One Little Secret is a rather ironic title when the book is filled with lies, secrets, deceit and betrayals. Perhaps the author wants the reader to try to define WHICH little secret ultimately causes the unravelling of the lives of three families.

The story centers on three well-to-do couples from the same neighborhood who sublet a vacation house together in East Hampton on Long Island for a week. Their children are away at camp, so this is the perfect time for some grown-up fun! In their eagerness to "get this party started", too much alcohol is consumed the first night, and, with loosened lips, the tensions at play in each marriage are hard to keep closeted or controlled. The next morning one of them is found dead; cause of death drowning, manner of death murder.

Told in third person point of view the story unfolds via alternating chapters entitled The Day Before, The Day Of, and The Day After. I really enjoyed this technique - it kept me totally engaged and feeling close to the action! The book is quickly-paced and very hard to put down.

Work with Sergeant Gabriella Watkins as she struggles to get through all of the drama at play among and between these couples to discover who is the murderer.

I thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. A four-star rating from me!!

This was a fairly quick read. It took me a few chapters to adjust to the way time skips back and forth in the story. I can't say I liked all of the character's, but then I really didn't need to. It was very interesting seeing how several small things had to happen to contribute to the bigger things happening.

I should probably mention that domestic violence plays a big role in the story and that some of it gets graphic.

Gabby, the detective, seemed intelligent and likeable enough, but I never really felt like I got to know her. In addition, her interrogation techniques didn't seem all that impressive. The mystery was nicely done, with no shortage of initial suspects. There was enough information given to be able to have a good idea who the killer was as the story went along.

This seems like a good vacation book...as long as you're not vacationing with neighbors.

One Little Secret was a twisty thriller following 3 dysfunctional couples vacationing together and one person among them ends up dead! The story is told across 3 days (the day before, the day of, and the day after) the death, It also alternates the POV among the different characters. It also follows a detective who is trying to solve the case. Each of the characters seems to have some sort of secret. and I don't think they seem to even really like each other very much. They each are suspected in the death and they are each quick to accuse the other. Overall this was just an average read for me. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Fast-paced and exciting thriller-mystery with strong female characters and more than just one little secret.

The story kicks off with one of the main characters, a detective, investigating a rape, which she later finds out to be connected to an even bigger case - the murder of a woman in her holiday home she shared with her husband and two couples who all live in the same street. The events are narrated in two different time lines as the reader is told what happened the night the woman died, but the reader also experiences the events of the following day as police investigations have begun and the people in the house are questioned.

I really liked this novel and I practically devoured it. It is very fast-paced and, as with many thrillers, you just have to get to the end of the story as soon as possible since you need to find out what happened and who did it.
The title, however, is quite inappropriate in hindsight, since the characters in the novel don't just keep one little secret, but many at once. This leads to interesting relationship dynamics, since the three couples are all nowhere near perfect and at the brink of separation (or worse). All three couples have individual problems, but they soon find out that some issues don't just involve them but also the others in the house.

I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars, but I have to subtract one point because I'm not really able to relate to the ending. It felt very forced and I did not understand the decisions that the characters made.
However, I do understand that the author wanted to create a powerful female character in the lead as a Detective and she definitely succeeded by writing about Gabby.

I can definitely recommend this book as it is the perfect summer read!

Oh My What a Thriller! I started this, kept reading, and could not stop until I read the very last word. This is a thriller that I couldn’t quite figure out. I had guesses, I tried to follow the clues, and I was so very wrong.

One Little Secret was a quick and easy read. I devoured it and then kept thinking about it after. The characters were interesting and realistic, the storyline was intriguing, and the ending, OH MY! I love how it was written in The Day Of, The Day Before, and The Day After so there was no doubt where in the timeline you were.

One Little Secret was more than a mystery. In my opinion, it was an interesting study of human behavior. Six people (three married couples who are neighbors) are sharing a beachside vacation home. From almost the minute they arrive, tensions start to increase between them. There are insecurities, jealousy and distrust flowing. It doesn't seem that any of them are truly friends and the spouses don't even seem to have solid relationships. One of them will end up dead on the beach and the suspect list is long.

