I Trusted NO ONE in This Book… And I Was Kinda Right (Little Secrets)

This week we’re diving into Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier and… I have QUESTIONS!

We start with every parent’s worst nightmare- a child disappearing in seconds and somehow it only gets MORE chaotic from there. Cheating husbands, stalking, secret apps, emotional breakdowns, and yes… a hitman???

I went in blind, built about 15 different theories, trusted absolutely no one, and changed my mind every five minutes.

By the end… I was right, but also confused.

So tell me…
 did we read the same book? 

https://www.threads.com/@dwrtsbpodcast?xmt=AQF0Fkz9eLEVexsjff3_t2GBl6-AoOmx3XFc_iip9YNQTpM

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello, this is Sadie, and welcome to Did We Read the Same Book? Um, okay, so this week I have started Little Secrets by Jennifer Hiller. I'm about 15% in, I think, like chapter six. And okay, I'm going kind of blind here. I've seen this book before, and it's been on my TBR. I just haven't really looked into like, you know, what it's about or anything. I just keep seeing people recommending it in my thriller book group. So far, I don't know how I feel. I mean, I want to keep reading. Of course, I want to know what's gonna happen, but I'm kind of worried. So I have a toddler, and this book within chapter one, within like the very first scenes playing out, you know, this mom and her four-year-old, they're going Christmas shopping together. She's trying to get all the shopping done as fast as she can and keep an eye on her kid and make sure he's holding you know her hand and bribing him because it's around nap time and he's sleepy, and he's like, Can I have candy, please? And so she is telling him, Okay, if you can be good and like we shop after we're done shopping, then yes, let's we could go to the candy store. I'll get you a lollipop. But you have to listen and you have to be good and stay close to mommy. Then the worst possible thing that could happen, he gets kidnapped. She goes to text her husband back and then lets go of her son's hand for like a few seconds. And then when she is done texting, she starts walking and then realizes wait, I haven't been holding his hand, and I haven't felt him like holding on to me. So then she turns around and he's not there. She starts yelling for her son, you know, screaming his name, being frantic, like looking everywhere, and then you know, people aren't really being helpful in the beginning, they're looking at her like she's crazy. Eventually, she does get help. The police are on it, her husband is there, and yeah, okay. So, that scene specifically, I want to talk about it because I am horrified. I am so sad. Like, I can't imagine. I yeah, I can't imagine. That is like my worst nightmare, and I don't I don't care what people say, I know there's gonna be like backlash on this, but I I bring like a little not like the backpack leash for my daughter, I have the wrist one, so it connects her little wrist to my wrist, and it's um like a little tether, and it keeps us together. And my daughter actually wants me to wear it all the freaking time everywhere we go, even at home. She's like, I just want us to be together, mom. So yeah, so for anybody that's like, that's so rude, they're not animals, like, no, they're not animals, but they are our sacred little people that we have to protect and keep safe at all times. And you know, the world's kind of scary sometimes, especially when you're out in busy, busy, busy areas. Um, we mostly wear it when we go to the airport, and then like if we do like a theme park or you know, just really populated places where things can happen. Yeah. So I just I think about that scenario, and it would devastate me. Okay, so then the book jumps forward from that chapter, uh, 15 months later, and now the mom is trying to cope, she's not doing very well, she's really depressed, right? Like, I get it, I would feel that same way, I'm sure. But she's really depressed, she can't cope, she doesn't really want to be there in the world anymore. But she's holding on to hope that she will find her son. Yeah, so it's a it's kind of a lot to process, and you know, the story just jumps right in there, and there's no chill so far. It's just oh my goodness, one horrible thing after another. So I just ended at the part where she so she hires a personal or no, what is it? You know, an investigator. She she hires somebody to look into it and to constantly look for her son. And then she gets called in and she's thinking the worst case scenario, like, oh my gosh, is she calling me in because he died? Well, no, that wouldn't make sense because why would she send me an email and tell me to meet her at this time? Why wouldn't she just, you know, tell me? So, but no, that is not the news that she gets. The investigator tells her, hey, so while