Skip to main content

Member Reviews

If you haven't read a book by Jennifer Hillier by now your missing out! This book is no exception if I can describe it in one word it would be WOW! I literally cried at the end of this book which is a testament to how involved you become in the story. Marin and Derek's son is missing but really would it be a good book if it was that simple? No! This author makes sure to take you on a emotional roller coaster ride while reading this book and a bonus tons of suspense.I absolutely without a doubt think this is the best book I have read in awhile (and I read a lot). If you want to read a book with a different story then anything you have read then this book is for you! I recommend reading this book and honestly plan on doing nothing else but reading because once you start this book you will be thinking about it till you have time to read it again. Great book!!!!!

Was this review helpful?

Oh. My. Gosh! Hang onto your seat, because once this book starts, you are in for one heck of a ride! This is honestly one of the best books that I have read so far in a very very long time. Do not start this book if you don't have time to devote to it. I was lucky enough to start it in the beginning of the day and didn't put it down until very late at night. What a thrilling read. I guarantee this is going to be a much-talked-about book of 2020. Excellent, excellent, excellent read. I don't want to give anything away, it was that good. I can say that most of the characters are awful. So very few are likeable. There are so many twists and turns oh, that one and all came together I felt like bunking myself on the head because at that point it all seemed to come together. This book is a perfect example of why I love thrillers so much. I can't wait until April so that I can recommend it to my friends and we can talk about it then! I DEFINITELY recommend.

I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Wow! Wonderful thriller. This book had a lot of different twists and turns. At times, it felt like several different stories mashed together, and I loved it. All the characters were real and intriguing. The ending was both heartbreaking and rewarding. Definitely recommend!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a review copy.

Was this review helpful?

absolutely love everything this author writes. she has a way with words and you can just envision the whole story in your head. would some day love to see one of her books in film form!

Was this review helpful?

Marin had the perfect life and marriage until she loses her son Sebastian. A year later, Marin’s life is nothing like it used to be. The FBI has no leads, and she and her husband rarely speak. When Marin hires a P.I. to pick up her son’s case where the police left off, she finds that her husband is having an affair with a younger woman. Marin will now stop at nothing to keep her husband by her side.
HIllier is a master at keeping you guessing until the very last minute, with twists, turns and characters that outright lie to each other and to you.
But you will not be disappointed when everything is revealed.

Was this review helpful?

I’m going to start backwards with my review. That ending!! I love that I didn’t see it coming or had it figured out. Bravo Miss Hillier!! As a reader, you want to be surprised at the way a story ends. At least I do. Predictability can get old pretty fast.

The story is both suspenseful and enthralling. It captured my attention right from the beginning. I found myself going through a series of emotions while I was reading. I felt sorrow, anger, and then satisfaction. This book is very well written. I love the author’s style of writing. The characters also helped shape the story. I found myself going back and forth with my feelings for some of them. I liked them one moment and the next, not so much. All in all, I highly enjoyed this book! It’s suspenseful, emotional, and thrilling!

This is the first book I’ve read from Miss Hillier and I am already looking at other books by her. I give this 5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

This book is a real nail biter. Marin's son was kidnapped when she let go of his hand for a moment while Christmas shopping. This is every mom's greatest fear and the author does a great job of capturing how panicked Marin must be. The story continues in the future when Marin and her husband are dealing with the fact that their son is missing in different ways. I don't want to say too much but you will definitely be intrigued by the story as it unfolds. I did guess the ending pretty early on but that didn't ruin it too much for me. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

There were SO many little secrets to uncover in this book. It seemed to have new revelations on every page and that ramped up the thrill. This book was well paced and moved well and I didn't want to put it down. Where the story started with a the kidnapping of Marin's son and where it ended was not what I was expecting at all. I was worried that the story of the kidnapping was going to be forgotten and lost in the midst of everything else but it all came full circle at the end.

The only other Hillier book I had read before this was Jar of Hearts and now I will read more of her novels.

Was this review helpful?

