Jar of Hearts is the latest book by Jennifer Hillier, and it is a page turner. Ms Hillier does an excellent job of taking the reader back and forth in time. Some edge of your seat moments, but from the very first pages it is a compelling page turner,with the reader wanting to know our "heroine" better. I was given an early copy to review.

Wow! This one really does grab you by the throat and does not let go until the very end! This book is not for the squeamish. The details are grisly and lurid but the writing is simply superb. One of the main characters, Georgina, called Geo, spent five years in prison for being an accomplice to the murder of her best friend, Angie, when they were just sixteen. The murderer, Calvin, was her boyfriend and she was obsessed by him as a teenager. The remains of Angie were found 14 years later and Calvin and Geo were arrested, tried and found guilty. Calvin, in the meantime, escaped from prison. Geo was released after serving her sentence to start life again. I tried to hate Geo but I could not. She was obsessed by Calvin and controlled by him but yet trying to live her own life after prison. Things are further complicated by her teenage friend, Kaiser, who was also close to Angie and is now a cop and was the one to arrest Geo. This story is fast paced, thrilling, riveting and thought-provoking. The ending was simply amazing and one I never saw coming! I had not read anything by Jennifer HIllier before but just today bought her other books.

Right from the beginning the characters grab you. There are so many twists and turns that you’re kept wondering. This book is a good read and I really liked the ending.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I read by Jennifer Hillier but it won’t be the last. Great story line. I loved how the history leading up to present day was revealed. I would highly recommend this book.

I was riveted by this book and its facinating characters for about 90 percent of its length. Unfortunately, it resolves into something of a deus ex machina ending that really ruined it for me. I'm giving it three stars for the first quite excellent two and a half acts. Someone was asleep at the wheel when the conclusion loomed.

Cover

I loved the cover and I was very curious about the name of the book as well.

The Back Story

Thanks for NetGalley for providing me an advanced free copy of this book. It has been a wild ride! This book was very dark and gripping, and I couldn’t tear myself away from it till I was done. Definitely a fast read with some chilling details!

Personal Thoughts (Spoilers?)

Multiple POVs - the story is told by two opposite characters, one is innocent, Kaiser the detective, and the other one is guilty, Geo, the friend who found is convicted for murder. We go back and forth between these two, in addition to glimpses back to the past, where the murder had occurred. I really enjoyed the slow revelations that crept and unfolded as the chapters went by.

Character development - unfortunately, except from Geo, all the other characters in the book seemed flat. This resulted in me not emphasizing with any of them, even with Angela, the girl that was murdered, I didn’t feel sorry for her at all...
We get to see the characters throughout Geo’s memories, and this is where you can sense a solid story going on. I felt like the present day in the story was just a setup, till things started happening.

Prison Life - I have to say that this section of the book was my least favorite one. I dislike ‘prison drama’ and I couldn’t stand the show “Orange is the new Black”. We get a glimpse of the life behind bars, some of the events are hard to swallow, just as you would expect in all women’s prison. In addition, we get to see the way that society treats women who went to prison and try to reintroduce themselves back in real life and it’s not all butterflies and roses afterwards as well.

Gruesome parts - some parts of the book were slightly disturbing. I usually stay away from ‘pure’ thrillers, but I just couldn’t stop reading, even through the disturbing bits!

Rushed ending - I couldn’t guess the ending, which I was pleased about, but it felt very rushed and ‘easy’. The author might have taken a few shortcuts to get there. I would have loved to get more explanations and tie loose ends, which wasn’t really done.

Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely. It’s a chilling page turner that will keep you torn between loving the characters and hating them, just like often happens in real life, where there is no black and white, but it’s always something in between.

Debut date: August 2, 2018

This review first appeared here: https://svetareads.wordpress.com/2018/04/14/jar-of-hearts-book-review/

This thriller was written as if the author was anticipating it being made into a movie. The juxtaposition of time and the gruesomeness of the details are attracting to individuals desiring to have their pulse quicken and heart race - this the novel does admirably. I had trouble with the motivation of the characters and connecting with them. I could watch them on a surface level like a video but not any deeper.

This is a thriller you need for these nice weather days at the park coming up. It kept me on he edge of my seat as we flash back and forth from past to present to find out what really happened. The end will leave you stunned.

Not with the majority on this one, a little too gruesome for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book very much.
This was the 1st book that I read from this author and I would love to read other books by her.
I thought it was a dark, intriguing and suspenseful thiller with a lot of jaw dropping twists in it.
I would highly recommend this book to others.

Good read! Some disturbing material but well done. Kept me turning pages & wanting more. Characters well developed and some twists along the way. I liked the ending!

I'm going to have to say I am in the minority on this one. I thought the story started out strong but then I had a hard time pushing myself to keep going. I'm not sure if it was the rather generic writing or the flat characters. I wasn't able to pull anything out of the characters except what was presented through their actions. There didn't seem to be any motivation for their actions, or maybe it was a lack of emotion behind their actions. For example, the MC does this truly horrific thing but I have no idea why. Not wanting to get in trouble for something will really only take you so far in your actions as most people have very definite limits to their bad behavior. When you want to take a character past that line I need some kind of explanation or impetus for it. Without that depth it made the acts feel sensational on the author's part. Without it I was left a bit flat.

