It is no secret that I adore Jennifer Hillier's writing. <a href="http://bookishgeek.com/2018/04/16/review-jar-of-hearts-by-jennifer-hillier/">I read <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Jar of Hearts</span> last April</a>, and it remains one of my favorite thrillers, and is one I always recommend when someone seeks thriller recommendations from me. Everything I love in a thriller wrapped up in one neat, tight package that I devoured. So when I saw her latest novel, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Little Secrets</span>, available on NetGalley I slammed that request button and immediately dusted off my Kindle to read it. I am so glad I did.

<strong>Rating:</strong> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1190" src="http://bookishgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BOOKISHGEEKRATING5.png" alt="" width="226" height="50" />
<h2>How I'd Describe This Book to a Friend</h2>
Marin and Derek are your typical affluent suburban couple - they are rich beyond measure, and are blessed with a perfect little boy named Sebastian (which makes them metaphorically, emotionally rich as well). They live in a perfect little Instagrammable bubble world, and nothing could possibly change that - until one day Marin lets Sebastian's hand go in a store for a split-second and he disappears. Store footage later shows him leaving the shop with a man in a Santa Claus costume, holding a giant $5 gourmet lollipop. But no one knows who this Santa was, and Sebastian was not seen in any other footage found. In a split second - 480 split seconds, to be exact - Santa Claus took Marin and Derek's perfect four year old son, and nobody has seen him since.

It's been over a year, now. Merin is a shell of a person - absolutely gutted and riddled with relentless guilt over having let go of her son's hand so carelessly, so willingly. Her marriage is crumbling - Derek handles his grief differently, it seems, and Marin's mourning is really putting a damper on his excellent rich white guy lifestyle. While she still manages to work and keep afloat, Marin's lifesaver at this point is her lifelong friend, Sal, who checks on her each and every day. And Vanessa Castro, the private investigator she's paid to ceaselessly look for Sebastian.

What Marin does not expect, however, is for Castro to sit her down one day and tell her that while she hasn't found Sebastian, she <em>has</em> found out that Derek is cheating on her - with a young, sexy twenty-something graduate student named McKenzie Li. Kenzie, who has a few secrets of her own. Marin would do anything to get rid of this tart, this homewrecker - and I mean <em>anything</em>.
<h2>The Bottom Line</h2>
I can't say a whole lot more, because the plot twists and turns are what made <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Little Secrets</span> so addictive - it's like a breadcrumb trail of revelations that shock and surprise you and keep you guessing. While I have never lost a child - nor has Hillier - Marin is written in such a relatable way that you feel like you're right there next to her - going to her support group, dreading every phone call with a twinge in your gut. I've lost a spouse, and while it's not the same as losing a child it's definitely a unique, hard to explain loss that twists a knife in your heart - it's even harder when they're lost but "lost" is not necessarily synonymous with "dead" in this case. Sebastian could have been dead for months now, or he could be just fine and in hiding. I cannot even imagine what a throat punch that must be, but Hillier really puts us there.

We get a dual perspective here, though it doesn't flip back and forth every chapter but rather from part to part for the most part. We hear not just from Marin, but from Kenzie - we are told that we hate Kenzie in the beginning while we are inside Marin's head, but of course getting inside of Kenzie's adds another layer and makes her more multifaceted than a generic villain. Kenzie is young and smart, ruthless and sharp - she has a long history as the sidepiece to many rich, married men and she has no qualms about extorting them for money to get by, to keep her ailing mother in her retirement community. But this one is different, because Kenzie is falling for Derek in a way she's never fallen for any of these guys before. And that presents a problem. You feel for her, too, even though you <em>desperately</em> don't want to.

This story is a haunting, captivating thrill ride - not just about loss of a child or revenge, but about who you really know, how far you'd go to save a life or get revenge on another. How much can we ever really, truly know another person? This is a captivating, thought-provoking read that will stick to my bones for a long time to come. I cannot wait to read Hillier's next book, and hope I have the privilege of reading an arc of that one, too.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1185" src="http://bookishgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BOOKISHGEEKLINEBREAK.png" alt="" width="291" height="50" />

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<blockquote>"She is enraged. She feels it washing over her like hot wax, coasting her outsides, hardening like an armored shell over all the soft, squishy, vulnerable, unprotected places.

She welcomes it. It's been a long time since she felt anger like this, and she'll take anger over sadness, any day. For the past four hundred eight-six days, sadness has knocked her sideways, debilitated her, confused her, made her weak, talked her into settling for things she doesn't want, and never did.

Rage, on the other hand, will get shit done."</blockquote>

With only 4 major characters wasnt much of a mystery. One of those books I wonder why I bothered to finish.

So, I just checked...I've read every single Jennifer Hillier novel ever written, and have given them all 4 or 5 star ratings. Do you have any idea how unusual that is for me? Throughout my entire life, I've never had an author so consistently write books I've unequivocally loved. It's a Festivus miracle! I think Ms. Hillier has slowly worked her way up through the ranks, and is currently my absolute favorite author. Let's all send our congratulations to Jennifer...because this is clearly a BIG deal.

