I don't even know where to start on how much I loved this book. It really sucked me in right from the beginning. I had to put it away for a bit after the first couple of chapters because I got too into it any my anxiety got the best of me with feeling like I was there and it was happening to me. I've been a huge Jennifer Hillier fan since Jar of Hearts. That was my favorite read of 2018, and I really think Little Secrets will be my favorite of 2020.

I was drawn to the characters in this book from page one. Derek is kind of a dick. Sal is pretty much like most guys from my hometown. Kenzie deserves everything that comes her way, although I did sort of begin to understand her towards the end.

I did have an idea of what was going on and towards the middle, but that didn't detract anything from the book. My heart was pounding almost every step of the way!

I absolutely loved this book! From the very beginning, I was drawn in to the interesting story. The action starts immediately with the disappearance of a small child. I adore Seattle so I was happy this was the setting to the story. I did figure out the big twist pretty early in the book but there were plenty of other twists to enjoy. I highly recommend this one if you like a good mystery!

I was worried before reading this. As the mother of 3 boys I wasn't sure I could handle the fact that the main character's life revolves around the fact she can't move on from her son being kidnapped. I worried it would seem too real for me. Honestly, I am glad I pursued this anyway because I ended up really liking this fast paced thriller.

I will say that it started out slow, but interesting. The main character, Marin, is a successful business woman married to a successful man. They seem to have a dream life and marriage and that all crumbles down around then when their son is abducted.

In Part 1 of the book we meet Marin. Almost a year after her son was abducted she discovers her husband is having an affair with a much younger woman. Now on top of all her grief over her missing son,she has a new mystery to solve. Who is this woman in her husband's life? How did they meet? How could he just move on with his life? She even starts online stalking this girl and shows up at her work to see what college-girl Kenzie is all about.

Part 2 of the book is from Kenzie's perspective. She's a college student working in a coffee shop and sharing an apartment with a roommate. She knows who Marin is. She knows that Marin and her husband are super successful and very rich. This is not Kenzie's first time becoming the mistress of a rich man...

What started as a dark, gripping thriller soon turned into a woman-hating-woman domestic thriller. Though I stayed entertained, I was just confused as to why the two types of thrillers had to mix. It seemed like two separate mysteries held together by a very thin thread.

Then ending was rushed and boring. Predictable at the least. It's hard to get into why I hated it without giving the "who done it" away.

Overall, it was a quick read and it did entertain me. A 3 star read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an eARC to read and give my honest review.

"Little Secrets" is set to be released April 21, 2020 here in the United States. It is a quick and fun read for all those that are self quarantined during this COVID-19 epidemic so pre-order now.

Happy Reading!

After reading the first couple chapters of this book I thought maybe there had been a mistake in the synopsis. What I was reading didn't seem to match up with what I thought I should be reading. Regardless of my slight confusion I was completely hooked and very intrigued as to how Jennifer Hillier was going to connect the dots. This book is consuming and while I ended up reading it over the span of two days I could have easily got through it in one. Written as is a dual narrated story going back and forth between Marin and McKenzie, I noticed a significant difference in the voice of each of these characters and it added a lot to the story for me. Marin is written as a mature albeit damaged woman and McKenzie is written with a very childish tone. The characters are so well written that the fact that I didn't like any of them didn't take away from how much I enjoyed this book.

I would have loved to give this five stars but the ending goes a little bit off the rails and I wasn't a fan of how Marin deals with the aftermath of the kidnapping . I don't agree with the choices she made and it tainted the story just a little for me. As a lover of all things 90's Seattle grunge I really liked the added touch of the song lyrics from various bands that introduced each of the three parts to the book.

When I was finished I decided to read the authors note (which I don't tend to do). In it Jennifer mentions that she didn't form out the plot ahead of time and instead let the characters decide where the story would go. This approach made the book so much better for me. To know that she essentially wrote this on the fly is incredibly impressive. I can't imagine trying to write a book with a full plot in my head never mind just winging it. This is just one of the many reasons why I am a consumer of and not a producer of books. I have another one of this authors books waiting to be read and I will most certainly be getting to it sooner than originally anticipated.

Marin’s son Sebastian, is kidnapped while shopping with Marin right before Christmas. Marin will never forgive herself nor will she ever stop looking for her son.

Marin's marriage to Derek hanging on by a thread. They barely speak to each other and are letting their guilt tear them apart.

It is best to read this book without knowing much about it and savor each new clue. I stayed up reading much later than I should have, one of the best reads of the year for me.

I will be on the lookout for any book by Jennifer Hillier; I enjoyed her writing, her characters and the slow burn of the story. A resounding YES, read this book!

