When Marin and her son Sebastian venture out to complete some Christmas shopping all it takes is one second of Marins lack of attention to cause her son to go missing. Of course Marin is panicked and starts looking all over but he’s nowhere to be found.
.
Over a year passes and there is still no sign of Sebastian. She is overwhelmed by grief and her marriage to her husband Derek is in peril. She continues to blame herself and wonder how her son could simply vanish.
.
This book was absolutely fantastic and I had such trouble putting it down. All of the characters were amazing. The book had a terrific mix of sadness, thrills, and mystery. Parts of the book also made me think about the book The Arrangement (don’t want to give any spoilers)
.
I loved the fact that I had no idea how the story was going to end. I highly recommend the book to everyone. I have been waiting for a really good story for awhile and this was it. It comes out in April 2020 and you should definitely think about buying it.

Very reminiscent of Greer Hendricks’ and Sarah Pekkanen’s An Anonymous Girl, Hillier excels at putting the reader in the head of two women whose lives have been twisted by the men in them. Tactfully utilizing deception, humiliation, lies, manipulation, and kidnapping (!) — each in a surprising new way — the characters in Little Secrets are everything you don’t want in a relationship.

Primary protagonist Marin Machado has it all (doesn’t every woman at the beginning of a thriller?), until one day her son is abducted in a busy shopping market. After a grueling investigation, he still hasn’t been found. A year and a few months later, Marin’s life is in shambles. She and her husband barely speak, she’s lost interest in her successful salon, and she’s dealing with crippling depression.

Marin soon learns from the private eye that she hired behind her husband, Derek’s, back that Derek is trying to move on — with another (much younger) woman, McKenzie Li — a juicy twist, if a bit predictable.

After months of being consumed by nothing but thoughts of her son, Marin is relieved to have somewhere to focus her energy and rage: right on McKenzie. It takes her one day to make a decision that will change the course of the lives of all the novel’s characters in unexpected ways.

Little Secrets has all the best elements of a thriller and twists I honestly didn’t see coming. I gave this one four stars, however, because the element of women bringing down other women is ~real~, and that really took away from my enjoyment of the narrative. Write a thriller about a woman who wants to murder her husband, not his mistress, thriller writers! Or better yet, make it a lesbian couple! Marin and McKenzie both get their chances to be better at various points in the novel, and although it took me a bit of eye-rolling to get there, this one is still worth the read for those who love a good twisted thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t even know where to start with this one! Took a bit for me to get going with it. Not because the story was lacking or how it was written. Hillier’s writing style makes for an easy read, made it easy for me to connect to the characters & really feel them in the book, almost like I could see the characters as I was reading. How they’re described and how they speak- it was like
I. was. in. the. book!

At first for me it came across as your every day couple, perfect parents with the perfect child in their perfect life. Even in the beginning Marin just didn’t do it for me, she just reminded me of a soccer mom meets Real Housewives or something. Meh give me some excitement! Didn’t take long though as soon as they lost Sebastian you find out who Marin is deep down. You get to meet Marin’s inner demons & find out her own secrets she’s harboring. I just couldn’t stop reading, where is Sebastian?! How does Mackenzie fit in to this mess?! With every character introduced and twist in all their separate stories it gave me book anxiety ha. I didn’t really expect anything until at least 3/4 of the way into the book which I like, I hate when I’m able to guess what’s happening early on. Sometimes authors don’t do a good job of going between characters, I’ll find myself forgetting where the last character left off when they bring it back to them. Not this book, perfect separation of the characters and still maintaining their connections. This is everything I want out of a book/thriller, kept me on my toes and had me rooting for some of the characters. Not sure what I think about ‘part’ of the ending but I guess it goes with the nature of the book & Marin’s character. And am I the only one that was hoping for an alternate story for Sal & Marin? With how the book ended I’m glad I didn’t get it because it was necessary, but as a different ending/different version of the story..😊

My first Jennifer Hillier book and oh how I am hooked, I’m going to have to read some of her other books now and see if they’re just as good as this one!

