I'm not usually a big fan of missing child stories, but this one was getting such rave reviews, that I knew it had to be worth a try. And it was! This was just the fast-paced book I needed right now. I don't want to give any specifics because I think it's best to go into this one knowing as little as possible, but if you're looking for a thriller that will keep you glued to the page, I recommend this one.

This was not what I was expecting in the best way possible. In the opening chapter, readers learn that a little boy is kidnapped right out from under the watchful eyes of Marin, his mother. At a crowded market, it is next to impossible to trace what happened to him.

Fast forward to a year after the kidnapping, Marin is trying to cope and her marriage has taken a drastic turn. Both she and her husband are keeping secrets from each other. Marin has hired a private detective to help find her little boy and has not shared this with her husband.

Her husband has his own way of dealing with the pain—in the arms of a younger woman. Marin’s private detective discovered the affair during her investigation and the repercussions of this juicy piece of information lead to an explosive turn of events.

I found this to be a very satisfying thriller and highly recommend it to other readers. I was dreading the subject of a child abduction, but found the author handled this in a very sensitive way.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

A good addition to Hillier's growing list of psychological thrillers., although not in the league of Jar of Hearts for me. Initially this story seems to center around the kidnapping of a 4-year-old boy in busy Pike Market in Seattle. Marin, his mother, cannot get over her guilt and grief and begins seeing both a therpist and attending a support group of other parents whose children are missing. But then before the quarter mark, the novel takes a U-turn and becomes much more about Marin's discovery of her husband's affair with Kenzie and her plans for revenge. That's where the book lost me, I'm afraid, because Marin did not seem like a woman who would resort to the measures she puts in place. Also the fact she was willing to continue with her marriage to a cheating spouse as though nothing had happened rubbed me the wrong way. She turned from a grieving mother to a complicit wife concerned with appearances, material success, and maintaining the status quo, which wasn't the character I'd identified with at the beginning. The twists and turns in the plot were deftly handled although I did see the solution coming halfway through (I thought the antagonist was easy to spot) For me, all the characters acted in selfish, self-centered and frankly, over the top ways so when Hillier finally cycled back to the kidnapped child, I'd lost interest in how it all turned out.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Holy guacamole you guys, Little Secrets was the best thriller I have read yet this year! I flew through this book, I could not put it down and days later I am still thinking about it and have yet to be able to start another.

What a page turner Little Secrets was. From the first chapter I was hooked. My heart jumped out of my chest when Marin and Derek Machado’s four-year-old little boy went missing in just seconds. I think I might have went and checked on my little one and vowed to never, ever, ever, ever let go of his hand when we are out in public! Especially during the hustle and bustle of Christmas time!

From there you dive into a life of secrets and unfaithful lies and let me tell you, I couldn’t get enough of it. It’s like a thriller soap opera and it’s completely addicting. There are so many twists and turns, sooooo many lies and Hillier does a great job at keeping you on the edge of your seat with what’s going to happen next.

I went in blind with Little Secrets and I HIGHLY recommend you do too, it’s so much better when you don’t know anything about what’s going on because by the end of this book, my mouth dropped to the floor. I was shocked more than a few times during this crazy ride and you really will be captivated by the end of it.

If you are looking for a gripping, intense, twisted thriller that has just the right amount of crazy drama then Little Secrets is for you! By far my first 5 star read of the year and I need to get my hands on more of Jennifer Hillier’s books because I am totally hooked now!

I didn’t know anything about this book when I started reading it. I read another book by this author & loved it so I picked it up & started reading....and I couldn’t put it down!

The book is about power couple Marin & Derek. Their 4 year old son is kidnapped in broad daylight & they sink into despair. Marin is particularly distraught & when the FBI doesn’t find her son, she hires a private investigator. All the investigator finds though is her husband’s affair with a younger woman named Kenzie. There are twists & turns as we get to know Kenzie & try to figure out if she’s involved in more than just sleeping with Marin’s husband.

This book definitely kept my interest and kept me guessing. The only thing I didn’t like was the way it started— it seemed like the book was going to focus on the kidnapping bc we begin with a scene where the child is taken. But the book is really more about Marin and Derek —and Kenzie too —so it was a little confusing for the first 50 pages. I kept wondering about the child & that wasn’t really the focus. Once I got really into Marin & Derek’s stories I was totally hooked. Really really enjoyed this book

This book grabbed me from the start. I liked another book by this author so was not disappointed when I started this thriller. Great story, definitely recommend you go in blind without reading the synopsis first! I would give 4.5 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier

Brief Summary: Marin is a successful owner of an upscale salon chain who marries her college boyfriend to form a power couple and then a perfect family with their son Sebastian. One day Sebastian is abducted on Marin’s watch and her mental health and well-being is significantly diminished. When the plot picks up almost over a year later, she is still trying to get her life back on track and attending individual and group therapy. But Marin isn’t ready to give up on Sebastian being found and still pays a PI to find him. Unfortunately for Marin, the only relevant information the PI finds is evidence of her husband’s affair. After talking with her best friend Sal, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Only things don’t go as planned and Marin finds unexpected information in unlikely ways. I really enjoyed Hillier’s previous novel Jar of Hearts and was really excited to read this. This is the best thriller I’ve read so far this year and should not be missed if you enjoy this genre.

