Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

I don't know what to say. This wasn't good. It felt like Snoekstra had a couple of different storylines and couldn't pick just one. This title had, by my count, 5 storylines started but never really finished. I feel like Snoekstra's editor did her a disservice in letting this title go to print as it is. Truthfully, had the story been concentrated on one of the storylines, with maybe a secondary one, I'm not sure I would have liked it any better. It just wasn't good. I didn't abandon it and I'm not sure why given I had abandoned two other titles prior to opening this one up.

Rose Blakey is in her mid-20's and dying to get out of her dying hometown. She does feature in all 5 storylines but that didn't bring it all together. Rose dreams of being a journalist and keeps going after "the story." Just trying to write a synopsis about it bores me. There's a fire, creepy dolls, suspicious men, disgusting men, and other random stuff.

I cannot write anymore. It wasn't good.

Little Secrets is about a small working class town in Australia where too many secrets and too many hot tempers end up causing a lot of damage to the community. In the wake of a tragic fire where a child was killed, dolls start showing up on the door steps of the children in the town. They strangely look like the children they are left for. Rose is looking for a story that will give her a big break in the world of journalism and uses this one as her jumping board.



I really disliked this book. I probably should have DNF'd it, but I kept holding out hope I would end up least liking something. It also took me forever to read and I ended up switching to audio to finish it out quicker.. Nothing happens in a large majority of the book. I know not every story can have all likable characters, but at least one could go a long way to making the story good. I couldn't find one nice character in this book. Even the little kids are kind of brats. The protagonist almost had my sympathy for a while, but she ended up being just as detestable as the rest of them.



I never really felt the mystery aspect of the book. Finding out all of the secrets was kind of a let down. There was one twist that did take me by surprise, but it seriously wasn't enough to save the book for me. Even that twist, which was one of the big ones, never really was addressed again after it was revealed. You would think there would be some repercussions, but no. In the end, they all kind of got what they deserved and were probably looking at miserable lives ahead. I'm not really sure I would recommend this one. It's is really dark and I guess if you like that sort of book, you could give it a shot. Otherwise, I would say skip it.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: Last year, I read Anna Snoekstra's debut novel Only Daughter, which I liked and have been looking forward to seeing what she wrote next. So when I saw that her sophomore novel was available on Netgalley, I jumped at the opportunity to read it.

This is a smart, small-town crime thriller, that focuses on what happens when people act without thought to the consequences. It isn't really fast-paced at all, it has more of a slow-burning aspect to it that will consume you as you read it, desperate to figure out how all the pieces come together.

What I really enjoyed was the sense of paranoia that develops as the story progresses. The suspense ratchets up and you end up not knowing who is trustworthy. The characters, while not very likeable, are compelling and they get under your skin - you just need to know what is really going on and why.

This atmospheric mystery was full of suspense, yet has a dark underlying tone to it. It a small-town filled with secrets and kept me guessing right up to the very end. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

I hate when this happens but I didn’t care for this book at all, but I have faith in the author and will certainly try her again.

This book was great and I didnt 100% figure out the plot but pretty close. There were not many characters I liked and found everyone suspicious. But who says you have to like the characters....as long as they are at least interesting and they certainly were.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mira Books, and Anna Snoekstra for the opportunity to read and review her latest book. I was a fan of her debut novel, Only Daughter, and really enjoyed her sophomore book.

Rose is a young woman who is desperate to escape the small town of Colmstock, Australia, for a career as a journalist. But her dreams keep fading as newspaper closures and rejections come her way. Add to that a stepfather who is demanding that she leave home. Rose is barely making ends meet waitressing at the local pup while still trying to escape to the city.

Meanwhile, the town is in turmoil. First, there is a huge fire at the courthouse made worse by the fact that a small boy was inside. Then, porcelain dolls start appearing on the doorsteps of houses - dolls that look just like the small girl living there. The community becomes paranoid and scared, which leads to desperate acts by too many people, including the police.

There are lots of twists and turns in this book and I enjoyed them all.

I'm such a sucker for books set in Australia; I'm not sure what it is about the setting, but they feel atmospheric in a way that reading about stories happening in the United States just doesn't compare to. I was a huge fan of Snoekstra's last book, Only Daughter, and when I saw she had another book coming out I couldn't request it quickly enough. While this was a good read, I want to be clear that it is completely different from the style and pacing of her debut novel. Where Only Daughter was tense, mysterious, and compulsive, Little Secrets was more of a slow paced, lighter read that left me feeling halfway engaged, but invested enough to want to view the outcome. One thing I felt was done really well in this book was the slow building sense of paranoia in this town. What started as brief, snippets of second thoughts turned into full blown mistrust and delusion. If you enjoy authors such as Liane Moriarty who are excellent at blending domestic drama and a suspenseful mystery together, you may enjoy Little Secrets. I must point out it's one of my favorite covers of the year. :)

Last year, I read Only Daughter, the debut by Anna Snoekstra, and I absolutely loved it. I loved the narrative style, the dark tone and the creepy ending. It was a book that I continuously recommended. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to read Snoekstra’s follow up with her sophomore novel, Little Secrets.

