5 Shining Stars!!

I don’t think I expected anything less from Jennifer Hillier than a perfect 5 star read. After reading this author's previous novel, Jar of Hearts, there was no question that she will be one of my go-to authors.

Little Secrets is a perfect read for those of us that enjoy dark, twisty, and captivating suspense novels. I think the best way to read this book is by going in blind. The plot is truly addictive, the characters are less than perfect, and the twist and turns keep me guessing till the end. It is an emotional story of loss and deceit, and I quickly learned that things are not always what they appear to be in this crazy book.

If you enjoy gripping and suspenseful novels, do yourself a favor and read this one. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press, Minotaur Books for the e-ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Marin is a powerful business woman with a wealthy, handsome husband. Her life is enviable, except that her young son was abducted. It’s been over a year and the authorities are no longer actively pursuing the case. She hires a private investigator who finds out her husband is having an affair. Marin is faced with losing her husband as well as her son, which she won’t let happen.

I just read Jar of Hearts and loved it so I was very excited to read this. It did not disappoint. I loved Marian’s character. She was so real- strong and determined, even in grief. The plot was fun to follow and some super exciting twists occurred that I was not prepared for. There’s also a special edition pair of Louboutins involved in the story line, which I loved.

Little Secrets comes out 4/21 and if you’re a thriller/mystery fan, you’ll want a copy

Plot twists were surprises as the plot raced from clue to clue. A surprise ending that shouldn't have been a surprise but it is so well written that it was!

Marin & Derek Machado are a power couple who seem to have it all, a loving marriage, all of the bling wealth can bring. When their 4 yr old son Sebastian is stolen, Marin & Derek's relationship becomes distant and tangled. After 16 months without a word is their child alive or dead? Marin's college BFF Sal has always been there for her. His support has been an anchor for Marin. When Derek' is home less and less Marin adds follow Derek to her private detective's list of things to investigate along with finding Sebastian.

This is the author of Jar of Hearts so I knew to expect an emotionally charged story and she delivered!

Really enjoyed Little Secrets. I found myself hooked early on, and couldn’t put it down. Clever premise, but there were bits of it that were just a bit too implausible. Probably because I’ve read so many of these kinds of books. Still though, blasted through it because the authors writing style and pace was really good!

I'm disappointed that I didn't love Little Secrets as much as other reviewers. Also it was a bit of a let down from Hillier's last novel, Jar of Hearts, which I loved!

Little Secrets follows Marin Machado as her life falls apart. Her 4 year old son was taken from her in broad daylight and not a word has been heard from her son or his kidnapper since. Not surprisingly after the kidnapping, Marin's marriage falls apart.

I didn't like any of the characters and even though I did feel for Marin, I just couldn't connect with her. Also a lot of reviewers talked about the big twist and I surprised myself by guessing the twist fairly early on. So sadly the ending wasn't a big surprise for me.

Thank you to Netgallery and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the early opportunity to review Little Secrets. I did not love Jennifer Hillier's novel prior to this one. But I REALLY enjoyed LITTLE SECRETS much more than I expected to, and I think it might be one of my favourite books I've read all year.

OMG, this book was outstanding! Who’s double-crossing who??
I usually shy away from books like this because it is about a young child disappearing when he’s out with his mother. The boy’s family is a well-off, good-looking, you know “that” couple. So who took their son and what secrets are they hiding from each other.
This book has so many twists and turns that you might suffer from whiplash!

I wasn't a big fan of Hillier's Jar of Hearts, so I knew I was taking a little bit of a gamble on this one. So much of the story is swimming within the grim world of missing children, and all the what-ifs that any parents asks about the unknowns of a still missing child. All of the main characters of the book are guilty of something terrible, and almost all of them are out for themselves and no one else. Even when Marin finds a way to square things with her conscience at the end of the book, and you feel for her in the ways she's been changed by her missing son, it still doesn't feel like much of a redemption. It may be a case of this just not being the right book for this reader.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the early opportunity to review Little Secrets! This is my second Jennifer Hillier novel, and it did not disappoint! The pacing was phenomenal and kept me interested throughout.

The novel focuses on Marin, half of a wealthy power couple, who loses her young son Sebastian on an outing at Pike's Place Market in Seattle. Marin is devastated, and after over a year of searching, the FBI has not located her child. While her life is in shambles from the disappearance of her son, Marin finds out secrets about her best friend and husband that make her go to crazy lengths to regain control of her life, and ultimately, get closer to discovering what happened to her son.

This book has a ton of twists and drama, which I loved. The last quarter of the book was a little far-fetched for me, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I highly recommend you read this page-turner when it comes out on 4/21!