we were looking into some of the, you know, like co-workers and friends and stuff, people you guys are associated with, you and your husband. I found out that he's been cheating on you for the last six months. And she tells her because she's like, you know, when you hired me, you wanted me to be open and honest about everything and not hold back. So I figured you should know this if you didn't already. So now the main character is dealing with that knowledge, and I can, I mean, it makes sense, you know, to me at least. I'm like, okay, I can get that, but like the cheating and sneaking around, yeah, no go, that's bad. But you know, it makes sense because that's that's what happens a lot of times, unfortunately, when people, when couples and families deal with something super big like that and trauma, they have a hard time being cohesive and functioning together because everybody has their own their own problems that they need to deal with. So, okay, that is where I'm at. I know it's Jennifer Hiller, so there's gonna be some sort of crazy twist in this book, and not all is gonna be as it seems. So as of right now, I'm feeling like oop, um maybe the husband uh had something to do with the disappearance of their son, but I I don't know, I feel like that might be too obvious. So I'm like, maybe it's the mom, maybe she's sketchy here, you know what I mean? Like, like we're getting her perspective, but it could be an unreliable character here that we're reading about.

unknown 7:14

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Uh, I think I'm I'm it's too soon. It's too soon to really tell and to call any twist, but I will be back. I'm gonna read some more. I'll fill you guys in a little bit. Okay, so I have read a few more chapters now, and this book is getting, I don't know, I'm gonna say super, super crazy yet, but I'm side-eyeing the main character right now, Marin, because I I can sympathize or empathize with, you know, like she lost her son, and obviously I talked about that, and that's super traumatic. I don't know how I would deal with that. No, I don't want to imagine it, but now she's dealing with that loss and trying to get back to her normal-ish self, and then she's also dealing with her husband's infidelity. Girl is obsessing over this right now, okay? So I'm at the part where she's like stalking the mistress's um social media, and yeah, she downloaded an app where she can track like real like live conversations between her husband and whoever he's you know talking to because they're on the same like phone carrier and phone plans. So she's she's downloaded that app and now she's just like waiting. She's waiting to see the conversation between her husband and his mistress. She went so far as to like visiting the cafe that you know the girl works at, and she like even ordered a latte from her, and she's sitting at this table, literally right there a few feet away from the mistress Barista, a college student, and she has her laptop open, just like going through her Instagram, I think, or social media, I don't think it specifies. She's like looking through her social media right there at the table. I I get it, and I know it's a book, and like you know, it's obviously it's from this character's point of view, so it's easier to kind of put yourself in the her shoes. But my goodness, I for me personally, I'd be like, ugh, I mean, yeah, does that suck? Yes, but I'm one of those people that doesn't really blame the other person, if that makes sense. I know not everybody thinks this way, and then some people do, so but I definitely am like, well, even if the other girl knows, you know, even if she's fully aware that, like, you know, my significant other or whatever is in a relationship, it isn't her responsibility to make me happy. We are strangers, she doesn't know me theoretically, right? Like, if it's a best friend or something, that's completely different. And I know that this is a common thing, people do do it because it's easier to kind of like have an enemy that you don't know than face like reality and then put the blame where it should be, which is your spouse. Like, they're the ones that are doing you dirty here. Anyway, she's gone like full stalker mode right now, so she's stalking this girl and she's like reading all their stuff, and um okay, oh my gosh. So I'm at the I I literally just paused my book to jump on here because yes, I'm talking about the stalker thing, but then she is in contact with her ex her ex-boyfriend still, like they remain friends. I guess they dated when they were younger, and then she found her husband, her husband, David, now while they were on a break, and then left her ex for her current husband. But girl is still talking to him, and it's not like a secret. I I mean it she's saying it's not a secret that her husband knows and that they don't get along, but that