This is a solid thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night. Set in Seattle, the plot line veers back and forth between the story of today (high paid executive testifies in court against high school boyfriend who is serial killer, and then begins prison sentence) and the story of their high school days (trio of friends, one who is murdered, one who goes to prison as an accomplice, and one who is the policeman who investigates). Fair warning, this is not for the faint-hearted as some blood, gore, and violence accompany this telling of a psychopathic murderer who preys on young girls, and adds in small children to the crimes of today. The author throws in numerous red herrings to send you in a variety of directions; it took me awhile to figure it all out, but eventually the clues were all there. My one complaint is that the ending was too saccharine for my taste, too pat, and a bit unrealistic. And I have to say, as a Seattle-ite born and bred, it's annoying to read about a fictitious college - just use one of the colleges that are in the city as there are a plethora of them. Just my two cents.

The creepiness factor is definitely strong in this book- a story of a girl whose high school boyfriend ends up becoming a serial killer. There's also a sliding scale of who is innocent and who is guilty as the author blends current events with flashbacks of what really happened to once BFFs Georgina and Angela. Overall, an interesting, yet disturbing read.

I enjoyed this story. I felt it started a little slowly but it kept me engaged until the end. A few times it was a bit predictable but overall I appreciate the characters and everything they went through, The narrator kept me entertained. I’d read more by this author.

Wow, this was crazy good! Everything you want in a psychological thriller: dark, twisted, creepy, riveting, and so much more. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend!

This ended being an okay read. There was a point that I almost didn't finish it. I would probably read other books by this author.

This book will haunt me for some time to come. A brilliantly put together spine chilling story. Geo ends up in prison when her past catches up with her. Her older boyfriend murdered her best friend when she was at school and she helped to hide the evidence. Now more murders are happening and the police are convinced that Geos ex boyfriend is to blame and is carrying out these crimes to send a message to her. There are a few twists and shocks in the plot. It is scary to think of the crimes that some people commit. One of the interesting questions that comes from this story is, are people born bad or do they become bad? This is an interesting read that I would definitely recommend. I will be looking out for more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is my first book by this author. Loved it!! You will not want to put it down. Highly recommend!

This is an interesting story. Teens who commit a murder and get away with it for many years. Jar of hearts refers to a romantic connection between the two main characters. Story will stay with you for awhile

This is one of those stories that tries to hold just enough back so that it can surprise you with it later, but what it does give you makes it easy to guess those surprises anyway. And hey, that’s ok. I don’t mind guessing the twists beforehand, in fact I kind of like seeing whether I can or not.

What knocked it down a few stars is that none of the characters motivations made any sense to me. It’s hard to get too into it without giving anything away. But it’s a hard sell.

There’s also this extraneous stuff, like Geo in prison, that only serves a very small purpose at the end. To spend more than a few pages on something, I’d have expected a bigger payoff. Maybe it was supposed to be about how she changed, like prison life made her remorseful, but she really hasn’t really changed at all.

Someone more eloquent than me needs to unpack this because I can’t put into words just how much Geo does not make sense to me.

Read all my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com

A mixed cast of characters pushes this book to the finish line as the past murder of Angela Wong and present day murders are all linked together. Calvin James is convicted of murdering his girlfriend, Geo's, best friend Angela Wong in high school as well as other women. Geo moves on with her life to become a competitive and savvy businesswoman engaged to the owner of the company she works for. She is then arrested under new evidence that ties her to Angela's murder. Meanwhile, Calvin escapes from prison. The book is written from different points of view which means you really don't know who is telling the truth or lying. The author does a great job of writing about the past and the present clearly. Secrets of what happened that night are slowly revealed. Geo spends five years in prison yet when she is let out, she finds that her life is still headed downhill. Bodies are found and the police think it is Calvin. The style of the killings, however, is completely different and is in the form of two women and their biological children. This book had a fantastic ending that I did not guess. A big 5 stars to Jennifer Hillier and Jar of Hearts.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jennifer Hillier, and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jar of Hearts is a chilling read, great read. It is a dark thriller-horror book that will have you biting nails and sitting on the edge of your seat. If you need a good psychopath in your life, this is the book for you.

