Kylie’s Book Nook

Little Secrets  by Jennifer Hillier
“All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret…”

This year is all about thrillers for me and I have to say, this is one of my favorites! Little Secrets is my first Jennifer Hillier novel and I’m thoroughly impressed yet not surprised because so many of my thriller loving friends have recommended her books. Marin is one of my new favorite characters, she’s so real and messy, I literally felt like it could be me going through all of this craziness.

“Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.”

This book has everything I look for in a thriller, I could not stop reading. It was captivating with so many awful things happening. It was emotional but it stayed entertaining and hopeful enough to keep you hooked. Marin was such a boss with this tough attitude and getting in her head, made this book stand out. So twisty, so raw...I cannot wait to read more from Jennifer Hillier, especially Jar of Hearts!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

I was intrigued by this book the minute I saw it for the first time, the title is so clever and the fact that it’s a YA mystery is always a selling point for me! Let me tell you, the hype is definitely real with this one. I loved this book so much.

Synopsis “Everyone in Fairview knows the story."

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.”

This book was brilliant. I enjoyed the detective aspects with lots of thrilling scenes. I loved Pip’s character and her relentless quest for the truth. She teams up with Sal’s brother, Ravi and they make the best team! I was super invested and felt like I was right there in Fairview solving this case with them. There were so many suspects and I thought I had this one figured out about a dozen times, but the twists definitely kept surprising me.

This was another audiobook for me, and I’m so happy I listened to this one. There was a whole cast of narrators complete with cool audio effects for various interviews and it had me totally captivated. I listened to this one in two days. If you are a lover of mysteries/crime novels, you must get your hands on this one.

I can’t wait to pick up the sequel, Good Girl, Bad Blood, for more adventures with Pip!

My name is Kylie Sebert. I'm a native of Spirit Lake and currently living in the literary hub of Portland, Maine! I have Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with an emphasis in fiction, and now hope to begin a novel writing career. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook as @notsotwentysomething. As with most writers, one of my passions is discovering and reading great books. I hope my reviews will spark an excitement for literature in people around the Great Lakes area!