My thanks to Atlantic Books Corvus for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Little Secrets’ by Jennifer Hillier in exchange for an honest review.

“Four minutes. That’s all it took to steal a child.”

Marin is married to the love of her life and they have a four-year old son, Sebastian. She and Derek are well off with Marin owning a chain of posh hair salons that cater to an elite clientele. Then everything falls apart when Sebastian is taken while out with Marin Christmas shopping and she is briefly distracted.

Fifteen months later and Marin is a shadow of her former self. Marin and Derek barely speak to each other anymore. Marin has quietly hired Vanessa Castro, a private investigator, to keep looking for Sebastian now that the police and FBI with no new leads have declared it a cold case.

However, during the course of her investigation Vanessa has discovered that Derek is having an affair with a much younger woman. Marin decides that she’s not about to lose her husband as well as her child. She begins to stalk Derek’s mistress and decides to take drastic steps to remove this threat to her marriage.

This was an excellent domestic noir/psychological thriller and one that I feel is best approached with the minimum of foreknowledge. The novel is told from the points of view of both Marin and Kenzie, Derek’s mistress.

After the shocking opening chapter it settles into a measured pace, slowly developing its characters and building tension before delivering on a smashing, page-turning climax. There were plenty of surprises and twists along the way in this highly engaging novel.

This was my first experience of Jennifer Hellier’s writing and I was very impressed. I certainly plan to explore her other works as well as look out for her future projects.

Definitely recommended.

Jar Of Hearts was one of my top reads of 2018, so I was really looking forward to reading this!
This was an absolute rollercoaster! The opening at the market is every parent's worst nightmare and I think I held my breath throughout the whole scene. We have all been there, even if it was only for a split second and it was very difficult to read.
We then find Marin 16 months later, still trying to recover from what happened and trying to keep together what is left of her life and marriage while still holding on to the hope that Sebastian will be found. When the Police and FBI told her that they couldn't carry on the search, she hired a PI to carry on looking. When she finds some information about her husband, it gives Marin something else to focus on, but she had no idea the lengths it would take her to and the secrets it would uncover.
With lots of twist, turns and revelations this is another brilliant page turner from Jennifer and I can't wait to read what she does next!

This book is a rollercoaster of a ride. It starts with a well to do family whose child goes missing and takes us through the drama and trauma of missing him. Marin cannot come to terms with the disappearance of her only child as she was the one who was with him at the time and does not deal with her life. Her husband, Derek deals with the drama in a different way and meets Kenzie and goes full throttle into an affair. Marin had enlisted the help of a private investigator and finds out about his affair rather than what she hoped which was to find Sebastian. Marin’s friend from college is her rock and the story twists and turns in a shocking way for her. The ending of the story was what I wanted. I really enjoyed this book although the story was very sad in the main but I thought beautifully written

A decent psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages. The mother's grief at the loss of her son was well done, her misery took her down some very dark paths indeed. The characters are somewhat unlikeable and I kind of guessed the villain of the piece, though this didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story, I still wanted to see how it all played out. Best to go into this one blind I think, as the blurb gives rather too much away. 4 stars and would definitely read more from Jennifer Hillier. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advance copy.

I have never read any of Jennifer Hillier's books before but will certainly be looking them up once this review has been posted!

I inhaled this book in one sitting. From the very first chapter I was just captivated and couldn't bear to put this book down. I didn't even try to guess the twist and likely outcome, I was too consumed within the pages.

The character development, narrator and storyline were all brilliant. And that ending; I was just blown away. I didn't know what to expect.

This was an edge-of-the-seat dark and twisted tale full of secrets and lies which gradually become exposed.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Jar of Hearts, I was excited to read this title. Having finished Little Secrets I have now read the blurb on the book and I am very pleased I did not read it before - too much information!!
This is a fascinating tale with so many twists and turns I was constantly surprised at the turns it took. I did not always have sympathy for Marin as she invariably only considered her feelings rather than those of those around her. It is interesting to be reminded that money doesn't always bring you happiness and to note that the sums of money bandied about are beyond the understanding of so many of us.
A very clever portrayal of a very sensitive subject.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Jennifer Hillier/Atlantic Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Right from the first page I was hooked! The pace of the first few chapters was inescapable and although I knew what was going to happen I found I was holding my breath until Bash finally disappeared! The pace eased off a little towards the middle of the story but then gathered momentum again and I found that self isolation was, at that moment in time, pretty good as I needed to reach the conclusion without any interruption. Totally believed in Marin’s character, her emotions, her anger and her reasoning - she came alive and I liked her. I will definitely be looking out for this author again! An excellent story, brilliantly told, I loved every word!