Angela Wong, Kaiser Brody and Georgina Wong: three unlikely characters all connected by friendship and murder. At just 16 years old Angela Wong disappears without a trace. Her best friends Geo (Georgina) and Kaiser are shook by the event. For one of them, life goes on. For the other, something else entirely. 14 years later Angela’s remains are found under a shallow grave near Geo’s childhood home. Kaiser discovers the truth, that she was murdered by Geo’s first love: Calvin James. And Geo had kept a dirty secret for 14 years that lands her in prison. Five years after her release more bodies start turning up making sure that Geo and Calvin’s past doesn’t stay buried. How many lies does a person have to tell to continue with a lie told over a decade ago and how far is a person willing to go to keep that lie hidden?

Jar of Hearts is a riveting story that you won’t be able to put down. Just when you think you know what is going to happen, Jennifer Hillier takes you further into this dark web of lies and secrecy she’s created. “There’s a hero and a villain and sometimes they are the same person.” This statement has never rang more true in a murder mystery/thriller setting. You may think you have all the answers but you don’t!

Jennifer Hillier created a simple world physically; one that’s easy to submerse yourself in, especially if you’re familiar with the Pacific Northwest. While most of what’s she’s created is just that, a creation, it still felt as if it was absolutely a real world within Washington state. That said, the complexity of her characters and emotions is enthralling. I couldn’t help but fall in so deep into the throws of this story that I’m left feeling a little jarred. (Pardon the pun). I need more of what is going on inside of Hillier’s mind…more books to come I can only hope!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. The above are my opinions and do not reflect that of the author, publisher or netgalley.

Once upon a time, a teenage bookworm from New Mexico read The Silence of the Lambs and discovered Hannibal Lector. She was already showing a possibly unhealthy interest in true crime and the revelation that there were fictional books about serial killers was almost more than her already twisted heart could handle. Over the years, she searched for her next Hannibal, never quite finding him but often coming close with Jeff Lindsay's Dexter and Chelsea Cain's Gretchen to name a few. Still, the wish to discover a character as charismatic and terrifying as Hannibal the Cannibal remained unfulfilled. To this day, the bookworm continues her quest. She knows she might not find another Dr. Lector exactly but she feels positive there others who will be memorable in their own ways.

So obviously, I am that bookworm. I wrote that to demonstrate that I can be hard to please with this genre and overly picky. I also wrote it to say that, for me, a fictional serial killer has to have that special something that makes them memorable and allows them to burrow into your brain, giving you nightmares. It sounds silly but they have to have that spark that pops off the pages and makes you shudder. That's what turns a perfectly decent book into a great one.

I didn't get that from this book. I didn't think about the plot or characters after. I did, however, enjoy it. I didn't love it, but I liked it. It was fun and it kept me reading. I think this book will do really well. At no point did I feel bored or anxious to finish. I would have liked to see more fleshed out characters and more emotion in the interactions. Jennifer Hillier will be on my radar and I would absolutely read another one by her as I see lots of potential.

As with many of my reviews, I didn't cover the plot because that can be found in the book's description. I was sent a physical copy of this book from the publisher after getting it on Netgalley. Thanks to both.

If you like twisty and unexpected, this is the book for you! I liked Georgina Shaw...at first. I saw a young girl in love for the first time, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you have teenage girls, that part of the story will read like hair-raising horror. They did the very thing that parents have nightmares about. OMG! And, like parents worst fears, one of them didn’t survive. Georgina knew...and didn’t tell. There was a good reason she didn’t. But it wasn’t what I thought.

