I never repeat the blurb. This was a slow burn at first but as the story began to pick up pace and we found out more and more, I was gripped and the second half of the book flew by. The twist was unexpected but once revealed, everything just fell into place. Loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.
I have a number of issues with this book. The first was that there were a number of 1's and 0s (One as a number and zero ditto) throughout the text- typically 3-4 per page and disjointed and broken sentences. I'm not including spelling or grammar issues which I accept will be rectified in the final version.
I just could not sympathise in any way with Marin/Mar?? or was it meant to be Marion? the lead character. Mar/Marin, her husband and his mistress were all highly objectionable people with very shallow personalities. Mar/Marin loses her son on a shopping expedition because she is far too busy texting and not looking after her son. The son then goes on the back burner again when after employing a private detective to find her son she becomes more concerned with the fact that her husband is having an affair. Continuing to be self obsessed Mar/Marin blunders from trying to get someone killed, sleeping with an old flame and keeping tabs on her errant husband. The ending was unbelievable..


Resent as I got an error message

This is my first book that I have read by this author, but it will not be my last. As a real fan of this genre I have been fortunate to give numerous reviews on NetGalley in exchange for the opportunity to read the book for free and I can honestly say that is one of the best books I have ever read. Will definitely not disappoint.

Terrific read, excellent characters and a great plot. Very descriptive so you feel you are in the house, the support group, hotel room, the Maserati even. You love them , you hate them , you understand how and why but would you? A real page turner.

Wow. This is the best book I have read for a long time. Genuine twists and turns that had me thinking one way then another. Marin and Derek had their son kidnapped over a year ago. Their marriage is in an unhappy place, Derek is having an affair and Marin is barely coping. Their affluent lifestyle cannot compensate for their missing son. At least Marin has her best friend Sal, to keep her sane. Although he loves her, which isn't reciprocated, he gives her the mental strength to carry on with life. Marin hires a private investigator and learns about Derek's affair. She becomes a little unhinged and makes rash decisions. Soon she learns that she isn't the only one with secrets....

And that’s how it’s done! I read so many psychological thrillers but this one really stood out for me as the intrigue and tension are full-on throughout. From the heart-stopping opening scene when “all it takes is a lollipop, a Santa suit and 4 minutes” for someone to lure away Marin’s 4 year old son, through the revelations and twists that follow, I was consumed by the story. The characters are flawed and fascinating. Marin and Derek make terrible decisions, the potential consequences of which can be seen looming which makes for a terrific read. Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a review copy

There are many books out there telling stories about abducted children. But what Jennifer Hillier does here is on a completely different level. This book is just perfection.

Sixteen months ago Marin had it all. Married to a handsome self-made millionaire whom she also is still in love with, three successful hair saloons where she styles the rich and the famous and –most important- an adorable son. She has friends, money, love. Then the unthinkable happens. On a visit to a Christmas market she let the hand of her four year old son Sebastian slip for a moment to answer to a text from her husband. When she looks up Sebastian is gone. Surveillance cameras show that he was abducted from a man in a Santa Claus costume. But the police could not find him and the case went cold.

Marin’s life fell apart. She still has her saloons but she fell into a deep hole, even tried to kill herself. Her marriage fell apart and she and Derek are hardly speaking. Without his knowledge she hired a private investigator. One day the PI has something for her. She discovered that Derek has an affair with a young woman. Marin is not willing to let the last of her family, Derek, go away. So she is determined to keep him by her side and not lose him to another woman. Her best friend, who was also once her boyfriend before she met Derek, has an idea how to handle this.

I read a lot of books about missing or murdered children. I almost did not want to read “Little Secrets” because of that topic. Those stories are beginning to stress me out. Finally I decided to read it because of the author. I loved Hillier’s “Jar of Hearts” and I wanted to read another book from her. And I am glad I did. Hillier handles this story just perfect. At first I could not connect to Marin. To be honest, I never could but that was not a problem. Her character is so real, so full of human flaws. And her grieve and guilt is raw and honest. I just loved how the author created all of the characters. They are all not very nice but feel so real, so honest. The story itself is centered on the missing child but it is also going in a totally different direction and it is full of twists and turns. Every character, even small ones, have a distinctive voice and I could easily see them before my eyes and remember them even when they don’t turn up for many pages. Sometimes in a book I have problems to remember minor characters but that was not the case in this book.

Jennifer Hillier has a real talent to tell a twisted and complex story. I am also stunned how she described the deep and dark emotions people have when they go through unbearable times. She manages to sell me this story although it has some unrealistic elements which I would have maybe criticized in another book. But here it was just perfectly told and mastered and it all felt real and believable.

OMG I loved this book! I didn’t think Jennifer Hillier could top “Jar of Hearts” which was my favourite of her books so far but Little Secrets is just as good if not better in my opinion! Dark, sometimes distressing and twistier than spaghetti playing Twister, I devoured this book within a couple of hours! If you want a book full of unlikeable characters who all seem to have hidden agendas who keep making you shout at them because they are doing something they SHOULD NOT BE DOING then Little Secrets is one for you! Talk about a “blood pressure raiser”…