This novel was completely different from Snoekstra’s previous novel and, to be completely honest, it was not what I was expecting at all.

The novel opens in the wake of a tragedy. An arsonist had burnt down the town’s courthouse, killing a young boy who was trapped inside. Living in the same town is Rose, an aspiring journalist who longs for a big break, and her sisters. When porcelain dolls begin showing up on the doorstep of town members, mirroring looks of the young girls, the town beings to buzz with paranoid and Rose seems to have found her big break. As she begins to write her story, paranoia builds and, soon, her articles have a life of their own. How are all of these scenarios related? Can a small town survive when neighbour is turning against neighbour?

The first thing I feel the need to note is that I enjoyed the general premise. Although not what I was expecting, I felt like the general premise of the news perpetuating paranoia and turning people against each other was really prevalent. Snoekstra excels at creating an atmosphere within her writing and she perfectly captured the vibe of the decaying town and the desperation of its residents.

However, I do feel like the execution was a problem for me. For one, I found it to be very slow moving. The pacing seemed glacial at some portions in the text. I also didn’t find this one to be very thrilling or mysterious at all. I felt like it was more small-town fiction. I didn’t really find myself on edge or overly concerned with any of the characters. I felt like Rose and Mia (two of the main characters) were very interesting and complex but I didn’t find myself too worried about them or their well being.

All that being said, I do feel like this novel was well written and Snoekstra clearly is able to weave a story. Perhaps if someone went into this novel with a more realistic expectation of what the novel entailed, they would enjoy it more.

3.5 Stars! Creepy, gritty, and exceptionally atmospheric!

In this latest novel by Snoekstra, Little Secrets, she transports us to Colmstock, Australia, a small town not only devastated by economic depression but reeling from the destruction and tragedy caused by an arsonist with no conscience, and a potential predator who seems to be targeting the local children.

The prose is somber and taut. The characters are deceptive, scheming, and self-involved. And the plot, which is ultimately about life, loss, community dissension, familial drama, friendship, abuse, ambition, and survival is mysterious and twisty, but a little slow at times, as it unravels all the numerous subplots and issues within it.

There is no doubt that Snoekstra can weave a suspicious tale that highlights the selfish, dark side of human nature and some readers will love the tragic, moody feel of this story. Unfortunately for me, the lack of characters with any redeeming characteristics made it a little hard to connect with them as much as I would have liked to.

3.5 Stars Anna Snoekstra returns following her dark and edgy debut, Only Daughter, with her second psychological suspense thriller, LITTLE SECRETS — an arsonist, a cop, porcelain dolls, a stranger, dark secrets, mystery, and a journalist are all part of a dying town.

Rose Blakey is living in the small town of Colmstock, Australia. a small town. She is tired of the dead-end job at the Eamon’s Tavern Hotel and her dead-end life.

After the car factory shut down the town had quickly lost its sense of purpose. Small enough to have a strong community, but big enough that you could walk down the street without recognizing every person you passed.

Everything and everyone seemed broken and ugly. People were not friendly. Crime was up. People had meth habits. She wanted out. She is a journalist.

The local paper had closed with all the setbacks. She was still on a list for a larger national paper. It had been a wealthy town with its grand buildings. Now cracked and weathered.

The mines closed in the eighties. The newspaper closing, had been the worst for her.

A boy had died. Ben Riley. He had been only thirteen and was brain damaged. He acted like a kid instead of a teen but everyone liked him. His parents owned the local grocery store.

A fire at the courthouse. Bored teens or a psycho? Since the high school had been closed down, the crime was worse.

Then there was Senior Sergent Frank Ghirardello. He was hot for Rose since she started working there. His partner Bazza was a good looking buy. Frank could picture them double dating. Mia, Rose’s friend with Bazza and he with Rose.

She had written about everything including the search for the arsonist. Regardless of the topic, there were endless rejections.

Rose wonders about the mysterious newcomer, Will.

Then someone was leaving porcelain dolls on the doorsteps of houses. Plus the dolls looked like the little girls in the respective home. Creepy.

If she does not get a good paying job, she will never escape this dark town. She was living on borrowed time. Most people in the town had given up, trying to escape. She would not give up on her dreams.

She would write about the “Porcelain Terror in Colmstock.” After all, everyone loved a good mystery. Is there a link to child molesters and pedophiles?

