Cover Image: Little Secrets

Little Secrets

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Member Reviews

This was a great book to finish the year out! It took me far longer to read then I would have liked but that didn’t have much to do with the actual book and way more to do with how busy year end has been. After reading “Jar of Hearts” last year or earlier this year I’ve def been a fan. Being a Seattle native makes her books even more fun for me. Thanks so much netgalley and St. Martins press for the arc. Also- loved the acknowledgements where the author thanks Chevy Stevens- another fav! Cheers to 2020!!

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Jennifer Hillier has a terrifying mind surpassed only by Karin Slaughter. I would never get a good night's sleep if I were her her spouse. Then again, I don't get a good night's sleep when reading one of her books because I can't put them down! Little Secrets, her newest novel, is no exception. The thought that a kidnapper would dress like Santa to lure a child away from his mother a few days before Christmas will probably go down as one of the scariest premises of a thriller. Little Secrets explores the unfathomable range of emotions felt by parents of missing children, as well as what it means to love and forgive within marriage and friendship. Even the villains in this novel are relatable because all the characters are so complex and well developed. I loved this book. Jennifer Hillier seems to get better with every story she writes, but I have no idea how she could possibly improve from this one. I wish I would give it 10 stars.
Thank you to Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Cassie is one half of a modern Seattle power couple. She and her husband appear to have everything: Money, successful and rewarding careers, a beautiful home, a young family, and each other. Nothing matters after the day right before Christmas when their 4 year old son is abducted from the Seattle Market. More than a year has passed, and they still do not know what has happened to their child. Cassie attempts suicide, wallows in her grief and despair, and finds solace in her best friend Sal. Her husband seeks solace in a meaningless affair with a younger woman. Each of them are keeping many more secrets from each other - including Cassie hiring a private investigator to search for anything she can find about Sebastian’s abduction.
Both of them are disillusioned with the police and the FBI. Both are willing to spend a great deal of money to rescue their son. What they are unable to do is to work together. So, they keep secrets and, like all secrets, they will be exposed and shatter life as they know it. Will they ever find Sebastian?
A page turner. Great characters - expertly woven plot.

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This book was unexpected for me. I went in not knowing if I would enjoy it as I had not heard of this author before.

I must say she surprised me very much. This book is an exploration of the darkest corners of relationships, marriage, and motherhood. It takes you on an emotional, roller-coaster, filled with twists, terror and tenderness.

The brilliance of this book is going to be the biggest secret of all time. Simply stunning and breathtaking. A must-read thriller of all times.

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Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great twisted thriller by Jennifer Hillier! I have not read a book by this author that I didn't love. And this one didn't disappoint. It starts with a kidnapping of a well loved only child without any clue as to who took him. No ransom asked of this wealthy couple, who could have done this? We follow a path of lies and secrets to a wild ride all the way to the crazy end.
This is a psychological thriller that does not disappoint! Recommended to all fans of thriller and mystery as well as those "who done its". Solid 5 stars!

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📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5⁣

I wanted to get one last book in before the end of 2019, and I did it. Yay 😀 ⁣

This book goes on sale 4/21/2020, I’d like to thank #netgalley for the early ebook copy, and @stmartins for sending me a advanced reader copy of #littlesecrets ⁣

What would you do if your son goes missing? You stop for one second to text, and boom 💥 he’s gone... ⁣

How far would you go to get your husband back? Murder? Kidnapping? ⁣

All it takes for one #littlesecret to turn your whole world upside down. Marin will do whatever it takes to get her son back and her husband. Marin is a salon owner of 5 locations that fixes the hair of celebrities. So her salons are very famous. ⁣

Her husband Derek is a CEO of a multi-million company. Where they targeted because of their statues? It’s been a year and they still haven’t found their son. ⁣

To what lengths would you go, to her your life back. ⁣

This book was amazing, I’m so glad I fit it in before the end of the year. You don’t read this book, you inhale it, you devour it, you can’t believe what you’re reading. ⁣

Jennifer Hillier has hit the mark with this book, it was so suspenseful, it keeps you wondering what will happen next. What new secret will be unraveled. ⁣

If you haven’t added this book to your #tbr list, you have to. This is a must read in 2020!! ⁣


