Three married couples, who are neighbors with children around the same ages, go away on vacation together to the Hamptons while their children are at sleepaway camps. The story begins here and anything more would be spoilers as it plays out. These are relatable characters, with interesting backstories and very complicated relationships. This book is well written and compelling, and keeps you guessing all the way through.
This is the first book I’ve read from this author, but it won’t be my last. I definitely recommend this book and look for more from this author.

Wow! So many twists and turns! A cast of unlikeable characters, each with a secret. Semi-friendly neighbors have planned a kids-free week at a beach rental. After an evening of dining, drinking and arguing, one of the wives turns up dead on the beach. Who’s got a motive? Or rather, who doesn’t have a motive.

First off the cover is fantastic... does not get any better than that! And the inside of this novel is one of a kind. Y'all need to get this one and read immediately. A winner in my eyes!

So many recent books have been written about spousal abuse, this is another, but with a twist...it is about abuse in the upper echelons of society. Three couples decide to spend a week vacationing in the Hamptons, where all the tensions and lies come to the surface and suddenly there is a body on the beach apparently drowned after being choked.

The detective in charge is interesting as well, Gabby, is an atypical officer on the Hamptons police force. We watch her examine the remaining 5 house members to see who had a motive, as it turns out there are lots of motives and lots of ugliness between the 6 people. She becomes involved in the murders and seeks the truth long after the crime has been solved.

It is a good opportunity to see why women remain in abusive marriages and to understand it is not simply a product of poverty. Holahan manages to keep a very high interest level and we are met by twists and turns throughout the narrative.

I am not usually a big fan of domestic mysteries, but I really enjoyed this one and look forward to discussing this in book clubs and with students. Spousal abuse is as old as time, but shining a light on it and the many levels it affects made for a fascinating read.

Three couples decide to go on vacation together when their kids are off at camp. Drama ensues as their time goes on, the drinking starts, and the energy turns from excitement, to awkwardness, to tension as their tangled lives come apart in front of us.


One of them is murdered, and Gabby, a detective, finds herself entangled too as she tries to get to the bottom of it all. She's got her work cut out for her. None of the suspects are totally innocent.


One Little Secret is a fun, intriguing little read. Told in third person from the perspectives of Gabby, Jenny and Susan. Three wives, three mothers with three different lives.


The way the neighboring couples are all wrapped up in drama and each other's drama at first is fun. An eaves drop into their personal lives. Flirting, awkward, tension. Dig a little deeper beyond the successful women with their polite facade's and their lives become complicated messes, a little deeper and it gets plain dark.

That intertwining of people and events is what makes the book so interesting. I really loved the characters and all the interactions and business between them.
The characters and themes are relatable and real enough to be believable, driving the tension up, and ultimately making the resulting murder believable too. You could see how, given the right set of circumstances, a person could snap, how quickly it could escalate and turn into something else altogether.


While I did know from close to the beginning who the murderer was, it was still an entertaining, winding journey to the end. I was able to feel enough for the characters that I could see myself somewhat justifying some of their actions. Even hoping things would turn out for the better for some couples. And there was enough mystery and entanglement for me to second guess myself. The real mystery, I felt, was discovering how exactly it all fell into place and what the driving final motivations truly were.


I have received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


- 3/5 A quick, fun, little mystery that tugs at the outward facade of couples, weaving everyone into a tangled net that ultimately pushes someone to murder.

I figured out who was behind it fairly quickly so I felt there wasn't much mystery or element of surprise here. I found none of the characters likable and therefore hard to connect with.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. It sounds kind of like it will be your typical "couples go away and secrets come out" type of story, but it's so much more. There's not only the viewpoints of the 3 couples that are on the vacation together, but also of the detective in charge of the murder case. And she has her own little side case occurring that becomes entwined with the vacationers' adventures in a clever way.

The characters are well-developed and realistic even with all of the drama. And there sure is a lot of drama. It's a fun read even with the more serious undertones. Some of the plot points are a little well-worn but it doesn't make it any less of a page-turner because there are enough little twists to keep your interest. And all of the secrets tend to come together (and come out) in a way that makes you go 'Oh so that's why...".

I love discovering new authors and I can't wait to read more of Cate Holahan's work.

I couldn't really get on with this book and had no interest in the characters, I found it hard to read and was disappointed.