he is her emotional support friend now, like he gets it, and she feels so comfortable going to him and talking to him and everything. This book is getting messy, guys. It's getting messy. I'm just like, uh-oh. So she's not as super prim and proper and innocent as I think that she's trying to be portrayed. And you know, she's got a lot of like skeletons in her closet, it seems like. And I'm just waiting, I'm waiting, I'm waiting for the twist. I know there's gonna be one. Uh, right now it's kind of looking like maybe she's super suspicious here. But not all is as it seems. I will I'll be back on. Let me read some more. Let me try to see if I can figure this out. I probably won't, but it's always fun. Okay, so I've barely made it like um that far along. I literally like maybe a chapter from the last time I jumped on here, but okay, Maren and her ex-boyfriend, they did the thing, right? So they did the do, and it was kind of obvious, and you can see it coming, but uh yeah, so that part happened, and he's like, I love you, and she's just kind of like, oof, yeah, I just needed to like feel something, and this, you know, she doesn't say that, but she says it back, and they're kind of like allied right now. So, anyways, she's a little bit of a hypocrite because you know her husband's cheating, and she's super fixated on that and on the girl that he's cheating with, but then she's like doing something similar, she's being sneaky behind his back, too, and she's like stalking this girl. Okay, okay, so then they're like jokingly talking about hiring a hitman to get rid of this mistress. Um, her name is Mackenzie, by the way. So they're trying to get rid of it, so she she's like joking, like, you know, yeah, you know, let's just get rid of her. And then her former boyfriend is what is his name? Sal. So Sal is like, Yes, I know a guy, we can do it. And he's so serious, right? And so Marion's a little taken aback, and she's like, is he serious or not? But then turns out he actually is serious, so she's like, give me the name or give me the guy, and I want to meet up with him. So now they're plotting like a random murder. Crazy. This book is getting so crazy. So that makes me kind of like wonder now who is the real villain here? Because I feel like everybody is a suspect, everybody is a villain, and that's so fun. I like it when the author makes you think about everything, and it's so confusing. So, so far, let me see. We have Marion, um, who is that her name? Sorry, I feel like I messed it up. Um, Marin. So we have her, she's the main character, really, and you know, the mom. I'm side-eyeing her because she's not really the nicest person, even though she seems well put together. She's kind of like all over the place, you know, and yeah. So, but I don't think she would, I don't know why she would get rid of her son, though. So that part doesn't make sense. So maybe she for right now, I'm gonna kind of put her as a non-suspect, you know, like she is suspicious, she's things aren't adding up with her, but I don't know quite yet if I would say she's the one involved in the disappearance of her four-year-old. Uh, then her husband, Derek. We I'm not really getting a whole lot yet. I think it's too early in the book about his character, but so far, you know, he seems a little sketchy. Um, I mean, he's already like putting a lot of blame on his wife for the disappearance of their kid, and he is cheating on her, obviously. And this is not the first time he's done it. Um, and we heard from McKenzie just uh like my last chapter or the last part I just listened to. We heard like from McKenzie's part, the like girlfriend, and so okay, her. I I don't know what her motive would be to get rid of the son, you know what I mean? Like, but she is I she's pretty sure she's a gold digger and like a con artist here. So McKenzie, from her point of view, like she doesn't have money, she owes a lot of debt, she has a mom that she's taking care of, and so she's looking for somebody to kind of like give her money. And she just mentioned, like, you know, it wasn't supposed to have feelings for him, but here we are. So she it seems like she intentionally sought Derek out for his money and became like his mistress, and then now she's starting to feel like, wait a minute, things aren't going how I thought they would. And also, I want to mention too, like something I noticed was that both both of the women in the book, the you know, like McKenzie and Mar Maren, are they both like comparing themselves to each other, you know? They're like, like Maren's like, oh, she's so cute and she's so free and pretty and she has a perfect body and she's tall, you know. And then Marn's looking at her and she's like, Wow, I could never be that. I look so like I look like a dork compared to her, pretty much, you know. She's like, she's a woman and she's well established