This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. Chilling and uncomfortable at times, but unputdownable. The book had strong characters and went at great pace. I was hooked from the start!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book.

Wow this book really drew me in from page 1! Non-stop action and plot twists keep this book moving at a quick pace. Marin Machado is a successful business owner, wife and mother to 4 year old Sebastian who is kidnapped in broad daylight from a busy mall days before Christmas. Sixteen months later, Bash is still missing and Marin is barely functioning. She has had a really hard time dealing with the loss of her son and lack of evidence in locating him. Her relationship with her husband Derrick is currently practically non-existent. She has her best friend from college, Sal to lean on but that is pretty much it. Therapy and work are not that much help either. Marin has hired a private investigator to keep looking for her son and she gets much more that she bargained for when her investigator contacts her suddenly. This is an exciting thriller with many plot twists that keep it moving and interesting. I did not want to put it down. Do not miss this great thriller!! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!!

What a great psychological thriller. It kept me in suspense throughout the book. The writing was easy and pleasing to read, the characters real and the story intriguing.

As a huge fan of Jennifer Hillier, I was so excited for the opportunity to read her latest book. I have read nearly all of her previously published books and she remains one of my favourite thriller authors.

Hillier’s greatest strength is always her storytelling. I was immediately pulled into the narrative, which was gripping from the first chapters. Her characters are always imperfect and sometimes unlikeable, which makes them feel realistic.

As an author of Asian descent, Hillier always makes an effort to include characters of various ethic minorities and skin colours. However, compared to her previous books, I felt that the aspects of the diversity were fairly sparse and fell at the sidelines of the story.

Given the premise, this one reminded me a bit of The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson (although it certainly goes to a completely different place). Like that popular thriller, this one required a level of suspension of disbelief that just did not work for me. Hillier has a habit in her stories of giving away a lot of the potential surprises by choosing to tell her stories through multiple perspectives. Normally, I don’t mind that, but I felt underwhelmed by the reveals in this one.

Overall, I enjoyed this thriller, but it is not one of my favourites. My criticism is largely that it was not as strong as her backlist titles. I found myself constantly comparing it to her previous books and this one just was not as satisfying. If you are a fan of Hillier, I would still recommend checking out this thriller, but I would encourage new readers to start with her older books like Creep, The Butcher or Wonderland, which better showcase her talent within the thriller/suspense genre. Once you are hooked on her stories then you will likely want to binge through everything she has written.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the opportunity to have an advance copy of Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier in exchange for an honest review. Secondly, HOLY SMOKES! Five stars hand down for this gem, and my suggestion go in blind to this one and devour every page! This is an absolute MUST READ! Thank you, for the opportunity to have an advance copy I've already spread the word that this is a MUST read.

Wow! The book opens with Marin Machado's 4-year old son being kidnapped. Marin's marriage to her husband Derek begins to crumble as she prays for Sebastian's safe return. Day after day, month after month there is no sign of Sebastian. Marin is hardly herself anymore. Her husband seems to be away on business a bit more than he should be. Unbeknownst to her husband, Marin has hired a PI to look into Sebastian's disappearance. The PI discovers that Derek is having an affair with a young graduate student who may not be all that she appears to be. Does she have something to do with Sebastian's kidnapping? Is Sebastian still alive somewhere, or gone forever?
There are so many twists and turns in this book. I began to doubt EVERY character in this book until the end. The characters were believable and well-developed. The plot moves along quite nicely. Definitely recommended!
I received an advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

5/5 stars An amazing read that I read in one day! Enjoyed every page of this twisty thriller that left me guessing until the end. I loved it.

This book slightly blew my mind! I feel like the genre has been slightly overdone, but this book truly gave me a run for my money! I feel that the characters are very relatable due to how well they are written. Marin, in particular, had me thinking of what life would be like to be in her shoes. I could feel her trauma and pain oozing off the page and was definitely engrossed in this deeply detailed and strong-perspective story. I even gave it a little time and went back to re-read it, and the story seemed even starker and more damaging from her perspective. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Great sophomore novel from the writer of Jar of Hearts! Highly addictive psychological thriller. It’s a book about a missing child & I will say no more about the plot because it’s best to go in blind. Absolutely riveting.

Little Secrets is the first book I have read by Jennifer Hillier and I loved it. Incredibly well-written and it moves at such a blistering pace that I could feel my heart racing as I read it. It is captivating from the first page to the last as I had to know what happened to Sebastian and if Marin would be reunited with her son. There are secrets and deceptions that I could not have anticipated and I loved that I could not predict what was going to happen next. Little Secrets had twists that were shocking but still believable.