Sorry I am so late with this review.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.this review.


Sebastian is kidnapped her world is turned upside down. A year later and no trace of her son, Marin discovers her husband has secrets he’s been keeping from her. Jennifer Hillier delivers a thriller that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster and have you turning page after page. Five stars!

Was this review helpful?

Earlier this last week, I finished Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier and I have not stopped thinking about it. ⁣

Little Secrets is a psychological thriller about a missing child, a marriage that appears strong and stable on the outside but people aren’t always privy to what happens behind closed doors. ⁣

How far would you go for the ones you love?⁣

This book is best read going in a little blind. As I was reading, I didn’t know where/what all these characters were going to be woven into. ⁣

As someone who tries to guess the ending of thrillers and have loads of theories, I did not see the end coming. ⁣

I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything but I expect thriller aficionados to savor this book to the very last page. ⁣

Little Secrets will be on sale April 21, 2020! Be sure to pre-order your copy today!⁣

Thank you so much to Jennifer Hillier, Minotaur Books & Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Wow!!! This book is just a rollercoaster ride- and I loved every second!!!! Very twisty and emotional- definitely recommend it!!!!

Was this review helpful?

This was the perfect can't put it down thriller to read after an extremely heavy character driven type novel. This was just what I needed, a twisty thriller that took me on a nice little thrill ride. I requested this based on the hype I heard on her last one and now I need to get my hands on jar of hearts pronto!

This one did start off a bit slow but around the half way point it picked up and didn't let up until the end. I honestly did not really care about any of the characters but in that there's a car accident and I can't help myself from gawking kind of read, that makes you not want to put down the book. I always mark up a star for an author who can get me to want to continue a story with unlikable characters. If you can give me a fast paced, interesting plot to keep me engaged i'm all in.

Thank you to Jennifer Hillier, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

UGH, SO GOOD!

I was obsessed with Jar of Hearts and even more so with Little Secrets. I loved the characters! SO fully developed and I loved and hated them appropriately.

The plot twist was not foreshadowed and I seriously had no idea how this book would end. Loved that even with their lifestyle and access to "things", Marin and Derek's life was far from perfect. I loved the raw emotions in this book.

Please don't stop ever stop writing, Jennifer! Forever fan, Erin.

Was this review helpful?

Thx to Netgalley, Minotaur and Jennifer Hillier for this ARC. Like any book by this author, I want to grab it immediately and read, being interrupted by nothing and no one. So I was really excited by this one , having come down from Jar of Hearts and The Butcher. Those were books that kept me awake at night. So I needed a bit of a less horrific one after those. This was just the right book following those. It was suspenseful without being horror, but still a great thriller. Always a fan and forever devoted to this author. 5 stars !

Was this review helpful?

This booked had me hooked from the very first page. It had my stomach in knots for most of the book because this is every parent's worst nightmare and I needed to know what the outcome was going to be. I don't want to go into a lot because well I'm not about giving things away. I'm looking at you blurb! I read the blurb and I so wish I hadn't. But in the end it did not take away the feelings this story gave so that is why we are sitting at 4 stars.

This is a very character driven story which I am here for. With that said, I don't think I can sit here and say I truly loved a character. Most of them are deplorable for different reasons. I think that very thing is what made this story so good though. You know you don't like any of them but you still find yourself rooting for a good outcome.

I did not want to put this book down once I started it and the fast pace kept me interested. Every little detail has its purpose and the author did a great job of making sure every little thing fit into the story. I think for anyone that likes a good, fast paced mystery you will enjoy this one so don't hesitate to pick it up.

Was this review helpful?

Overall, I really enjoyed Little Secrets - it's a fast-paced thriller with a plot line that caught my attention from the first chapter. This was my first Jennifer Hillier read, and I'd definitely pick up another book by her. 

The thing about most thrillers (for me, at least) is that they always start to fizzle for me around 85%. Don't get me wrong - I like a plot twist. But most of the time, they start to get ridiculous. Little Secrets was one of these "typical thrillers" for me in that sense,  but it's still worth reading. 

