I really enjoyed this novel. The writing is strong and the plot works. I did figure out the bad guy by the middle or so, but still enjoyed watching as it played out.

I hated this book so much.


I hated it because it kept me up way too late. I hated it because I wasn't prepared to like a book where the plot has been done time and time again. However, I was quickly proven wrong and was sucked into this ridiculously evil book. I liked Jar of Hearts but this was on another level.

Marin and Derek are the perfect married couple. Good money, house, jobs, and a perfect little boy Sebastian. All that changes the day Sebastian goes missing. Derek blames Marin and she becomes riddled with guilt. A year and half later, Sebastian is still missing and Marin has one more thing to add to her otherwise shit life. Derek has been having an affair with a young college girl who is not what she seems. Mckenzie is a sugar baby and Derek is her next sugar daddy.

Eventually, Marin wonders if Derek had anything to do with Sebastian going missing and shit goes nuts.

This book was so twisted and messed up. I found myself angry at my husband for no reason (maybe because we soon might be doing IVF and I was putting myself in Marin's shoes. Also I was mentally ripping out Mckenzie's eyes.

Really twisty turny book I didn't expect to turn out the way it did. Clear the decks and get the triple espresso because this one WILL keep you up all night!

I didn’t realize this was the author of Jar of Hearts until I finished this phenomenal read. I loved Jar of Hearts and loved this one too! I could not put this one down and actually read it in one day. When writing reviews I don’t like to give away much as those extensive reviews tend to cause me to not choose that particular book. Let it suffice to know that this book covers kidnapping, breakdown of a marriage, spiraling into depression, cheating husband, decisions made in the depths of despair, and shattered friendships. The characters are very realistic and evoke strong visceral responses - both positive and negative. I am eagerly awaiting the overwhelming response this book will receive when it is published on April 21. This is one you definitely want to preorder. Many many thanks to Jennifer Hillier, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read this thrilling ARC. Keep writing Jennifer as I am eagerly awaiting your next read.

This is an amazing book full of heartbreak and all kinds of twists. The ending absolutely shocked me - I had no idea that was going to happen. The characters are all great - even the ones I didn’t like had redeeming qualities. I loved this book just as much as I loved the author’s previous book. I hope to read more by her in the future.

Read in one sitting but skimmed a lot. Guessed the plot early. Not a fan of present tense verbs. Found characterization confusing and mostly in service of plot development. I don't think women characters need to be likable - that wasn't the issue at all. Good commentary on the pretense of being on social media. Weird dialogue, long, really long parts where nothing happens. Some really good scenes about suicidal ideation, but those just made it clear how surface other parts of the novel are. Much less about motherhood and more about being invested in the appearance of a happy relationship, which is still a meaningful focus - just not what I expected based on the blurb.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this digital ARC!

A child goes missing. So many questions surround the disappearance. This is a book of twists and turns that will keep you on a rollercoaster ride!

I first became aware of Jennifer Hillier with her amazing thriller Jar of Hearts, which remains one of my all time favorites. When I saw she had a new book coming out, I couldn't hit the request button fast enough.

Little Secrets is a compulsively good read that I burned through in two sittings - and only because life's demands forced me to stop reading. It begins with a horrific child abduction and before it finishes, there are more than a few shocking surprises, definitely a couple that I did not see coming. This book, as well as the author's earlier books should definitely be on your TBR list. If you enjoy the thriller genre, you are missing out big time if you aren't reading Jennifer Hillier, it's just that simple.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this novel! Having four kids, I was nervous to read a story that focused on a missing kid. Marin’s son Sebastian has been gone for over a year and there’s no suspects, no leads. The story was believable to me until about 60% in. Then it got a little crazy. Marins husband is cheating on her, so she hires some stranger to kill her for 250k? I know she’s grieving that her son is missing, but it just didn’t seem believable to me. Also the kidnapper resolution was absurd to me as well. I still gave it 4 stars (3.5 if I could give half stars) because it was a fast read and I liked the writing style.