I love a book that involves kidnapping! This was definitely one of the fastest and most gripping psychological thrillers I’ve ever read. It definitely hooked me from the beginning and at all times I wanted to know what was going to happen next. The writing style was easy and easily submerged me into the book making me forget about my daily life activities.

Marian's son is kidnapped and she later finds out her husband Derek is having an affair with a 24 year old art student named McKenzie. Marian and Derek haven’t really had the best relationship since their son was kidnapped. This whole book is a roller coaster from page one.

I did not find it predictable. This book deals with grief, liars, friendships and relationships. It shows people’s true colors and how determined people are to get what they want. I liked every character, I enjoyed finding out their backstory. This book did switch POV’s but I was never confused.

When this all came together I was like wow, I should have known, but I was too invested with the story to even figure it out.

You definitely should go into this one knowing it is about a kidnapping and the things people will do to get what they want.

I will definitely be purchasing a copy! Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Jennifer Hillier has crafted a masterpiece of a suspenseful thriller. It was a week before Christmas at a busy market place and Marin was getting the last of her shopping done with her 4 year old son, Sebastion. She lets go of his hand for only brief seconds to answer a text and then he is gone! The video footage shows him being lead out by a man in a Santa Suit! His abduction is any parent's worse nightmare and she blames herself, later trying to commit suicide with her husband Derek saving her just in time.

After the case grows cold, Marin hires a private investigator to continue working on the case. Then read on, because things get really interesting from there! There are lots of twists and turns and you won't want to put it down until the exciting end. I highly recommend this book, it won't let you down!

I would like to thank #Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and the author Jennifer Hillier for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Publish Date April 21, 2020.

This is a story about Marin, a mother who is living the worst fear of any parent, losing a child. Her child was kidnapped practically right from under her nose. More than a year later, the boy is still missing and to add insult to injury, Marin learns her husband as been having an affair.

This book pulled me in immediately. I could feel the heartache and despair Marin felt in the moments following the abduction. I felt her heart breaking as a result of her husband's betrayal. The book was so well written that you could feel all of Marin's emotions as if they were your own, and that's just the first quarter of the book before it becomes a thriller.

Once it moves into being a thriller, the story still focuses on Marin's emotions and her ability or inability to deal with both the loss of her boy and her cheating husband. Jennifer Hillier does a great job of fleshing out Marin's character along with the rest of the characters in the novel.

Although I did suspect where the story was going around the 2/3 mark, it was a gripping story to the very end, and one of my favorite books of the year. These characters will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Marin and Derek’s four year old son, Sebastian, is kidnapped right before Christmas and there are no leads, Marin goes into a downward spiral. Sixteen months later she finds out that Derek is having an affair. Marin has lost enough she won’t lose Derek too, no matter what ends she has to go to. This book was a very compelling read. All is not what it seems and this book has plenty of twists that come together perfectly in the end. Highly addictive, this is one you need to leave time for because once started it’s impossible to put down.

Marin Machado has the perfect life. She married Derek, her college sweetheart, and mothered Sebastian, a miracle child. The owner of a highly successful, upscale salon, Marin spends her days as the go-to cosmetologist for many of Hollywood's A-list celebrities. Her husband is the CEO of a lucrative, powerful company. It's safe to say, Marin has it all.

Family.
Friends.
Money.
Power.

Until one day, she doesn't. During a Christmas season shopping rush, Marin lets go of Sebastian's hand. Four hundred and eighty seconds later, she realizes he's not simply missing. He's been taken. Abducted. Even with a vast empire at their disposal and the assistance of both the FBI and media, Marin cannot find her child.

Sixteen months later and still unable to accept the disappearance of Sebastian, Marin is a shadow of her former self. After hiring the best P.I. money can buy, she spends her days hiding secrets from her therapist and her nights being soothed by her support group. She finds comfort in her longtime best friend, Sal, while her husband finds solace in the arms of another woman.

In a desperate moment to reclaim her life, Marin makes a rash decision that has a profound effect on everyone around her. At Marin's weakest moment, she is left with a startling truth, one that will change her life irrevocably.

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier is a cleverly plotted and absolutely riveting standalone thriller. Smartly written, devastatingly beautiful, and absolutely unputdownable, it is doused with enough shocking twists to keep the pages turning. Hauntingly evocative, the themes of this one are painfully clear: loss, grief, betrayal, acceptance, love, and family.

Little Secrets is a fast-paced thriller, dropping the reader directly into the plot, when everything in Marin Machado's perfect life goes perfectly wrong. What the reader is left with is a compelling account of just how far a mother will go to protect her family and locate her missing son.

