Abduction. Affairs. Deception. Betrayal. Little Secrets has it all, and the title is definitely an understatement. Marin has the seemingly perfect life until her son Sebastian is kidnapped while out shopping at Pikes Place Market. This leads to an unraveling to all Marin knows and a testing to all Marin believes to me true. Hillier knows how to craft an engaging novel, and this one is a must read!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. All thoughts are my own.

4.25-4.5 STARS

With her latest novel, “Little Secrets,” author Jennifer Hillier delivers a multi-layered story spun from an intricate web of lies, secrets and betrayal. Right from the get-go, this story’s compelling premise pulled me in and held me captive right up until the very end.

The main characters—Marin & Derek--are understandably flawed, as they struggle to navigate each day following the tragic disappearance of their 4 year old son. Together, yet alone, grief weighs heavy on them both, causing their once happy marriage to now reside on rocky ground.

Through a series of twists and turns, the mystery turns from intriguing to riveting, as the truth slowly unfolds, leading up to a shocking reveal. It’s a roller-coaster ride of emotions, to be sure. If it weren’t for a certain secondary character that I found annoying and immediately took a dislike to, this book would garner a perfect 5 star rating, rather than falling just a tad bit short.

Marin’s worst nightmare comes true when she is in a crowded shopping area and lets go of her four year old son’s hand for a second and he is kidnapped. Marin and her husband Derek frantically do all they can to find him but after a year the trail goes cold. Marin doesn’t give up hope and hires a private investigator to find her son. The PI discovers that her husband is having an affair with a younger woman. Marin doesn’t want to lose her husband, so she does the unthinkable. As she begins to scheme, something comes to the surface. Perhaps this other woman knows what happened to her son. How do all these pieces fit together? Will Marin find her son alive?

I really enjoyed this story overall. It’s about love, heartache and betrayal. I really enjoyed the story and thought it was pretty well developed. While there are plenty of kidnapping mystery thrillers out there I feel like Jennifer Hillier took this in a direction that hasn’t been done before. The book does switch between points of view but the characters are developed well enough that it is easy to follow. The characters are also easy to love or hate which speaks again to the development of these characters. I think the author did a great job of keeping the reader engaged. I thought I had the end figured out but I was wrong. Having a four year old myself certainly pulled on my heartstrings. I can not begin to imagine what I would do in Marin’s place. Definitely add this one to your list. It comes out on April 21, 2020.

Marin and Derek are the perfect couple. Finally able to have a child, Sebastian, who they lovingly call Bash, they seem to have to perfect life. Marin and Derek are both type A personalities, Derek, a successful businessman and Marin, owner of a salon that caters to the rich and famous. One day, Marin and Bash are busily rushing through crowded stores at the mall, and, Marin drops her young son's hand for a second to text her husband back. The next thing she knows, Bash is not there. This is a story about the unraveling of a mother whose fault it is that her son is gone....

Wow! This book took me for a ride. I'm a first-time reader of this author so I didn't quite know what to expect, but wow, she didn't disappoint.
The book starts with the abduction of the main character, Marin, going to the Pike Place Market in Seattle and after just a moment's inattention her son has disappeared without a trace, apparently following a person in a Santa Claus outfit out of the market.
From that point onward, the story unfolds in countless surprising ways and I repeatedly had myself wondering what was around the next corner. The story had so many fascinating twists and turns, all not illogical, but several gave me a sense of whiplash because my beliefs were torn away from under me, in a way, the book reminded me of those by another favorite author of mine, Harlan Coben.
This is a great book and I will be recommending it to anybody who will bother to listen to me and most certainly, the author's other books will be added to my to-read list.
Highly recommended!

All the stars for this book! Jennifer Hillier is amazing. I’ll read anything she writes at this point, and I’ve loved all her books, but Little Secrets was by far my favorite.

Marin and Derek have everything. A perfect marriage, tons of money, two incredible careers, and sweet little 4 year old son, Sebastian. He is kidnapped one day in broad daylight and everything goes to shit for them. 16 months later, Sebastian is still missing with no leads. Marin, who is not doing well at all, finds out Derek is having an affair and she starts surveilling him, leading to a whole lot of explosive secrets coming out.

Reading the synopsis, you may think it’s been done before, and it has. But there is so much more than meets the eye to this story. This is what all thrillers should be. Truly shocking, propulsive, and unputdownable. I hated all the characters and yet I couldn’t stop reading. A fantastic book.

