This book had me on the edge of my seat! There were moments when I just thought, “ Wait, did I just read that?” Geo’s story was one I couldnt wait to unravel, though I have to admit, I kinda guessed the twist. Loved it anyways. Definitely interested in other titles by this author, this book was wonderful.

Jennifer Hillier has a new biggest fan. This is the first book I have read by this author and I am blown away with how well written and developed this book is. It has a great plot, excellent dialogue, and the twists never stop coming. I can compare it to a roller coaster in the dark, you just don't know when the next twist and turn is coming.This fast paced thriller is easy to read but not for the faint of heart. This book is told in the third person POV following Georgina as she recounts the horror that led her to spending 5 years in prison and an eternity in her own punishment for her involvement. When Geo is released with her life in shambles and bodies start turning up around her home, she realizes the past is catching up to her. This book culminates to an unexpected ending guaranteed to leave you wanting more.

Extremely well written. I can't wait to pick up her next book. Way to go Jennifer Hillier. I HIGHLY recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley for introducing me to my new favorite author.

I really enjoyed Jennifer Hillier's new thriller Jar or Hearts, in fact once I started reading it I couldn't put it down! Mrs. Hillier does an excellent job of keeping her reader guessing while giving them just enough juicy details to keep them on the edge of their seat. I really enjoyed uncovering Georgina (Geo) Shaw's story, even if I did not always like her as a person. I think the love triangle between her, Calvin and Kaiser both in the past and present added an extra interesting layer to the story. Readers who love suspenseful twisted thrillers need to pick up this book immediately! I am definitely going to seek out more of Mrs. Hillier's work.

This book is compelling. If you permit it, you will experience a huge range of mixed emotions; liking people who commit unspeakable acts, disliking the actions of the upright. It's a good reminder that you never do know what goes on inside another's life. Not really.

Red, cinnamon heart-shaped candy was Geo's (Georgina) boyfriend's favorite candy, and she'll never forget the smell of his breath on top of her the night her best friend went missing. Calvin made Geo feel alive and she would do anything for his approval, but after that night he disappeared too. Now it's fourteen years later, Geo's a successful executive at a pharmaceutical company, engaged to be married and perched on the precipice of "happily ever after". However, her world's about to turn upside down. Her best friend from high school who went missing all those years ago has been found. Her bones, that is, and terrible secrets are about to come to light.

Fantastic thriller that will keep you enthralled to the very end. Highly recommended!

What a a great shift from the killer to the damaged. This multifaceted storyline hooked me good a reminded me of how we can treat each other in some bad ways. Very different story and Geo is very, very surprising!

Keep reading to the end, or else you will miss out the best part of this story.

"We see what we want to see."

Geo (Georgina Shaw) lives in what people think as a dream life. She is only 30, pretty (but not gorgeous type), an executive at ShippPharmaceuticals, and a fiancee to the heir of the company. But she has kept her dark past secret for years. Maybe for too long. You know telling the truth is harder than lying. She has lost her opportunities to open up and reveal what actually had happened on the tragic day a long, long, time ago when she was still 16…..

Or was it the reason why she has kept her secret for so long? Has she been involved in the murder of her then best friend Angela Wong? If so, how much has she been involved?

Geo gets arrested in the middle of a meeting and sentenced 5 years in prison at the same time her ex-boyfriend, Calvin James, known as Sweetbay Strangler, awaits his trial of the murder of Angela and 3 other women. 5 years in prison is hard to survive, literally. But which place is truly safer for her, inside prison or outside?

Right before the date of her release, bodies were discovered near Angela’s deceased body was found. The way those victims were killed and disposed of were also identical to Angela’s case. Is this a welcome back sign from Calvin who has escaped from the prison and still at large??

Truthfully, I didn’t know if I would like the story in the beginning. Nothing really grasped me, and I almost stopped reading around the page where Geo got befriend with another inmate who’s nickname is Mammoth. Some part of the description of what Mammoth has done to Geo grossed me out so much, I would have stopped reading there if I didn’t have to write a review for this book. I also guessed the story would be similar to the TV show Orange is the New Black, and I lost interest. Don’t get me wrong. I really liked the TV show, but I wouldn’t read it (It is not the type of a genre I like to read). Well, having said that I am glad I didn’t stop reading there. This story is not about how she spent her time in prison. The story suddenly becomes intriguing after she was released from the prison.

Although this book is a thriller, I enjoyed the love story essence of it. It was alluring to read about how the relationship between Geo the prisoner and her ex-best friend the detective grow over time. Also, the relationship Geo had with Calvin when she was a teen is toxic but convincible. I think anyone can relate the feeling of head over heels in love with someone.

