Member Reviews

Wow. What a fantastic book. It was full of twists and turns and unreliable narrators. Every time I thought I knew what to expect, I ended up being sorta right but also pretty wrong. All the characters have some fairly deplorable behavior, but they have understandable reasons for their actions, which made me root for them. The relationships between the members of the small town were spot on and realistic. I really enjoyed this book.

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This book was perfection! Right from the start, I was hooked. Right in the beginning the different POVs revealed that they each had secrets they hoped would never see the light of day, without revealing what the secrets was. It was super interesting to follow the characters throughout the story, all with different motivations behind the things they did. Trying to figure out who did what and why was fun and complicated, but when it all was revealed at the end, everything made perfect sense!

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This was a super quick read/listen.

I have mixed feelings... On one hand, it was faced paced and enjoyable. I liked getting bits and pieces from all of the characters and how they all had a role to play in what happened to multiple people in this small town. There were definitely a few parts that threw me for a loop.

On the other hand, I didn't think that some of it was super hard to figure a lot of it out. I didn't really connect with any of the characters either. But, it did keep my interest and I needed to know how it all fit together,

It definitely explored how far parents will go to protect their children.

I am curious to check out the authors other works though. I've heard great things.

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Enjoyed reading this crazy small town thriller! Everyone in Cason Glen has a secret and no one wants anyone else to know what they’re hiding. I thought it was great how the story was told through multiple points of view. I liked being pulled into the dramatic lives of Michelle, Stephanie, and Enzo. There were a few major twists towards the end that I didn’t see coming. This was the first audiobook I’ve read by Kiersten Modglin, and the only thing I disliked were the narrators. This was a thrilling quick read for me! I definitely plan on reading more books by Modglin!

I will post my review on Instagram @thrillersandcoffee

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#HappyPubDay to Our Little Secret! Is this cover not made for #SpookySeason? Kiersten Modglin's quick, twisty thrillers are becoming fast favorites of mine - thank you to OrangeSky Audio for my ALC on NetGalley!

In one sentence: Six friends, lots of secrets, multiple dead bodies - buckle up!

Cason Glen is one screwed up place to live - and everyone wants to make sure their secrets stay hidden (yeah, fat chance of that happening). I enjoyed meeting all of these majorly unlikeable characters and watching them freak out about being found out. Each narrator handles multiple perspectives, so the beginning of the story was a little confusing, but I settled into it just fine.

Like a lot of thrillers, there's some build up in the first half of the book, and then things start to get intense in the second half! I definitely did not see the ending twists coming - but they made for a satisfying conclusion.

I've seen some reviewers complain about a lack of character development - I didn't have that issue, but I also love a quick read, no frills thriller. If you like that kind of book, I think you'll like this one too! Now I'm on to the task of conquering Modglin's backlist!

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Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
Ok. #OurLittleSecret just has blown my mind! There are so many in this small town with secrets. When they start coming out, they are shocking and so many characters are completely twisted.
The insane twist at the end….Modglin is so talented with her mind!
YOU. CAN’T. MISS. THIS. ONE.
I have to go read all of her books. Seriously.

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High Five. The story starts out creepy with the suspense leading up to the thrills, and me (shamefully thinking okay, its only 6 hours). And just as quickly I was invested. I am not rehashing the synopsis and I won't spoil. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The small town, nosy people on top of each other was depicted spot on from the towns I lived in.

There are a lot of characters, and I feel Modglin did a good job developing and keeping the story on its path. Towards the end, there were a few cringe worthy moments (multiple false confessions) however, quickly the story continues on to a final ending I appreciated.

There is some profanity, and kudos to the author for portraying a parent who consistently let it be known, the language was unacceptable.

The narrators were great. Mary Kaplan edged out Wyatt Baker with the final pages. When she spoke I had chills, that kid was sick, and Mary was amazing.

Thank you NetGalley, Kiersten Modglin, and OrangeSky Audio for accepting my request to review.

#NetGalley
#KierstenModglin
#OrangeSkyAudio
#NarratorMaryKaplan
#NarratorWyattBaker
#Audiobook
#OurLittleSecret

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4.25 stars

Happy publication day to Our Little Secret! This was a fun, twisty, and unexpected story. I didn’t see the ending coming, which was nice; I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers/suspense stories lately, so I appreciate when they aren’t too predictable or formulaic. I liked the plot, the characters were believable, and the differing perspectives kept things interesting. (For the most part. Seriously, WHY is it such a popular idea to have a teacher character who’s sleeping with their students??😩) Overall though, this was a good one!

