This thriller started out with a bang and never let up. It starts with our main character Marin losing her only son in a shopping mall and being unable to find him. The only clue she has is him walking away with a figure dressed up as santa. Fast forward a year later and the couple are having marital problems and their child is still unaccounted for. Who could do this kind of thing to their family or to a small child no one knows however Marin is determined to find her child no matter what the cost. While this book had a very sad story line it was very interesting to the reader. It really grabbed me and made me think of what a terrible situation this would be but also how even the ones that seem nice like Santa, aren't always looking out for your well being. Fast forward a few years and Marin hires a PI to find out what happened to her son however while she doesn't get any information on that she learns that her husband has been having an affair, and the deeper she goes the more it looks like the other woman might have more information on her son that is being presented. I loved this book it had everything that I love in novels, deception, mystery, as well as strong characters and a fighting need to get to the bottom of everything and see how it is all connected. It seems like there is a lot going on and while there is it all flows together nicely and non of it seems out of place or strange. This great read is one that you wont want to miss and this book will put Jennifer Hillier on the very top of my must read lists.

*I was incredibly lucky to receive this ARC. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!*

This was my very first read by Jennifer Hillier and it was incredible. I loved it! Her writing flowed effortlessly which made for a quick enjoyable read.

This story followed Marin, a successful business owner, wife and mother living in Seattle. Marin's life gets turned upside down when her 4 year old son, Sebastian, gets kidnapped. This book revolves around the secrets and lies surrounding the elite couple while searching for their son. This book was filled with twists and turns that left my jaw dropping.

On a side note, this book does contain some subject matters that may be difficult for some readers.

I absolutely loved this book! It has a fantastic plot line that reeled me in right away and kept me going for the entire book. The best part was that I didn’t see the ending coming!

Jennifer Hillier's JAR OF HEARTS is one of the best books I have ever read and her other titles could easily rank in the top 100 so I had to pick up Little Secrets. A family loses it's focus when their 4 year old son is taken. Their misery grows with each day the boy remains missing. When it seems likely that her husband has given up on their child's return and moved on with his life, this boy's mother refuses to simply close this chapter of her life. She will have control again, no matter the methods or consequences. An absolutely spell binding book that you will not want to set down once you start reading. Plan accordingly.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

This was the first book I have ever read by Hillier, and I know that it won't be my last. She created a complex plot with characters that have a lot of substance in this novel. This book is tough to read. Marin and Dereck's son is kidnapped, and this book explores the aftermath. The thoughts of Marin during this time are dark and disturbing, though not unrealistic. There is also a lot of exploration that goes into looking at how, and if, a marriage can survive this kind of tragedy. 

I really liked how the book was very much a slow burn. The ending didn't seem too far fetched for me to believe. I also didn't think that it was too neat of an ending, either. However, this book was wordy at times. I did find some of the flashbacks hard to follow because there wasn't a signaler of this flashback happening.

Wow, just wow, Little Secrets is not about small or insignificant secrets, these are big, big secrets. Marin's son is taken during a day of shopping, just before Christmas, while she answers a text. She lets go of his hand for a few seconds and his is gone, he's 4 years old. She cannot stop looking for him, baggering police, hiring a PI and always on the look out.. She begins to lose faith in her husband and can't keep her focus off little Bash. This is a tale of suspicion, greed, secrets and lies. Amazing whopper of an ending. Great author, loved it. Thank you #NetGalley#MinotaurBooks #LittleSecrets

Jennifer Hillier out did herself with this thriller. To say that she captivated her readers and held on until the end would be an understatement. Jennifer takes you on a journey that is at times difficult to read.
Marin & Derek Machado are very wealthy (I mean like Richy Rich, rich) and affluent people in the Seattle life. Derek invented some kind of power/protein bar; while Marin is literally a hairstylist to the celebs. It was mentioned she's done all three Jennifer's hair. J-Lo, Lawrence, and Aniston. Which even in literary world those are some big names to be attached to.
Well one day while finishing Christmas shopping with her 4 year old son, Sebastian AKA Bash, in Pike Place Market, Marin realizes she doesn't feel Bash pressing into her leg any more. This ladies and gents is where you can insert fear, panic, and terror. Bash is missing. All it took was a few moments distractions texting Derek their location so he could meet up with them. And low and behold this couples life will never be the same.
Jennifer takes her readers on a heart wrenching journey of two parents existing but not really living while trying to put life together after Bash is taken. Marin will not give up hope. She's hired a PI to find her Bash.. Derek on the other hand had a different way of coping after over a year of nothing. The stories' title is "Little Secrets". I'm not sure how "little" they were per se. I mean at one point the secrets were just flying off the pages and I felt like I was doing a round with Mike Tyson trying to dodge them all. My hat is off to you Jennifer this is beyond a titillating tale sure to entrap readers.