But the best of the best part of this book comes at the last 1/4 of this story. You will be astonished to find out what has been going on and happening around Geo all along. I didn’t see this possibility coming. One of the biggest twists I have ever read, Ever. And I promise there will be one last chilling truth awaiting for you at the very very end of the story.

Who is the true lunatic? It’s for you to find out.



I rate this book 4.5 stars based on the rating below.

(1 star: couldn’t finish, 2 stars: made myself finish it, 3 stars: I liked it💕, 4 stars: I loved it💕💕, 5 stars: loved enough to reread it!!)

Well-written, compelling read. Intricate relationships and characters. A very interesting observation of teens, friendships, abusive relationships in the world most of us think of as protected and insulated. There are no neighborhoods with magic shields against human evil.

"Lying was easy. Telling the truth however, was impossible."
This book will have you up all night to find out whose telling the truth and who isn't.
Who is killing people and chopping them up into pieces and then burying them and why? What is the connection?
It's an action packed novel! I had no clue as to the ending ,until the last few pages of the novel and I can't believe the ending!
I will tell you this- Be prepared to not sleep, eat or move until you read every bit of this thriller!

I read this in one sitting, I just had to know what happened. The book bounced back and forth between memories and present day, and I thought it did a great job teasing out the complexity in teen friendships and relationships and exploring the grey area of decisions under pressure. I liked that the main character wasn't an entirely good person, that she still had dark secrets. I found some of the ending to be predictable, but I still liked how it was handled.

I have liked every one of Jennifer Hillier's books, but this one is by far my favorite. This is a psychological thriler at it's finest. Held my attention from page 1 and never let up. Keep em coming Ms. Hillier!!

The Book Blurb tells you a good overview. But the devil is in the details and there is more than one devil in this thriller!

Geo is secretly relieved when the police come for her in her shining office tower. Rich, respected and engaged to the head of the company. She has built her life on the events of that fateful night with Angela and Calvin but she never forgot. She knew the day would come when she would have to answer for her part in her friend's death.

And she did. Kind of. But when she returns to her hometown not everyone is happy to see her. And then the bodies start coming. And all she can think is Calvin is back. But she is so wrong and so was I! 

This was a don't stop reading until it's over book. Brilliantly twisted and the plot twists just kept coming!  I will definitely be in line for the next book from this author!

NetGalley/ June 12th 2018 by Minotaur Books

This was captivating and an easy entertaining read. It seemed to lag a bit in the middle and then the end was way rushed. Enough that I thought some important details were overlooked. How was Geo able to continue with her life after killing her son and his father? No explanation that she was free because of self defense. Would have been a 5 star book had the ending wrapped up a bit more realistically.

A very compelling read. I lost sleep because I could not put this one down.

I saw the twist coming about 2/3 in, but it didn't change how well done the whole story was.

2 Out Of 5 "for the levels of ick" STARS

In the beginning, I was enjoying this well enough, despite the many, and I mean many, typo's. I really hope they clean this up before they publish it because at times I was so frustrated with just how many extra words/missing words there were, that I thought about not finishing. Add to that, the unlikable characters, and the not unforeseen twist at the end…and this was shaping up to be a very mediocre read.

I felt some elements of the story only bogged it down, like most of the prison chapters and I also felt like many scenarios would have never played out the way they did. I don't know, ultimately…this just didn't sit well with me.

