has passed. Marin decides to hire a PI to take up the investigation and then learns her husband is having an affair with a 20-something barista. What follows in the plot is what makes this novel great - I didn't expect the twists at all! Hillier does an amazing job capturing what it's like for parents of missing children (the nuances of how their world crumbles after this event and never gets put back together again), and I fully bought the actions of all of the characters because they're described so realistically and with such emotion. The only thing keeping this from a 5-star review is that it felt a little long in some places. It wasn't until the last 25% of the book that I had to compulsively read to find out what happened next - just wish the entire book had felt this way. However, I"ll definitely be checking out more books from this author!

Some days are the best of days…until they are not. Marin and Derek have been together since college and are the parents of a darling 4-year old son, Sebastian. On one of their many outings, their life is turned upside down. How do you survive when someone you love is no longer there? Marin does everything she can to find out what happened, and in the process discovers something that she was not looking for. Mistakes and remorse, constantly wondering what if. It is impossible to change the past, but there is always the future.
I loved this book! It drew me in from the very beginning and kept me turning pages until there were no more to turn. There characters are flawed and realistic and will draw you into the story. Heartbreak. Anguish. Anger. Joy. All of this and more can be found in this book. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

Wow, what a ride. This was a very captivating, unputdownable book that held my attention from beginning to end! The characters were well developed- though I didn't really care for most of them I wanted to find out what would happen with each one. The story is full of twists and turns. Thank you to NetGalley and St.. Martin's Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Whew! This book, y’all! I could not put this one down and stayed up way past my bedtime and texted my friend my thoughts as soon as I finished at 2am. I love thrillers, but lately I have been feeling that I can guess them too easily so I have been shying away. I picked up this one because #bookstagrammademedoit and holy heck I couldn’t guess anything and was genuinely surprised throughout the book. In addition to being un-guessable, the main character is a kickass woman who you are rooting for the entire time. I need to see this one made into a movie ASAP. This was my first Jennifer Hillier book but I can’t wait to dive into Jar of Hearts next. I’ve had it on my kindle for a few months at the recommendation of another bookstagrammer.