Highlights: This is a really great thriller and I really enjoyed all the characters and also questioned them. I especially could relate to Kenzi, as someone who spent 11 years in school without help from my parents who were dealing with their own health issues. However, for me the real highlights are the mental health aspects of suicide, therapy, and being stuck. I really applaud Hillier for writing about all these aspects in a very authentic and real way. I really loved Marin’s reflections on being stuck and that to her acceptance of Sebastian’s disappearance and moving forward with her life in the way others wanted her too meant giving up hope that he would return. As a clinical psychologist, stuck therapy patients are some of the most challenging and frustrating but yet also some of the most rewarding, when the smallest changes are significant. Hillier also speaks about mental health in her author’s note at the end. I can’t remember reading another author’s note that did that!

Explanation of Rating: 5/5; I actually couldn’t give this enough stars, a schedule clearing page turner I read in 24 hours. Plus she handled significant mental health issues in a way I wish that more authors would! Thank you Jennifer Hillier!

This is a must-read for thriller fans, those who can handle or enjoy reading about significant mental health issues should also read this.

Can’t wait for Hillier’s next novel! In the meantime, I’ll be checking out herr backlist!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I read this in the time of the coronavirus peak in my state, and I will forever be thankful to Hillier for creating the perfect escapism that I so desperately needed. The pacing was spot on formulating a fast read, easy to devour in a day or day and a half. Marin Machado is with her 4 year old son, trying to get her last minute shopping done in a busy market, while he was whining to get his big lollipop in the upscale candy store. While scurrying about she gets a text from her husband and her best friend Sal,and she tries to respond. That is all it took for her son to be kidnapped. Flash to the future, with depression, affairs, and events that will swivel your head around. The world on instagram and culture of the younger generation plays a fascinating role as well in the substance of the novel. This is a difficult novel to review because I don't want to give away any secrets. I think that the joy of this novel is the peeling of the onion layers that I don't want the reader to miss. The ending will knock your socks off. Just don't miss this escapist gem.You will regret it!

This is another fantastic suspense thriller. Nice to know there are so some decent ones. What are the basics of the plot? A seemingly happily married couple go through a rollercoaster ride of emotions, lies, growth, deception and a heck of a lot more when their 4yr old son Sebastain disappears from his mother, Marin's grasp while Christmas shopping. A marriage falls apart and many other events and people emerge. Who do you trust? Can you trust yourself?

I read this in 3 sittings it was that good. So many twists and turns and OMFG moments and still unsure how I feel about the ending. But I am not going to spoil anything. THIS IS A MUST READ!!!

Available: 4/21/20

Thanks to NetGalley, Jennifer Hillier and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my second Hillier book, and I've loved both of them! This one is a fast-paced book that kept me guessing till the end. Very well done! It's never easy to read about the abduction of a child, but I thought this was handled well, and I thought Marin's behavior and thoughts felt pretty believable. I need to go back now and read all of Hillier's books!


A super book thank you to Netgalley and publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review! :)

This book tells the story of Marin and Derek, a wealthy couple with a young son. When their son is kidnapped right under Marin's nose, their lives are turned upside down. Marin joins a group to help her cope with her missing son and sees a therapist. Eventually, she hires a private investigator to look into the disappearance with no luck. The PI, however, confirms Marin's suspicions that Derek is having an affair. Then Marin sees a text that makes her wonder if Derek somehow knows what happened to their son....and was he involved in it?

This is the first time I've read this author. I liked the storyline and it kept me engaged, even though at times it seemed to drag a bit but then picked right up again.

Wow! Jennifer Hillier is fast becoming an auto-buy author for me. After reading Jar of Hearts, I knew that I had found that rare, perfect super dark thriller. Little Secrets didn't disappoint either. It opens on the worst day of Marin Machado's life and continues at a breakneck pace throughout. I really love that Hillier makes her characters as real and raw and flawed as actual humans. No one dimensional cardboard cutouts here. The plot kept me turning pages as fast as I could and the twists were stunning. Bravo!

Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

Little Secrets was such a good read. It's one I've already recommended to a few people and I just finished reading it today.

Marin is the main character and she has experienced one of the worst things imaginable ~ having her child stolen. The story yanked me in - and I do mean yanked - it was immediate and lasted throughout the entire book. I simply didn't want to put this book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen.

If you've ever wondered just how far you'd go to safeguard what you hold near and dear in your life, this will be a book you will enjoy. Also, if you have children and have ever thought about having them taken, you'll empathize with Marin.

This is a book filled with secrets, heartache, risks and devastation. Pick this up now and get started! You'll be glad you did.

Thank you to Netgalley, the pubisher, and author for approving my request for an ARC. All thoughts in this review are mine and freely provided.

