I can’t stop thinking about this book. It is twisted and full of moments where it made me wonder what would I do...or a holy C*** i did not see that coming! Jennifer Hillier brilliantly blends a suspenseful thriller with a romance all while providing some great life questions regarding friendship, family, neighbors, society and our justice system. Not only is the overall story gripping and the actions dark and shocking, there are some quotations throughout the book that just grabbed my attention and made me just stop.

The story jumps around from when the events took place as teenagers and then to current times and the events taking place that is making everyone reflect on these three being 16. Normally I am not a fan of books jumping from past to present, but in this story it not only works, it helps build to the suspense and the weight of our decisions because each time I was left thinking wait there is more? There is more to the story we still don’t know?!?!

I found this story, the characters and the writing to be captivating and I loved it. Not related to the writing, but another point I wanted to make was how gorgeous the cover is and how much I enjoyed the tie-in/play on with the book title. I was not expecting the Jar of Hearts to be what was discussed or the importance it would have for the main character and her senses...it was quite brilliant and disturbing.

One of the best reads of 2018 for me and I can’t wait to read more from JH! Thank you to NetGalley and Minatour Books for the chance to read the book and share my opinions!

The past has a way of coming back to haunt you, and boy does it ever for Georgina Shaw. Told in five parts with multiple points of view as well as flashbacks, this novel centers on a group of friends from high school: one was murdered, one went to prison, and one is a detective trying to find the truth. This captivating, unsettling thriller has so many of the things I love about this genre, and it was beautifully executed. Prison, secrets, first loves, multiple murders, high school friendships, well-developed characters, and a serial killer. What more do you need? Man oh man. This book had me sucked in from the very beginning and I tore through it! The definitive page turner.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm skipping the star rating on this one as I honestly have absolutely no idea how to rate this book. I was absolutely riveted to the page, but you guys, this is the most disturbing and twisted books I've read in a long time and I'm so conflicted. Reader, beware: if you can think of a topic that might require a trigger warning, this book has it. Horrifying things happen repeatedly. I read the first thirty or so pages before bed one night which was a terrible mistake as I had a hard time sleeping, and yet the book never got less shocking, as I read the last chapters saying "No! No!" to my book OUT LOUD. If you've been feeling the absence of a new Chelsea Cain book in your life, this might be one you'd turn to (though since it's been some time since Cain's books, I'm not sure if hindsight is what is making me think that this book is even more disturbing than hers). I read a ton of thrillers, and I can't remember the last time a book shocked me and legitimately made me squirm more than or even as much as this book- so on that front, bravo.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Jennifer Hiller for the opportunity to read this twisty thriller - I loved it and couldn't put it down which definitely rates it a 5 star book to me.

Georgina (Geo), Angela and Kaiser were best friends in high school. Then after a party, Angela goes missing and her body isn't found until 14 years later. In that time, Geo is an executive at a pharmaceutical company, engaged to the boss. Kaiser is a detective who has continued searching for Angela and her killer. Angela's remains are found near Geo's home and is found to be a victim of the so-called Sweetbay Strangler, Calvin James who was Geo's first love. Kaiser soon arrests Geo for her part in the murder and she is sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Enough said - you really need to read this book! I couldn't put it down and the many twists will keep you guessing. Highly recommended!

4.5 exciting stars to Jar of Hearts!

Jar of Hearts is about three best friends, Angela, Georgina, and Kaiser- one was murdered, one is in prison, and one is searching for answers.

Angela Wong was 16 years old when she went missing, not to be found until 14 years later...

During this time no one ever suspected one of her best friends, Georgina, was involved. But Angela’s remains were found near Georginia’s childhood home, and she has been implicated in some way.

Kaiser is now a police detective, and he discovers that Angela was a victim of Calvin James, a serial killer. It’s not that simple, though. Georgina was involved, obsessively involved, with Calvin at the time of Angela’s death, and she knew what happened to her best friend all this time but said nothing.

And now more bodies have turned up. Whatever really happened is complex and fraught with layers upon layers of secrets.

Jar of Hearts is a well-written, tragic tale of friendship, obsession and murder. There were some graphic scenes that churned my stomach, but the overall pay-off in the form of this compulsively addictive thriller was worth it for me in the end. It was that good. Thriller fans, rejoice! Jennifer Hillier is one to watch!