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Marin and Derek have it all. Successful careers, a beautiful home, a terrific marriage and a beautiful little boy Sebastian. All that changes when Sebastian goes missing and Marin blames herself. She hires a PI to look for him after the FBI has done all they can, but in her investigation she finds info that will turn Marin's life and marriage upside down, her husband is having an affair with a much younger woman. She confides in her best friend, an old boyfriend from her college days and he introduces her to a 'fixer". Marin decides that she can't have another woman coming between her husband and her and makes a decision to fix the problem once and for all. But the decisions that husband and wife make have repercussions that ripple not only into the future but also into the past and affect even their missing son.
This book was a quick read that I really enjoyed. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book for my opinion.

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3.5 stars rounded up -

Well I am in the minority on this one. I have read other books by Jennifer Hillier and really liked them, especially Jar of Hearts, so maybe my expectations were too high. It started strong with Sebastian going missing but then the book changes direction and is largely focused on the affair between Derek and his mistress. I really didn't care much for either Marin or Derek, Sebastian's parents. Sebastian's disappearance is overshadowed, so much so that when he was finally mentioned again, I almost forgot they had a child. Had it focused more on the disappearance and less so on the affair, I feel I would have liked this much more.

Having said that, I still am a fan and look forward to see what this author comes up with next.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

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I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I was looking forward to read this as I love psychological thrillers. But it was slow moving with dull dialogue. I expected more from Marni, one of the main characters, to be strong and kickass having lost her son to a kidnapping. Instead she was shown as a weak, naïve wife who accepted her cheating husband. All the evidence was there!

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Four hundred eighty-five days, that's how long Marin Machado has gone without her 4 year old son, Sebastian. One minute he was beside her, and the next he was gone. She lives with this fact every waking moment.

Marin goes through the motions of what now is her life. Her marriage is in shambles, where Derek and she live two separate lives. Her work allows her a brief respite and she finds solace in a support group with others trying to cope with their loss.

When the FBI redirects their attention to other cases, Marin hires a P.I., Vanessa Castro to keep digging into her son's disappearance. At Marin's encouragement, Castro looks into Derek and Marin's associates, where Castro accidentally uncovers Derek's infidelity with a much younger woman. This unexpected news, lights a fire under Marin, she's lost a son, she isn't going to lose a husband.

McKenzie has been in a relationship with Derek for six months. She and a roommate are good at being Professional Girlfriends. McKenzie isn't supposed to develop feelings for Derek, but this has gone on longer than expected.

Marin isn't going to confront Derek with his affair, her sights are on McKenzie.

I absolutely loved this book! As a mother, I could empathize with what Marin was going through, it's a parent's worst nightmare. Just as I wanted to loathe Derek and McKenzie, I got a little window into their souls, which lead to feeling sadness for what lead them to their present circumstances. Lots of twists and turns for a surprising ending. I, highly, recommend this book!

Thanks to from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC which I have voluntarily reviewed.

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I tore through LITTLE SECRETS in less than a day because I had to know what happened! ⁣

Marin has it all; she's married to the love of her life, runs a successful chain of upscale hair salons and is loved by all in her Seattle community. Then, during a busy day of holiday shopping in Pike Place Market her son goes missing. It's every parent's worst nightmare and a year later when the FBI has pretty much given up, Marin is still struggling to cope and refuses to give up hope. She hires a private investigator and suddenly little secrets begin to unravel her marriage and friendships...⁣

This was less murdery and stabby than Jennifer Hillier's other books, but I still loved it! ⁣

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌠/5 stars for this twisty psychological thriller that grabs your heart! ⁣

LITTLE SECRETS comes out in April 2020 and is the perfect book to get you out of a reading rut!⁣

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Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy! When I read the description for Little Secrets, I knew I would probably like it; it's exactly the type of book I normally go for. But it was way better than I anticipated! The plot was tidy and, although there were twists, none of them seemed tooooo good to be true or too contrived. The way the author dove in to each character's feelings and motivations was really excellent and made you really feel what the author was feeling. There was also a character in the book who I seriously fell in love with, only to have my feelings crushed by the end! Highly recommend seeking this one out when it's published in early 2020. It actually brought a tear to my eye at the end and that NEVER happens to me!