Young people make mistakes. I kept saying that as the story progressed. They make bad decisions. Sometimes peer pressure leads them astray. I gave every possible excuse for these girls..for the trouble they walked into. Once again, I was wrong. One of these girls walked into trouble with her eyes wide open...Geo. She was in love with Calvin James and protected him at any cost...including prison. Or was he protecting her?

I fell into this book and had to shake my head to pull myself back out. The last couple of chapters are wicked good. Or...just wicked. Or just good. Heck, You’ll have to decide for yourself! Pick up a copy and be ready for some serious surprises!

Enjoy!



ARC graciously provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.

Angela and Georgia were best friends in high school. When Angela was only sixteen, she disappeared without a trace. It wasn’t until fourteen years later that her body was discovered. That is when the arresting officers showed up at the executive office of her best friend, Georgia. What could possibly lead Georgia and her boyfriend, Calvin, to murder Georgia’s best friend?

Shortly after the identities of Angela’s murderers is known, similar murders are being discovered. Secrets long buried begin to be discovered, revealing hidden truths.

I admit, this one kept me guessing. Ms. Hillier unravels the mystery and the secrets little-by-little, revealing everything in flashbacks, until we come up to the truth behind the present-day murders. The only problem with this storyline is the over-the-top violence. Some of the behaviors of the characters crossed some lines, making it seem a bit far-fetched in spots.

A fascinating and complicated story told over many years about a woman named Geo who is sent to prison after her best friend from high school, Angela, is found buried near her home. The story of what happened that night and why is told pretty slowly. If you like slow burning plots, this book is a good one. Well written, just a bit too slow for my personal tastes. It seemed drawn out for drama and for me it did not really pay out in the end. It was well written though and I thought the story was unique and the characters were portrayed accurately. I did figure out most of it half way through so that might have lead to the feeling it was a slow burn thriller rather than a page turning, edge of your seat one. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read Jar of Hearts before it’s release date on June 12/18 in exchange for an honest review.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump the last few weeks. I'm reading, but nothing is really grabbing my attention. Announcement: that slump has finally ended, thanks to Jar of Hearts (release date: 6/12/18).

Geo was a strong character. The problem with her...predicament, shall we say?...is that, for the rest of your life, you're going to be judged by the worst thing you ever did. Which for a normal person is bad enough...but for people like Geo, and people like Calvin, that fact makes their lives infinitely worse and unquestionably harder. And they have to live with that fact every day for the rest of their lives.

Geo was willing to do it, though. She did her time, got out, kept her head down. And then all around her, things got worse. More murders, copycat murders made even worse by a couple of added flourishes, began to happen. Is it Calvin? It must be...right?

And then that twist, and I gasped aloud when I realized what was going on. I just kept turning the pages. Bedtime came and went, but I wasn't stopping until someone told me what I needed to know - and I needed to know everything. The conclusion was highly satisfactory, all the way around. The book was well paced, well plotted, and executed with perfection. This book got five stars, and I've already downloaded the rest of Hillier's books. I can't wait to get started!

*****5 GLOWING STARS!

I basically went into this book blind. I've always wanted to try that (and what a book to just dive into like that!) I had never read a Jennifer Hillier novel before. I LOVE her writing! I was engrossed in this book right from the start. The whole story just captivated me. It is so gripping, heartbreaking, sad and eerie all in one. It's a dark book. You want to like the characters and sometimes you think you do and then you don't...and it's all ok because the writing and the story is THAT good. I think it's the best book I've read so far this year. It kept me guessing and guessing and the ending was very dramatic. I highly recommend this one. Just go into it blind. I think you won't be disappointed.

Jennifer Hillier is a masterful storyteller. Having previously read Creep and Freak, I was excited to have the opportunity to read this new book. A fast and suspenseful read with a couple punches of "wow" factor made this an enjoyable book! Hilliar has quickly become one of my must-read authors!

Thank you to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#JarOfHearts #NetGalley

Thank you for the opportunity to read the advanced copy of this book , it was a very interesting and chilling story; really held my attention al the way to the end ; this is a new author for me ; hoping to see more from her