As the years stack up after the release of Gone Girl, it can feel like every twisty-psychological-thrillery book is all the same, with the same tired tropes and plot devices. (Don't get me wrong, it's still my favorite genre!) This novel enlivens the genre with a protagonist who is not entirely sympathetic and complicated, and a unique plot. As a veteran of this genre, I didn't see this ending coming.

Well, this was a blast of a book.

It gets quite devious and what happens with our characters will definitely surprise you.

This is extremely suspenseful and, while you won’t like some of what our characters do with their lives, most of them are ultimately relatable. Kind of: you may hate what they do, but you don’t hate them.

This is the kind of popcorn read that you simply won’t want to put down until the very end…and then you’ll be disappointed that it’s over!

A truly fun read.

• ARC Provided via Net Galley

This was a good story about a woman who was still nearly paralyzed by grief a year and a half after her son was kidnapped while they were shopping. When the private investigator she hired to help find her son instead discovers that her husband of 20 years was having an affair with a 24 yr old student, she rashly decided to have the girlfriend killed.

The plot was good, but the writing dragged a little. Overall this was not as compelling of a read as it could have been, but was still an enjoyable and fast read.

Abduction. Affairs. Deception. Betrayal. Little Secrets has it all, and the title is definitely an understatement. Marin has the seemingly perfect life until her son Sebastian is kidnapped while out shopping at Pikes Place Market. This leads to an unraveling to all Marin knows and a testing to all Marin believes to me true. Hillier knows how to craft an engaging novel, and this one is a must read!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. All thoughts are my own.

4.25-4.5 STARS

With her latest novel, “Little Secrets,” author Jennifer Hillier delivers a multi-layered story spun from an intricate web of lies, secrets and betrayal. Right from the get-go, this story’s compelling premise pulled me in and held me captive right up until the very end.

The main characters—Marin & Derek--are understandably flawed, as they struggle to navigate each day following the tragic disappearance of their 4 year old son. Together, yet alone, grief weighs heavy on them both, causing their once happy marriage to now reside on rocky ground.

Through a series of twists and turns, the mystery turns from intriguing to riveting, as the truth slowly unfolds, leading up to a shocking reveal. It’s a roller-coaster ride of emotions, to be sure. If it weren’t for a certain secondary character that I found annoying and immediately took a dislike to, this book would garner a perfect 5 star rating, rather than falling just a tad bit short.

Marin’s worst nightmare comes true when she is in a crowded shopping area and lets go of her four year old son’s hand for a second and he is kidnapped. Marin and her husband Derek frantically do all they can to find him but after a year the trail goes cold. Marin doesn’t give up hope and hires a private investigator to find her son. The PI discovers that her husband is having an affair with a younger woman. Marin doesn’t want to lose her husband, so she does the unthinkable. As she begins to scheme, something comes to the surface. Perhaps this other woman knows what happened to her son. How do all these pieces fit together? Will Marin find her son alive?

I really enjoyed this story overall. It’s about love, heartache and betrayal. I really enjoyed the story and thought it was pretty well developed. While there are plenty of kidnapping mystery thrillers out there I feel like Jennifer Hillier took this in a direction that hasn’t been done before. The book does switch between points of view but the characters are developed well enough that it is easy to follow. The characters are also easy to love or hate which speaks again to the development of these characters. I think the author did a great job of keeping the reader engaged. I thought I had the end figured out but I was wrong. Having a four year old myself certainly pulled on my heartstrings. I can not begin to imagine what I would do in Marin’s place. Definitely add this one to your list. It comes out on April 21, 2020.

Marin and Derek are the perfect couple. Finally able to have a child, Sebastian, who they lovingly call Bash, they seem to have to perfect life. Marin and Derek are both type A personalities, Derek, a successful businessman and Marin, owner of a salon that caters to the rich and famous. One day, Marin and Bash are busily rushing through crowded stores at the mall, and, Marin drops her young son's hand for a second to text her husband back. The next thing she knows, Bash is not there. This is a story about the unraveling of a mother whose fault it is that her son is gone....

Wow! This book took me for a ride. I'm a first-time reader of this author so I didn't quite know what to expect, but wow, she didn't disappoint.
The book starts with the abduction of the main character, Marin, going to the Pike Place Market in Seattle and after just a moment's inattention her son has disappeared without a trace, apparently following a person in a Santa Claus outfit out of the market.
From that point onward, the story unfolds in countless surprising ways and I repeatedly had myself wondering what was around the next corner. The story had so many fascinating twists and turns, all not illogical, but several gave me a sense of whiplash because my beliefs were torn away from under me, in a way, the book reminded me of those by another favorite author of mine, Harlan Coben.
This is a great book and I will be recommending it to anybody who will bother to listen to me and most certainly, the author's other books will be added to my to-read list.
Highly recommended!

All the stars for this book! Jennifer Hillier is amazing. I’ll read anything she writes at this point, and I’ve loved all her books, but Little Secrets was by far my favorite.

Marin and Derek have everything. A perfect marriage, tons of money, two incredible careers, and sweet little 4 year old son, Sebastian. He is kidnapped one day in broad daylight and everything goes to shit for them. 16 months later, Sebastian is still missing with no leads. Marin, who is not doing well at all, finds out Derek is having an affair and she starts surveilling him, leading to a whole lot of explosive secrets coming out.

Reading the synopsis, you may think it’s been done before, and it has. But there is so much more than meets the eye to this story. This is what all thrillers should be. Truly shocking, propulsive, and unputdownable. I hated all the characters and yet I couldn’t stop reading. A fantastic book.

