A quick, easy and twisty thriller to read that has just the right amount of twists and suspense. I really enjoyed it

I loved the premise of this; the idea of a therapist crossing a boundary with a client particularly caught my eye! I was excited to read this and to see how it would turn out and whether there would be disastrous consequences! I like a book which has uncomfortable moments; the awkwardness of hiding a forbidden relationship, and desire and illicit secrets.

I enjoyed how the relationship developed between Cristina and her client and the atmosphere between them. As the story progressed I liked that some things were held back, we didn’t necessarily know all of Cristina’s feelings and I liked that we could be kept in suspense with the tension mounting. There were unsettling parts which I found very tense to read – I enjoyed those!

Cristina is an interesting character; new to the job of therapist she worries about making mistakes, or her clients not trusting her advice, this allowed for her character to over-step her professional boundary and make a connection with Leon. You need to read the book to find out about Leon!

There were parts where I predicted what was going to happen, but, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment any less and I liked seeing how it all came together in the end, the ending was particularly pleasing.

I whizzed through this book and really enjoyed it, I recommend it for those that enjoy a good psychological thriller.

This was a quick read as it’s a short (less than 300 pages), pacy thriller. The character of Leon is intriguing and I wanted to scream at Cristina at times! You can tell that the author is an experienced psychologist, thank goodness, and the set up of therapy sessions and supervision feels genuine. I enjoyed reading Christina’s inner reflections and commentary on what was happening to her. The ending had just the right amount of twists and came to a satisfying conclusion. Overall I enjoyed this intriguing book and I’m grateful to the publisher for my gifted copy.

Cristina is a therapist, she had a very difficult year, but now she is ready to work again and accept new clients and start living again.
So, when her first new client, Leon, starts his therapy, she will feel connected with his situation; the loose of something they loved and the need to continue with their life. Cristina knows that she is starting to feel too much involved with Leon’s situation but can’t stop seeing him. The main question will be, is Leon telling all the truth to her? Why would he lie?
This is a slow paced story; part of the plot is the story of Cristina and how is she dealing with her feelings. While we start seeing how she crosses the boundaries between client and therapist, even knowing the consequences, she can’t seem to stop doing it.
The book treats some very interesting themes; how the therapists have monthly talks with other therapists as a way to keep control of their work, the reminder that not everyone is grieving the same way and we all should do it in our own pace, without pressures.
It’s not difficult to discover from the first moment that Leon is hiding something from Cristina, but we can’t know for sure what. And Cristina is so overwhelmed with emotions and lust that I don’t think can see how dangerous is Leon and the situation she is involved with.
This is a book easy to read and to get lost between the pages; the story felt real and human.
Are you ready for “Her Little Secret”?

Cristina Hughes has a great life; she loves her work as a therapist, acting in a local amateur dramatics group, and has a wide circle of friends she’s known for most of her life. But there is also sadness; she’s recently lost her father and although she is still a good friend (and sometimes lover) of her ex-husband Davy, she has never found a partner to share her future with…

When Leon contacts her to organise sessions to help him cope with a recent bereavement – the death of his married lover Michelle, who also happens to have been a former client of Cris’s – what starts as a professional relationship soon turns into something more. Cris’s carefully set boundaries between therapist and client begin to blur with her growing attraction to this sophisticated and intelligent man, along with her desire to help him cope with his loss. But as their relationship develops things take a darker turn, with Cris forced to keep more and more secrets from the people close to her. And at the same time she is forced to question – does Leon really want to be with her, or is his grief over the loss of Michelle an all-consuming obsession?

“Her Little Secret” is a great psychological thriller. Author Julia Stone has experience in psychology and psychotherapy herself, and this really shows in the way she understands the complicated emotions Cristina goes through as the story twists and turns. I knew Leon was trouble from the start (!), but the plot really kept me guessing, and the dramatic conclusion kept me turning the pages long after I should have been sound asleep! Although some of Cris’s actions had me longing to shout at her, I also found her a very a likeable and relatable character. The scary thing about this book is seeing how a sensible, intelligent person can be deceived and made to doubt themselves by someone they trust.

3 for neutral, just was too slow for me and was unable to get into it, on the few times I tried. Will update; if able to finish at a later date. As I am quite a moody reader!

This started out a little slow for me as the author set up the beginning of Cristina and Leon's relationship. But once we get into their romantic relationship the pacing does pick up. I also wondered why she put up with his questionable behavior. Every time he did something I found questionable I'd say RED FLAGgirl run! Lol...
And I did not expect that twist. So good.

Cristina is a therapist who recently lost a parent and is getting back into seeing clients. Part of her job is to keep a professional distance. New client Leon is handsome, charming, and he's there to work through his grief. His lover Michelle recently passed away and what he doesn't tell Cristina right away is that Michelle was also her client at some point.

Despite her growing attraction to him, she commits to helping him work through his grief. But Leon is slowly breaking down her professional boundaries and charming her into a relationship. But there are things she notices that bother her. A subtle criticism here, showering with lots of attention to then turn cold.

And when she learns that he's lied to her about a few things to begins to put a little distance between them. And she's left to wondering what else he might be hiding.

This is my first novel by Julia Stone and I really enjoyed it.

We meet the main character Cristina who is a therapist and we meet Leon who is Cristina's new client who has recently lost a loved one. They embark on a relationship and this is where the story line starts running and comes into its own.