Thank you to Jennifer Hillier, Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the ARC.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

Gripping thriller told in shifting time periods and different points of view. What really happened to Angela? What role did Geo play and geez- Calvin! This is largely about the after effects of a murder. There are secrets and lies, there are gruesome scenes, there's a serial killer, but most of all there are good characters. I'd not read Hillier before and I was impressed with her writing and her plotting. This is a real page turner than kept me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

In high school, Georgina (aka, Geo), and her best friends, Angela and Kaiser, were inseparable. But then Geo started dating bad-boy Calvin James, Angela went missing, and everything changed. Fourteen years later, Angela’s bones are found buried in a wooded area not far from Geo’s childhood home, and Kaiser—now a cop—arrests Geo for Angela’s death. While Calvin James, aka The Sweetbay Strangler, goes on trial for the murder of four women, including Angela, Geo accepts a plea deal and is sentenced to five years at a correctional facility for her role in the death of her best friend.

After Geo completes her sentence, she has no choice but to return to her childhood home, where her father still lives, while she gets her life in order. And that’s when Calvin escapes prison and the killings begin again. They aren’t exactly the same MO as his previous murders, but Kaiser suspects there is still a connection to Geo and that she knows more about what’s happening than she’s telling him.

With chapters that alternate between past and present, what really happened to Angela is slowly revealed to the reader in this twisted and somewhat graphic thriller. And while I managed to figure out the ending shortly before I finished the book, it still contained some disturbing surprises that make this a very compelling read.

NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books kindly provided me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The novel opens with the sensational trial of a serial killer, Calvin James, the Sweetbay Strangler, accused of murdering four women. Geo Shaw was there at his first murder and is on the witness stand to give evidence in a plea deal that will se her spend five years in jail. Geo was only 16 when she met older, bad boy Calvin and fell under his spell, against the advice of her best friends Kaiser (Kai) Brody and the beautiful and popular Angela Wong. Then Angela disappeared after a high school party, her body not found until 14 years later. Geo had, meanwhile, got on with her life, going to college and becoming a VP at a large pharmaceutical company, until Angela’s body was found and her part in Angela’s disappearance exposed.

After surviving her time in jail, all Geo wants is to make a fresh start. Her old friend Kai, now a police officer, suspects Geo knows more about Calvin and what happened that night. Now similar murders are happening again in the Sweetbay area and Kai wonders if Calvin is back.

Told in the alternating voices of Geo and Kai, this is a dark and gripping tale. The past is gradually revealed as the current events ramp up. Although none of the characters are very likeable they are well drawn and the plot is well paced and very compelling. The twisty ending is a surprise but one that made total sense.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier is a twisted psychological thriller that had me madly figuring out the twists and turns. The story goes back and forth between now and then. Then being when three teenagers were best friends and then one is gone. Now when Geo is back home with her father - fourteen years later. WOW oh WOW oh WOW.

Geo, Kaiser, and Angela were best friends in High School. They hung around with each other and loved each other. Until Calvin came along and hooked up with Geo. She was all about him and slowly drew away from the others. Then Angela went missing and Geo said nothing about what happened - nothing, until she was arrested, because it turns out Calvin is a serial killer. The twists keep coming as more and more is slowly revealed - unknown things - secrets kept.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier was twisted, horrifying, ugly and I could not stop reading. The character of Geo was by far more complex than I expected. Jar of Hearts was a good read.

4.5 stars
I devoured this book. It is just so good! It captured me from the beginning and didn’t let go. This one is dark and twisty and contains some graphic and gruesome scenes. The characters are not always like able but the plot kept me turning pages as quickly as I could. This is one of the better thrillers I have read lately and would highly recommend it. I need to read all the other book’s by Jennifer Hillier because the woman has a twisted mind and I dig it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher and especially Jennifer Hillier for this advanced reader copy

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Brief Summary: A gripping page turner that tells the story of three best friends and one night that changed everything. One friend is dead, one is convicted of assisting with her disappearance and covering her death and the third wonders how everything went so wrong.

Highlights: This book centers on what lengths would a person go to to cover up a terrible mistake. It’s also an interesting take on the concept of karma. The page turning plot that alternates between past and present. The unexpected twists. I finished this book in three days during an incredibly hectic week. When I wasn’t glued to my kindle I was thinking about the characters and trying to figure out what happened. I could certainly relate to Geo and didn’t necessarily consider her the terrible person she did of herself. I also found the prison culture and the cast of characters fascinating. I loved the unlikely relationships that Geo developed both out of need for survival in the prison setting and a desire for friendship.

Explanation of Rating: 4/5 stars! This book was headed for a 5 start rating until the end. It isn’t tied together as nicely as I’d hoped it would be and the reader is left wondering and trying to draw their own conclusions. The author also never tells how the original crime was discovered years later especially she makes a note to point out no one noticed the crime the night it happened.