and successful all on her own, and she looks powerful and expensive and beautiful. So yeah, I it's just crazy how you know things like that work out. Like you always want something that someone else doesn't have, and then just the comparing. So that was interesting to read. I don't know what's going on, I really don't. So I'm like, is Sal a bad guy because he wishes that he had the life with Mar Maren? I think that's her name, Maren. Anyways, so I'm like side-eyeing Sal too, because obviously he's got connections, you know. He's trying to like hook her up with uh Hitman to help her out. He's deeply invested in her and her marriage and everything like that. And it's just kind of like it is it's obsessive and he's staying because he's hopeful that he can have her and they can like run off together and be happy, and then I don't know, creating like drama between her and her husband. I really don't know. At this point, I think it's way too early. My brain is gonna still kind of try to figure things out. I'm sharing what I'm sharing all that with you guys. I uh I mean, I'm sure you've read the book already, and you're probably like, ah, it's so obvious. But for me, I'm still on the ride. I'm in, I'm in for it. I'll let you guys know uh within a few more chapters what my thoughts are. Okay, so I'm in part two now, which is from Mackenzie's point of view instead of Marn's, and we haven't heard back from Marn in um quite a while. I'm I'm more than halfway done now. Um at like 60%, I think. Anyways, okay, a lot has happened since I jumped on here last, but I left off with Marn and her her ex-boyfriend Sal, like hooking up, and then they were jokingly talking about hiring a hitman. So she went through with it. He was not joking, he was super serious, but there was a miscommunication. He was thinking she wanted to kill her husband, Derek, and she was like, No, I want to get rid of I want to get rid of the girlfriend. Like, I want to stay married to my husband. He is the father of my child who is still missing, but this Mackenzie girl has to go, she has got to go. So she talks to the sketchy hitman guy, and then he's like, I mean, I'll know if you're serious if you transfer me the money, which I think was 20k. So he's like, transfer me the money, and then just know that once the money goes through, you can't back out. Like, if you change your mind and you don't want me to go after her anymore, that's fine. Uh, but I'm not giving you the money back, and you're not gonna hear from me at all ever again. So that is the end of part one. Like, really, that is how it ends with Marin. Now we're learning the backstory of Mackenzie and also her present and everything like that. I don't love her. I really I don't like any of the characters, uh, but I like the book. Yeah, none of them are like honest, good people. So McKenzie has been like a sugar baby pretty much since her call, like her, I mean, she's still in college, she's a college student, but pretty much since like her young or her early teens, not early teens, her late teens. So since she was like, I think 18 or something, and she's 24 now. So she talks about a roommate and call me crazy, right? Cause I I'm trying so hard to piece it together. My little brain is on overdrive. It's like just figure it out. What's the plot or what's the plot twist gonna be? Um, so right now I am currently thinking that it might not be a main character. I think it's probably gonna be like a One of the side characters that is involved in the disappearance of the of the kid in the beginning of the book and kind of like screwing with everybody's lives. So I am side-eyeing currently the ex-roommate, McKenzie's ex-roommate. I don't remember her name, but we got like a little bit of background. McKenzie had this roommate, and both of them were kind of being like, you know, these sugar babies. The roommate wasn't dating older men, she was just going after rich men. And then she was telling McKenzie, like, hey, if you're gonna go after married men and everything, at least play the game right, at least get something out of it, you know? So she gives her this advice, and then McKenzie's like, okay, sure, yeah, I'm gonna do that. So she starts doing that, and that's her game, right? So she she is clearly not good with money or saving or investing or doing anything like that because she just never has money, even when she's getting things and money from all these men, right? She's still like, I don't know, not doing anything really productive with it, besides just trying to survive. And that's okay. Okay, so she her and her this roommate are both doing these things and they're you know sharing their experiences, but then they have a fallout because McKenzie's one of McKenzie's, you know, like rich married boyfriends decides like I don't know, like he's not taking their relationship seriously. It hurts