Just about everything I could possibly want in a thrilling story. This book had my attention from the beginning. Thriller enthusiast will find this novel fresh and enjoyable.

This was an unexpected delight for me. I was not sure I'd like the book when I started it, but I really started to get invested in the story. It's amazing how different people can act when they are in stressful situations or their normal realm of control is threatened by an outside source. This book took me to some dark places but I liked how everything turned out.

I loved Jar of Hearts and was worried I wouldn’t love this book quite as much. I had no need to worry. I loved this book. Invested from the very beginning and all I wanted to do was read it. Great twists. Highly recommend!

This book starts off with successful businesswoman Marin and her 4 year-old son Sebastian out happily Christmas shopping. But when she lets go of his hand just long enough to reply to a text message.. in that moment, he is kidnapped.

“Four minutes. That’s all it took to steal a child.
A lollipop, a Santa Suit, and two hundred forty seconds”.

Sixteen months later. Sebastian is still missing and Marin is still living day by day by blaming herself for his disappearance, and the secrets and surprises just keep coming!

I found that this book was never lacking in suspense! It is a total page-turner with twists and turns at every corner! A must-read for thriller fans!

Thank you to #NetGalley, St. Martin's, and Jennifer Hillier for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Extremely well written story with plots and sub-plots. Maybe a little convoluted but heck what do I know? I enjoyed it and will definitely read more from this author. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

This book grabbed me from the first page and never disappointed! Marin and Derek are very wealthy. While Christmas shopping with her 4-year-old son, Sebastian, Marin gets caught up texting and "Bash" disappears. Video of the mall shows Bash leaving with Santa Clause. The case goes cold and the police put it on the back burner. Grief causes Marin to spiral out of control with drinking and several suicide attempts while Derek begins a 6-month affair with a much younger woman. Sal, Marin's former boyfriend from college who is still her "best friend" offers to introduce Marin to a "fixer" for her problem. Lots of things happen in this book that made it a real page turner. I highly recommend this riveting thriller to all who love a good read. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this great book.

Little secrets that are actually HUGE secrets can destroy marriages and lives. Marin is Christmas shopping in Pike Place Market with her 4 year old son Sebastian. As they walk along, Marin gets into a text conversation with her husband Derek. Suddenly, Sebastian is no longer at her side. Despite efforts of people in the crowd and the police, no trace of Sebastian is found. All that can be seen on security footage is Sebastian walking out of the market with Santa Clause eating his favorite sucker. The story picks up sixteen months later. Marin is, of course, devastated. At one point she even tried to commit suicide. Marin relies on her closest, dearest friend, Sal, to help her through his. Marin and Derik are drifting apart. Marin spends her days working, attending a support group and talking to Sal. Derek has found his own way to cope. He has started an affair with McKenzie. But McKenzie has her own agenda. She is a “professional dater” and plans to use Derek for her own gain. As the book goes forward all the stories converge into an unexpected ending. Little Secrets is a great book – not to be missed!

Marin's son Sebastian was kidnapped right out of a public marketplace after she let go of him for just a moment. A year later her private investigator digs up dirt, not on Sebastian's disappearance, but that husband Derek is having an affair. I would have loved to read more and find the connection this has to the kidnapping, but since Marin's solution to an unfaithful husband is to have the woman murdered...well, I kind of felt like that was putting too much blame in the wrong spot. Didn't really flow with society's current women supporting women.

Had to put this down for now, but since I love Jennifer Hillier, I will try to pick it back up another time.

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier is a dark, twisty thriller that grabbed me from the very start. Ms Hillier is another new author to me, but I have already added more of her work to my ever-growing TBR. This is a brilliant, compulsive read that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.

Marin is living a life that others envy. A successful businesswoman, she is married to the wealthy Derek, and is mother to a longed for son, four year old Sebastian. But one day, while Christmas shopping at a busy market, Marin's perfect world is shattered in an instant when her precious boy is snatched from right under her nose. A year later, the search for the boy has gone cold, and Marin is dealt another unimaginable blow. Her husband is having an affair with a younger woman. As her life continues to descend into a seemingly endless nightmare, Marin knows that she must do whatever she can to save her marriage. But at what cost to her own slippery hold on sanity?