Psychology Factors: Geo’s depression in the aftermath of the crime, her covering her abusive relationship, her rape; all areas of forensic psychology. Each was accurately portrayed. This is a very realistic example of the perils of an abusive relationship. It is easy to understand how she got so caught up in making the choices that she did.

This is an easy read and perfect to pack into your beach bag this summer! This thriller definitely holds its own among other recent blockbusters. I can see this being a good book club read as well. Fans of Orange is the New Black may also enjoy it.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I loved, loved, loved this book. Think Orange is the New Black meets Everything I Never Told You meets Dexter. The book opens on a trial, with beautiful Geo on the stand. She's cut a deal, accepting some type of guilt for the murder of her best friend fourteen years before and is headed to prison for five years.

Sounds like an end, but it's just the beginning. Hiller masterfully cuts between Geo's life in prison, the perspective of a detective who is too close the case, and flashbacks to high school when it was just Geo and her best friends, Angela and Kaiser.

This book had me from the first page I read all the way to the end. And it's the kind of book I wish I could go back and read for the first time all over again. There are tons of delicious twists and turns as Hiller deliberately peels back each layer of the story. Warning to some readers, there were sensitive topics in the book and some of the descriptions of the crimes were hard to read.

But things are very seldom exactly what they seem and Hiller does an amazing job of changing expectations and artfully spinning a complex but satisfying thriller.

Special thanks to Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced e-galley of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a page turner! It was a story that was dark and grim and kept me wanting to know Geo's secret. The only downfall was that I felt the end was hurried and it got wrapped up to quick.

Jar of Hearts is a phenomenal suspense novel by Jennifer Hillier, the kind that has you wanting to draw out the story as long as possible, and yet you still find yourself unable to keep from tearing through the ending. It’s slow-burning, character-driven, and smartly organized. I loved every moment.

The characters steal the show from page one. Georgina Shaw made the worst mistake of her entire life when she was sixteen years old. A horrible, terrible mistake that ended with the death of her best friend, a mistake that she buries deep down and tries to forget … at least until everything comes crashing down fourteen years later. The storyline is partitioned into five parts: one for each of the five stages of grief. Geo’s layers get stripped away throughout them, revealing a complex, fierce, and flawed character. We see her in the past and the present, at her best and at her worst, and what’s most jarring is how it’s easy to see yourself making the same wrong decisions in her shoes because of how real she’s written.

In addition to Geo’s perspective, we get the perspective of the police officer who’d originally snapped the handcuffs on her wrists … and who just so happened to be Geo’s other best friend from childhood. His role in the narrative is largely to shed light on the current investigation, but I still found myself growing attached to him as he reconnects with Geo in the present and struggles with his own personal demons.

For me, Jar of Hearts is one of those novels that feels so character-driven it’s easy to overlook the carefully placed plot points. While there’s an obvious level of intrigue and thrill underlying the whole novel, I was lulled into a false sense of complacency with the pacing of the plot. The slow burn pays off, though. I loved how the last quarter of the novel picks up, and clues that had barely registered at the start of the novel quickly snap into place for a tense but fulfilling finale.

Jar of Hearts is an emotional roller coaster, and I couldn’t help but let out a long, satisfied exhale after turning the final page. If you’re looking for a character-driven, slow burn of a thriller, I can’t recommend Hillier’s Jar of Hearts highly enough.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier is an excellent story, but a story that almost has two parts, or two sides. There’s the thriller, with gruesome scenes, heart-stopping danger and a lot of secrets and surprises, and then there’s the personality side, the side that makes you think about all these people and what they’ve done and who they’ve become and it makes you shake your head trying to decide where your sympathies lie. I’ve read a few interviews with the author revealing some of her thoughts about this book and the characters, and I was glad to see that I’m not the only one who can’t quite decide whether or not to get on the Geo bandwagon. And all of this is a good thing, because it makes this book impossible to put down and a great, exciting read cover-to-cover. Another review said, “Geo is flawed, but ultimately likable as our main character, and I think we can all see at least a small part of ourselves in her.” Not quite sure about that. And I believe she feels guilty, but how guilty and why? I don’t want to go into a lot of detail in this review, because there are so many secrets and twists and turns I don’t want to introduce any spoilers.