McKenzie's feelings. She has, you know, feelings and she has expectations, so it's not really going how she wants or whatever. But then um the wife finds out and then comes to McKenzie's apartment. She doesn't know which girl, she doesn't know what the girl looks like, she just knows, you know, like my husband's been cheating on me with somebody that lives here, and so she blames Mackenzie. But then Mackenzie calls her roommate down and is like, you know, come down here, help me. And she really wants her to help her like shut the door and get the lady out of you know, their door frame. But the the married woman is kind of like looking at the roommate like she's the one because McKenzie's kind of trying to like take the blame off of her, and so she's kind of like hinting, you know, like, I don't know what you're talking about. I my name's not McKenzie, but you know, I live here, so I have a feeling, and I'm probably wrong, I'm probably reaching here, but I have a feeling right now that the roommate like something I have a feeling something happened where like the married woman probably did something to ruin that girl's life, maybe. Um, and then now she's getting like her revenge, you know. She she's like, Mackenzie made me uncomfortable, first of all, in that situation. Then she ruined my life, and now I'm gonna ruin her life, or something like maybe she was involved with Derek at some point, like the roommate was, and then he scorned her, so now she's like, I know what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna ruin his life. Also, oh, so like this is so great that Mackenzie is now dating him. I'm gonna ruin both of their lives. I don't know. You know, you just never know with these psychological books what is really gonna happen. So that is my theory right now. It's crazy and it's bizarre, but it seems like it could work, and maybe that's what's gonna happen. But yeah, I could be completely and totally wrong, and it's probably, you know, one of the main characters. I will come back, I will let you guys know for like the more I read if my theories change or if it you know comes full circle and I actually do have like the real answer. Oh my goodness, yeah. So, right, oh okay, so what else? Mackenzie's spiraling right now because Derek finally cut it off with her. He's like, Yeah, sorry, but I'm done with this, you know. I'm done, and so now she's like freaking out because she really had feelings for Derek now, and she was kind of hoping that he would leave his wife for her. Um, and he's not. He went back to Marin and they're on vacation right now, actually. I literally paused my book, I put it away to jump on here because Mackenzie is drunk and she's lost it. Girl is going to their house right now, to Derek and Marin's house, because she knows they're not there and that they're on vacation, it's empty, and she's gonna go to their house. And I don't know what she plans on doing yet. She literally just arrived, got out of her taxi, and is walking up to the house right now. So I know I say it like you know, she's a real person. Like, as we speak, you guys, she is walking over to the house. I have to check in on her, but you know what I mean. In story world, she is um paused right now, and I'll have to go back to that and see what she does next. All right, I will be back with my updates. Okay, so I am I'm not done with the book yet. I still have some more left. Let me see where I'm at. Sorry, I am about 80% done with the book, I think. Um I left off with McKenzie breaking into the house. That was in part two. I'm in part three now, and so she broke in, she messed with a bunch of um like clothes and shoes, and was like being weird and trying stuff on, and then she leaves the house and she gets kidnapped, right? So we already know that Maren put in that hit order, and so you know, Mackenzie gets kidnapped, and now the the book jumped back to Marin's point of view. She's talking about how like happy her and her husband are, they just got back from a trip together, and their marriage seems to be going a lot better. So I was a little confused because somebody ended up passing away and they and like she went to a funeral and everything, and she had like really big emotions and was in like a lot of grief about it, and I was lost. I was like, wait, who is this? I did not remember um like who these characters were and why we were supposed like why they were so important to the story, anyways. It made sense a little bit as I kept reading. I was like, oh, okay, no, I I I think I remember. So it was like a woman sh from her support group that she's in. So Marin's in she's in like a support group for you know like missing children, and one of the women uh finally got news that her child was found, um, who's like a teenager at this point, and he was he was found from an overdose. So that made more sense once I