There is also the mum, stepfather, and the younger siblings. If she could learn more about the fire and person behind the dolls, it would help her stories.

Rose gets caught up in the stories. She may be making things worse. She needs to dramatize the stories for flair. The person who had left the dolls was marking his victims. Some monster had her sister.

“Hack journalist wanting their piece of the pie, religious groups looking for a cause, children’s groups trying to find a new level of outrage, they were all here.”

The entire town felt changed, paranoid and suspicious. It was her fault. Did the truth matter?

. . . "People didn’t care about human life like she’d thoughts they did. People cared about purity, they cared when something unexpected happened, something that confirmed the deep-seated fears they already held. They wanted black and white, someone was good or someone was bad and nothing in between."

If something didn’t sound good in a headline, it wasn’t news.

From a bleak remote town pulled down by its economic misfortunes and crime, there is a sense of ongoing claustrophobic darkness infiltrating the town.

Gloom and doom. A town of devastation. From police misconduct, an old mine, desperation, drug trafficking, as well as being overwhelmed by arson attacked and the highly publicized porcelain doll case.

On an emotional level, there is betrayal, dark secrets, revenge, tension, domestic abuse, anger, rage, friendship, menace, evil, lust, unhappy families, and envy. A need to protect. A means of survival. Fear. Coverups.

The author creates Rose, a complex woman who wants nothing more than to escape this Aussie town. She is desperate. However, how far will she go?

Not a "feel good" kind of book; however, some intriguing twists and turns you do not see coming. Several of the characters had plans, with good intentions in the beginning, but their plans unravel and ignite a spark which spirals out of control. Creating havoc for many. The butterfly effect.

The author does a good job of creating that “Noir” feeling and a sense of dark foreboding lurking with mystery, suspense, and tragedy — throughout the book.

A lot of tug-and-pull between characters; at war, with one another and themselves. The characters are deeply flawed and everyone seems to wear a mask. A good pick for Halloween.

A town full of little secrets and big lies. For those who enjoyed Big Little Lies and The Blackbird Season, in a rural darker Australian remote setting.

A special thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld (love her accent) for an engaging listening experience.

JDCMustReadBooks

Excellent novel. What is more important: integrity or success?

ikeable character in the least. Actually none of them were. Not even the children. 

Rose desperately wants to leave behind her small town and small-minded people. She thinks she is better than this. Mainly she whines about her position in life and assumes her best friend, Mia, feels the same way. 

There  more secrets in this town and more downright bad people. I don't think one of them had a redeeming quality at all. 

When Rose decides to capitalize on the arsons and the dolls, it gets her just enough attention from the local rag to fuel her intense need to get out of the place. So what if she makes up a few "facts" or sets a few people up. But her actions will set a chain of events in place that do not end when the book does I'm sure.

Netgalley/Mira Books Release Date is October 17, 2017

How far would you go to make your dreams come true? This is the exact decision that Rose Blakey faces. She's sick of living in a nowhere town and wants to prove to everyone that she can make it outside of where she grew up. She does has to decide how far she is willing to extend the truth in order to get there.

This definitely was a different type of story, but I really enjoyed reading it. The characters are developed and you are able to commiserate with what each are going through at the time. I really only had one qualm as far as the characters were concerned, and that was that I didn't feel some of them were tied up in the end. You could assume where each would be headed, but it would have been nice (especially with Mia) to see where things landed for her.

Altogether the story flows nicely and keeps you intrigued and wanted to finished. The author does a great job enhancing each character as the book goes on, letting them grow and change form past experiences. Even though the book doesn't release until October I'd still get ready to one click once its live.

This novel kept my interest, but it was not one of my favorites. Rose was not a likeable person and the character development was shallow. The story moved slowly, but then things got tied up a little too quickly in the end. I'm appreciative to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh so good!!!! I couldn't put it down!!!! I read this is record time! Edge of my seat ride!!!! Thanks!! I will be buying some copies for the store for sure!!!!!

Rose Blakey, looking to find the perfect story to break herself into the world of journalist decides to write an article about strange occurrences in her town. The youngest daughters of some residents have received eerie porcelain doll replicas of themselves. Who is behind the dolls??! Is the person behind the dolls connected to the recent arsons?!?? Are the households receiving the dolls random or is their a purpose?!?? Wow, wow and wow!!!

Between the book cover and the synopsis, I knew Little Secrets was a book I had to read! Anna Snoekstra is a new author to me so I didnt know what to expect, but I can say I am already a fan. I enjoyed how the storyline unfold, I honestly had no clue who was behind the mystery--loved that! While I was completely stumped on the who, what, where, and when, I was consumed by this novel until I finally got the answers! I am already looking forward to reading what Anna Snoekstra comes out with next!

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