Could not put it down! Had me hooked right from the beginning and I totally recommend for anyone who wants to read a page turner with good intrigue and twists.

3.5 Stars. This was an entertaining thriller. The exploration of grief and self-compassion was very interesting. I was very glad that the grief aspect didn't feel typical or tropey. The mystery itself was pretty well done. All in all, I'd definitely recommend (to adults).

I’m not usually into cheating stories, but this one sounded really good. Fix the situation? I can only think of a few ways that could happen and I desperately wanted to know. The book did not disappoint me.

When I first started Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier I was a little bored with the pickup. The first initial crime of the son being kidnapped quickly faded to a couple who clearly had issues, but nothing else really happening. I was a little worried I wasn’t going to like this book, but it quickly picked up. As a mother, I felt the pain for Marin and how devastated she was. I did not like her husband Derek at all for obvious reasons. His personality in the book really grated on my nerves, which shows the powerful writing of Hillier and this character. I think we were meant to dislike him. I also really disliked Kenzie, again because Hillier wrote a character to dislike.

I loved how this story progressed and the little side characters grew into important characters in the story and their storylines started to intertwine with the main one. I have to say I was pretty shocked by the revelations that came at the end of the story and that is hard to do. I usually can guess, so hats off to Hillier for really throwing twists and turns along the way to keep me guessing.

Honestly this book peaked my interest and then was pleasantly surprising. I thought I’d like it, but I ended up loving it. Jennifer Hillier has a new fan. If you love good psychological thrillers, then make sure to pick up your copy of Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier.

I liked the ending a lot -- but the actual plot/reveal felt a little muddled to me. It was a book I skimmed through - wanting to know how everything came together but not actually caring about the characters.

Wow! I was so excited to read this as I read amazing reviews for it. Hillier has a great reputation in the writing community and I see why. I can’t wait to read more by her. This was twisted and just so good!

My first book by this author and it was a decent read! Debated between a 3 and 4 star rating for awhile, but ultimately decided to round down. I read a lot of mystery/thriller books and am always looking for that shocking twist or ending that I don’t see coming. Truth be told, I wasn’t completely shocked by the way things turned out. I loved the quick pacing of the book, and appreciated how all of the loose ends came together towards the end. But there was no “wow” factor for me. Nonetheless it was enjoyable to read, and I’m looking forward to checking out more titles by this author!

Love a good thriller to help propel my reading & avoid a slump. Read this one in less than a day, & it was WORTH it.

Little Secrets is a domestic thriller involving Marin, her husband Derek, & their son Sebastian. Sebastian is kidnapped a few days before Christmas, and this story follows Marin & Derek as they cope with his disappearance.

Lemme just tell you. This is NOT going in the direction you think it is. Part of me is like, ‘should I have seen this coming?’, but I think it would have been really tough. It’s rare thrillers REALLY get me, but this one did. Highly recommend, A from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Jennifer Hillier book and I will be reading her previous books and everything else she writes from now on. I'm a slow reader and I whizzed through this book turning the pages like crazy. A story revolving around child abduction with plenty of other things going on, and secrets galore that kept me guessing until the end. Absolutely loved it!

This book is absolute madness! It's a roller-coaster ride that will leave you breathless.

Reading the synopsis, I asked myself why I was doing this to myself. Reading about a kidnapped child, when you have two young kids, isn't ideal... But this book ended up so much better than I originally thought!

It is a difficult story to read, but the blindsiding twists and turns make you want to read more, and more, and more. I never thought I would read it in such a short time! It was heartbreaking to read about Marin's mindset after her son goes missing. I could picture myself in that same situation and was frightened by what I could do...

Major TW for suicide and self-harm.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Little Secrets is dark, suspenseful, & of course full of secrets. I love dark twisty books and this one worked for me. Little Secrets also hit me emotionally which isn't typical for a thriller. Marin's pain over losing her son was palpable. Marin's grief had it's own storyline & it added an additional layer to the novel. I appreciate thrillers with twisty, but realistic endings and Little Secrets came through. I've also read (and loved) Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier and look forward to picking up another one of her books.

The trouble with trying to review one of Ms. Hillier’s novels is that it’s extremely difficult to do so without spoilers. The latest is no exception, but I’m stubborn.