I jumped on the opportunity to get a pre-publication galley of Little Secrets because I'm a big fan of Jennifer Hillier. And let me tell you, her latest novel does not disappoint. Little Secrets is really about huge, gargantuan secrets. Secrets between husband and wife, Marin and Derek, and others in their lives. It starts with Marin and her son, Sebastian, doing some last minute Christmas shopping at Pike Place Market. When Marin gets a call from Derek, mere seconds of her distraction result in their son being abducted. The story quickly moves to 16 months in the future when Marin is a shadow of her formerly fabulous self and her marriage to Derek is dying a slow, quiet death. Marin is still searching for her son so she hires a private detective to keep the investigation going. While the PI is getting nowhere on the search for Sebastian, she does discover that Derek has been having an affair with a much younger woman. And it's a roller coaster ride from there.

Hillier is at her best taking the reader on a high-speed, twisty tale of suspense that will have you saying "just let me finish one more chapter" until the pages come to an end. I couldn't put it down. The characters are beautifully developed and Hillier is a fabulous storyteller. Five bright stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC. The book comes out in April 2020.

5 star read!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what it is about thrillers, even though they're my favorite genre, I rarely give them five stars. Maybe because it's often hard to love the characters. A lot of them tend to be unreliable. Maybe it's that everything has been done before. Maybe it's the writing and lack of substance? But, this Thriller was five stars for me. I can't even necessarily pinpoint why.
What I do know, is I was very invested in the story. I feel like I had to know what was coming even though it wasn't necessarily a fast-paced thriller. I think that the story was woven together very well. I did predict half of the twist, but it did not even bother me. The end was very satisfying. Even though most of the characters where bad people, they had very real thoughts. And the author described them in a way that a rational person could understand (with the exception of maybe one). I really loved the story. I already miss reading it and I'm still thinking about it. I am thrilled that I received this as an e-ARC. I'm going to go read everything that this author has written to date

Marin loses her son. As you can only imagine, this is not easy. Nor is it easy on her marriage with her husband, Derek. Derek finds an escape in an affair with a much younger girl. This is just the beginning.

Yeah, I really enjoyed this one. The character development was A-1.

This story had just enough twists to keep you invested, but not so many that made it completely out of the realm of possibility.

This was a fast paced read that I never felt bored reading. Every detail was included for a purpose, which I very much appreciate.

Now, I must read all of Jennifer Hiller's work.

I was a big fan of Jar of Hearts so I was very eager to read this book. I liked it but I found it to be nowhere near Jar of Hearts. Little Secrets I found to be slower and less of a "thriller" with a lot of contemporary type sections regarding loss and the effect it can have on relationships. It was well written and I did enjoy the story, I just expected it to be more suspenseful. I didn't find the "who dunnit" to be a shock and it was my #1 guess from pretty early on. Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book but it will be fairly forgettable to me in the long run.

This book was nothing short of amazing!!!!! A child is missing, the mother is distraught, suspects a plenty, the ending will blow you away!!! I loved this book, and look forward to future writings from this author!! Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read it!!!

Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for giving me a chance to preview this title before it’s available to the public in April. Hillier is one of my favorite authors and never disappoints.

While Marin is Christmas shopping at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, she lets go of her four-year-old’s hand for a few seconds and he disappears. Later, security cameras reveal he was kidnapped by someone in a Santa costume and given the big lollypop he had been begging his mother for. Fast forward well into a year later, the PI that Marin hired discovered Marin’s husband, Derek, is having an affair.
Marin and Derek are both successful and money isn’t an issue with them. Marin owns a chain of elegant hair salons where she often has celebrity clients. Marin doesn’t want to lose her husband, but his girlfriend is fair game.

Without revealing any more of the plot, I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I feel like Hillier could be one of my neighbors as she describes places in Seattle with realistic authority. She also casts suspicion on almost every character in the book making it very difficult to decide who did it.

I highly recommend this book and any of Hillier’s other thrillers. I love her twisted mind.

So we all have "go to" authors whose books we buy without even reading the blurb, right? Well Jennifer Hillier is one of my most favourite "go to" authors. Ever since reading Jar of Hearts, I have devoured her previous books (bar 1 which is on my TBR) and brought myself right up to date with her writing. And wow, can she write a captivating thriller!

