{"id":9996,"date":"2024-02-29T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/?p=9996"},"modified":"2026-09-16T12:33:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T16:33:34","slug":"book-little-lies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-little-lies\/","title":{"rendered":"Little Lies"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"book-1585\" class=\"bdb-book-info\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/book_littlelies.png?fit=250%2C396&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Little Lies\" class=\"alignright\"\/><strong>Title:<\/strong> Little Lies<br \/><strong>Author:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/author\/heather-gudenkauf\/\">Heather Gudenkauf<\/a><br \/><strong>First Published:<\/strong> <span content=\"2014-05-01\">May 1, 2014<\/span><br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/publisher\/mira\/\">MIRA<\/a><br \/><strong>Pages:<\/strong> 77<br \/><strong>Genre:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/genre\/mystery\/\">Mystery<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/genre\/short-stories\/\">Short Stories<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/genre\/thriller\/\">Thriller<\/a><br \/><strong>Format:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/format\/ebook\/\">Ebook<\/a><br \/><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/source\/purchased\/\">Purchased<\/a><br \/><strong>Rating:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/rating\/1\/\"><span class=\"bdb-font-awesome-star-wrap\"><i class=\"fas fa-star\"><\/i><i class=\"far fa-star\"><\/i><i class=\"far fa-star\"><\/i><i class=\"far fa-star\"><\/i><i class=\"far fa-star\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/21484071-little-lies\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/addtogoodreads.png?ssl=1\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\"\/><\/a><br \/><br \/><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong> <p>In this riveting prequel to New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf\u2019s novel Little Mercies, even the smallest lies can have far-reaching consequences.<\/p>\n<p>When a woman\u2019s body is discovered in a local park\u2014with her bewildered four-year-old son sitting beside her\u2014veteran social worker Ellen Moore is called in to assist in the police investigation. Positioned beneath a statue of Leto, the goddess of motherhood, Ellen discovers the crime is remarkably similar to one from a decade past.<\/p>\n<p>Ellen\u2019s professional duty is to protect the child, but she\u2019s not equipped to contend with a killer. As she races to connect the dots, she knows her time is running out. And the stakes are high: if she fails, another mother is sure to make the ultimate sacrifice.<\/p>\n<strong>Get the Book:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3UlFCvn\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a>\r\n<hr \/><\/div>\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/\",\n\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Review\",\n\t\t\t\t\"datePublished\": \"2024-02-29T05:00:00+00:00\",\n\t\t\t\t\"description\": \"Little Lies\",\n\t\t\t\t\"publisher\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Radical Dreamer\"\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\t\"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/pastelgoth.net\\\/blog\\\/book-little-lies\\\/\",\n\t\t\t\t\"itemReviewed\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Book\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Little Lies\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"author\": [\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Heather Gudenkauf\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/pastelgoth.net\\\/blog\\\/book-database\\\/author\\\/heather-gudenkauf\\\/\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t],\n\t\t\t\t\t\"isbn\": \"B00J1ZETMU\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"numberOfPages\": 77,\n\t\t\t\t\t\"publisher\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"MIRA\"\t\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\t\t\"image\": \"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/pastelgoth.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/book_littlelies.png?fit=250%2C396&ssl=1\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"datePublished\": \"2014-05-01T00:00:00+00:00\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.goodreads.com\\\/book\\\/show\\\/21484071-little-lies\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"genre\": \"Mystery\"\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\t\"author\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Jamie\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/pastelgoth.net\\\/blog\\\/\"\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \"reviewRating\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Rating\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"ratingValue\": 1,\n\t\t\t\t\t\"bestRating\": 5\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<h2>Review<\/h2>\n<p>It seems like I either love or hate Gudenkauf&#8217;s work and there is rarely any in-between. She has a reoccurring theme of females investigating crimes and having access to information that they really shouldn&#8217;t and it can either be small enough that it can be forgiven or it can ruin the entire story.