I loved this book and everything about it. Such a fast and addicting read. Love the story line and all of the characters. Reminded me a bit of The Arrangement by Robyn Harding. I'm going to collecting all of her books now!

I've never read this author before, but I thought the blurb sounded really interesting. However, I struggled with it. I found the pace way too slow for this genre, and the missing child angle seemed to be missing for many of the scenes. None of the characters really pulled me in, so that didn't help. There was a good twist with the kidnapper's identity, but that was about it.

Holy smokes. Great twist at 80%!

Little Secrets was interesting and it got quite superb at the 80% mark with a fabulous twist.

The book begins with a mom, Marin Machado and her son Sebastian shopping at Christmastime. Then, she gets distracted with a cellphone call and the next thing she knows, Sebastian is gone. Marin realizes that for just a few minutes, she let go of his small hand while she was talking to her husband, Derek. She becomes frantic when she realizes she can’t see him anymore. She starts screaming and asking for help. Soon, someone calls 911 and the police arrive to help. Later on, both parents can see the video surveillance camera and they can see their young son, Bash leaving with Santa Claus and both disappearing into the parking lot.

After a few months, mom hires a private detective to look into his disappearance. A year later, she gets a call to meet with the PI and to her surprise, it's to tell her that her husband is having an affair. with a young woman by the name of Kenzie. An affair that has been ongoing for the last six months. After the meeting, she's ready to do the unthinkable. She asks her best friend (and ex-lover) Sal to help her. She wants to get rid of the other woman. A woman who's trying to take something else from her. Then, just when things start happening, she realizes this other woman might know what happened to her son.

The story is told from a dual POV. Marin and Kenzie both have a voice.

Little Secrets was a really interesting novel which deals with the grief a mother feels after the loss of her child. It demonstrates how a support group might help and how wrong decisions can be made after such a terrible loss. I understood why she thought about hurting the other woman but I think she should’ve been mad with the right person which was her husband instead.

The conclusion left me satisfied with most of the actions.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas shopping in Seattle with her six-year old son, Marin suddenly realizes that her son is no longer holding on to her hand. Even though he couldn't have been gone for more than a few minutes, no trace of him can be found. Although her husband, Derrick, never blames her, Marin feels as if she is completely at fault.

After sixteen month Marin is barely holding herself together. A successful owner of a beauty shop chain, Marin and her husband, a successful businessman, find themselves drifting apart.
This book does a good job of describing the questionable decisions people make when faced with tragedy. Little Secrets is a true thriller with readers never being sure of who they can trust and whether those with seemingly good intentions might have ulterior motives.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and appreciate having had this opportunity. I'm a fan of Jennifer Hillier and look forward to reading more from her.

People have been trying to get me to read Jennifer Hillier for a while now, so I think maybe... I picked the wrong one to start with(?) Though I also should say that a major problem with my reading of Little Secrets was that I went into it with all the wrong expectations.

The blurb made me think that this was going to be about a mother and her missing child, which I just said in another review is a premise I torture myself with again and again. A missing child is an open wound that never heals, is never allowed to scar over. The not knowing keeps the wound raw. Reading these books almost always keeps me on the edge of my seat, experiencing the fear and loss along with the parents, needing closure.

And that is how this book opens: with five year old Sebastian letting go of his mother's hand and, as security footage shows, walking away with a stranger in a Santa suit. Sixteen months later, he still hasn't been found. The Private Investigator his mother, Marin, has hired has been met with dead end after dead end. That is, until one day the PI uncovers evidence that Marin's husband is having an affair with a young art student called Kenzie Li. Unable to find her son, Marin turns her attention (and fury) on Kenzie.

So, really, what a huge chunk (i.e. almost all) of this book is about is Marin stalking her husband’s girlfriend and getting annoyed with her for - annoyingly, I'll admit - taking a million selfies a day. The missing child story fades quickly into the background and, as this was pretty much all I cared about, this made the book boring. A rich woman discovering her husband is having an affair but not wanting to divorce him and lose her precious designer lifestyle is so not an interesting premise for me.

I really struggled to connect with Marin, or feel invested in her relationship with Derek. Though the affair is played off as "grief" on his part, Derek seemed like such a douche from the very first chapter. And I'm really confused as to why the blurb gives away some things that we only learn in the last fifty pages of the book.

Also, I think anyone who's read a few thrillers over the last few years will see one thing coming a mile away. (view spoiler)

There was only one thing I cared about in this whole book— what happened to that poor little boy — and too much of it wasn’t even about that. Like I said, wrong expectations. Should I try a different Hillier book?

When I first read the blurb of this book, I had to read it. This book did not disappoint! It was so engaging that I could not put down! This is a new author to me so I am really looking forward for more of her books in future!!

I wanted to give this book 4 stars, but it was so slow moving in the beginning. This was a.m.what disappointing, because I found "Jar of Hearts" impossible to put down. I found the characters compelling, well, except for the husband, who seemed to be more one-dimensonal. About 60% in, the story started picking up, and the pieces started to come together, and once it did, it was a series of gut punches as the truth is revealed to Marin. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book as it offers a different take on the missing child story.