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This book was a compelling psychological thriller, full of twists and an ending I never saw coming. Readers can feel Marin's grief at the loss of her son. The loss of her son and possible loss of her husband, led her to desperate measures while not knowing who to trust. I would definitely recommend this book! 5 out of 5 stars!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for a copy of this book for my honest review.

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I absolutely loved this book! Started reading it in the morning and stayed up late to finish it in just one day. Loved and hated all of the characters at the same time. Can't wait to read more books by this author :)

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A split second, that's all it took for someone to snatch Marin's son Sebastion. A year later, her marriage is falling apart (because her husband Derek is a cheating piece of scum) and she still has no idea where her son is. Poor Marin, she's attempted suicide in the past, and if her son isn't found alive, then she's made the decision that she doesn't want to live without him. She's incredibly talented and successful, and she's been torn apart by this. She's on a very precarious edge with a useless, cheating husband, and even though she's got support, she's so consumed in her grief she isn't letting anyone in.

The support group she is in can be helpful as well as stressful. You want answers, good or bad, you need to know, and we watch the other sufferers run through the gambit of emotions that Marin herself has gone through and then some. While all this is happening, Hillier starts to give us Kenzie's story and we watch as she systematically goes after Derek, and you just want to reach into the book and strangle her a bit (or a lot), because of what she is doing to Marin.

So much going on! The characters are wonderful, good and bad because the bad guys evoke visceral feelings of contempt. The writing is flawless. This book has so many great elements, it's twisty and fast-paced, there are so many secrets that start to tumble out the deeper you dig and it's practically a one-sit read. So clear your schedule before you start it because you are not going to want to put it down.

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This book pushed every boundary of plausibility possible. I only finished because I wanted to find out what happened to Sebastian. Unfortunately, his story is only a minor part of the entire book (and never actually makes much sense when you think it through - what was the end game after so long?). The details of the husband’s affair were too graphic and unnecessary. There were zero likeable characters, all of whom made really poor choices throughout, causing most of their own problems. Apparently, I’m in the minority on this one so far, but this didn’t do it for me.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley.

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I honestly expect nothing less from Jennifer Hillier from reading all her books. Just when I thought I knew the ending.. she tricked me! I have to say this one hit home with a mother desperately searching and dealing from her child who was kidnapped. I’m not sure I would have an ounce of strength that the main character Marin had. Great build up, great character development and an engrossing book that keeps you on your seat.

Thanks Minotaur Books for the netgalley!

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Cleverly plotted, absolutely riveting and utterly stunning, Little Secrets is a story of a mother whose son goes missing and her subsequent disintegration into depression. But when the PI she’s hired to try to find her son tells her that her husband is having an affair, she goes from depressed to plain old mad. She lost her little boy, she doesn’t intend to lose her husband, too.

A beautiful thriller that's gracefully written with genuine heart and a lot of emotion, I had all the feels for this book. Beautiful and evocative, the story follows Marin as she balances on a black razor blade after her son is kidnapped. The plot is fast, the writing evocative and beautiful, the themes of loss, grief and betrayal strong and clear. The thing I love about Jennifer’s writing is how every word flows so smoothly, the story stays clear and elegantly told, the characters so well developed.

If you loved Jar of Hearts, you’re definitely going to want to get yourself this book. This is Jennifer Hillier at her absolute finest.

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This was my first book by Jennifer Hillier, and it will not be my last. I loved the way the story was told. This was a page turner for sure.
The twist was definitely not what I was thinking and I couldn't have been more surprised.
Definitely preorder this book.

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There are only two ways stories about missing children end, as the parents if a four year old kidnapped by a stranger in a Santa Claus suit in the holiday crowd in Seattle'sPike Place Marketsoon learn. This heart-tugging tale of love, loss and disillusion is nicely written, even if the family at the center of it is stereotypical - affluent, ambitious, successful, and above all,happy. While readers who can't bear the suspense should put this book down, preferably before the tears come, others will be interested in the denouement if not very surprised at who the villain turns out to be... Any parent who has ever turned her attention from her toddler to a text from her husband will understand this mother's guilt, her husband's anger, and all the ways the absence of a much-lived little boy can't make up for even privileged lives

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