remembered who these people were, and she was to the funeral, and I don't know, there's just a lot happening, so I am I've had a lot of different predictions on what's happening and who's at fault for what and what the bad guys are and whatever else. At first, I was like kind of leaning a lot towards Derek being involved just because he we haven't heard a lot from him, and so I was expecting there to be like a whole maybe part where we get to like learn about him more and what would be his motivation, but I don't think it's Derek. Uh, I think he's just kind of like a side character that we just don't get to hear too much about, you know, he's just there. I'm leaning a lot towards Sal now. I I just he's a sketchy character through and through, in my opinion. Like he's been kind of sketchy since he was introduced, you know. So since we've known about him, like he's clearly obsessed with Maren, and he loves her, and he's been sticking around for years, for years and years and years. He's just been there, you know, like her little shadow, and he's literally willing to like kill for her, you know. So a whole lot of red flags are happening around this guy. Um, she comes back from her trip, and Marn is like, you know, call off the call off the um hit on the girl. Like, I don't know why I was thinking that, but like leave her alone, it's fine. Let her live her life, and I'm gonna live my life. And so he does, so or at least that's what Sal says. So he does, and she ends up meeting with him, and she's like, Did you do it? Did you tell him not to like go after her? And Sal's like, Yeah, I did. He's clearly irritated, you know, like he's really upset because they like slept together, and he tells her, I feel like you're using me, and you know, you like you don't think about my feelings or how it hurts me, anyways. I don't know. I just feel like it's just a little sketchy that you know he would be sticking around for so long and be willing to do all this stuff for her and have nothing really in return, like how he wants at least. Like, nobody's gonna stick around just to be your friend, you know what I mean? If really they are pining for you and they want to like be with you. So my theory now is that Sal is definitely involved in Mackenzie's kidnapping somehow. Like, I don't think he did tell the guy to cut it off, and I don't know, I don't know what I don't like. I'm trying to figure out what the motive would be to take her. Okay, take the mistress. The cops are gonna look into it. They already, you know, are trying to find the son, so he would look like a potential suspect, and you know, I think so. Maybe sell like kidnap McKenzie to frame Derek, and I don't know why he would take the son though. And I also am trying to figure out like if he did, what did he do with him? And I hope he's alive and well because that would be so freaking tragic and sad. Um, I mean, I know children go missing for like in real life, and this is a book, but just for the book's sake, and you know, just for my reading, enjoyment, my my mind, I'm hoping that the little boy is still alive. And if it is Sal, like that's crazy, that's cuckoo bananas, and what would be like what would be his plan? I'm trying to figure that out too. Like, okay, if he did take the little boy, what would be the end game? So Derek goes away, or they get a divorce or whatever, and then like what he magically finds the little boy. Do you know what I mean? Like, how would that work? So many questions, guys. So many questions unanswered. These are just my theories. I'm not done with the book, I'm almost done with the book. I'm gonna finish it now, actually. So I'm gonna log off. I'm gonna finish it so that way I don't have to keep wondering what the heck is gonna happen, and then I will pop on and let you guys know. You guys probably already do know how it ends, but I'll let you guys know how it actually ends and if I was right and if I was completely wrong. All right. Oh, okay. Oh, so I just finished the book, everybody. I just finished it, and drum roll, please. I I was right, yay. Well, for my last prediction, at least, I I had so many predictions. I know at one point I was like, everyone's a suspect. Um, and then it was like, okay, nobody's a suspect, none of the main characters, at least, it's gotta be a side character. Uh, but my last well, sprinkled in there in the beginning, I was like, okay, Sal. Then my last theory was definitely Sal. And then it was him, it was Sal. Yeah. So literally, like after I recorded the last time, I read a few more chapters, and then it was revealed that it was Sal. So I was like, oh, okay. So if I would have just read like two or three more chapters, I would have known already. But okay. So okay, they did find out he was the one, and then he he kidnapped Mackenzie because I mean it was like a fake kidnapping, so she wasn't really