The first hint that something is not quite right in Geo's testimony at the trial of her former lover, serial killer Calvin. As she leaves the stand, he grabs her hand and pressed a note in it which reads only "You're welcome". Uh oh! I enjoyed all the descriptive characters in the story, but this is truly a gruesome murder case. Lots of twists and turns, made it hard to put down!

I really enjoyed this book. It moved at a great pace and all the characters were extremely well developed. I like when authors don't go overboard on making the bad guys bad, when they are able to create villains who are still portrayed as human. I look forward to reading more from this author and highly recommend this book!

Could not get past 2 chapters. The characters were not interesting or likeable. The plot may have been good but the first few chapters did not draw me in so I don't care.

"He stops. Makes a show of looking right at Geo, and then at Calvin, and then at the jurors. When he speaks again, his voice is a few decibels above a whisper, so that everyone in the courtroom has to strain to hear him. "You left your best friend buried in the woods, a mere hundred yards from the house you lived in, after your boyfriend cut her up into pieces.".......

This chilling thriller starts 14 years after 16 year old Angela went missing. Three close friends, Angela, Georgina (Geo for short) and Kaiser, were in high school when Angela disappeared.

Angela’s body has been found in the woods near Geo’s childhood home. Geo knew all those years what happened but never told. Kaiser became a police detective. Believing Angela was killed by serial killer, Calvin James, who knows what really happened? Geo and Calvin had their own connection. “Jar of Hearts” could also have been called “Jar of Secrets.” Now that Geo admits to things at Calvin’s trial, she will be heading to prison.

Now as Geo is on the verge of release it’s happening again. Maybe the truth everyone thinks they know isn’t real. Kaiser is now investigating more murders, similar to Calvin James previous ones. Who and why?

This creepy thriller is scary enough to keep you awake at night. Gruesome story line. One dark surprise after another. The quotes before each part of the book I really liked. Caught my attention, which is unusual. I read them, but they rarely sink in before I move on.

Can Kai find out who has started these similar killings? What are the connections? Does Geo still possibly have untold secrets?

In truth I picked to read this book because of the authors past work. I read books by Jennifer Hillier years ago. Her “Creep” two book series was just that, creepy! As was this one. If you’re looking for something terrifying, realistic and thrilling pick up any of her books.

Thank you Jennifer Hillier, Netgalley, and
Macmillan Publishers

Only read about 100 pages and too many F and GD words for me so not continuing.

Wow! This book has been excellent! Definitely a page turner that will keep you reading well into the night. The characters are realistic and full of life; they each have quirks and set backs, successes and grave mistakes. I strongly recommend this book to all thriller/mystery lovers!

Geo appears to be a woman who has it all. She is educated, articulate, has a successful career and will soon be getting married. When she is arrested during a company meeting, she doesn't seem at all surprised since she has anticipated this day since she was 16. The story alternates between the past and the present as we learn the facts surrounding the heinous crime her then high school boyfriend Calvin committed with Geo's assistance.
Geo is sentenced to 5 years in prison and initially, it is rough and unpleasant. After being released she goes back to her childhood home to live with her father. No one in the community is glad to see her, with the exception of her old friend Kaiser who is now a detective(and the one who arrested Geo). When more bodies are discovered, the manner of death leads many to believe that Calvin( who escaped from prison) is responsible. Figuring out what happened in the past as well as what was going on now kept me on the edge of my seat and flipping pages. No spoilers here, so if you like dark, twisted tales, you will want to read Jar of Hearts.
This is a tragic story about how teenage actions and decisions led to the loss of a life. While Geo somehow managed to move past Calvin and their crime, inside she was always waiting to be caught and punished. As present events unfolded, I just kept hoping she could forgive her younger self and move toward a brighter future. This was disturbing in many ways because of the subject matter, however, it was a gripping tale and it flowed without slowing down for a minute. This is the first book I have read by this author and it won't be my last.
Thank you, Jennifer Hillier, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC.

Jennifer Hillier's Goodreads bio says she writes about "dark, twisty people who do dark, twisty things." That pretty much sums up Jar of Hearts. At its core Jar of Hearts is a good old fashioned murder mystery-but as the saying goes "the devil is in the details." And the details are horrifying-fourteen years ago Angela Wong never returned home from a party, leaving her friends bewildered and her parents heartbroken. But Angela's best friend Georgina "Geo" knew what happened to Angela-but said nothing until Angela's dismembered body is found mere yards from Geo's house. By this time Georgina is VP of a pharmaceutical company and is engaged to the CEO. In exchange for her testimony against Angela's killer (who is also Geo's ex boyfriend, Calvin), Geo receives five years in prison as an accomplice to the crime. Calvin is sentenced to life in prison, but he escapes and has remained on the run for years. After Geo is released from prison several murders occur with striking similarities to Angela's. Has Calvin returned to hunt Geo down for testifying against him? Is there more to the story than Geo is letting on? Any decent writer can build suspense when the "who dunnit" is unknown-only a few can keep the momentum going once the killer is revealed-and Ms. Hillier does that in spades. Jar of Hearts is gritty and gruesome. No death is pretty, but the ones in Jar of Hearts set a new standard for ugly. That Ms. Hillier can even remotely humanize (and even get us to sympathize with) the despicable characters in her story is a crowning achievement on its own. While reading Jar of Hearts I thought "this will make a great movie"-and plans for that are already in the works. Due to its graphic detail, Jar of Hearts is probably not for everyone-but if you're looking for a gutsy, no holds barred murder mystery-you won't be disappointed.