I enjoyed this thriller, it went to far darker places than I expected it to and I really liked that the parent's grief was not sugar coated and that they both did horrible things but understood each other's reasoning for this.

I guessed one of the twists about half way through but was blindsided by the other when revealed and wanted to immediately go back and work out how I hadn't seen it before!

I was a little confused why the blurb gave away so much though as without that I think I would have been even more surprised. Some of the information in the blurb was only revealed in the last 15% of the book which felt like too much of a giveaway.

My first book by this author, one I have heard a lot about, and definitely a reason to keep reading books by Jennifer Hillier in the future.

Hmm... I feel like I'm going to be slightly unpopular with my opinion here of 3 stars.

I'm not sure I have ever seen so many 5 star reviews for a book before, so it's safe to say that I was excited to get a copy. I think all the hype around it may have been its downfall for me. I went in with such high expectations, thinking it would be something different with a mind-blowing twist or shocker of an ending. For me, it was good, most definitely an enjoyable read, but nothing too special.

In some ways, the story did not go at all where I was expecting. I've been really done with books about missing children lately, but the vast majority of the story wasn't focused on this. It very much held my attention as the tension ramped up. However, although I didn't guess the ultimate ending, the main twist was fairly predictable in my opinion.

Last point - surely the blurb should be changed to not give away information that you don't actually get until right at the end of the book... Why would you want your book to be a spoiler for itself?!

Wow wow wow.

Jennifer Hillier's latest novel follows Marin as she experiences the devastating loss of her 4 year old son Sebastian who was kidnapped during an outing.
Then 16 months later she discovers that her husband has been having an affair and embarks on a journey to keep the only family she has left.

This novel takes you through a whole heap of emotions without being action packed. It's a psychological thriller if ever there was one. I'm so glad I read this book

Little four-year-old Sebastian and his mother Marin Machado are shopping in a crowded shopping centre in Seattle, just before Christmas. The air is filled with excitement and anticipation. As Marin drops Sebastian’s hand to respond to a text message, the next two hundred and forty seconds will see the Machado's world fall apart as the unimaginable happens and someone kidnaps their son.

A month after Sebastian went missing, the police and FBI have all but given up hope. While the case will remain open, their resources are now focused on the more recent missing child abductions. Marin hires a private investigator, Vanessa Castro, to continue looking for her son, “She couldn’t live with the thought that nobody was looking for him. Someone always has to be looking.” Marin and her husband, Derek, are both independently wealthy with their own businesses. Their marriage is barely functioning now, as silence and distance have become the norm. Both are struggling in their own way with the horror and pain of the loss.

Marin’s main comfort comes from her best friend and previous college sweetheart Sal Palermo, who has always been there for her and seems to know her best.

“For the past four hundred eighty-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.”

Derek spends considerable time at work but inadvertently his activities cross path with Vanessa’s investigation and she soon discovers that Derek is having an affair with McKenzie Li, a beautiful much younger art student.

Jennifer Hillier creates a wonderful array of characters with a fascinating mix of personalities that help build a twisted plot that is horrifying. Each character brings notable suspicion that they are keeping something hidden, and as the story develops the diverse machinations and hidden secrets start to unfold. The backgrounds to the characters are explored in detail and often I felt this slowed the momentum of the story for no significant benefit.

Hillier cleverly illustrates the damage and lingering despair a parent faces for an abducted child and uses a parent support group to paint the various situations that parents are likely to encounter. There are only three possible scenarios for the children: they remain missing, they’re found safe or they’re found dead.