“It’s confusing how love and hate can exist at the same time,” is an understatement. Hillier notes that this was the most difficult book she’s ever written, and believe me, some parts are hard to read. A parent’s worst nightmare has to be a missing child, and Hillier played that and it’s consequences up brilliantly. The multitude of little secrets that stacked up to common denominators in this story were masterfully done and left my jaw dropped a time or two. A fabulously suspenseful plot rounded with human characters with flaws, hopes and dreams like yours and mine, this one will stay with you for awhile.

Jennifer Hillier has crafted an engrossing page turner of a read in Little Secrets. Well worth the read!

Predicting @jenniferhillierbooks Little Secrets will be one of the biggest, most smashing hits of 2020.
An unthinkable tragedy happens to a couple and the wife discovers her husband’s way of coping is cheating on her with a younger woman.
I compulsively tore through this book. Loved getting both women’s perspectives; the accomplished working mother notices how fresh-faced and youthful, wrinkless and carefree her husband’s girlfriend is and this college graduate notices how polished, confident and poised her boyfriend’s wife is.

This book has heart, suspense, complete intrigue. I nearly passed on reading it because the main storyline is not an easy one to read as a mother. And I recommend going in blind. But I found myself experiencing the gut wrenching grief along side this woman.

You guys know I’m a huge fan of original twists, big and small. The main twist here I never saw coming. And never in my life of reading have I cried at the end of a mystery suspense novel.
I loved it even more than Jar of Hearts.💥

Wow, this book was amazing! Child abduction turned into SO much more! This one had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the flow of this book and the title is a perfect representation of how many little secrets can make a huge impact!

I absolutely love when I just cannot wait to get back to a book! This is a great thriller from beginning to end with no slow down and creative twists. Highly recommend!

Marin has the perfect life. She's married to her college sweetheart, runs a successful upscale salon, and has a beautiful son. Her life comes crashing down on her one day after she lets go of her son's hand, and he's kidnapped. In a fog of grief, Marin won't give up looking for her son and hired a private investigator. She's unprepared for what her PI tells her eighteen months after her son disappears -- the PI hasn't found her son but has found evidence that her husband has been having an affair right under her nose. Marin is understandably furious and will do whatever it takes to take down her husband's mistress. But just how far is she willing to go?

Unlike other similar thrillers, I found Little Secrets to be very plausible. Jennifer Hillier did an exceptional job of developing her characters, making the story come to life. Particularly with Marin, Hillier creates such a 3-dimensional character -- I could feel her grief radiating off the pages. Well worth the read!

Where do I start? Great book! I love suspense/thrillers and this has both. Marin is going through every mother’s nightmare. Her son Sebastian is taken when she lets go of his hand at the marketplace for just a minute. A year later and he’s still missing, and her husband has turned to another younger woman. Marin hasn’t given up hope. Fast paced with a twist at the end I never saw coming.

Whew!! this book brings forth the words of Sir Walter Scott, "what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to decieve". Great mystery,lots of twists, turns and it will keep you reading. Fairly fast paced and only a few places you might want to take a break. I am afraid to say more without giving a spoiler. If the jacket cover piqued your interest, then read it, you will not be disappointed.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the ARC.

I LOVED Little Secrets. As a mom of young children, something like this happening is my biggest fear. As such, this book was one I could not put down as I wanted to get to the end as soon as possible to find out what happened!! The characters were very likable to me and intertwined in ways I could have never imagined. I honestly never saw the ending coming!! I definitely plan on recommending this book to others and is also one I plan on reading again. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Little Secrets was engaging from the very first page and I just loved Jennifer Hillier’s writing style so much. Her characters are multifaceted and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep me guessing but not so much that they just felt like they came out of nowhere.

I love a book where things look a little too perfect on the outside to be true and this book has all of that and more. It does involve the kidnapping of a small child but it has so many other elements that made it rise above this common thriller plotline. I l really enjoy a good domestic thriller and this one is a roller coaster of suspense with a super satisfying ending.

I loved it so much that I am now listening to Jar of Hearts on audio. It’s the best when you read a book you don’t know a lot about beforehand and then leave with a new to you author to follow along with.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Marin was in a terrible place, in a downward spiral, after losing her four year old son, three days before Christmas, in a busy store while shopping.
Marin was the hysterical and inconsolable wife while Derek was the frozen and helpless husband, after the disappearance of Sebastian.
As Marin copes with the disappearance of her four year old son, her husband got busy with a younger woman. Twenty years of marriage destroyed by a mistake, a way to cope after detaching himself emotionally. While Derek was shacking up with a younger girl, Marin was grieving, blaming herself, beating herself up, and self-medicating with all manner of pharmaceuticals and alcohol.