Huge thank you to netgalley for approving my first book with them, so appreciative!!! I am pretty excited my first netgalley was a five star to boot especially when my last couple reads were just ‘ok’ ⭐️

#netgalley

Absolutely the best psychological suspense novel I’ve read in years. Twists and turns galore, but never unbelievable, which I appreciate! With surprises around every turn, you will have trouble putting this down.

I so enjoyed this fast paced psycho-mystery. There was a lot going on throughout the book – a kidnapping, illicit affairs, possible murder-for-hire, extortion, connections among acquaintances, and, of course, secrets.

The author did a great job keeping it all straight along with keeping the story moving. It was a page turner from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Little Secrets. I enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it. Good work, Ms. Hillier.

From the very beginning this book gripped and held my attention. The tragedy of losing one's child is the understandable impetus for Marin's extreme and sometimes dangerous behavior in her relentless search for her son. What she ultimately finds is both soul crushing and unbelievable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC for my free and honest opinion.

All I can say is WOW! This book had a lot of twists and turns and it kept my attention to the very end. I would definitely recommend this book if you like fast paced thrillers!

From beginning to end, this book was amazing. I was hooked from page one. This is my second Hillier book- my first was Jar of Hearts which was an amazing read too. I highly recommend it to any thriller fans. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Little Secrets
I don’t usually read or like mysteries and thrillers, but somehow this book caught my attention. Seeing all the five star reviews, I was wondering if I was reading the same book and it just confirmed for me why I don’t read mysteries. I found this book boring a lot, I didn’t feel that all the characters previous sex life added to the story and found the huge ransom payments unbelievable. The ending was also very predictable. Overall, no more than two stars for me.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

This was quite the page turner! It had me hooked from the first page and I couldn't put it down. I must admit, as a mother, this beginning of this book was like reading my worst nightmare. This story is chalk full of sex, lies and deception. In all honesty, I predicted early part of the twist but there were so many twists and turns that even what I thought I knew wasn't all that I thought it was. This was my first Jennifer Hillier book and I am definitely going to go back and read more.

"Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginnings End "

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press to send me an ARC.
This is the first novel to me by Jennifer but will not be the last, it's amazing and wonderful, I can't put it down. I really really enjoyed it .
I felt sorry for Sal because I loved his character so much and thought that he loved Marin but I discovered that he is sick because of his bastard dad.
I always said that childhood memories are the most important in our children lives because if it's not good they will not be great mentally and physically.
I loved Marin character also and felt so bad for her, I can't imagine anyone can take my daughter from me for a day not year and half.

Jennifer Hillier does it again! Absolutely loved Jar of Hearts and wondered if this book would come close. It delivers, very fast paced and well written. I read it in 2 days!!

Little Secrets…. Gripping Masterful Creation, A Must Read....

Little Secrets is set in Washington State, a place that I love and lived for a couple of years. Due to this it was the locations mentioned were nostalgic for me; especially Cedarbrook Lodge I remember when WAMU built it.

From the beginning Jennifer grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until the end. WOW!!! My anxiety level was high.

The plot is gripping and had me enthralled. There were times I found myself shouting WHAT!!!!! With this page-turner you never see things coming.

This book exuded so many emotions, it had me swinging from one emotional pendulum to another. I was sad, then devastated, then heartbroken, then pissed angry, and went to laughter in merely a couple chapters.

The characters are well developed and easy to connect to. Being a mom myself I connected to Marin quickly. I wondered what would I have done in her situation, would I have acted any differently?

The twist, turns, angst and complexity of the story left me in awe after I completed it.

Overall this book is incredible. It’s a MUST read. This book is not out until April but it is one that everyone needs to have on their TBR list and read it. I know it will be one of the books that makes my best book list of 2020.

I was introduced to Jennifet Hillier with her novel, Jar of Hearts. After that book, I knew without a doubt I had to read more of her books.