I was SO excited to get my hands on Little Secrets! The premise sounds unique and I love a good thriller. It started off great, with the first couple chapters leaving you dying to find out what happens! However, I had troubles connecting with the bulk of the story. I’m not sure why, and I definitely feel in the minority here, but it just didn’t capture my attention the way I’d hoped it would. Towards the last quarter of the book or so, things really picked up again and I was definitely satisfied with the ending! I loved the way all of the puzzle pieces ended up fitting together.

Overall, I felt it was an ok thriller. While this one wasn’t necessarily the best fit for me, I’d definitely recommend checking out other reviews as many people LOVED it!

I'm not going to give a long synopsis as I don't want to give anything away. I went in blind and I think that was the best. But short and sweet - Marin & Derek are successful, wealthy and seem to have it all, until their 4 year old son vanishes at Pike Place Market during the busy Christmas season. Flash forward 16 months - there are no leads, no new evidence, the case remains at a stand still.

Best thriller I've read in a long while! I flew through this book in less than 24 hours because I had to know. I think Marin's character was so well-written to capture the emotions of a mother whose child is missing. The characters were likable and the plot was realistic, which isn't always the case for thrillers.

Wow. This is my first book by this author. I just got another one of her books because I liked this one so much. I didn’t want to put this book down. My eyes were burning from staying up too late, just to finish it. Thanks to netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! The characters were very realistic and had depth to them that made you question their actions but root for them at the same time. I originally thought it was going to be all about the child who was kidnapped, but I was happily surprised that it took a different direction that kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole book. If you are questioning whether to read this one, just do it! You will not be disappointed. I think Jennifer Hillier is one of my new favorite thriller authors.

Wow. Jennifer Hillier. She is one to watch. This book was so gut wrenching but also so amazing. I went through such a spectrum of emotions. It was strange, I started reading and the main character Marian has a four year old son and not far into the book I almost had to put it down for a minute, but persisted and am so glad I did. She has such a seemingly honest portrayal of a mother in grief and I can’t even begin to imagine how she was able to get to herself in that mental headspace to build these characters. Also I had a strange love hate relationship with the secondary character McKenzie Li, she’s the 24 year old student artist barely making it by (been there not fun)and how she’s represented through her social media and how it plays a part in the book is really interesting. Overall I highly recommend this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫.

I so loved this book. It’s compulsive, a page turner full of complex characters with a great twist to finish the book.
Sebastian is just 4 years old when his mother drops his hand to send a text and he vanishes from a bookstore in a local market. Despite a nationwide search, no trace of him is found. Marin, his mother can never forgive herself for letting go of him and her life spirals out of control. She has hired a P.I. to look for her son when the police have passed the case on to investigate more current cases. It’s the P.I. that brings her the news that her husband is having an affair. She has one true friend, Sal, a former childhood friend and lover who has remained a constant in her life. When Sal offers her a solution to her husbands infidelity she takes it and the consequences lead to a page turning ride for the reader.
#netgalley #littlesecrets

First, let me thank netgalley and the publishers for approving my request for an early release of this book. All reviews of my netgalley books can be found on goodreads and youtube. Please be sure to check out the links attached.

It's no secret that Little Secrets is going to be on everyone's Summer Reading list.

This fast-paced and absorbing read delves into the murky depths of marriage, devastating loss, friendship and deception as a couple deals with the abduction of their four-year-old son. The story is told using two female POVs and includes several twists (some I saw coming, some I didn't). But for me, it was the attention Hillier gave to developing her characters and the emotional glimpses into the lives of people whose children have been abducted, that truly gripped me.

The characters are a mixed bag of dysfunction, but all are well-developed and no one comes off squeaky clean. From parents Marin and Derek whose moral compasses don't point due north, to secondary characters who throw some curve balls into the mix to the tertiary characters in Marin's support group, their stories, deceptions and experiences bring a real depth to the story than you might not expect from a psychological thriller. I particularly appreciated how Hillier shows how differently Marin and Derek experience the loss of their child.

While not as dark as Hillier's earlier books, Jar of Hearts or The Butcher, this story has its emotional moments and is filled with good twists and fascinating deception that will keep readers guessing and compulsively turning pages. I cannot wait for Hillier's next book.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy they sent me, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved Jar of Hearts and was excited to get a review copy of Little Secrets. Little Secrets is such a nail biter. Throughout the story we follow Marin who has many secrets of her own, uncover her husband's many secrets. I can't wait to see what Hillier puts out next.

This book was amazing! An edge of your seat thriller about a couple whose young child gets abducted. But there is OH so much more that goes on - and so many secrets, as the title suggests. There were tons of jaw-dropping twists as well. HIGHLY recommend this one!