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This was such a great read. I was hooked from the very beginning. The characters were very well developed through the different points of view. The end blew me away and I never saw it coming. Will definitely recommend this book to my students, colleagues, and friends.

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Author Kiersten Modglin has done it again with her latest crazy twisty psychological thriller Our Little Secret. Listening to this audiobook left me dumbstruck and shook with its shocking reveals that came at me with lightening speed.

I can only state what is known for sure: one person is missing, one person is dead and everyone is a liar in the suburb of Carson Glen.

Michelle is married to Jude the town's sheriff and they have a teen daughter. Stephanie's husband Ted seems to have abandoned her and their twin teenage sons. Enzo's wife is dead and he has feelings for Stephanie. It's a regular soap opera but wait there's more.

In the middle of a stormy night Stephanie calls the police because she has seen a car go into the river. When Jude gets the call about it Michelle is full of fear. They can't have anyone dive into the river. She knows what they will find at the bottom of it...maybe so does Jude...and maybe Stephanie...then there's Enzo...no one knows who shot his wife...and on and on the secrets come out and the liars are scrambling for shelter.

Narrators Mandy Kaplan and Wyatt Baker are dramatically perfect for the jaw dropping turn of events that occur throughout this roller-coaster thriller.

This is my third book by the author and I now know to have a stiff drink before listening or reading her work. After all our little secrets always get revealed when this writer is the originator of the truth, and even more enjoyable, the lies.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Orangesky via Netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

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I am getting more and more into Kiersten Modglin's world and enjoy her twisted books a lot.
This one however, for me, was not the best. Don't get me wrong, it had surprising moments and takled a lot of different issues but in my humble opinion it was a bit over the top.
We get to meet a lot of different characters in this story centered around the town of Cason Glen. Like it is mentioned
Someone’s missing.
Someone’s dead.
Everyone’s lying.
All in all I enjoyed the story and the audio performance by Mandy Kaplan and Wyatt Baker
Thanks so much #NetGalley # OrangeSky Audio

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I cant believe how good this audio story was - the narration so suited it and the story was brilliant it was so engaging. I had to keep listening at all times as I was dragged into the story. I loved the way I was guessing throughout.

There were a few plot issues that I just went with.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own

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I loved everything about this except the narrators. The book was written on typical brilliant Kirsten Mogdlin fashion but the two narrators brought my experience down.

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Our Little Secret is a great thriller with lots of twists that will keep you guessing. It is about 6 friends who live in the small subdivision of Cason Glen, which is surrounded by woods with a lake nearby. Perfect spooky atmosphere for the story that unravels here! The story is told from the points of view of Michelle, whose husband is the local sheriff, Enzo, the town mayor, and Stephanie, a close neighbour whose husband has disappeared recently.

This is the second book I've read or listened to by Kiersten Modglin and I enjoyed it even more than The Arrangement, which has had a lot of hype in thriller reading groups recently. This book is a bit longer but still a quick read. I thought the characters had more depth and this made their stories very intriguing.

Wyatt Baker and Mindy Kaplan did a great job narrating the audiobook. It was a bit difficult to distinguish between the voices of the 2 women. However, I had just read the ebook when the audiobook version became available on NetGalley, and it is a testament to how good this story is that I wanted to hear it a second time and see if I could figure out any of the clues along the way! Overall I give this book 4.5 stars.

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WOW!
First, ignore the "summary" included by the publisher. No idea what that person was reading, but the summary has nothing at all to do with the book. Of the "six friend" - they are not friends and there are only 4 - two are gone at the opening of the book. Next, let’s set aside the statistical improbability of a neighborhood filled with this many secrets and, frankly, rotten people. And the lake! I wouldn’t want to ever go swimming or eat anything out of that lake – seems every unwanted item in the town ends up there. The children in the story make one wonder if anyone is parenting at all. They are all either sociopaths or of low moral character – the adults are no better. There really isn’t anyone to like in the story. Setting aside those creepy details, the story was good. The narrators were engaging, drawing one into the story.