Little Secrets is filled with huge lies. Huge lies from everyone and you will not know who to trust.

Marin and Derek's son is kidnapped and Marin will not give up. She will stop at nothing to find him and bring him home.

Who took Sebastian?
Why?
Is he safe?
Will he ever come home?
Endless questions!

Their marriage is struggling after Sebastian disappearance and so many bad decisions are made. This book is filled with lies, betrayals and twist you probably won't see coming.

Being huge thriller fan, I was able to pick up on certain things before they were told but it didn't take away from the story for me.

I would definitely recommend this book!

The kidnapping of a child could make for a really good story, but this one didn’t fully do it for me. It seemed a bit far-fetched and the ending was predictable which dropped my rating of this book.

See goodreads for my review of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to preview the galley and provide feedback.

I was so excited to read this one and I am SO happy that I did. I blew threw this one super fast. I think y'all are going to honestly eat it up. The characters are out of this world and really make you not want to put it down.

LOVED it!!! What did I just read??!!! I thought it was going to be a book about a missing boy. I was completely wrong. The book had so many twists and turns. I wasn't expecting what happened and was definitely surprised. Loved the story, characters and writing style. Kenzie ended up getting more than she deserved (I'm referring to the black bag.) She was not a victim. She made really poor choices in life, especially with men. Who knew being a professional girlfriend could be so lucrative? Loved Marin. Yes, she went a little crazy when the the PI gave her some information. I don't condone what she did, but I can't imagine how she has suffered with her son being missing. The ending at the Donut Shop was perfect, I may have even cried (yes, there were tears.) Having your child go missing and not know where he/she is must be one of the scariest things and I NEVER want to know what that feels like.

Definitely recommend this book. It was even better than "Jar of Hearts" and I LOVED that book. It's a great mystery/thriller with so many twists that will keep you guessing. . I didn't want to put it down and had to know what happened to Sebastian, even though that was a small part of the book that started a whole roller coaster of events. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

From the brilliant mind of Jennifer Hillier, author of Creep, Freak, and Jar of Hearts comes another heart racing thriller that I simply could not put down.

16 months after the abduction of Marin’s son we are introduced to the nightmare that is now her reality. With writing so honest and dark Jennifer had me anxiously peaking into my kids’ rooms each night just to make sure they were still there.

The author takes us along as Marin’s Private Investigator begins to uncover secrets that finally push Marin past her breaking point.

Effectively told from two points of view you come to love, hate, and fear each character in turn making it impossible to stop reading. The intensity kept me putting of life for just one more chapter and I was blown away by the final twist.

Amazing story, beautiful writing style, and rich full characters make this a 4.5 star read in my opinion.

Coming out April 21 2020, this is a book you don’t want to miss!

Thank you to Netgalley, Jennifer Hillier, and St. Martins publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Little Secrets
A Novel
by Jennifer Hillier
352 pages
Publication date: April 21, 2020
Publisher: Minotaur Books
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow ! Just wow ! This is the best thriller I have read so far this year . If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. Having your child taken is every parents fear and worst nightmare. I totally loved this authors different spin on it and taking us inside the head of Marin (this child's mother) and McKenzie ( the dad's mistress ).
Jennifer Hillier sure knows how to suck you in and take you on a journey that will have you staying up all night just to finish. Little Secrets is a 352 page masterpiece with many twists and turns. This story drew me in so much that I refused to put this book down until I read the last page. I started and finished this book very quickly. It Caught my attention from the very first page and didn't let go til the end. I was sad to see it end and say good bye to these characters. The characters were well developed,and the plot well done and fast paced. The ending was totally mind blowing. Left me in total shock ! The first thing that drew me to pick this novel up was the title, and then I read the blurb and was intrigued. I’m really glad I read it because now I have a new author to follow. I am very much looking forward to reading other books by this author.
Trust me when I say this is one book you will not want to miss. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !

I want to thank St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books and Jennifer Hillier for sending me an arc of the book and the opportunity to read it.