Little Secrets gives me hope for the thriller genre and Jennifer Hillier truly created a compelling story that I didn't want to end. Thanks to Netgalley, Jennifer Hillier and Minotaur Books for this ARC, I absolutely loved it!

This book started very strong and I was really excited to turn the pages, but then it fizzled and it went sort of nowhere. I lost interest in the plot completely.

I requested this book from Netgalley and was given the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion, so here it is...

Holy smokes, if you are a parent, this book is your worst nightmare come true. This book was well written, with characters that end up feeling like part of your family. I had no clue for most of the book that the bad guy was actually the bad guy and once I learned, I felt betrayed and completely destroyed. I have never been in the situation of our lead lady, but my gut reaction was very similar to hers on all fronts.

In the end, although I was pretty torn up from all the twists and heart breaking truths that was revealed, I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone that likes a suspenseful, gut wrenching novel that keeps you guessing!!! 😍

Another fun mystery from Jennifer Hillier. I enjoyed this story of a mother's search for her missing son and how she must deal with her husband's infidelity on top of it. Another story of rich people dealing with tragedy which we all seem to love.

So many lies, secrets, half truths and deception! Such a great story! A kiddo was abducted in broad daylight by Santa. The next 18 months is full of mystery. Why was he abducted, by who and why was there never a ransom?

This story will keep you guessing. Every character is a player in some way. Their half truths, lies and deception morphs into a crazy ending that I didn't see coming.

I enjoyed this book but it did seem a little slow toward the middle. I thought the ending was really unique and I didn’t expect that ending AT ALL!

I adored the novel, Jar of Hearts. Little Secrets was also very good and had the same fast-moving style that I liked so much in the last book. This book covers the unthinkable worst fear: a four-year-old child is kidnapped in a busy shopping area. The mom, Marin, blames herself and will never give up looking for her son. Over a year later, she's still living the nightmare of her missing son and knows that she is barely hanging on by a thread. She has a history of suicide attempts- which could be triggering, so be aware of this part of the story. Also, be aware that these characters are all pretty unlikeable, but even so, I still found myself caring about what happened next. I very much enjoyed how the therapy sessions allowed the grief and ugly parts of life without shame. I think that is awesome and that plenty of people need this kind of outlet and support. This book had twists that I did not see coming and one of the most detestable husbands ever. I definitely recommend and I am so grateful to have received this ARC from Net Galley and the publishers. Thanks so much!

THANK YOU to Netgalley and the Author Jennifer Hillier for the advance copy for a honest review.

Let's just say I finished this book in one sitting! From page one you get hooked. The great writing style and the needing to know is gripping, keeps you wanting more! Recommend- 5 STARS.

In the hectic days before Christmas you're not thinking straight. Your phone rings, you automatically answer, dropping your sons hand for just a minute. You turn around and he is no where to be found.

The panic. The not knowing. The cops telling you if not found in the first 24 hours to expect the worst.

16 months later, we relive her daily nightmare of her missing son. The marriage is not holding together during this time of need. Then everything starts to unravel.

Here comes the twists!! Honestly, I don't know if I wouldn't do the same. (No Spoilers).

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Little Secrets started off a little slow, but quickly evolved into a twisty-turny page turner that plummeted at the end like a car over a cliff. The book took a long time to build and then almost delivered. I was not happy with the final chapter and I think the timeline was a little wonky in the second half of the book, especially the last chapter. Light typo errors but this could have just been in my ARC. I would read more books by this author.

This is officially my favorite book of 2020 so far. HOLY CRAP. The ride I went on with this book is unreal. It was dark. It was suspenseful. It had me on the edge of my seat, and up all night. I couldn't stop, yet I had to stop, because this book will make you need space. You'll need time to absorb everything. Then take a deep breath and dive back in with everything you've got. I think I felt every emotion possible on this crazy ride. I found myself getting lost in this story. Whenever I picked up my Kindle everything else fell away. THAT is what makes a good book. Always.

The writing was fantastic. I felt everything. I literally hated everyone and STILL felt for them. What is this sorcery?

I enjoyed this so much I have all of Jennifer Hillier's books in my cart ready to be ordered. I'm so happy I was able to read this before it's release. Thank you Netgalley.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have seen a lot of hype around this book already, but I can see why. Just from the beginning of the blurb... "a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with the woman who might have kidnapped him" was more than enough to grab my attention. Definitely recommend this one.