Overall:
I wasn’t particularly interested in the group therapy scenes, but I understand the need for them as a means for Marin to redirect her grieving.
There were a few scenes where the attention to detail was too extensive by stating the obvious. Ex. “They sell the extra-large rose-gold-tinted tumblers at all three locations for sixty-five dollars, an outrageous price for what amounts to a coffee mug,..” Who cares? How is this related to the case of finding her son? It’s not. Given the nature of the young girls character and her obsession with expensive items it’s understandable why these scenes were mentioned. I didn’t need them to drive the point home.
The story was divided into four parts. Part one began with Sebastian being taken. While I thought this was going to be a kidnapping story it really wasn’t. Part two was full of surprises. This is where I realized the story changed gears. Part three concluded what initially began as a kidnapping story turned into an affair and then something else. Part four was closure.
Had I only read part one I would’ve been disappointed with the story because this part wasn’t interesting. Part two is where the story comes alive. I really liked the change in storyline. There still were some scenes about expensive items and living standards that I breezed over. The overall premise was very exciting once I got over reading part one.

I was hesitant to read this book because it includes a child abduction and I'm the mom of two. Abduction is one of my biggest fears. I knew I would read it anyway because I liked a previous book from the same author and I am so glad I did.

A few seconds is all it took for Marin Machado's perfect life to fall apart. She's Christmas shopping in a place packed with people with her son Sebastian and is looking to buy that last perfect gift. He's tired and cranky and he wants a treat, she's tired and cranky and she just wants some caffeine. She lets go of his hand for a minute to answer a text and in an instant he's gone. Surveillance video shows that he left with Santa Claus.

Let that one sink in for a minute. Kids all over the world love Santa and think he's safe. Some wouldn't give leaving with him a second thought.

Move forward a year and a half later and the case is cold. The FBI has no new information. As frustrating as that is, it's the reality for many across the country. Marin and Derek are more like roommates than husband and wife. Derek seems to have given up on Sebastian as well as giving up on Marin. She is determined to find out what happened to her son, good news or bad. She hires a P.I. who comes to the same conclusion as the FBI, they simply have no leads to go on.The P.I. has discovered Derek's little secret however. He's having an affair with a younger woman named Kenzie.

This energizes Marin and gets her moving out of the rut she's been living in. The anger of betrayal fuels her. Her son may be gone and her life may be in shambles but no one is going to take her husband. This is one thing she CAN fix.

This book goes through a series of twists and turns from there. Marin goes about taking care of this younger woman in an unexpected way and once she sets the ball rolling the pace of this book kicks into high gear. All sorts of secrets are uncovered, from Derek to Marin to her best friend Sal to Kenzie.

You simply cannot skim this book. There are a million little "secret" details hidden along the way that will make sense as the ending gets pulled together. This book was a well written puzzle that I read in one sitting because I just HAD to keep going. Mystery and thriller fans, this one is for you!

Many thanks to Netgalley.com, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for giving me and advance copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Lord in Heaven, Jennifer Hillier, and good folks at NetGalley-- thank you for sending me a book too good to put down. Novels that center on a missing persons case are my favorite kind of thriller so I had high hopes I'd quickly get submerged in the plot, but this exceeded all of my expectations.

I also enjoyed the backdrop of the novel. Too often, the folks swept up in glitz and glam that we meet in fiction are trophy wives or the people on top of the food chain. I appreciated that Marin was a self-made woman that catered to elite clientele as a hairdresser, and in turn, built herself a solid reputation and hefty fortune. Her drive made her a lot more sympathetic character than she might have been otherwise.

What a ride! The characters were fleshed out, for better or worse. The main character Marin felt a bit flat at times, but that seemed realistic, as we didn't learn much about her before losing her son and after losing him her only personality treats were motivated by grief. I could have done with some chapters from the POV of Derek or Sal, as the author is clearly very talented in writing about a character's motivations.

The mystery really fit together well by the end. My only complaint would be that certain aspects of the ending were a bit too clean for the story that was told. Hard to describe my thoughts on this without spoilers, but it was a very dark story with a relativaely light ending.

This is the first book of Jennifer Hillier that I've read, and it has been intrigued to read more.