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~MY RATING~
☆2☆STARS - GRADE=D
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~~~~~~~~~~~~๏~~~~~~~~~~~~
~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~
~~~~~~~~~~~~๏~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot~ 2.5/5
Main Characters~ 2/5
Secondary Characters~ 3/5
The Feels~ 2/5
Pacing~ 2/5
Addictiveness~ 2.5/5
Theme or Tone~ 1/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 1.5/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 3/5
Originality~ 2/5
Ending~ 1.5/5 Cliffhanger~ Nope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~๏~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Cover~ The only pretty thing about this book is its cover.
Publisher~ St. Martins Press -Minotaur Books
Setting~ Sweetbay, Washington
Source~ I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~๏~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Georgina "Geo" is a 30 year old who seems to live an idyllic life. She's a rising executive engaged to married when her past comes back to haunt her. While she was in a meeting her former highschool friend, now a policeman, comes in to her work to arrest her for the 14 year old murder of her best friend.

This story is told in flashbacks mixed with current time, going back and forth.

The writer touched on the trial and conviction of Geo, then we follow Geo's 5 year stint in prison where she made a good friend, Cat who is dying of cancer (of course).

Georgina gets out of prison and the only place she can go is home to live with her father who is a respected doctor in their town.

Through the predictable harassment after release from prison, graffiti on the garage door, not being able to find a job, neighbors shunning her, we're told a little more about the murder of her friend. While Geo tries to pick up the pieces of her life, bodies of murdered women and children start to stack up. At first the murders don't seam related to Geo, but they are.

Georgina has one friend, Kaiser who was the officer who arrested her and they pick up where they left off 14 years earlier i e., he's in love with her, she's isnt in love with him.

There was so much in this story... too much as if the writer was getting paid by the word.

From her love affair with Calvin that she hid from her father, (she was 16 while Calvin was 21), the trial, prison sentence, years old unsolved murder, 3 rapes and an additional attempted rape and then the new murders.

The writer did wrap everything up by the end of the book...what Geo's role in the murder of her best friend really was, who was killing the women and children and why.

This is a typical story of teenagers doing bad things...the kind of story we see on shows like Investigation Discovery ID and the consequences thereof.

This had potential to be a page turner, it was easy reading, but it just fell flat with all the unlikable characters who seemed to be one dimensional with a tired and predictable story line.

I appreciate netgalley allowing me to read this book.

**5 Goodreads Stars**

"The past is always with you, whether you choose to think about it or not, whether you take responsibility for it or not. You carry the past with you because it transforms you. You can try to bury it and pretend it never happened, but that doesn't work."

"Because buried things can, and do, come back."

Jennifer Hillier's Jar of Hearts is a twisted, heart-pounding thriller that examines the life-long consequences of a crime a teenage girl, Geo, commits out of fear and misguided love.

The book is written from the perspectives of Geo and Kaiser, a young boy who was Geo's good friend now turned cop. Geo's best friend in high school, Angela, went missing after attending a party with Geo and Kaiser. Geo and Kaiser were always the second and third wheels to Angela, who was stunningly beautiful and the envy of her entire high school. Fingers were pointed at numerous suspects, including many of the teenagers at the party, but Angela's case remained cold until her body surfaces 14 years later.

When Angela's remains are found, Geo is accused and found guilty of killing and dismembering Angela. Friends, family, and coworkers are shocked at the trial's accusations and revelations. From all appearances, Geo was a successful, compassionate, and charitable CEO of a high-profile company in Seattle. According to the court, Geo assisted her much older boyfriend, Calvin, in the horrific crime when she was 16 years old. Calvin is accused of additional murders and is painted as a serial killer involved in other gruesome murders. Geo is sent to prison where she is forced to atone for her sins. There, she is the picture of a perfect inmate (if there is such a thing).

How, one wonders, could the seemingly put-together and kind Geo also be a hardened killer who took the life of her very best friend?

The book's timeline shifts between the past and present, giving a picture of the events leading up to Angela's death and the motivations behind Geo, Kaiser, and Calvin. The tension builds with each turn of the page, offering clues as to what happened that fateful night Angela was killed and how someone who had been a fastidious friend could be a part of her friend's untimely death. The book raises some difficult questions. For example, how long must one pay for a terrible crime they committed out of fear? How can someone be both a loyal friend and a killer?

If you enjoy character-driven thrillers with sensible twists and turns, Jar of Hearts is definitely for you. This was such a quick, exciting read for me, and I hope that Jennifer Hillier enjoys much success when the book is published this summer! Thank you to the author, Jennifer Hillier, the publisher, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of Jar of Hearts and some candy hearts to go with it :) Jar of Hearts will be available for purchase on June 12, 2018!

Was a different kind of read for me I’m not a fan of the answeres before the end but was still surprised by the ending. If your looking for something different you should read Jar of Hearts. Thank You netgalley.com for the read. I’ll be looking forward the Jennifer Hilliers next book.

This book was absolutely amazing. I love the way the story is told, and how you can feel real emotions from Geo. I read it in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down except to sleep. It left me wanting more of Geo and Kaiser. I would love to read a few more books about Kaiser's life now!

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, as I did the couple of previous books I had read from this author. Initially I felt like we sort of already knew what happened so where was the mystery, but as things unfolded, we found out there was more to the story and it was a pretty interesting story. I liked the characters Geo and Kai and thought they were interesting enough that I wanted to know how things would turn out for them. I thought the way that the flashbacks were interwoven worked well and dispersed the info at the right points in the story. I also thought that the descriptions of jail and the murders were pretty vivid and realistic and I liked that as well. I like a gritty mystery and this was one of those. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.