The sad thing to me is that I think a lot of the characterizations described in the book are often true in the real world. Likewise, people are often buzzing around so busy with their own lives that they don't stop and take notice of the problems that others may be dealing with. Sometimes just one word of encouragement or acknowledgement could make all the difference.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.
One Little Secret is the story of three couples who go away on vacation, only for one to turn up dead. It is the story of an officer who wants nothing but justice for victims. It is the story of marriages gone wrong, love gone right, and when life gets too twisted to know which way is up.
I enjoyed this book. I did feel that it moved slow in the beginning. But, once I had a feel for the characters, I was all in.
I felt this was a good beach read - enough betrayal and mystery but not dark.

This story doesn't offer anything really new to the genre of mystery/thriller, but the plot and characters were complicated enough that I could not figure out who the murderer was. I read so many mysteries that I can normally guess before the reveal, but not this time! 4 stars.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for a free digital ARC of this book via Netgalley.

Thank you so much to Crookedlane Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Cate Holahan after reading Lies She Told so I was very excited when I saw her new book. It had plenty of twists, turns, and secrets.

Susan sets up a vacation for her neighbors and her over-worked husband so that they can all get to know each other better and have some kids-free conversation. After lots of liquor is consumed, the three couples start to pick up on tension in each other's marriages and when they wake up the next morning, a woman is found dead on the beach. As everyone starts looking at each differently, secrets and lies come out and they realize every couple is hiding something.

The beginning of this book instantly drew me in and I could not stop reading, I read this entire book in less than 24 hours and I have no regrets. The plot was amazing and there was never a dull moment when I considered putting this down. The animosity between some of the characters really added to the intrigue and made the ending of this book so much more interesting because trust me, you're not ready for this ending. I felt like I was on a tilt-a-whirl trying to figure out whom the murderer was and looking at all of the character's motives.

An excellent, excellent book that you will not regret reading.

An engaging and fluid writing style from an author that I had not previously read. Very quick to consume and enjoyable.

3 sets of neighbors have rented a home together at the beach. But then the unexpected, a murder.

I found the start a bit confusing. The introduction of six characters happens very quickly and it was hard to keep up. Suddenly there is a murder and we then go back to secrets being spilled under the influence.

I found the beginning to be interesting, but after it shifted gears, I lost interest because I just didn't like the characters. Also, I found myself becoming bored with the back and forth chapters between the Gabby's POV and Susan and the neighbours. If it had just been Gabby's I might've been more interested, but even then my interest in her started waning. I didn't hate the book, but it just ended up being flat and unremarkable.

Three couples split the cost of a vacation home at the beach. But not all of them emerge as couples. I loved how the characters in this book constantly developed as the connected stories between them unfolded. By the end of the book, you're left wondering why these couples ever even considered sharing a vacation home - knowing that in such close proximity, at least some of their secrets had to come out. And come out they did, with twists at every turn. I will definitely be looking for other titles from this author!

You know those domestic thrillers where it’s like “I’ve read one, I’ve read ‘em all?” - that was One Little Secret to a T for me. Cheating spouses, suspicious spouses, horrible neighbors, fun weekend away turns deadly... this one just felt like a story I’d read too many times before with nothing really unique to set it apart from the others. It’s a quick read and fast paced at that, which does work in its favor, unfortunately, just wasn’t a win for me.

Thank you to Crooked Lane for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This was simply fantastic, a twisted pretzel of a story. 3 couples went on a vacation to the Hamptons, and one of them died. The cops were called, Detective Gabby investigated.

My first book by Cate Holahan, I could just read the the entire story totally stunned by the secrets which were unfolding in front of me like a domestic noir movie. I loved the way Ms. Holahan has described the couples. The love between them was just a word to be said aloud at the right time. Every single one of them had a wickedness in them. I couldn't even have imagined how their lives had connected and intermingled over the months.