I will say I'm not sure I would've picked this one up based on the cover. It's super generic and doesn't give us anything in the way of the plot. I think the something that let us know it was a thriller with the Seattle skyline or Pike's Place Market would've caught my attention more. 

4/5 stars!

Thanks Netgalley + St Martins Press for the opportunity to review early in exchange for an honest review! Will be posting a review on my Instagram (Bookish_Molly) prior to publishing date (4/21)

Was this review helpful?

Marina’s life turned around completely when her young son, Sebastian, was kidnapped. Not only is she dealing with the loss of her son and the uncertainty as to whether he is dead or alive, but she has just found out that her husband is having an affair. With emotions running high, Marina makes an impulsive decision which sets off a twisted course of events which will alter her life and those around her forever.

I’ve loved all of Hillier’s books and was so excited to receive this. The writing is clever and the plot moves along quickly. I did figure out the plot twists fairly early on, hence 4 stars rather than 5. Nonetheless, this is a psychological thriller that you don’t want to miss!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Jennifer Hillier for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

“Little Secrets” tells the story of a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with a much younger woman. Discovery of this affair sparks Marin back to life - she lost her son, but she’s not about to lose her husband too. As she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces that has to do with her missing son.

I devoured this book in only a few sittings. The chapters I wouldn’t say are super short compared to some thrillers, but are a very fast-paced that you find yourself wanting to keep going. The story is typically told from Marin’s POV with the occasional POV from the mistress, Kenzie. This story is also told from 3rd person POV, which typically in thrillers I do not care for. I prefer the book to be told from 1st per POV, but it wasn’t a deal break for the story.

Marin, for the most, part is relatively liked character. She is a wealthy woman who misses her son and will do anything to have him come home. When she learns of her husband’s affair she goes a little crazy, which TBH I would too. Kenzie, the mistress, I have to admit is also a somewhat “likable” character. The author does not paint the picture of her being the completely villain character that most thrillers tend to do.

In regards to the big twist, I have to admit I guessed it from the end of part 1. I did not see one aspect of how the characters were connected completely, but I felt the twist was very easy to figure out. The 2nd part of the book did get a little blah for me, but it is needed to see how Kenzie links into the story completely.

Overall, it is a great thriller, however, I will be the person that thinks the hype for the book is a little overdone.
Pub: 4.21

Was this review helpful?

Another excellent offering from Jennifer Hillier. A first purchase title for most general fiction collections, particularly where thrillers are popular.

Was this review helpful?

This book was not what I expected. Little Secrets is gripping, suspenseful, and had many creative twists.

I was expecting Marin to be an alcoholic and/or drug abusing unreliable narrator like all other female protagonists in thrillers, but she absolutely wasn't. Her grief and desperation seemed realistic and it was refreshing to have a female protagonist that wasn't intoxicated for a majority of the novel. I really enjoyed the alternating perspectives with McKenzie, who is the complete opposite of Marin. McKenzie is the perfect embodiment of the current young generation. She is obsessed with social media and trying to portray the perfect life on Instagram. But she's also quite devious and manipulative. I liked how both Marin and McKenzie were more than just the grieving mother and young art student. They were well developed and even though I didn't really like either of them, I understood their struggles and wanted the best for both of them. There were a few minor characters that didn't add much to the story (e.g. McKenzie's creepy landlord, Marin's salon workers), but I liked the inclusion of the donut shop support group. It tied in other instances of missing children cases/abductions and it balanced out Marin's situation.

In terms of the plot, thriller novels are expected to have some major twists and Little Secrets did not disappoint. After a few twists were revealed, I ended up having to pause reading just to think back to some previous moments and see how everything connected with the new information. The book also dealt with a few hard topics, but it fit within the scope of the novel and it wasn't too disturbing.

Overall, Little Secrets was an exciting and captivating read. I'm looking forward to checking out other books by the author.

Was this review helpful?