kidnapped for real. He she was in on the plan, so but she was kidnapped and then really made to look like it was it was meant for blackmail, so they were pretty much gonna send they sent a picture of McKinsey tied up and like beaten up to Derek to get money from him. So they wanted more money from him, and they're using it as blackmail. Maren finds out first about McKenzie because she's still tracking the cell phone, and she gets the picture of McKinsey like tied up and everything, and that the person, the blackmailer is asking for money. So Martin's like, oh no. So she eventually confronts Derek and they talk about it, and he's shocked that she knew about this affair the whole time. Then the private investigator comes over to the house and is like, hey, I know who took your son. It was Sal. And so they're like, Okay. I don't know. It turns out Sal took this, the kid, and then had his mother take care of the kid, and that his mom isn't really as sick as they've been like pretending she is. She's actually like in her right mind and she's fine. And so she's just been taking care of this little boy in the wine cellar at the house this whole entire time, and she's been nice to him, she's been taking really good care of him, and she's been telling him, like, you know, your mom's gonna come get you, like, don't worry. You're you know, and trying to make sure that he the kid's, you know, image of his mom is a positive one. And he took the kid, Sebastian, he took Sebastian because he was hoping it would like cause a wedge between Maren and Derek, and then he would, you know, I guess swoop in and they would be together, I think is his plan. But then that also doesn't make sense. I brought this up before, but it's like, okay, how was how would that work though? Like he would just they would find the kid, like the kid saw him, or at least, you know, like yeah, saw him, and then also saw the mother. So it's not like the kid doesn't know who his captives are, like he would know, and then Maren would know how would that work, and why would he think that would work? So okay, so I'm stuck on that. I am stuck on that. I know it's a book, it's not real, and it doesn't have to make any sense, but it just doesn't make any sense. So I'm just like okay, I don't know. Doesn't seem very realistic or plausible to me. Anyhow, a lot of things happen in between. Um, Mackenzie is baffled. She's like, wait a minute, you're kind of crazy here, because she ends up finding out the truth about whatever's happening, and she's kind of like a pawn in all of this, too. And she her feelings are hurt, and she's like, wait, we were friends. So apparently her and Sal have been friends, and they grew up in this same area and they've known each other, and she's dated him before, too, and all of that stuff when they were younger. And she knew him as JR though, and not Sal. So whatever she feels upset that she was a pawn in his big uh plan, and she's disgusted that he's he kidnapped a kid and everything. She eventually does get she goes, runs down to the cellar, and she's with the kid and with the mom for a little. The mom comes back up, the police show up, and they take well, they want to take him away, but he ends up uh dying. So yeah, so Sal is gone, bye-bye. And then we don't get answers because you know, why would we? So no answers after that because he's kaput. I don't know. I don't know how I feel about the ending. Like I I know I predicted it a little, but it's it still doesn't feel really concerned I know it's concluded, but it doesn't feel like a clean conclusion. It just feels very crazy and chaotic and over-the-top silly towards the end. I did like the book. Overall, I thought it was fun, it was a good read. I enjoyed it. I like trying to figure out what the heck was going on and second guessing myself. But whatever. So the end, everybody lives happily ever after. Sebastian's reunited with his mom. They get therapy separately and together. She doesn't divorce Derek, they are still together, even though they're like still kind of drifting apart. So we get, you know, that kind of conclusion with the family. She goes to McKenzie's work and gives McKenzie money. She gives her the 25. No, it's not 25k, it's 250. She gives her 250K and then is just kind of like, you know, you know, do what you want with this. This is the kind of like the blood money I was gonna use, or I did use to get rid of you. The least I can do to have a better conscience is give you the money. So she's like, I don't really care what you do with it, but yeah, after this, you know, carry on with your life. I'll carry on with mine, and good luck out there. Also, your hair looked better when it was pink. So, you know, that's and that was the end. The end. Okay. Well, thank you for listening to my messy thoughts, and I'll see you guys next week. Let me know if we read the same book.