What starts as a child abduction story, quickly morphs into something far more diabolical. As is typical of JH, and one of the reasons I wholeheartedly love her novels, she's unflinching in her writing. She's never afraid to go there. Many authors have tried mimicking her style...few have succeeded. She's the queen of "bravely going where most writers have been too wimpy to go before."

Another reason I loved this story? Our protagonist, Marin, drinks Amaretto Sours...the most delicious cocktail of all time, and my personal favorite.

So, my actual rating for Little Secrets is 4.5 stars. Why? Because I actually figured out the antagonist early on. Thankfully, it wasn't a huge deal because there were several other twists I didn't figure out, and the writing was on point, as always.

As per usual, I'll be recommending this book to every person I know. If you've never read any JH novels before, stop what you're doing, go get a copy of every single book, and have a reading marathon this weekend. You won't regret a single minute.

**My sincere thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review LITTLE SECRETS by Jennifer Hillier. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Five stars and here’s why:

LOVED IT! Ms. Hillier did not disappoint! The secrets and suspense kept me up all night. Holy moly what a rollercoaster ride this book kept me guessing at every page turn. Just when you think you have everything figured out…bam! Total book hangover. Highly recommend.

Marin and Derek are a wealthy and successful young couple who have had challenges starting a family. After many attempts at the very expensive procedure of in vitro fertilization, Marin is able to conceive and gives birth to the light of their lives. A few years go by and they appear to be the happiest of families. That is when the worst thing that could happen to parents happens, their son is abducted. Being very wealthy, they expect a ransom request that never comes. Jennifer Hillier is able to really portray the horror of what it must be like for any parent to lose a child this way.

But some secrets aren't so little.

Hillier is a master in the craft of secrets, her novels are suspenseful and satisfying. Little Secrets is FULL of secrets. I have read so many suspense novels, that I am unhappy with a book if I can see where it is heading. I was well toward the end of this book before I had a clue where it may be heading.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced read in exchange for my honest review.**

This is a fun, fast-paced psychological thriller that picks up speed somewhere around the 50% mark. That's not to say that the first half is slow, rather it's packed with layers of detail that I'm glad I instinctually absorbed at a controlled pace. Everyone who reads this is likely to experience a marathon session that puts all non-reading activities on hold because they just need to know how this story ends.

The dialogue and character development are so great that I felt like I was watching a film while reading it. Though some of the characters' thoughts and actions may seem unbelievable as they begin unfolding, it's a mistake to dismiss them as such. There is context for everything and much of it is messy but, oh, so human it is.

Marin is at the market testing her son.....moments later he is lost in the crowd. Fast forward 16 months as Sebastian is still missing while Marins struggles through the days. Her marriage is crumbling as her husband falls in love with another woman.

The network of relationships and coincidences move the pace along as Marin implodes while still looking for her son.

Little Secrets will grab your interest from page one. The characters ar diverse and you'll find it intriguing to figure out who knows what and how will things end. A real page turner. You'll wonder if the kidnapping was real or somehow staged. You'll learn at the end. Enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier. The book starts out being about a child abduction and an awful moment in a family's life but it turns into so much more. All of the adults in the book are harboring secretes and some secretes are bigger than others. These somewhat normal seeming rich people get into some crazy situations. I don't want to give anything away about this book because the twists keep you guessing until the end. This book makes you binge read even in the busy holiday month of December.

Thanks #Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book. It is a fun read and will be available April 21, 2020.

This was a wild ride a child abducted a mother’s worse nightmare.I was drawn right into this chilling thriller so many twists and turns kept me guessing till the end.#netgalley #st.martinsbooks.

This book was great fun to read! It centers around Marin, a mother whose son Sebastian was kidnapped, and Kenzie, a younger woman with whom Marin's husband is having an affair. Both of these main characters were flawed but in a way that the reader was still (mostly empathetic towards them). The book goes back and forth between the search for Sebastian and the growing tension that both Marin and Kenzie are experiencing.

This is one of those books where you don't want to put it down until you see what happens, and the ending was truly unexpected. You got to know all the characters and it was shocking when you realized the betrayals that had occurred. I also loved the tie to Seattle because I live there and could relate to the locations (though I am still confused about whether Sal's bar "near the stadium" is near the Seahawks or UW stadium because the references around her travel there didn't fully make sense with other locations like where Marin lived).

i have little to complain about with this book- there were a couple of times where Marin made what felt to me like really stupid decisions that I didn't think a "regular person" would make; and the ending felt a little rushed. That being said, I really enjoyed the story overall and would strongly recommend this book to fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This psychological thriller is many different genres wrapped into one book. It is a heartfelt, twisty, drama filled, thriller that will have your thoughts racing. You are right with Marin throughout the story, feeling the pain she feels, the betrayal she feels, the anger she feels. Jennifer Hillier helps bring you into her novel as if you are experiencing the story yourself. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Star rating from me (more if I could)! A must read for 2020 for sure! Thank you St Martin’s Press, Jennifer Hillier, and Netgalley for this lovely read in exchange for an honest review!!

This book wasn’t at all what I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It had a few flaws, but it featured strong characters and kept me entertained throughout.

