smellslikeunclehugh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
smithz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
5.0
vane_reads95's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure what happened to this one because I love every single Jennifer Hillier book. At first I really thought it would dive into a crime scene regarding her missing song but it doesn't, if not 15-20% of the book is about her missing song. The narrator did such an amazing job toward the end, she used all her mighty power to convince me to feel dragged into the story, feeling the pain of losing a child, I mean so well-done.
The story went into a loop about the same characters and their silly mistakes that turned into a tragic BIG mistake. It took me a while to put the two characters into one with the identity issue going on with JR. Despite how average I found this story, I needed to know more, it's something about the way the author uses her words carefully to put the right emotion in the story.
The story went into a loop about the same characters and their silly mistakes that turned into a tragic BIG mistake. It took me a while to put the two characters into one with the identity issue going on with JR. Despite how average I found this story, I needed to know more, it's something about the way the author uses her words carefully to put the right emotion in the story.
brittany_tellefsen's review against another edition
4.0
This is definitely my favorite Jennifer Hillier so far!
Marin Machado seems to have the perfect life. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, a very successful business man. She has her own successful series of hair salons at which she caters to wealthy and famous clients. Plus, they have they precious four-year-old son, Sebastian.
But on one tragic day, in the middle of a chaotic Pike Place Market, brimming with holiday shoppers, Sebastian is kidnapped.
15-months later, Marin is still struggling to cope. She and her husband barely speak and the FBI is no longer prioritizing her son's case due to a lack of leads. Marin decides to hire a P.I. to find answers (apparently, this woman was first featured in Wonderland, which I have not yet read) but instead of being led to Sebastian, she finds out Derek is cheating on her with a much younger woman.
Desperate to hold on to the little she has left, Marin decides to focus on a problem she can solve. A problem named Kenzie. And she is determined to make it go away... permanently
I enjoyed Little Secrets from start to finish. I found it engaging, compulsively readable, and I was anxious to find answers while reading.
I can't exactly explain why, but this book just worked for me more than the other Hiller books I have read. Possibly because it was so full of complicated, morally grey characters that had complex relationships with one another which I appreciated.
And, as usually Jennifer Hillier is not afraid to dive headfirst into the dark places. She definitely writes dark and messed up people doing dark and messed up things and I am hear for it!
Marin Machado seems to have the perfect life. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, a very successful business man. She has her own successful series of hair salons at which she caters to wealthy and famous clients. Plus, they have they precious four-year-old son, Sebastian.
But on one tragic day, in the middle of a chaotic Pike Place Market, brimming with holiday shoppers, Sebastian is kidnapped.
15-months later, Marin is still struggling to cope. She and her husband barely speak and the FBI is no longer prioritizing her son's case due to a lack of leads. Marin decides to hire a P.I. to find answers (apparently, this woman was first featured in Wonderland, which I have not yet read) but instead of being led to Sebastian, she finds out Derek is cheating on her with a much younger woman.
Desperate to hold on to the little she has left, Marin decides to focus on a problem she can solve. A problem named Kenzie. And she is determined to make it go away... permanently
I enjoyed Little Secrets from start to finish. I found it engaging, compulsively readable, and I was anxious to find answers while reading.
I can't exactly explain why, but this book just worked for me more than the other Hiller books I have read. Possibly because it was so full of complicated, morally grey characters that had complex relationships with one another which I appreciated.
And, as usually Jennifer Hillier is not afraid to dive headfirst into the dark places. She definitely writes dark and messed up people doing dark and messed up things and I am hear for it!
rainbowdrank's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mystery111's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 4 STARS
2020; Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press
As the novel opened with the abduction of Sebastian, I felt for his parents Marin and Derek. How would they cope with such loss and would they find him dead or alive had me invested in the story. As the novel unravels I came to dislike Marin as I could not see why she was fighting for a marriage that she seemed to not want anyway. I tried to see it as a connection to her son, but it felt like it was more of a game of having him. It was a way for Marin to wake up in her life since her son has been missing, but it seemed to only make her more self destructive. Derek is cheating with a younger woman, and all I can do is sigh at his choice of Kenzie. Kenzie is a non descriptive insta "model" that could be on the Bachelor if she had a proper family to show on television. Yet, all of this worked to keep me flipping the pages. It was only after that I really delved into what I had read. As I was listening, I just wanted to know what would happen next. Not many suspense novels do that for me. I was on this train wreck willingly. I rated it a 4 as I don't see myself rereading this one, but can see myself recommending this. The ending is a bit predictable, and not my favourite but there is only so many ways this story could have gone. I am ready for another book by Hillier. I still have to read The Butcher, so stayed tuned for that one.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2020; Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press
As the novel opened with the abduction of Sebastian, I felt for his parents Marin and Derek. How would they cope with such loss and would they find him dead or alive had me invested in the story. As the novel unravels I came to dislike Marin as I could not see why she was fighting for a marriage that she seemed to not want anyway. I tried to see it as a connection to her son, but it felt like it was more of a game of having him. It was a way for Marin to wake up in her life since her son has been missing, but it seemed to only make her more self destructive. Derek is cheating with a younger woman, and all I can do is sigh at his choice of Kenzie. Kenzie is a non descriptive insta "model" that could be on the Bachelor if she had a proper family to show on television. Yet, all of this worked to keep me flipping the pages. It was only after that I really delved into what I had read. As I was listening, I just wanted to know what would happen next. Not many suspense novels do that for me. I was on this train wreck willingly. I rated it a 4 as I don't see myself rereading this one, but can see myself recommending this. The ending is a bit predictable, and not my favourite but there is only so many ways this story could have gone. I am ready for another book by Hillier. I still have to read The Butcher, so stayed tuned for that one.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
denae1234's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75