Featured Review

            Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. “All the Little Secrets” is scheduled for release on November 17, 2026.

            This book is a sequel to “All the Little Houses” which was published in January 2026. I did not read the first book, but the promo claims the sequel works as a standalone. And to give author May Cobb credit, I never felt like I was lost for not having read the first book.

            I did, however, feel overwhelmed at times, and sat on my couch shaking my head.

            That’s because “All the Little Secrets” is one giant soap opera. And the characters are – with perhaps one or two small exceptions – among the most despicable I’ve ever come across. There was literally no one I could root for or identify with.

            The narrative is written first person in alternating voices from about a half-dozen different characters. Sounds confusing, but it wasn’t. The storyline, and I use that term loosely, is easy to follow. That’s because there isn’t any real story. More specifically, it’s approximately 400 pages of the characters trying to screw (literally and physically) each other.

            In a nutshell, Charleigh is killed at the hands of her own daughter, Nellie, who’s a bit of a psychopath. Nellie frames Luke, who apparently dumped her for Jane. Jackson, who is gay, was Charleigh’s best friend, and he’s mortified over the turn of events. Charleigh’s husband, Alexander, quickly takes up with Abigail (who he already had an affair with) within three weeks of Charleigh’s death, and soon learns Abigail is pregnant with his child. Abigail’s husband, Ethan, who is no stranger when it comes to extramarital affairs, is devastated when Abigail moves in with Alexander. And periodic chapters are narrated by Charleigh’s ghost, who’s watching all this unfold and, somehow, is still in Nellie’s corner.

            As I said, it’s one crazy soap opera, the Epilogue for which (narrated by Charleigh one year later) attempts to pull all the loose ends together but comes up short trying to do so far too quickly. It’s also not an enjoyable read when virtually each character is such a horrible human being.

            Just two stars for “All the Little Secrets.” Based on the ending, there’s a clear pathway into a third installment. I, however, will not be checking it out.