Little Secrets stars two female protagonists who couldn’t be more different. Marin is the wealthy, successful owner of a chain of high-end salons, married to business mogul Derek. Their son, Sebastian, was kidnapped a year ago in plain sight. Kenzie is a broke twenty-four-year-old MFA student, barista, and “professional girlfriend” having an affair with Derek. They were complex, well-written protagonists, and very flawed, which only made them more compelling.

It took me a few chapters to get used to the third person, present tense narration, but ultimately I think it worked. Jennifer Hillier’s writing style gives plenty of insight into her protagonists’ thoughts and feelings, which drove the story. Her side characters were as complex and flawed as her main characters.

The pacing was excellent. The plot was complicated, but mostly in a good way. There were a few different things going on - Marin trying to find out what happened to Sebastian, Kenzie trying to get as much money as she can from Derek, Marin finding out about the affair and dealing with it, and more I won’t give away - and I didn’t know until around the three quarter mark where it was all leading, which kept me guessing. There were also quite a few red herrings in the mix, and I was genuinely surprised by the twist.

There were some minor details that I didn’t like. Kenzie’s sick mother felt like she was added at the last minute to make Kenzie a more sympathetic character, and Hillier demonstrated a complete misunderstanding of the “dark net.” The biggest flaw was that the ending was slightly rushed, a little too “out of nowhere,” and wrapped things up just a tad too neatly. Thankfully the rest of the book was good enough to make up for it.

Absolutely intensely good. Definitely a read-in-one-sitting book.

Every mother's greatest fear is losing their child. I lost mine momentarily in Boston's Logan Airport and I still remember that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

So many good characters, good ending. This would make a fabulous movie.

Little Secrets is about every mother’s worst nightmare...your child (son) is abducted when you turn your back for one minute. After the abduction, we witness the roller-coaster journey the Mother accepts as her new reality including the slow and torturous demise of her life as well as her previously happy marriage. Her will to live takes a hit. This thriller is going to be a hugely successful book when released in April 2020. That thin line between love and hate is always a juicy theme in any novel but author, Jennifer Hillier, has created some thriller magic here. This ARC was gifted to me but the review and my thoughts are my own and without bias. #littlesecrets @minotaur_books @jenniferhillierbooks @stmartinspress #thriller #crazy #reading #books #bookstagram #book #read #bookworm #booklover #bookish #bibliophile #reader #bookaddict #booknerd #bookshelf #novel #booksofinstagram #booklovers #ilovebooks #fiction #lovebooks #bookish #book #bibliophile #lindaleereads2019 @netgalley

Jennifer Hillier has once again knocked it out of the park with a 5 ⭐️ psychological thriller. I devoured her novel Jar of Hearts in one sitting, so I was ecstatic to receive an early e-copy of Little Secrets, courtesy of St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur/NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review.
Marin and Derek Machado are THAT couple. They are gorgeous, rich, successful, and want for nothing in life. They have a young son, Sebastian, who is the center of their world. Days before Christmas, that world is flipped upside down. Marin and Sebastian are out in the market, and in a moment of distraction, a mother’s worst nightmare comes true. Sebastian quietly slips away from Marin and disappears.
More than a year later, Marin is a shell of what her former vibrant self used to be. Wracked with guilt over losing her son, and the torture of not knowing if he is alive or dead, destroys Marin day by day. As a result, Marin and Derek’s relationship suffers. They drift apart, and essentially co-exist in a life that was once perfect.
Marin soon discovers that Derek’s distance from her has an explanation. McKenzie Li, a 24 year old college art student, has managed to steal Marin’s husband away from her and begin an illicit affair. Not wanting to confront Derek with what she knows, Marin keeps her knowledge of the affair a secret, and plots her own revenge against McKenzie—who may or may not have knowledge of what happened that day Sebastian disappeared.
Told from different POV, this novel unfolds at lightning speed in a race to find out what happened to Sebastian, and what McKenzie Li really wants with the Machado family.

Wow, what a ride. While I found a few aspects of the story distracting (lots of side stories and anecdotes), the overall story was engaging. A ton going on and it all fit together in the end. This is the first book I have read by Hillier and I would read another.

This is going to be one of the best reads of 2020. There are so Many twist and turns to this book, you just never know how you can trust. Marin only wanted to find her missing son but she found so much more. Marin's life may seem perfect from the outside 20 years married to the "perfect" man, business owner, beautiful home and child is not all it's cracked up to be. There are tons of problems once you really start to get behind the scenes. As they say never judge a book by the cover. I thought I knew what was going on 50% into the book but when I got to the end I was shocked. I will definitely be recommended this book to everyone. This should be on all TBR list for 2020.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of LITTLE SECRETS by Jennifer Hillier in exchange for my honest review.***

Little Secrets was a great book. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters unique tone of voice. I never felt bored of the storyline and I couldn't wait to continue reading until the end.

Kept me reading... coulnd't stop. Good twist. I did not figure out the end until the very end. A bit too many stories but they all came together. Dont want to give spoilers, but this book was a good read!! Add it to your TBR pile for the Spring!