There were pages in this book which astounded me. All of the characters were educated and rich. Wolf in sheep's clothing was all that came to me while reading this. Some parts of physical abuse were tough to read, but the author has melded it well in the story adding little hints to make me doubt everyone. And honestly I couldn't even guess the killer or the reasons for it. Detective Gabby was not my most favorite person in the book, could have been shown more intelligent.

The dark underbelly of the human psyche shown by the author along with the fast pace of the book made this my midnight read. 12 - 2 am. A book I didn't expect to love so much!!

Part thriller and part mystery, this is a story of three couples who rent a beach house. As the story unfolds, you begin to learn about how entwined their lives and relationships are. The story goes back and forth between their vacation and an unexplainable murder and a house party that is elsewhere on the beach. I felt it was interesting enough to find out the murderer (which I guessed sort of early on), but didn’t understand why the other story was being told. Overall a good read!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three pairs of neighbors share a beach house and murder ensues. This novel is an interesting whodunit wherein most of the characters appear to have thr motive and the lack of character to be guilty of the crime.

The novel was well written and had well developed characters. It is a believable mystery, surrounding who killed a parent in a group of three couples. The novel alternates between the day leading up to the murder and the present. It features multiple narrators, including the detective who is investigating the murder. It isn't a very fast paced novel and is predictable at times but is enjoyable nonetheless. I would describe it as strictly a mystery as there isn't much "thriller" aspects to it. It's great if you're looking for a traditional "who-dun-it" from the persepctive of multiple narrators.

A classic who-done-it with a multitude of possibilities. The characters were adequately developed but certainly not in-depth. The investigating police officer definitely needed more smarts and didn't really behave like any officer I've read about before (i.e. she monopolized the first "interview" with her own theories instead of getting the accused to talk). The secondary plot was unnecessary to the main story. However, it was an easy, fun read that didn't require a lot of deductive powers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC to read and review.

I’m so sad to say that I found One Little Secret a little disappointing. I loved the previous book I read by Cate Holahan (the cleverly written Lies She Told) and had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, while not a bad book, the mystery and the writing ended up falling a little short for me.

One Little Secret is told in alternating chapters from the POVs of three women. Jenny is a successful sports medicine commentator in an abusive marriage. Susan is a stay-at-home mom with a drinking problem and a workaholic husband. Together, with their husbands, they are renting a beach house with their other neighbors, Rachel and Ben. The third POV is from Gabby, the detective that investigates when one of the vacationing women is found dead. Out of the three of them, the only really likable character was Gabby, but I don’t feel like we ever really got to know her that well. I found both Jenny and Susan very frustrating. All three couples on vacation seemed pretty dysfunctional. I was actually expecting a lot more scandal from them, though, and was a little disappointed in how straightforward and cliched everything seemed to be.

I also felt like this almost read more like Women’s Fiction than Mystery/Thriller. While Holahan did do a good job of making me second guess myself at times, the mystery didn’t really involve anything surprising. Everything that happened seemed so coincidental and a little unbelievable. Also, I felt like every break in the case kind of just fell into Gabby’s lap instead of involving any real detective work from her. There was also a side plot involving the date rape of a young woman at a party that just barely tied into the main mystery. It felt tacked on as an effort to make some sort of relevant comment on today’s culture and was not given the attention such a topic deserves. The story seemed to focus much more on the women’s marriage, family, identity, and self-worth. The murder seemed almost an afterthought.

Overall, One Little Secret, was an ok read, but did not live up to my expectations. While the multiple narrators helped move the story along, I never really connected to any of the characters, which made it hard to care about what happened to them. While this isn’t one I would pick up again, I’d still be interested in reading more from this author.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

3 couples on a week long vacation. One night of drinking and secrets revealed. One dead body.
This domestic thriller goes back and forth between the night of the murder and the investigation. It's told through the eyes of the detective who is investigating and the couples involved. I liked how until the very end everyone was a suspect.
In short, it was a good read, I felt some of the characters were quite unlikable, but I understood the desperation they felt. I would read again if I rediscovered it later on in my kindle and recommend to people who enjoyed Big Little lies