The incredible book Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier, grabbed me by the shoulders! I couldn’t put it down and was engrossed from start to finish. This thriller was so suspenseful I was reading through it as if it was my story to tell. The backdrop is the lives of a family that experience a tragic loss along with it's lingering effects that drives the characters to extremes as coping mechanisms. The characters are vivid and eventually woven masterfully. I went through so many emotions, including the palpable panic and twisted plot the author takes us through. A 5 Star Thriller through and through you will not be dissapointed ✨️

Jennifer Hillier is making a way for herself in the thriller genre with plots like this - where you start off thinking it's about one thing.. but that's just the tip of the iceburg. I had previously read Things We Do in the Dark, which blew me away.

Little Secrets is surprising with all the twists involved. Marin looses her son one day while at the Market, and though there is an extensive search, he is never found. A year later, she's still searching. When her Investigator discovers Marin's husband is having an affair, she has a lot of rage to take out on someone.

I only gave this 4 stars because I felt like there could have been more perspective from the husband, since there were multiple POV from the other characters. But I could just be picky. Overall, I still highly enjoyed it and would recommend it to any fan of suspense or thrillers with a domestic focus. I look forward to reading more by Jennifer Hillier.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! Jennifer Hillier is one of my favorite authors, and she does not disappoint!

Wow! What a wild roller-coaster ride this story is. It is told honestly, exploring the depths of losing a child and the fallout. Everyone has secrets, little and big - there are plenty here to uncover within this evenly paced thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for this ARC!

I loved this book! It was the first book I’d read by this author and as soon as I was done, I purchased almost all of her other books for my kindle. So excited that she’s got a new one out now! I loved the suspense, the interesting characters, and the fact that it was impossible to put down.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, St. Martin’s Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fast paced thriller I couldn’t put down.

Wow! What a great book, finished it in 2 days. Very face paced, couldn't put it down. The characters are flawed but it makes them much more relatable. Will recommend this to everyone!

This book captured me from beginning to end. I wanted to keep reading because I felt a desperate need to figure out what was going to happen, who was involved, WHY… (I’ll stop because I don’t believe in spoiler reviews :))

The author did a meticulous job of capturing a mothers grief, fear, and anger. As a mother to three boys, I could deeply empathize with the main character, even the darker parts of her emotions and actions (I truly can’t imagine going through what Marin did in this story). Also, major kudos for weaving together the tragic story of Marin with the experiences (both past and current) of her husband. A+ for character development.

Loved this one!! I could not put it down and read the whole thing in a day. Great book with well done characters.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I liked it. Very twisty, hard to put down.

This was the first book by Jennifer Hiller that I've read, so I have nothing to compare it to. That being said, I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read some more of her stuff. It was really quick read and a great thriller. I would have liked it better if there was a little less about the affair and more about the kidnapping, but it was still an amazing read. Highly recommend. Thank you Netgalley!

I went in thinking this was going to be just another thriller and was floored by the unforeseen spiral of events unfolding. You will not be disappointed in this delicious morsel. It's nail-biting to the end. Put your seatbelt on!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. What a great ride!!!

Book: Little Secrets
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: April 21, 2022

Jaw dropping. That’s what this book is. Jaw dropping. I can’t tell you how much I loved and enjoyed this book. I wish I could forget it and read it again for the first time just to enjoy it all over again. Bravo Jennifer Hillier! In a way it was a slow burn because you wanted to absorb every single word spoken….but yet it was pulse pounding to keep moving you forward. This is one my most favorite books I have read this year!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is April 21, 2022.

4.5⭐
I read my first Jennifer Hillier book! I feel like I'm now part of the cool kids club. 😉

What begins as a perfect family turns into a horrible nightmare when Marin took her little boy for some Christmas shopping at Seattle's Pike Place Market. Sebastian was abducted while Marin was distracted by her phone. More than a year later when there's no progress from the FBI, Marin hires a PI to keep looking then was told that her husband Derek is having an affair. How far would one go to keep what's left of the family?

The story could go in so many directions and I was really hanging on with my mouth open savoring every bit of the story. What I love about Hillier's writing is that none of these characters are good people (really no good) but somehow I like every single one of them. How does that even work? I would've hit my head with the book if I had a physical copy when I got to the twist. This was very entertaining, I'm super obsessed when it all unraveled.👠👠

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for this DRC.