<\/p>\n<p>What bothered me the most about this book was how poor a representation Ellen Moore is of a social worker. Just think, if it was you or your own children that were involved in a case, would you want the CPS worker talking to other people idly about it? Carelessly giving personal information out even years after the case has been closed? Of course not. It would go against the code of ethics. A considerable portion of the story involved Ellen discussing a previous case involving a now-grown child to multiple people, some that were involved in the case, and some not. Then there&#8217;s the added bonus that Ellen ends up investigating a murder right along with buddy cop, adding her own opinions and speculations on the case without doing any actual police work. She involves a child from a previous case and it is quite frankly <em>ridiculous<\/em> and a serious violation of the code. I personally found this portrayal of social workers to be incredibly irresponsible.<\/p>\n<p>I also wasn&#8217;t digging the pseudo romance between Ellen and the police officer. Ellen is supposed to be happily married with children, yet keeps going back to how she&#8217;s sure that mister cop is sweet on her, and how awkward it is even though they&#8217;re close friends. I rolled my eyes when she felt guilty not telling her husband about the <em>not date<\/em> at a diner to look at crime scene photos and discuss a case. This extra bit of fluff just made Ellen&#8217;s character more of an annoyance to me.<\/p>\n<p>The plot tries really hard to set up a classic bait and switch in order to throw readers off the trail and make the reveal at the end that much more surprising and exciting, but it was so painfully obvious it just seemed amateurish. A letdown, really, considering how much I love some of Gudenkauf&#8217;s other works\u2014this story felt so shallow in comparison. Taking it as an introduction to the characters in <em>Little Mercies<\/em>, well, I&#8217;m not sure if I&#8217;d want to pick up the full-length novel after reading this and that&#8217;s a shame. Overall, this little novella was disappointing and can easily be skipped.<\/p>\n<h4>Quote<\/h4>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;It\u2019s not that they don\u2019t love their kids \u2013 I know they do \u2013 but something has distracted them; a boyfriend, alcohol, drugs or life has hardened them so that they aren\u2019t capable of expressing that kind of love.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<h4>Content Warnings<\/h4>\n<span class=\"ubb-spoiler\"><a class=\"ubb-view-spoil\">View Spoiler &raquo;<\/a><span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"ubb-thespoil\">Child Neglect <a class=\"ubb-hide-spoil\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer;\">&laquo; Hide Spoiler<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ubb-about-author\">\n<h3>About Heather Gudenkauf<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/author_heathergudenkauf.png?fit=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft ubb-about-author-photo\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/author_heathergudenkauf.png?w=200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/author_heathergudenkauf.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/author_heathergudenkauf.png?resize=75%2C75&amp;ssl=1 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Heather Gudenkauf is the Edgar Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden and Not A Sound.<\/p>\n<p>Heather Gudenkauf graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages and continues to work in education as a Title I Reading Coordinator.<\/p>\n<p>Heather lives in Iowa with her family and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and hiking. She is currently working on her next novel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ubb-author-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/heathergudenkauf.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hgudenkauf\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Twitter<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/heather.gudenkauf\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Facebook<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/2875124.Heather_Gudenkauf\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Goodreads<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3UmbXlD\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Amazon<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/heathergudenkauf\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/hgudenkauf\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Pinterest<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Review It seems like I either love or hate Gudenkauf&#8217;s work and there is rarely any in-between. She has a reoccurring theme of females investigating crimes and having access to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[126,70],"book-author":[325],"book-illustrator":[],"book-series":[],"book-publisher":[],"book-genre":[],"book-source":[],"book-format":[],"class_list":["post-9996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","tag-amateur-sleuth","tag-american-literature","book-author-heather-gudenkauf"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/book_littlelies-header.png?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9996"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34250,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9996\/revisions\/34250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9996"},{"taxonomy":"book-author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-author?post=9996"},{"taxonomy":"book-illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-illustrator?post=9996"},{"taxonomy":"book-series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-series?post=9996"},{"taxonomy":"book-publisher","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-publisher?post=9996"},{"taxonomy":"book-genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-genre?post=9996"},{"taxonomy":"book-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-source?post=9996"},{"taxonomy":"book-format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-format?post=9996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}