Once again Hillier has written an incredibly addicting and suspenseful mystery/thriller. Once I started LITTLE SECRETS I had a very hard time putting it down. The mystery of what happened to Sebastian is compelling, but it's how Marin has reacted to the disappearance of her son, and what lengths she will go to to keep her husband by her side that were so very twisted. I really liked Marin, terribly flaws and all, and thought that she was an interesting and complex protagonist. Kenzie was a little less fleshed out, but Hillier does her due diligence in giving her a well thought out backstory and motivations. I was definitely wanting to find out just what her deal was, and once we got to twist after twist I was mostly taken by surprise by all of them. All around LITTLE SECRETS really delivered.

LITTLE SECRETS is a very well done thriller, and just solidifies Jennifer Hillier as one of the best in the genre right now. If you haven't checked her out yet, you really need to do so.

From the author of Jar of Hearts comes this edge of your seat, domestic suspense thriller of a story!

Marin and Derek are living the perfect life. College love and two driven people. Marin owns a very successful chain of hair salons and Derek owns his own business as well. Money isn't something they think about. They even have a perfectly lovely little boy, Sebastian.

But in the blink of an eye, Sebastian disappears from his mother's hand and is gone. The video surveillance shows him happily walking out with a Santa.

Cut forward a year and you wouldn't know this is the same woman. The leads are dead, no one seems to be looking for her child. She goes to therapy, a group of people with little in common except for the fact their children are all missing. 

Marin has secretly hired a PI, Vanessa, to try and find Sebastian. What she finds is evidence of an affair Derek is having with some young tart.

Marin has been sleepwalking through life until now. Now she is clearheaded and out for blood! Who is this younger woman?

Kenzie is a graduate student and aspiring artist. She is famous. On IG. Derek isn't her first rich catch. But Marin intends to make sure he is the last. Marin may not be able to do anything about her son, but Kenzie is one problem that she can deal with.

With help from a dear college friend, she finds someone to take care of that issue, only to find out Kenzie may know something about her son! And Derek isn't exactly innocent either. 

This book was like jumping into the deep end of the pool. No build-up, no ramping up gradually, nope, not at all. There were really good characters here. Slimy, yes, but good. People I didn't want to like but did so grudgingly. People who were just like me and yet did not see what was right in front of their eyes.

I can say I was properly scared to death and I can't wait to go back and savor it slowly this time!




NetGalley/  April 21st, 2020 by Minotaur Books

This is the first book of Jennifer Hillier’s that I have read....and if her other thrillers are like this....I will be reading more!! I love books that grab you in the very first chapter, which this did. How else to get your heart pumping but to read that a child has been abducted? Marin and Derek had what seemed to be a perfect life until it wasn’t. The kidnapping of their only child, Sebastian, seemed to start a roller-coaster of things not to do in a “perfect life”. The secrets held within this story are many, and they don’t just belong to Marin and Derek. And yet they all lead to a surprising “double-ending”. (To me, this is when the actual story ends....but then there is that post-script that totally ends it.) The storyline is told through some present-time chapters, and some chapters that give an understanding to the story of today. I appreciated that the author gave some insight into Marin’s emotional trauma due to the kidnapping of her son, and brings in the importance of group support. Some of the other characters featured in this book lend their own levels of secrecy to the outcomes...so don’t write them off as just fill-ins for the story! I would definitely recommend this book to readers who love the suspense of a good domestic thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC ebook to read and review in return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley #MinotaurBooks

Marin and Derek are a picture-perfect married couple. They started as college sweethearts, and are now successful and wealthy professionals living in Seattle. Then, one day, their lives are turned upside down when their young son Sebastian is kidnapped in broad daylight. We then re-join them a year later when Marin is a broken woman, struggling to get through the day. There are no leads as to Sebastian’s whereabouts, so she hires a private investigator to take on the case. And the PI makes a big discovery: Derek is having an affair. Marin soon becomes obsessed with the other woman and makes it her mission to ensure she doesn’t lose her husband, too.
I really enjoyed this book. The kidnapping scene was gut-wrenching to get through as a parent, and I really liked most of the characters. Admittedly, the book lost me a bit in the middle, as I felt Marin made some far-fetched choices that seemed totally unrealistic. But it hooked me back in the final third, with many unexpected, heart-stopping moments. This book is a fun drama that’s hard to put down. It’s sure to be a great beach read!