The pace of the story starts to accelerate towards the end as some atrocious actions are exposed and emotional bonds are forged or shattered. I really appreciated that each main character played a part as the story came to an enthralling end.

I would recommend Little Secrets as a great psychological thriller that is alarming, intriguing and cleverly plotted. I would also like to thank Corvus, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy in return for an honest review.

A page turner of a book that sucks you in, and compels you to read and read and read...great twists, and a very well written...this isn't my normal genre at all, but I was compelled to find the answers!

This is the first book I have read by Jennifer Hillier and I will definitely read more without hesitation. I loved this dark psychological thriller. It instantly drew me in and had plenty of twists and turns to keep me hooked throughout. Would definitely recommend reading this book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Marin and Derek's young son had been kidnapped sixteen months ago. Miran's life falls apart. She has a therapist and goes to support groups. She had also hired a PI to help them find Sebastian. But Derek did not know that she had hired him. But the PI has told Marin that Derek is having an affair. Miran is angry and directs her anger at Kenzie, Derek's mistress.

This ook explores the pain and grief of a mother losing a child. The emotions were raw. The book does start off slowly but sticking with it was a good choice. The plotline is multilayered. None of the characters were likeable but I did feel sorry for Miran. Theres twists and surprises along the way. There were parts that were predictable but that doesn't spoil a book for me. A really e enjoyable read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Atlantic Books and the author Jennifer Hillier for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Marin is devastated
While doing last minute Christmas Shopping she takes her eye off her son in the mall, he is taken, literally vanished into thin air
14 months on there is no news, no leads and no hope
Then Marin finds out her husband is having an affair, she wants revenge, at any price for everything

A mixed story really re a child’s disappearance which is emotive and described in harrowing detail by Marin, including very raw meetings she attends with other parents of missing children and then equally descriptive chapters on the husbands affair, the woman he is having the affair with and how the affair is making everyone ‘feel’
A little too much focus on this tbh and at times I was like ‘ye ye we know you are angry with your hubby, can we get back to finding your son’ BUT in time it does all link together and there is a purpose in it all

An ending that I found quite easy to guess about 75% onwards but still shocking nonetheless

Dark and not overly likeable characters but a very moving look at a Mother’s grief at the horror she is going through and her thought processes turning into pure white anger ultimately turning her into something she never thought she would become

Powerful at times, bit drawn out at others but all in all a worthy read


7/10
4 Stars

Wow, what an amazing book! This is the first one I’ve read by this author but it certainly won’t be the last.
It’s addictive, clever, twisty and will definitely be one of my favourite reads this year.
I’d definitely recommend this one, it’s a fantastic book and worthy of a big fat 5 stars.

Marin has a charmed life. Married to her childhood sweetheart Derek, successful business woman, husband with his own company and finally life was complete when they had Sebastian.

We meet Marin 16 months after the abduction of 4 year old Sebastian. On a christmas shopping trip she let go of his hand for the slightest moment and he was never seen again. Living a life blaming herself and growing further and further apart from Derek, Marin thinks life can't get any worse until she finds out,through the PI she hired to find Sebastian, Derek is having an affair. She couldn't do anything about losing Sebastian but now she has something that she can do something about.

When Marin finds out where Kenzie works things start to take a turn for the worse. With the help of her best friend and "a fixer" she decides Kenzie has to go. But just who is double crossing who and who can be trusted? And what actually happened to Sebastian?

I found this a bit slow to start then boom. Loved it. Such a page turner and so many twists and turns that the slow build up at the beginning was worth it. I was lucky enough to receive and ARC copy through Netgalley and will definitely be recommending it. 5 stars!!

I struggled to connect with Marin unfortunately. Maybe if she hadn't been a 'celebrity hairdresser' by trade I would have found her less annoyingly shallow. Boy that sounds judgemental! But I sometimes wondered if her lifestyle with her rich husband was just a bit too comfy and she wasn't going to give it up.

However I loved this book. Some of it was rather far fetched and I do hate anything based on coincidences, but it was fast paced, tense, exciting, full of twists (that awful word where everything nowadays if full of twists you didn't see coming). Well in this case I didn't. Except it was hard to believe the outcome and who were the villains etc. I can't say I liked Derek very much either. He was obviously very clever to have made such a fortune but he was still a twat. And McKenzie - sometimes I felt sorry for her while at other times I thought what a conniving little bitch.