“It’s confusing how love and hate can exist at the same time,” is an understatement. Hillier notes that this was the most difficult book she’s ever written, and believe me, some parts are hard to read. A parent’s worst nightmare has to be a missing child, and Hillier played that and it’s consequences up brilliantly. The multitude of little secrets that stacked up to common denominators in this story were masterfully done and left my jaw dropped a time or two. A fabulously suspenseful plot rounded with human characters with flaws, hopes and dreams like yours and mine, this one will stay with you for awhile.

Jennifer Hillier has crafted an engrossing page turner of a read in Little Secrets. Well worth the read!

Predicting @jenniferhillierbooks Little Secrets will be one of the biggest, most smashing hits of 2020.
An unthinkable tragedy happens to a couple and the wife discovers her husband’s way of coping is cheating on her with a younger woman.
I compulsively tore through this book. Loved getting both women’s perspectives; the accomplished working mother notices how fresh-faced and youthful, wrinkless and carefree her husband’s girlfriend is and this college graduate notices how polished, confident and poised her boyfriend’s wife is.

This book has heart, suspense, complete intrigue. I nearly passed on reading it because the main storyline is not an easy one to read as a mother. And I recommend going in blind. But I found myself experiencing the gut wrenching grief along side this woman.

You guys know I’m a huge fan of original twists, big and small. The main twist here I never saw coming. And never in my life of reading have I cried at the end of a mystery suspense novel.
I loved it even more than Jar of Hearts.💥

Wow, this book was amazing! Child abduction turned into SO much more! This one had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the flow of this book and the title is a perfect representation of how many little secrets can make a huge impact!

I absolutely love when I just cannot wait to get back to a book! This is a great thriller from beginning to end with no slow down and creative twists. Highly recommend!

Marin has the perfect life. She's married to her college sweetheart, runs a successful upscale salon, and has a beautiful son. Her life comes crashing down on her one day after she lets go of her son's hand, and he's kidnapped. In a fog of grief, Marin won't give up looking for her son and hired a private investigator. She's unprepared for what her PI tells her eighteen months after her son disappears -- the PI hasn't found her son but has found evidence that her husband has been having an affair right under her nose. Marin is understandably furious and will do whatever it takes to take down her husband's mistress. But just how far is she willing to go?

Unlike other similar thrillers, I found Little Secrets to be very plausible. Jennifer Hillier did an exceptional job of developing her characters, making the story come to life. Particularly with Marin, Hillier creates such a 3-dimensional character -- I could feel her grief radiating off the pages. Well worth the read!

Where do I start? Great book! I love suspense/thrillers and this has both. Marin is going through every mother’s nightmare. Her son Sebastian is taken when she lets go of his hand at the marketplace for just a minute. A year later and he’s still missing, and her husband has turned to another younger woman. Marin hasn’t given up hope. Fast paced with a twist at the end I never saw coming.

Whew!! this book brings forth the words of Sir Walter Scott, "what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to decieve". Great mystery,lots of twists, turns and it will keep you reading. Fairly fast paced and only a few places you might want to take a break. I am afraid to say more without giving a spoiler. If the jacket cover piqued your interest, then read it, you will not be disappointed.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the ARC.

I LOVED Little Secrets. As a mom of young children, something like this happening is my biggest fear. As such, this book was one I could not put down as I wanted to get to the end as soon as possible to find out what happened!! The characters were very likable to me and intertwined in ways I could have never imagined. I honestly never saw the ending coming!! I definitely plan on recommending this book to others and is also one I plan on reading again. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Little Secrets was engaging from the very first page and I just loved Jennifer Hillier’s writing style so much. Her characters are multifaceted and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep me guessing but not so much that they just felt like they came out of nowhere.

I love a book where things look a little too perfect on the outside to be true and this book has all of that and more. It does involve the kidnapping of a small child but it has so many other elements that made it rise above this common thriller plotline. I l really enjoy a good domestic thriller and this one is a roller coaster of suspense with a super satisfying ending.

I loved it so much that I am now listening to Jar of Hearts on audio. It’s the best when you read a book you don’t know a lot about beforehand and then leave with a new to you author to follow along with.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Marin was in a terrible place, in a downward spiral, after losing her four year old son, three days before Christmas, in a busy store while shopping.
Marin was the hysterical and inconsolable wife while Derek was the frozen and helpless husband, after the disappearance of Sebastian.
As Marin copes with the disappearance of her four year old son, her husband got busy with a younger woman. Twenty years of marriage destroyed by a mistake, a way to cope after detaching himself emotionally. While Derek was shacking up with a younger girl, Marin was grieving, blaming herself, beating herself up, and self-medicating with all manner of pharmaceuticals and alcohol.

Overall:
I wasn’t particularly interested in the group therapy scenes, but I understand the need for them as a means for Marin to redirect her grieving.
There were a few scenes where the attention to detail was too extensive by stating the obvious. Ex. “They sell the extra-large rose-gold-tinted tumblers at all three locations for sixty-five dollars, an outrageous price for what amounts to a coffee mug,..” Who cares? How is this related to the case of finding her son? It’s not. Given the nature of the young girls character and her obsession with expensive items it’s understandable why these scenes were mentioned. I didn’t need them to drive the point home.
The story was divided into four parts. Part one began with Sebastian being taken. While I thought this was going to be a kidnapping story it really wasn’t. Part two was full of surprises. This is where I realized the story changed gears. Part three concluded what initially began as a kidnapping story turned into an affair and then something else. Part four was closure.
Had I only read part one I would’ve been disappointed with the story because this part wasn’t interesting. Part two is where the story comes alive. I really liked the change in storyline. There still were some scenes about expensive items and living standards that I breezed over. The overall premise was very exciting once I got over reading part one.