The opening scenes where Marin is out shopping with her young son, Sebastian, are ones that every single mother will be able to relate to. In a busy shop, Marin let’s go of her sons hand but just a few minutes but it’s long enough for her to lose sight of him and for him to disappear into the crowds. Now, over a year later, Marin still has no idea what happened to her son that fateful day. I did feel so sorry for Marin and her husband Derek as they suffered following their child’s disappearance. Both seemed to be handling things very differently though!! It was hard to take to them due to the way they were handling it but I suppose no one has a right to judge unless they have also worked in this pairs shoes (Laboutins no less for Marin!) I think their money and celebrity status added a different dimension to the story as automatically I felt they were less sympathetic because of it. And this became even more of a realisation when Marin hears from the PI she has engaged to keep looking for Sebastian when all avenues of formal investigation have been explored. She reports back to Marin that her husband is having an affair with a much younger woman. This meant I lost even more sympathy for Derek especially after reading texts he was sending to his young lover. Marin then became obsessed with his affair, seeking out the young woman and eventually making a decision that really didn’t help the situation! And that made me lose even more respect for her character! Honestly what were these two doing? But then I began to see their self destruction for what it was and knowing the figures for how many relationships fall apart after a child goes missing, I began to understand them a little more…not that I agreed with the routes they were taking! And any sympathy I felt for Kenzie, the younger “other woman” ebbed and flowed with the tide of anger that started to grip me as I watched this group of self entitled characters self destruct.

Jennifer Hillier has created a dark, twisty game where no one appears to win. I was gripped, heavily invested in finding out what happened to Sebastian whilst watching the adults who should have known better play with other people’s lives. This is a compelling psychological thriller from start to finish and it will certainly grab you, dragging you down into Marin’s personal hell alongside her. Cunningly crafted and expertly executed, get yourself a copy of Little Secrets and hide yourself away as once you start you will not be letting go for anyone or anything! Highly recommended!

I haven’t read anything else by Hillier but I probably will now as I really enjoyed this. I hate when a thriller has really obvious twists but this didn’t at all. I suspected things but dismissed them, and only some turned out to be anywhere near the truth. Hillier’s writing is also good, which isn’t always the case in this genre.

My first Jennifer Hillier book but I doubt that it will be my last.
An engaging read with a very apt title as everyone seemed to have a secret somewhere in their lives. The book was well written and the characters came to life on the page. I did not anticipate the twist which is always a bonus for me.
It didn't progress how I expected from reading the description beforehand and was all the better for that.

Well written and kept me gripped from beginning to end. A very sad start when a child goes missing and the story builds up nicely.

I enjoyed this book immensely - I found the several strands running through it really well written and thought they came together very well for the ending. It started out as a missing child book and then moved slightly in another direction and then it all came back round again - very cleverly written, i thought. Recommended.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about Marin, a rich successful hairdresser. Just before Christmas she is out with her son Sebastian. Whilst in a bookshop she lets go of her sons hand to answer a text from her husband Derek, in the couple of minutes it takes he is gone. One year later and there is no progress and Marin hires a PI to find him. In the course of the investigation she finds that her husband is having an affair with a 24 year old called McKenzie.

This book really drew me in.I was a little worried going into this book because I read Jar Of Hearts first and although I liked it, I didn’t love it like everyone else seemed to. This book was a real page turner and I really couldn’t read it fast enough. The story is told from two different points of view, Marin’s and McKenzie’s. I much preferred reading from Marin’s point of view than McKenzie’s. I was annoyed with myself for not working out the twists before they came and I was really satisfied with the ending.

I haven’t read any books by this author before. It was a really well paced thriller and was gripping throughout.
Despite Marin’s obvious pain there was just something cold about her that I couldn’t get past and as it was written from her and Kenzie’s perspectives I felt that Derek’s character was a bit 2 dimensional. It was an excellent page turner though and I would definitely recommend it to my friends.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

Wow! What a book! This story starts off in one direction and then it keeps flitting in different ways to an epic ending which I really didn't see coming! Jennifer Hillier has absolutely excelled herself with this book and it was an absolute pleasure to be lucky enough to get an early read during Lockdown!

Written with great emotional depth. Marin, Derek and Bash have it all until, one split second and their lives fall apart. Discovering Derek is having an affair, FBI are no longer able to help who can Marin rely on - her best friend from college????

This is such a good read. Well paced and with lots of twists and turns.
It's heartrending as it begins with the abduction of a little boy at Christmas and it was, for me, an emotional rollercoaster of a read.

The book takes us through the emotional impact of the loss on the little boy's (Sebastian) parents and the storyline of Marin (the mother) and Derek (the father) kept me hooked throughout.

All of the characters are well written and I really cared about them and Marin's reaction to her husband's affair is riveting. I loved the involvement of the PI and although I wasn't massively shocked by the end twist, this author is so good, it's definitely worth a read.

I enjoyed Jar of Hearts, also by this author and this doesn't disappoint.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping book

every parents worst nightmare their child abducted

this is what happened to marin and derek whilst out shopping just before christmas

over a year later there is still no signs of their son sebastian...

but marin has an private detective looking for any signs of him with instructions to look into her work colleagues and her husband colleagues....and she has news....

oh my word this book is challenging to read as it deals with all sorts of issues but also its a fast read and one that you cant put down...

brilliantly written and you feel for everyone cant recommend this author enough...only my second book by this author but already she is on my list of authors to go to when a new book is out

I got caught hard in this book!” When your everyday turns into a nightmare” could be the subtitle of this book. Gut punching writing, emotional deep diving and unexpected twists , this book has it all.

5 stars

This was a great read.

It grips you from the start and doesn't let go till the end such a great story about a missing child but all is not what it seems. I recommend going in blind don't read the reviews.
Great characters and very well written this is a must read for fans of psychological thrillers.