As parents, we are pretty much aware of how a young child can easily disappear in a crowd. But to Marin, it becomes a reality when she is momentarily distracted with a phone call. In what seems like seconds her 4-year-old son, Sebastian vanishes.

According to video from the Seattle Pike Place Market, Sabastian was lured away by someone dressed in a Santa Claus suit. The video also shows Sabastian carrying a large lollipop that he had been asking his mom for.

Marin’s life begins to fall apart. Not only has her son disappeared, but she is also dealing with guilt over not keeping better track of him.

This slow-burn story starts as you might expect. Marin’s relationship with her husband deteriorates. And in time, with no leads, the police begin to turn to other cases.

Marin’s once wonderful life heads downhill quickly. Her husband Derek who owns his own company has to travel out of town often. But after Sebastian’s disappearance, those trips become more frequent. Marin, who owns her own upscale hair salon, is no longer interested in working. She relies more and more on Sadie, her help, to carry on without her

With nothing happening with the investigation, Marin turns to a private investigator. But she decides not to share that with anyone. Will this be the start of a chain of lies, or secrets, or did those start much earlier?

It’s only a matter of time before the lies start unraveling. But will you know what is the truth and what isn’t?

Marin finds herself relying more and more on Sal, her old college boyfriend and now best friend. We are being left with all sorts of open doors as the story progresses.

But just when you think the story is simply treading water, the PI comes up with some new evidence that just might turn our treading water characters into reckless and wild swimmers!

My Thoughts

To be honest, my first thought when I started this book was, Hmmm, a child who disappears. I’ve read that type of book several times. But this story slowly drew me into the lives of each character. The page-turner aspect of the book almost sneaked up on me. At first, the pages turned more as a curiosity factor. But in time the pages were flying!

This is the first book I’ve read by Hillier and I wasn’t disappointed. As I mentioned, the characters felt real and the dialog completely natural. Not to mention a complex plot.

Though I try not to overthink and analyze this type of book, I hate it when an author creates a grand finale that is completely unbelievable. A little bit of suspending disbelief, sure, no problem. And, I guess this story might have had some questionable coincidences, but it all worked for me.

What Concerned Me
Though a small concern, at times it felt a little long and didn’t move quite as fast as I would have liked.

What I Liked
It felt original and the characters’ actions and reactions, though at times extreme, all felt true to life. Especially given their background and prior history.

THIS BOOK gave me so many feelings! I was seriously on the edge of my seat for most of the book and immediately after finishing I contemplated re-reading so I could follow along with some clues I missed. Have not felt that way about a book in a long while.

Marin the well-off mother and wife finds her whole world coming to a halt when her son is kidnapped. A year has passed and Marin still has a shred of hope that her son will be found alive but when she finds out her husband has been cheating on her for over six months things start to change. Will Marin continue to sit back and let things happen to her or will this be the spark she needed to continue to fight for her life. Enlisting the help of her best friend, Sal they start to conduct a plan that really starts to get things spinning.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and author Jennifer Hitler for this ARC!

AMAZING! “Little Secrets” is an insanely addictive roller-coaster thrill ride!!

Marin Machado has the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns three upscale hair salons with celebrity clientele and her husband Derek is a business mogul. They’re successful, admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their 4 year old son Sabastian (Bash) is taken.

It only took a matter of seconds for Marin to lose Bash while Christmas shopping at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. It’s now been almost two years since that tragic day. Police consider it a cold case, so unbeknownst to her husband, Marin has hired a Private Investigator to assist in looking for their son.

The PI reports no news about Bash, but instead uncovers Marin’s husband Derek is having an affair. Marin keeps it to herself only telling her bff. She’s enraged and begins to think the unthinkable—how far would she be willing to go to save her marriage? Derek on the other hand is up to his neck with his own troubles. There’s another secret even bigger than the affair he’s been keeping from Marin.

Oh Lordy. This was gripping, gritty, and oh sooo twisty—that I read it in one day. I could not put it down. The suspense, my shocks of surprise were off. the. charts! A top contender for the best book I’ve read in 2020. Read it.

*Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Marin and Derek are reeling from their son Sebastian’s abduction and their marriage is is crumbling. Marin finds herself in a very dark place and frequently finds herself unable to cope. Derek has coped with his grief by throwing himself into work and has been having an affair with a much younger woman. When the private investigator Marin hired to investigate Sebastian’s kidnapping tells her about Derek’s affair, Marin refuses to lose what’s left of her family and decides that Derek’s mistress, Kenzie, must be gone - permanently.

All of the characters are flawed, not always likable and make questionable choices. Pretty much how people are. This book paints a vivid picture of the devastation left after a child has gone missing and the struggles of the family to cope with that loss. The subject matter was difficult but also real. Jennifer Hillier does a good job drawing you in and making you want to hurry up and get back to reading so you can see how it all will play out!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s/Minotaur the the ARC.

Intriguing cover with a mysterious woman. Interesting title given that no secret is little. Frightening storyline: 240 seconds was all it took for someone to steal Marin's four-year-old son. Fast forward one year and the search goes cold. Marin hires a private investigator to continue the case where police left off. Instead of finding her son, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a younger woman. And even worse, the woman may have kidnapped her son.

Little Secrets has the makings of a good suspense story. It held my attention in the beginning then tapered off. I hung in there because it passed my 50-page mark and was not so bad that I could not finish. I hoped it would reel me in, throw a curveball or take a turn for the wow. Instead it was easily forgettable once I finally finished. Maybe other readers will enjoy Little Secrets more; for me, it was just okay.

Happy Early Pub Day, Jennifer Hillier! Little Secrets will be available Tuesday, April 21.

LiteraryMarie

Little Secrets is a haunting fast-paced read that is a real page-turner. A gripping and unnerving story that captivates you from the very beginning. The characters are well-written and set in a story full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises along the way.

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!