Marin and Derek have it all, rich, successful, their own businesses, fabulous home and after several IVF attempts, a beautiful little boy, Sebastian. Until one day, a few days before Christmas, Marin lets go of Sebastian's hand for a split second in the market and, in an instant, he is gone. CCTV footage unearths video of him being led out of the market by someone dressed in a Santa Claus suit. Let that sink in for a moment... we ALL encourage our children to sit on Santa's lap, for our kids to idolise him as the giver of gifts and a provider of immense glee and happiness for our children and pretty much, in not so many words, tell our children that Santa is a person who loves children and who they can trust. Eye opener huh?

Fast forward a year, Sebastian is still missing and Marin is a shadow of her former self. Her and Derek are consumed by their own grief and drifting apart big time. Marin's lifeline is Sal, her best friend of 20 years and former college boyfriend.

When a P.I. Marin hired to keep looking for Sebastian after the FBI investigation went cold, accidentally uncovers evidence that Derek is having an affair, Marin is shellshocked. Hurt and betrayed, and not wanting to lose another (and the only one left) family member, Marin takes matters into her own hands and makes the decision to be rid of Derek's girlfriend, Kenzie. However, Kenzie has her own dark secrets and agenda where Derek is concerned.

This book is told in 3 parts. We hear from Marin in Part 1, where the grief and horror at losing Sebastian is vividly and heartstoppingly told. We hear from Kenzie's POV in Part 2 and with a total "SHUT UP" revelation at the end of Part 2, all loosely tied strings are tautly pulled together in a blazing, compulsive and deftly written thriller that'll completely have you hooked. Reading it you will ask yourself, how would you react? How far would you be willing to go for revenge? And probably most important of all, can you ever REALLY know someone?

Superb 5/5

I loved this book and absolutely binged on it in one day. After reading and loving the author’s last novel, “Jar of Hearts,” I was excited to get an email from NetGalley offering me an ARC of her new book. I was a little hesitant because as a mother of two small boys I didn’t know if I wanted to read about a mother having her small son go missing, but I got over it quickly after the book pulled me in. The characters are so nuanced, the plot is suspenseful without being cheesy, and the ending is fantastic. Highly recommended! I really want to go back and read everything she’s written before Jar of Hearts as well!

I went through different phases with "Little Secrets". It started strong . . . good plot, nice character development, intrigue, good writing. Then the social media tsunami hit. Every page was fixated with Facebook, Instagram, etc. I was pretty sure we had enter MillennialLand. I wanted out. Where is this book headed? How do we exit the Young Adult book section.
And then "Poof" we got back to a good story . . . twists and turns were everywhere . . . "Little Secrets" had become a genuine page turner. Thanks Jennifer Hillier.
Excuse my little rant, Ms. Hillier. You have a really good story here. You develop the central characters very, very well. You have enough mystery to leave the reader not quite certain where you're taking us.
It started with five stars, fell off the table to two stars, and ended with five again. I'm calling it a four star book.

This was a very good book as far as keeping me on the edge of my seat and interested. The topic of a missing child was a little tough to read about however the author did a good job staying focused on the details without making the investigation become repetitive.

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for my e-arc of Little Secrets.

I discovered Jennifer Hillier with Jar of Hearts. I could not put that book down. It was the same with Little Secrets. As soon as I started I could not stop.

Someone abducts Marin and Derek’s four year soon during Christmas. Over a year later Sebastian is still missing. Marin and Derek are severely grieving in their own ways that will lead to disastrous results in their lives.

This book had several twists. One of the twists really shocked me. This is an amazing book, but also heartbreaking. Jennifer Hillier is such a wonderful writer. She can make you feel so many things.

How can you survive the kidnapping of your child? On a busy afternoon close to Christmas Marin Machedo, a successful salon owner, finds out the answer to this question. This story sadly details the ruin of a family, affairs, suicide and even murder as Jennifer Hiller spins an intriguing tale. Marin’s support group of friends is the only thing keeping her sane. Her husband, Derek, has lost touch with reality as well as his wife. The plot is twisted and intriguing until the very last chapter and holds the readers attention throughout the story.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.