Our Little Secret

Mesmerizing, dark, and brilliantly clever!

This is a character-driven psychological thriller that illustrates just how fine the line between love and obsession can truly be and reminds us that every choice, good or bad, has a consequence.

The writing is crisp, polished and fluid. The characterization is spot on with a multitude of characters that are multi-faceted, insecure and vulnerable. And the plot is an intricately interwoven tale that unravels piece-by-piece creating tension, unease, and suspicion as it subtly reveals all the personalities, relationships, motivations and actions within it.

This is, ultimately, a story about deception, danger, competition, desperation, dependence, loneliness, manipulation and the fragility of young love and it's hard to believe this is Nay's debut novel. It's sophisticated, highly entertaining, and a must-read that I guarantee you won't be able to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Put a crowd of a hundred people in a room and wait. Eventually the psychopaths will emerge, and I'm telling you now, they won't be who you first suspected and there'll always be more than one."

That quote illustrates the book. How far would you go to retrieve the true happiness that you once lost? To find a love so pure, a first love again? Are you willing to live in sadness until you find it?

I haven’t had this much fun reading a thriller in a long time. This book is fast a 220 page rollercoaster – buckle up for this fast-paced thriller because Our Little Secret is about to give you whiplash!

The story is told from the point of view of Angela, a late 20-something born living in a small town setting. Angela is being held for questioning regarding the disappearance of her ex-boyfriend’s wife. The interrogation room gave a claustrophobic feel to the story and the entire plot is told during an exhausting 24 hour time frame. Roz Nay’s story telling abilities are remarkable.

Fast-paced, clever and dark, I could not put this book down. I high recommend this addictive read!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Roz Nay’s debut thriller Our Little Secret.

Roz Nay's Our Little Secret is a fast-paced, suck-you-in-from-the-get-go psych-thriller that is deliciously deceptive, dark, and twisty. I wish I could have a brief case of amnesia so that I could experience this one again, like it was the first time reading it! Obviously, I loved this book a ridiculous amount.

Initially, it had me reliving some angst-y, "how is my heart still beating, when it's been ripped clean out of my chest, like that?!" moments from my university years and identifying with/relating to the protagonist in many ways.

There is no denying that break-ups are hard. Especially when it happens in such a way that it leaves you feeling like the wind has been sucked from your lungs, wondering 'How did this happen?! How did we get here?!" without closure, without any kind of understanding of how the bottom fell out of it all. And sometimes it takes a looooooooooooooong time to recover. Eventually, though, most of us stop feeling like we're walking around with a gaping chest wound. The feeling of drowning in pain and grief eases. But we don't let the loss consume us. 

Angela, though, is ... special. But is it 'feels things more deeply than other people' special? Or 'pet bunny in a stew pot' special? Grab your own copy to find out!

This was an excellent, couldn't-put-it-down, you'll-gladly-give-up-precious-sleep read and I would give it more than 5 stars, if I could.

Roz Nay is officially on my "if she writes it, I'll read it" list!