This is an amazing read and I found it a really interesting read. The author is actually a psychology and psychotherapy and you can really feel it in this book. The insights into the world of therapists made me keep reading and found it great.

The story between Cristina and Leon is fabulous and intriguing and holds the readers attention, their relationship becomes somewhat sinister and I really felt for Cristina.

A great read for people who love a good and thrilling read. Thanks to NetGalley, Julia Stone and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Ooh this one snuck on me then stunned me brilliantly. Leon and Cristina's relationship is unconventional from the off and similar to Cristina herself, I couldn't quite work out what Leon was up to. As the relationship develops I found myself wanting Cris to listen to her friend/supervisor Claire and back away. Great example of gaslighting as the behaviours creep in. I do feel like I should have worked out that superb twist, and when revealed I was kicking myself. Dark, mysterious, enigmatic.

Explores the complex relationship between a therapist and her client and the subject of transference or so she thought but the client had a hidden agenda he knows what he wants from the sessions but does she. Love how this explores both the professional and personal relationship of the therapist and the challenges she faces, it shows her vulnerability in some of the decisions and thoughts she has. It would have added to the story for me if we could have seen the point of view of the client and his hidden agenda.

Her Little Secret is a very interesting and tense read

I was not sure where the story was going at times and I found it hard to predict twists

Overall a good and entertaining read

His therapist. Their love affair. Her Little Secret.
Cristina knows all about boundaries. As a therapist, it is vital that she keeps her clients at a professional distance.
Enter new client Leon: educated, charming, affluent -- and newly bereaved, following the death of his married lover, Michelle. Cristina soon learns that Leon has an ulterior motive for approaching her: Michelle was one of her clients, and Leon is desperate for her insights into the woman he loved.
Moved by the depth of his feelings, Cristina is drawn to help him through his grief. But as she struggles to ignore her own growing attraction to sophisticated, attentive Leon, her boundaries start to blur and then collapse, and the two embark on their own clandestine love affair.
But why does Leon switch so quickly from charm to criticism, attentiveness to distance? Can anyone truly be as perfect as he paints his beloved Michelle to have been, and what is hidden inside of her off-limits therapy file? Torn between her conscience and curiosity, Cristina is about to discover the truth is far beyond anything she could have imagined...

This is a thrilling read.
I read this in one sitting as I couldn't put it down.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

I wish I could have liked this book more because the premise behind it did sound incredi ky intriguing and very original.... I found the plot to be a bit slow for my taste though and I found myself skipping pages to try and get some forward momentum in the story. The characters aren't too bad and the writing style is good but it just drags..... if you're more patient than me and enjoy a slower pace of book then you will love this

I really loved the premise for this story, rather than the story itself. I felt some of the story did not make sense, did not finish sorry

2.5 Stars

I loved the premise for this book, a therapist having an affair with a patient that happens to be the lover of a former patient...who is dead!? Yes please!

This is a slow burn of a psychological drama and even though there isn't a heck of a lot going on (There is A LOT of internal dialogue) I was sucked in by the writing style. I figured out the big reveal about halfway through but was intrigued enough to keep on reading and the writing style was enjoyable.

I was disappointed that Cristina miss a lot of red flags, I mean she is a therapist so you'd think she has a good take on the human condition. I didn't like that she thought leaving a message would take too long but flying there the next day was okay? The ending fell a little flat and it left me wanting more as there were many unanswered questions. I am wondering if that was done intentionally to lead up to a second installment?

All in all not a bad read and I would check out more from this author.

Cristina is quite settled in life. Shes a therapist and keeps things strictly professional until she meets Leon. Boundaries are crossed as they start an affair together. But things turn sour. I found this quite interesting and was soon turning the pages to find out what happens next. A great cast of characters and a slow burn read. I enjoyed this book.

Her Little Secret had a great synopsis which thrilled me into wanting to give the book a read. A slow paced book, I did find myself disengaging with the lead character as I felt it was dragging and becoming slow winded what her deal was with her client. Towards the end of the book I did have an “omg” moment but it didn’t last very long and I finished the book with more questions than answers.
Thank you Julia Stone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

This was an intriguing premise and set of characters and it did deliver,it just took a long time to get there…but when it did it was as promised,look forward to more from this author

A stupendous thriller showing the readers exactly why it’s a bad idea mixing psychological treatment and a personal relationship. A devious story, in the best possible way!

I have never heard of this author but the story was intriguing and given that it was under the psychological thriller category I was expecting it to be a lot more scary but it was very tame.

The plot line is interesting enough especially given that the field of psychotherapy has a lot of rules and boundaries. Our main character Christina, a licensed therapist has just started practicing again after the loss of her father and she has her first client Leon. It’s a good thing I didn’t read the synopsis beforehand so was surprised by the doorknobber.

I really was interested to know what the mystery to keep reading on. I didn’t feel any chemistry and if they didn’t have anything in common why the allure? It was characteristically believable how she would act like someone with a crush on someone but finding the relationship between the two unbelievable, given the power differential in the therapeutic relationship and then how it shifted once they started seeing each other.

I was hugely disappointed by the end because it left more questions than answers about the linkage between her client and Leon. It doesn’t feel shocking or satisfying since she is the main character. I would have thought the secrecy would have revolved around Christina and her unresolved grief or her marriage. I didn’t feel as her secret was that big of a deal so was not appeased by ending.