First, although I wanted to be empathetic with the protagonist, Marin Machado, the simple fact is that she’s not terribly likable. Of course, one suspects as the plot resolution approaches that’s how we’re supposed to feel, but it could just be me. Ms. Hillier’s characters are always painfully human, so it’s logical to react to them as if we were meeting them at a party and drawing our conclusions on short acquaintance.

Marin is doing some last-minute Christmas shopping at a crowded farmer’s market with her 4-year-old son Sebastian when she receives a text from her former lover and trusted best friend Sal. She lets go her son’s hand to respond—and he’s gone.

This is, as we’re reminded many times as the book progresses, is every mother’s nightmare. Marin’s guilt at having let go of a small child in a crowd is certainly justified. Her reaction to it is to essentially become the center of a universe in which anyone who doesn’t display an emotional level equal to her own is dismissed, never mind that her perception of those reactions is entirely narcissistic. No one can possibly suffer as much as she does.

The somewhat predictable effect of this nearly a year and a half after Sebastian’s abduction slowly evolves into a web of lies and betrayals that Ms. Hillier is so adept at weaving. Nothing—and no one—is what we think it is, and yet as the story advances one begins to suspect. Whether those suspicions are correct you’ll have to read to the end to discover.

I suspect many people will have a different reaction to Marin, and that’s why Ms. Hillier’s fiction is so compelling. Far too often in genre fiction the themes and tropes are so well-known we simply react on reflex. That’s not possible with Small Secrets, and that makes all the difference between a good book and a compelling one.

I love thrillers and Jennifer Hillier did not disappoint with this masterful tale of suspense.

Little Secrets follows a wealthy couple after their son tragically is taken in an open-air market. Unsurprisingly, Marin and Derek's lives unravel after Sebastian goes missing and isn't found.

The twists and turns in Hillier's novel will keep you on your toes, waiting for the ball to drop, trying (and failing) at anticipating the next move.

I finished Little Secrets in one sitting, just dying to know how the story lines pulled together and how this story would conclude.

I highly recommend you snuggle in and read Little Secrets immediately!

I received a copy of Little Secrets for free through Netgalley for an honest review. Wow, this book was so much more than I expected. You feel so much pain for Marin and her husband due to the fact their son Sebastian was abducted. And then you feel even worse for Marin because she then finds out that her husband is cheating on her with a younger woman. The twists and turns throughout the book kept me wanting more. I couldn't put the book down. Once I got to the end, I never would have expected what ended up happening, and I actually cried at the end of the book (I RARELY ever cry when reading!). I would highly recommend reading this book, and I look forward to reading other books written by Jennifer Hillier.

Thank you Minotaur Books for my copy.

I am such a fan of Jennifer Hillier’s JAR OF HEARTS so I was super jazzed to pick up LITTLE SECRETS. I’m happy to say this book exceeded all expectations. It’s pure compulsive, thrilling, twisty goodness.

Marin is at the end of her rope. One year ago during a hectic trip to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, in the blink of an eye, her four-year-old son, Sebastian, went missing. Marin is a wreck and the investigation has gone cold. She and her husband, Derek, barely acknowledge one another. She can’t live with herself if her son is found dead. One day Marin receives a call, but it’s not about Sebastian; it’s about Derek. Derek is having an affair with a younger woman, McKenzie, and what starts to unravel sets this story in high speed motion.

Hillier knows how to write a perfectly paced, well plotted thriller. None of the characters are particularly likable, but that never bothers me. This story is IMMERSIVE. We alternate between Marin and McKenzie’s perspectives, which basically guarantees you won’t stop reading until the end. Female characters are always my favorite perspectives to read from because they are so complex and complicated. They can be the kindest, most generous people, but also the most vicious. Also, it’s a nice detail that McKenzie is social-media-famous, adding another level of intrigue to the story.

If you need to lose yourself in an intense, expertly plotted, binge-worthy, emotive thriller then look no further: LITTLE SECRETS is for you. ★★★★½

Little Secrets is full of secrets, both big and small. This book is amazing and in this time of unease, when I've been having trouble concentrating on reading, this story and the lives of these people captured my attention and kept me spellbound. I was hooked from the heart-wrenching first chapter. So intense!

I loved this book and all of the drama and secrets. Jennifer is a new author to me but I've already got more of her books on my TBR list. I love her dark and twisty mind, er stories. I highly recommend Little Secrets if you like to read edge-of-your-seat, page turners that you can't put down.