This is a riveting read that will certainly keep you guessing. If you enjoy delving into the dark and unpredictable abyss of the human mind, this one is for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this ARC.

This was a bit too convoluted for me and just overflowing with names and people. Dealing with a very sad kidnapping, the book involves too many people, too many subplots. I found it lacked a believability factor.

Though I liked the start, I found it devolved into a chaotic plot.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5 stars, rounded up
This is my first book by Jennifer Hillier, but I’ve been anxious to read something of hers for a while. This is an extremely fast, easy read. I blew through it. It starts with a mother losing her four year old son in Pike Place Market. She soon learns he’s been kidnapped. Sixteen months later, and he’s still gone. Then she discovers her husband is having an affair. At this point, she makes an irrevocable decision.
The story alternates between Marin, the wife and mother, and Kenzie, the other woman. I can’t say either woman is likeable, but Hillier does a great job of fleshing them both out. I had sussed out the villain early on in the book but certainly not the how it all played out.
I enjoyed how once again social media plays into the lives of the young. Hillier even does a great job explaining the why of its importance.
This is a fun read, but it’s like a Chinese meal. Good, but it’s not going to stick with you.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy.

Marin and Derek seem to have it all, success, wealth, and a good marriage. But soon both are living every parents nightmare. While answering a text at a crowded Christmas market, Marin lets go of her son’s hand, and in an instant he is gone. When camera footage shows him being led away by someone in a Santa suit, they pull out all the stops to get Sebastian back.

Fast forward over a year later and with no new leads, the case has gone cold. What Derek doesn’t know however, is that Marin has hired a private investigator to keep digging into the abduction. But instead of receiving news about their son, she finds out that her husband is having an affair with a 24 year old student. Having already lost so much, Marin is not about to lose her husband as well.

This was a great binge worthy read. Everything about this story worked for me, the characters, the plot and the pace.
4.5⭐️

Little Secrets opens with Marin and her little boy Sebastian holding hands while shopping in a crowded Marketplace. Marin promises Sebastian a giant lollipop if he's good while she shops for one last Christmas present. She's momentarily distracted by a phone text, and in the time it takes her to realize her son is no longer holding her hand, Sebastian is gone. Sixteen months later, he's still missing with no viable leads, and Marin's life is a living hell as she's unable to come to terms with her loss. After the FBI search goes cold, Marin hires a private investigator (a little secret) without telling anyone. She's convinced Sebastian was taken by someone he knew - he wouldn't go with a complete stranger. The PI begins an intensive investigation into all of Marin and her husband's acquaintances, and what she finally uncovers will shred Marin's world into tiny pieces all over again. How much pain can one woman possibly endure without falling over the edge? You're about to find out.

Do yourself a favor and allow yourself a chance to read this book without knowing any details. I consider myself lucky to have skipped all reviews as well as the synopsis/blurb before reading it. As a result, I opened the book a complete innocent and was lured inside just as surely as Sebastian was lured away with a lollipop. Hillier excels at rendering dark, twisted tales that keep you up at night, reeling from the unexpected revelations time and again. A shadowy, menacing tone drives this story at a frantic pace through unexpected twists and turns. The story unfolds through two characters points of view - one is Marin, and I won't say who the other is because its unexpected and part of the journey, the story. The characters are not all likeable, but I think that's where the author's brilliance shines brightest. She writes deeply flawed characters in a manner that makes them real . . . makes them human even though they may do terrible things. They're not necessarily forgivable, but I like that Hillier cracks them open like a nutshell allowing readers to then pick at the heart of them - get to the bottom of what life experiences made them what they are. Likewise, Hillier's ability to weave multiple plot lines with perfection is truly amazing. Never think you know where a story will go in the end in a Hillier story because you'll most likely be wrong.

Little Secrets is a dark, raw, edgy, highly compulsive story of secrets, lies, betrayals, loss, guilt, revenge, and yes, even love. It's about starting over at ground zero when you've lost everything. It's about fighting for your beliefs and to keep what's yours. It's about never, ever giving up. It's about surviving. I started and finished it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down without knowing everything. Like I said, it's a highly compulsive read! The intensity is insane, the pace frantic, and the story heartbreaking. A enthralling thriller that I highly recommend!