I read this in two days flat apart from the final bit which I finished this morning as too tired last night to appreciate the ending. It could have all be said and done in probably two thirds of the length of the book but Marin's meeting with other parents of missing children was more than just padding. For me it made the book - and Marin - more real.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to be sent an advanced copy of ‘Little Secrets’, Jennifer Hillier’s new psychological thriller, before its publication date, in an exchange for an honest review. So thank-you NetGalley and Minotaur books !!!

AAAAAND THANK-YOU JENNIFER HILLIER FOR THAT INSANELY ADDICTIVE, NAIL BITINGLY BRILLIANT, EMOTIONALLY WRETCHING, INTENSE AND JUST OUTSTANDING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER. THAT was the fastest I’ve read a book in aaaaaaaaaages. I was completely sucked in from the opening chapter and entirely invested in the story for TWO.WHOLE.DAYS. TWO. The entire book felt like a cinematic experience. And, I nearly cried last night when it all came to an end. Ohmygodimsuchaloser.

Its really hard to pinpoint why I LOVED this book so much, but I’ll give it a go. Little Secrets was a fascinating exploration of the darkest corners of relationships, completely captivating. I felt so many emotions whilst reading it, and when I when I wasn’t reading it, it was taking over all my conscious thoughts. I didn’t want a break from this book, and I.DID.NOT.WANT.TO.BE.DISTURBED.WHILE.READING.THIS.BOOK. a compulsive read. Totally enthralling.

Everything about it was just PERFECT for me.. THE WRITING, PACING, CHARACTERS, ENDING, TWISTS.. there were no eye-roll moments, and absolutely zero plot holes. The main character Mairin is self-destructive, inconsistent but a really lovable, heart-breaking and unique character that I found myself really emotionally invested in and rooting for. And, although I did guess whodunnit towards the end, I wasn’t even disappointed because it was SUCH A REFRESHING READ, and an incredible reminder to WHY I LOVE THIS GENRE SO MUCHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

‘Little Secrets’ is released in the UK on May 7th, that’s just before the first May bank holiday weekend. SO SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY THRILLER LOVERS, IF YOU WANT THE PERFECT BOOK TO LOSE YOURSELF IN OVER A FEW DAYS THEN PLEASE PREORDER THIS BOOK MUFUX !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jennifer Hillier’s other book ‘Creep’ has been in my TBR list for a while, and after reading that masterpiece I will read every single book she has ever wrote and will continue to write forever forevaaa-evvaaa forever-evaaaa

WOW! Read this in two days. Didn’t want to put it down. Would have been one but had things to do 🤦‍♀️ This was awesome, loved it. Was intrigued throughout and the action started at the very beginning and kept you hooked on every page. I was immediately drawn into the depths of the story and hungry to work my way through it.

Hellier takes you on a personal and uncomfortable journey. Retribution, vengeance, lies, deceit, revenge, it’s all in this novel. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

‘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 eighty-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.’

Marin was smart, self made, however she wasn’t quite as smart as she should have been. But how would you react if your son had been kidnapped and you found out that your husband was having an affair, and not for the first time? Naturally you’d turn to your bestest, however a tad short sighted to end up in the sack with him, her bestest was male, Sal, which did surprise me. 🤦‍♀️ Don’t feel that was necessary, but it didn’t detract from the overall essence of the plot. It was fast paced and there was always something turning up and going on to keep you on the edge of your seat.

‘Marin has come to realize that trust is better than love. Love is unpredictable, and love hurts. Trust is reliable, dependable, and solid.’ 🤔😉😳

So many secrets, not that little, twists and turns and you never know who you can trust and who knows who or what. She keeps you guessing until the end and the ending is incredibly powerful.

Hellier is a great writer and the story is well plotted providing a riveting read that you won’t want to put down. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading crime and thrillers.

Most definitely 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

Thank you to the Jennifer Hillier, Netgalley and Atlantic Books for this ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.