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This is the third audiobook I have listened to of Kiersten Modglin's and it is safe to say I am officially on the KMod train! Her books are so fun and fast paced. Modglin's characters and storylines are so entertaining and her endings always blow my mind! Our Little Secret is no exception to this.

Our Little Secret is the perfect title for this small town set thriller where everyone has secrets! Murder... a missing person... affairs... unruly teenagers. This book has it all!

Modglin's books are easy to follow on audio as well, which I love. These linear timelines and engaging stories are perfect. I definitely need to listen/read all of her others. I highly recommend this one!

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What I liked about the story:
I was invested in learning the outcome of the story., I liked that there were multiple POVs because I think it was a good approach at not only learning the different mysteries revolving around the characters, but I think it was an effective way of getting to know the characters/ giving the characters multiple dimensions.

What didn't work for me about the story:
A pet peeve of mine when reading thrillers is when I don't find the motives of the characters believable and that was definitely the case for 2 characters which made the plot twist for me less satisfying.

What I liked about the audiobook:
Overall, I enjoyed the performances by the two narrators. I think they did a good job at differentiating characters and bringing life to the characters.

What didn't work for me about the audiobook:
There was nothing wrong with the accents, but I did think it was a little weird how so many characters from the women's POVs ended up having more of southern accents when they were talking but when the same characters were talking from the mayor's POV, the accent wasn't there.

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This is my second listen to a book by this author and she delivered that twisty turny novel I expected. It’s another domestic thriller, where everyone has a secret. It’s about a community that went to school together and still live close by. Stephanie and Enzo are seeing each other. Her husband went missing and his wife was murdered. Michelle and Jude live across the street and he’s a cop. In case you missed it earlier, everyone has a secret that the reader isn’t in the know and the characters remind you often.

The thing that is so unique about Kiersten’s books is there is twist upon twist upon twist and they each change what you know and build upon each other. And while they might seem a little out there, they always fit within the narrative she’s created. These books aren’t overly long and always move along at a breakneck pace. There isn’t time to overthink it as you read.

Mandy Kaplan and Wyatt Baker narrate the book and they are great. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to either one, but I’d happily listen to their next narration.

If you like fast-paced twists and turns, I recommend you pick this one up.

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3.5 ⭐️ Rounded to 4

I’ve been hearing the name Kiersten Modglin in my reading Facebook groups for the past few months and seeing rave reviews so when I saw this book as an ALC, I had to try it.

I think all the hype around the author lead to a sort of let down when I actually finished the actual book which doesn’t mean the book was bad or shouldn’t be read or this author shouldn’t be revered, just that my expectations were set really high and I was expecting a thorough story with lots of suspense and shocking twists.

The story revolves around 3 main characters- Stephanie- whose husband disappeared 4 months earlier, Enzo, the town mayor, and Michelle, the wife of the local sheriff, All 3 have secrets that could destroy their lives if anyone found out. It starts when Stephanie calls the police saying she saw a car go off the bridge into the water which will prompt a search of the water and the water is where the secrets are buried.

There were twists, the ending is unexpected and not what you are expecting with is why I rounded up to 4 stars instead of rounded down BUT I felt the story was almost incomplete and checked more than once to see if I had missed a few chapters accidentally. There were parts of the storyline I didn’t understand and that wasn’t fully developed to the point I began to wonder if this was the 2nd book in a series. For example, Stephanie and Michelle dislike each other but I can never figure out why and it never explains it although it is mentioned quite often in the story. Without giving away spoilers, the conversation between Michelle and Stephanie in Michelle’s kitchen before Stephanie receives a phone call doesn’t make sense at that point in the story unless it has happened already in the past and if so, it never explains it. Also the story between Enzo and his wife is never really explained.

Overall though, it was a quick listen. The narrator was pleasant to listen to. The story line wasn’t really suspenseful but the twists at the end does put it from mystery to psychological thriller.

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This is a very clever mystery with a bit of thrill. Although somewhat predictable, I was surprised with a couple of plot twists. All of the characters lives are intertwined between a missing man and a dead woman. I listened to the audio version and I found the narration a bit annoying with the male voice sounding too macho and the female sounding too southern. I think I would have rated this higher had I read the print version but I did enjoyed it overall. 3.5 stars rounded up.

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