As a parent, I can tell you that a missing child is one of the most scariest things that can happen.. How long would you hold onto hope to get them back? What would you be willing to do to get your child back?
This book is an emotional rollercoaster of a couples experience after a child goes missing. Their situation only grows more desperate the longer they hold onto their secret's and the longer they use the coping mechanisms they have each chosen to relieve their grief.

Marin and Derek are desperate to get their son back. Both grieve for their loss in different ways but they don’t know how each is effecting the other. Marin’s new and old friends help her try to to keep it together as she also tries to keep her marriage from collapsing too.

5 stars all the way!! Wow! This book was amazing! Little Secrets is the best book I’ve read in awhile, definitely my #1 book of the year so far. Once I got to about 30%, I couldn’t put it down, and I finished the rest in one sitting. I did have my guess on who the kidnapper was somewhat early and my prediction was right but it still was an amazing ride while it all unraveled. The characters are all very well developed and the writing is fabulous, keeps you engaged and intrigued the whole time!! I cannot wait to read more from this author!!

Thank you St. Martins Press/Minotaur books for a gifted copy of this book in return for my honest review!

I've been seeing Jennifer Hillier's books all over "bookstagram" ever since I became involved in the community a few years ago. To say I was excited to read this book would be an understatement. Maybe my expectations were too high from all the hype.

The book wasn't bad, but I think categorizing it as a thriller may have been the wrong move. I started reading it expecting to be caught off guard and shocked by plot twists. There weren't any parts when I felt suspense, thrills, or the nail-biting anxiety I expect from a strongly written thriller.

Too much of the book was overtaken by the affair and told from McKenzie's POV, who I didn't care about. I think a lot of it could have been cut without affecting the story. The ending "plot twist" was disappointing, but I don't want to reveal any spoilers.

In addition, I'm not sure if an earlier draft was accidentally uploaded to NetGalley, but the eBook I received was full of typos, grammatical errors, incorrect word usage, and spelling errors. If this was the final version, then this author needs a new editor.

*I received a free eBook from NetGalley in exchange for writing an honest review. Thank you to Jennifer Hillier, NetGalley, and Minotaur Books for the free book.

This is my first book that I have read by Jennifer Hillier and I can say that I was quite impressed. This book was not what I expected, which was a book about a mother looking for her kidnapped child. The story was about the lives and secrets that the parents of the missing child keep. The plot was fast moving and kept me on my toes!

My very first Jennifer Hillier book and I was not disappointed. The person I expected to be the “bad guy” was not who I thought it was. The characters are relatable in ways that are all to real for me and my household. The holes dug get deeper and deeper and the possibility of climbing out of it is slim to none.

When Sebastian goes missing, his mom, Marin, frantic, calls 911 and starts in a journey no parents want to have to go through.

“Little Secrets”
By Jennifer Hillier

What a Wicked Web We Weave

Posh salon-for-the-rich-and-famous owner, Marin, and her self-made millionaire husband, Derek, seem to have it all in Jennifer Hillier’s engrossing psychological twisty thriller, “Little Secrets,” until the day a phone call distracts Marin in a busy market days before Christmas and the hand of her four-year-old son, Sebastian, slips away and so does he.

I found Hillier’s multi-point-of-view novel completely realistic, captivating, poignant, and conscience-raising. The heart-wrenching topic of child abduction and its various potential outcomes is the primary focus of “Little Secrets.”

The novel also delves into many of the offshoots of grief and personal loss— self-harm; physical, mental, and psychological abuse; and philandering. Hillier explores how some individuals in times of personal tragedy and tremendous pain may react. Many keep secrets— embarrassing secrets.

Author Jennifer Hillier does an intriguing job of exploring how one family deals with their pain of loss by creating a web of intertwining mysteries linked through the darkly escalating subterfuge they each keep from each other. “Little Secrets” is a fast-paced read and not for the faint of heart. It’s a story of love, loss, self-reflection, redemption, and reconciliation.

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Little Secrets”
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Genre: Fiction (Adult) | Mysteries & Thrillers |
Publication Date: 20 April 2020
Publisher: Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group

My sincere appreciation goes to NetGalley; Author Jennifer Hillier; and Publisher Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group; for this Advance Reader Copy.