Wow! This was a great book! I read it in one sitting (four hours) because I just could not put it down! I was thoroughly engrossed in the story from the first page to the last. There are so many surprising twists and turns as Marin unravels the secrets surrounding both her missing son and her husband’s affair with a much younger woman. Jennifer Hillier is an exceptionally gifted writer with an amazing talent f creating believable situations and characters who come alive from the pages. Parents, hold your children close today!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of Little Secrets.
I just love Jennifer Hillier's writing style and LITTLE SECRETS did not disappoint. One often wonders how they would handle similar situations I liked how Marin handled it. Much stronger than I would be.

Jennifer Hillier is one of the best thriller writers today. She engages readers quickly into the story, knows exactly how to build suspense and pull readers into unexpected directions, to the point where you can't stop binge-reading. She has thought-provoking quotes sprinkled throughout. Her writing made me feel so many things: anguish, anxiety, sorrow, anger... ALL of the feels. I loved this book.

I loved how the full story is revealed slowly through switching timelines, flashbacks, and perspectives. Slowly, everything is uncovered and the big truth at the end is unexpected, shocking, twisty, and left me with my mouth hanging open.

I enjoyed how it takes place in the Seattle and greater Washington areas, and showed both the high-end lifestyles & neighborhoods, and the gritty side of town. The characters straddled both sides and it was a fascinating balance.

The plot entranced me. How will Marin deal with the heartbreak of her abducted child, and her cheating husband? Will Kenzie convince Marin's husband Derek to leave Marin for her? What happened to Sebastian? I had to know, and I binge read most of this book.

This book is about heartbreak, loss, grief, guilt, betrayal, marriage, love, hope, rage, lies, family, friendship, desperation, and greed. It's a very entertaining read with well developed, complicated characters, and a fast-paced plot. I highly recommend it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

Jennifer Hillier is a new-to-me author and what better way to explore new authors than joining buddy reads? And I am glad that I did just that! Little Secrets is an intense, twisty psychological thriller about a successful, high profile married couple whose 4 year-old son, Sebastian was abducted in a busy market place right before Christmas. More than a year later, Marin is still looking for her son despite no new leads. She hires a P.I to continue the search but instead of new leads on her son, Marin finds out that her husband, Derek is having an affair with a much younger woman. Marin is not going to lose her husband too and she will do anything to save her marriage.

I enjoyed the story immensely! It is fast paced and was challenging not to read it in one sitting! There are twists and turns throughout the story which I liked. Being a mother myself, I could definitely relate to Marin's emotions and grief over her lost child, and even her desperation to save her marriage. Oh my goodness, when Marin finds out about the affair and how she deals with the affair by herself is just heartbreaking yet bold. I can't really say much without spoilers, but there are a lot of suspenseful moments in the story.

Truth be told, I did figure out the plot three quarters into the story. But I still enjoyed this story as it is a great read if you like psychological thriller or would like to try out this genre. The ending was unexpected! Go read and find out for yourself! I highly recommend this book!

Pub. date: 21 Apr, 2020

***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

I feel like the given synopsis gives away about half the book. Luckily I went into this book blind (I had previously read the synopsis, but had forgotten most of it), and I'm really glad I did. My heart was racing during the scene where Sebastian is taken. I was surprised when it was revealed that Derek was having an affair, although it had foreshadowed that it would be happening.

While I was underwhelmed by the ending and felt it was predictable, I was hooked by the entire story. I actually loved Marin although she was pretentious, self-destructive and inconsistent. I liked Derek as well even though he was kind of a show-off asshole.

Overall, I'd rate this book 3.5 stars. I really liked the story. I was hooked the entire time and the only let down was the ending for me. It seemed rushed and there were hints throughout the book about what would happen. I would've let up on some of the foreshadowing and probably drawn the ending situation out longer. I would still recommend this book to those who like thrillers, but don't constantly read them.

Domestic thrillers are a hit and miss for me. Sometimes they are spot on and sometimes they fall flat. This one is somewhere in the middle. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.

Maybe my discourse with this one weighs to the side that I read so many thrillers that it's hard to blow my mind anymore. There are some great twists and connections in this book. Although, I saw most coming, the build up and reveal for them was done to perfection.

Another part of my indifference to this one is probably my dislike for the main character, Marin. I just didn't like her. I didn't despise her. I just had no love for her. Sure, I felt for her. Her son is gone. Her husband... well, her life has fallen apart. I get it. But there was just something about her that didn't feel genuine to me. She is so selfish. I'm not a fan of selfish characters.

One thing is for sure... This book reminds us that there is no such things as little secrets. The term little secrets equals big lies with even bigger consequences. This book is full of some big lies that have some steep consequences for all in involved. For thriller lovers, this book is worth the read. For those that rarely read thrillers, you might be blown away by it.