The story opens with Geo being arrested for something horrible beyond words that happened, something she did, in high school, with her receiving a reduced prison sentence in exchange for testifying against her then-boyfriend. Until she was arrested she had moved on with her life very successfully. And when she’s released, although she can’t just pick up where she left off she seems to again be in the state of mind to just get on with her life. What she experienced was unbelievably terrible, but what she did was also unbelievably terrible, so I always stopped just short of feeling full sympathy for her. Along with the page-turning excitement of the story and trying to guess what would happen next, I kept wondering just who Geo was, and if it was okay for her to move on like that. What that a good thing, meaning she deserved a second chance or did it mean that she could just compartmentalize so well that the past was merely the past for her; was it self-justification? Did she deserve to start over, did people forgive her, should they? Did she forgive herself?

Jennifer Hillier tells a compelling story, full of action and suspense, and leaving you with a lot of food for thought. The plot is well-developed and the pace is good. The ending is disturbing, but, again, that’s a good thing. Jar of Hearts is a book you won’t soon forget, and I recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC for my honest review.

This was a great book with an unexpectimg ending! Would definitely recommend! I hope to read more books from this author.

Jar of Hearts took me on a journey that I was not expecting. From teenage love and friendship filled with angst and abuse, to the murder of Geo's best friend, I did not see the ending coming until the very last minute. There were twists and turns, heartbreak, anxiety, and all-around craziness. This book kept me reading until i had devoured every last word. I will be recommending Jar of Hearts to anyone who will listen!

Well, damn, Jennifer Hillier. I see you. I'm paying attention, and I'm ready to read your other books.

This was not at all what I was expecting. Which already makes it tops for me. There are so many layers to be peeled back, so much information to absorb, and it's absolutely fantastic to uncover more and more information the further you go along.

Geo (rhymes with Rio, which was good to know since I pronounced it 'Jo' for 3/4 of the book) and Angela were BFFs in school. Angela was gorgeous and popular, and Geo loved her dearly. Geo also loved her boyfriend Calvin. And then Calvin murdered Angela. And it took 14 years for anyone to figure that out.

We start the story with Geo testifying in court, and going to prison for 5 years. As she's exiting the courtroom, Calvin hands her a piece of paper with two words and a heart written on it. She swallows the paper, and heads to prison.

Kaiser, the police detective who solved Angela's murder, was best friends with both young women. He put both Geo and Calvin away, but he can't stop thinking about his best friend. And when she's released five years later, they have a lot to talk about.

Including her serial killer ex-boyfriend, who maybe kind of sort of escaped from prison. And maybe possibly be coming back for her. No big deal.

The pace of this book is not fast, but it's steady. There's a lot of life to get through, and we bounce from flashbacks to present day, told from both Geo and Kaiser's perspective. Bodies are being found, vandalism is happening, there's some information missing, but what is it?

You might figure out a piece of two, but I don't think you'll figure it all out before the end comes along. So good. so, so good.

And yeah, you will get that ridiculous Christina Perri song stuck in your head. Hillier is even mean enough to use a quote from it at the start of the last chapter. Evil.

This is a story of three high school friends. One ends up dead, another one behind bars, and the other is left to put all the pieces together.

This story is told in five parts, alternating between the perspective of two of the characters – Georgina (Geo) Shaw and Kaiser Brody. Geo is serving time in jail for her part in the murder of Angela Wong, and Kaiser is a detective who is determined to see justice for Angela. Throughout the book these two characters piece together the story of what happened to their childhood best friend, Angela Wong, by alternating the times lines between past and present day.

I had mixed feelings about the main character Geo. There were moments when my heart went out to her, moments when I wanted her to stand up for herself and let her voice be heard, and then there were moments when I began to wonder if she was just a big ol’ con artist.

The last twenty percent of this book was quite intense! It all comes together in a couple of eye-opening moments that I will not soon forget.

This is a dark story of murder, regret, and abuse. It captured my attention from the very first pages and took me on quite a journey.

I've always loved stories where the mistakes you made as a kid or teenager come back to haunt you. Well, this one is pretty haunting in that respect.

Two best friends, one classic bad boy and all the right conditions occur for something horrible and irreversible to happen. What stuck out to me the most was the poetic tragedy of how one bad decision leads to 10 leads to destruction. Angela & Geo are best friends but when Angela disappears, Geo's life changes forever. She has carried the secret of what really happened to Angela for fourteen years and finally comes to terms with the truth and the consequences of that. Unknown to her, it won't end there.

There were so many instances where you could predict what would happen next and although I would normally be annoyed by that, I wasn't here because I was so engrossed with the storyline and fully invested in the characters. I loved the authors style and some of the chances she took with her characters. I've already told all my friends how this is a must read for the beach this summer!