Summer is my favorite time of year to read thrillers, and I read Jennifer Hillier's Jar of Hearts a couple of summers ago. It is still one of my favorite thrillers, and it convinced me to read everything she writes. Jar of Hearts was shocking by the gruesome events, but this book was shocking for an entirely different reason. Marin Machado's son is stolen while they are at the mall. He was there one minute and gone the next. In just a couple of minutes her life changed forever. The story picks up a year after Sebastian goes missing. The FBI has followed up on all of their leads, but it was a dead end. Marin hired a private investigator to make sure that Sebastian is never forgotten, but as part of that she finds out her husband is having an affair. She was already devastated by the loss of her son, but now the rest of her life is in turmoil. Jennifer Hillier's books give me a sick feeling in my stomach and keep me on the edge of my seat. This story was different though for me because it was the first time I was reading about a missing child. That influenced how I felt throughout, and while I didn't love this one as much as Jar of Hearts, it was a solid thriller that I won't soon forget.

Little Secrets was twisted thriller. It was well written and fast paced to keep you reading. I figured out who the bad guy was pretty early on but wanted to make sure I was right. Hillier's first book was too intense for me so when this one was recommended I was excited when friends said it was good but not as gruesome.

Just over a year ago, Marin's four year old son disappeared. They were shopping at a crowded market in the days before Christmas and Marin lost him. Cameras show that he was led away by someone in a Santa Claus outfit, carrying a lollipop he'd been begging his mother for only moments before.

Marin has lived with the guilt ever since.

Then a PI Marin hired to help find her son reveals that Marin's husband is having an affair. After losing her son, Marin is determined not to lose her marriage as well. And she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep her husband devoted to her.

Little Secrets is a super fast read. I started on audio and switched back and forth between that and the physical so that I could read through as fast as possible! No childcare has definitely affected reading time and audiobooks from Libro.fm have been an even bigger part of my reading life of late than even before!

We meet Marin on the morning her son is kidnapped. And then we jump forward, sixteen months later. Marin attends a support group for parents who have missing children but otherwise she's tried her best to put her life back together.

Oh, and she's hired a PI that she hasn't told her husband about.

So when she gets a call from the investigator asking to meet, she assumes it means something regarding her son's disappearance has turned up. Boy is she wrong!

The thing is, Marin isn't really all that shocked to learn that her husband has cheated. In fact, she almost blames herself for the distance. Which is sad considering she already blames herself for their son's disappearance. But her solution for the problem...well, it's an avenue most people wouldn't take themselves!

Hillier does a great job of exploring Marin and her emotions. And she does a really good job illustrating just how many different layers there are to actual people. Marin's choices are certainly questionable, but it's easy to empathize with her even if you (hopefully) don't agree. And she's not the only character Hillier gives voice to as the story continues.

Like I said, it's a super quick read and an intense one as well. Perfect for summer hammock reading :)

An intriguing mystery with so many tentacles that the suspense lasts to the final page.

A one second decision or distraction can change your life forever and cause so much heartache that nothing else in your world matters. The evil in this book builds throughout. When Marin believes she is at the breaking point, her anguish increases with additional torment. How much can one person take? I would love to think I would have the tenacity that she does. Instead of curling up and withdrawing, Marin reaches deep and discovers how very strong she truly is.

I am choosing not to be specific in this review so that no spoilers exist. Suffice to say, this is one of those surprising books that I expected to like. Instead, I found it to be engaging, suspenseful and a truly great read. To say I liked it would be an understatement. It is highly recommended.


I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Hillier. Jar of Hearts made it onto my TBR, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I was initially concerned that they may have given away the punchline in the blurb, but there is more to the story than what you are told.

I really enjoyed Hillier's writing. She was able to draw me into a story that was not what I expected it to be. Due to the blurb, I went into this thinking it was mostly about a mother finding out that her husband and his mistress knew something about her kidnapped son and her trying to find out what happened to him. It was much more about her response to finding out that her husband was having an affair. Yet, it was still engaging.

I didn't love any of the characters; they are all flawed. However, I could also feel for the situations they found themselves in. Hillier writes fairly well-rounded characters. They did not feel flat, which made the story interesting.

I really enjoyed this one. I will definitely read more of Hillier's work.