Based on this I wouldn't recommend this book but this is purely my opinion as I am sure I will be in the minority.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Just didn’t engage me. Didn’t engage with the narrative, the characters (none of whom were remotely likable or fun), the mystery-and I didn’t care whodunnit. Meh

One Little Secret by Cate Holahan is a psychological thriller filled with 7 well-developed characters. It’s not always clear who the villains are: there’s Susan the alcoholic, Nadal the tech genius, Jenny the oxy addict, Louis the abuser, Rachel the obsessive lawyer and Ben the pretty boy. Your average neighbors, right? It’s just that one of them is a murderer… Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has something to hide. Everyone has something to kill for.

I especially liked Gabby, the detective. She wasn’t the stereotypical drinking, foul-mouthed, down and out cop we’re so used to reading about – she was sincere, likeable and capable of interrogating suspects kindly.

The plot is detailed and intricate and the story weaves superbly between the day of the murder, and after. It has been well thought out and the ending was quite believable.

I enjoyed the characterization; the pace was comfortable, and the tension created suited the actions and events as they occurred. I would recommend this novel and will read other books by the same author.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Three couples rent a house on the beach for a week after their kids all left for camp. Due to the close proximity and probably some alcohol, secrets and lies begin to emerge.
Everyone is hiding something, some secrets bigger than others.
The next day, a body is found on the beach and the game is on to catch the murderer who could only be one of the five remaining people in the house.

I have to be honest, this book was a pleasant surprise for me. the writing was fluid and I got into it pretty quickly. It's actually better than a lot of hyped books I read recently which ended up being disappointing.
All in all a solid murder mystery, I finished it in a day and it was pretty entertaining.
I would recommend if you are a fan of the genre.

This book definitely has it all! Twists and turns on almost every page. Finished it in a few hours and it kept me guessing until the end. Would definitely recommend. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I found that it was a quick read and the plot was intriguing. I found the characters hard to keep track of at first, but finally had them figured out about halfway through reading. I truly did not know who committed the crime until very close to the end which I enjoyed. Overall a great, quick read. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

This book is a drama/suspense novel. All though well written I found I didn't have the interest to take time to read the whole book because of the characters. I didn't care for any of the main characters, they were all too self-involved, whiny, mean, dramatic etc so I read about 30% then skipped to the ending.

Thank you netgalley for a copy of this book.
I found this book really easy to get into. I was hooked right away and enjoyed the story.
I figured out pretty quickly who was responsible so I didn’t feel there was much suspense or twists involved.

The glass beach house was supposed to be the getaway that Susan needed. Eager to help her transplanted family set down roots in their new town, she invites her new neighbors to join in on a week-long sublet with her and her workaholic husband. The three couples begin picking up on the others' marital tensions and work frustrations, as well as revealing their own. But someone says too much. And the next morning one of the women is discovered dead on the private beach.

Town detective Gabby Watkins must figure out who permanently silenced the deceased. As she investigates, she learns that everyone in the glass house was hiding something that could tie them to the murder, and that the biggest secrets of all are often in plain sight for anyone willing to look.

I'm actually stunned by this book! I went back and forth on who I thought the murderer was... Keeps you guessing all the way up until the end, an excellent whodunnit mystery that is sure to be a great beach read!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #OneLittleSecret
Pub Date: 09 Jul 2019

Susan has been looking forward to her beach house getaway and some time sans children. Starting over in a new town with her family has been challenging, but now she’s looking forward to some R and R, and decides to invite her new neighbors along as a way of breaking the ice. She and her husband and two other couples start relaxing, using alcohol to help break the ice. Unfortunately the alcohol relaxes them a little too much and some nasty secrets are spilled. The next morning, one of them is dead. Finding the culprit falls to local detective Gabby Watkins, and it’s not am easy job, because it would appear that everyone at the beach house had a motive for the murder. This is a top notch thriller, the kind that will leave you guessing until almost the very end.

A great read. A whodunnit that kept me guessing til the end. A group of neighbors rent a beach house in the Hamptons and the wheels come off the bus pretty quickly. When one of their own dies, each of the neighbors becomes a suspect. Holahan builds suspense by telling the story in different chunks of time - some before the death, some after - and by telling the story from different character's perspective. I found it gripping (and I am never going on vacation with my neighbors).

A quick read with a lot going on, both plot and character-wise. A lot of jumping around between character perspectives made it hard to get too attached to any of them (I would have loved more of Detective Watkins and her backstory), but I enjoyed it anyway. If I could do half stars, I’d give it 3.5, because even if this isn’t my favorite of hers, I do love Holahan’s writing and will continue to read anything she puts out!

Excellent thriller, highly recommended!

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.
From https://whatsbetterthanbooks.com/bookreview-our-little-secret-by-roz-nay-roznay1-simonschusterca/