JAR OF HEARTS
Geo serves five years in prison for helping dispose of her best friends body when her boyfriend kills her. No one finds the body until fourteen years later. She is a VP at a company, getting ready to be married, and has her life in front of her. Until her best friend from high school comes to arrest her for murder. Kaiser is a cop and was best friends with Geo and Angela. He was so in love with Geo but she was with Calvin, who was older. After killing Angela, he ends up killing four more women and is caught. He escapes prison while Geo is still serving her time. When she gets released, two bodies are found right were Angela was buried. Then two more are found near the high school they went to. Kaiser is investigating the crimes and thinks it’s Calvin back. Geo hasn’t heard from him but Kaiser puts protection on her in case he comes.
First time reading this author. I couldn’t put the story down. Even though it switches back and forth to the present and then the past. Murder, mystery, sex, and secrets.
• Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

This was a super fast, thrilling read, and I really enjoyed it. It's very hard to put down once you start, and I would have probably read it in one sitting if I could have.



Thanks NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Everyone has a single defining moment in life, something that thrusts them irrevocably into a new direction, something that affects them at their core, something that changes them forever."

When you look at your own life, what would you say was your own personal defining moment? Geo knows what hers was; a moment when she was only sixteen and decisions were made, lies were told and the life she once had was forever changed - for the worse.

Jar of Hearts, is a riveting, dark, thrilling tale that makes you realize three important things: 1. all decisions have consequences, 2. everyone lies and 3. well to say it bluntly, karma's a real bitch.

Jar of Hearts, is yet another book to add to your list of must reads for 2018. Beautifully written - keeping the reader tense with the feeling of the unknown and the weight of impending doom looming throughout the book- doom created from past mistakes that make an ugly return to extract their revenge. I leave you with this quote from the book:

"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 bury it pretend it never happened, but that doesn't work. Because buried things can, and do, come back."

5 stars for this one! Another fav' to add to my list. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the amazing opportunity to read this ARC and provide my unbiased, adoration for this amazing read!❤️

I wasn't able to put this down! Got it on a recommendation from a friend and I'm so happy she told me about it. The character development is so good that you actually feel like you know these people. Almost everyone will be able to relate to the high school days depicted in the book. The twist will have you stunned! Do yourself a favor - get this book, turn off your phone, call in sick to work and read it in one sitting. You won't be sorry!

This book was one of the best i’ve read in a long time. Will seek this author out! Great read!

14 years after helping her boyfriend Calvin cover up her best friend Angela’s murder Geo is arrested for the crime.In exchange for the testimony Geo who by now is a executive of successful company is given five years of jail time.After serving her sentence Geo comes back to her old house to live with her father but somebody believes she still hasn’t paid for her crimes and is leaving dead bodies in her neighborhood.

Jar of Hearts is a fast paced, twisted,psychological thriller going back and forth between the past and the present . Some of the screens described were fairly disturbing and it definitely is not for the fainthearted..Overall a quick read and will look forward to reading more by Jennifer Hillier

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

Every now and then a book comes along and grabs you, literally, and you can not walk away until it is read. This happened to me with Jar of Hearts. I just turned the last electronic page and I don't want it to be over. This book totally captivated me. Geo, Angela, and Kai are best friends. One night Angela disappears without a trace. For years her parents and friends mourn her; Kai and Geo grow apart and no longer speak. Until 14 years later, when Kaiser, now a police detective, arrests Geo in the conference room of her corporate office for the murder of her best friend.

The details of that fateful night emerge, and the gaps in the story fill in. Geo, once the girlfriend of the infamous Calvin James, better known as the SweetBay Serial Strangler, is charged as an accessory to the murder of her best friend. Geo loses everything she has worked hard for, and she goes to prison, knowing it is time to pay the price for her part in the crime. Five years later she is out. With no where to go; no job, no money, she goes back to her childhood home, much to the remorse of the neighbors. Almost simultaneously two more sets of mutilated bodies are discovered. The murders appear to mimic those of the victims of the SweetBay Strangler; who escaped from prison five years earlier. Geo's life is in danger, and Kai attempts to piece together the clues in thee mystery and keep his former best friend safe.

A horrific crime has occurred, yet for some reason it is hard to maintain harsh feelings for the characters in the book. As more and more details emerge, it is hard to hate Geo, and even Calvin himself. What a great story about fate and how sometimes it just happens, and sometimes we help it along. It is also the story of friendship, how it can go wrong in the blink of an eye. One small decision in a weak moment takes a life past the point of no return.

This book is due to be published in June - I am so glad to have been given an opportunity to read it in advance for free from Net Galley. This is one of the best books I have read in a long, long time.

Enjoyed this book! It captured me with the first chapter and I really wanted to get to know the characters. Geo was an interesting, multi-dimensional woman. I liked the way the author let us get to know her from her teen years through her adulthood. Calvin was well portrayed and a scary character. The author did a good job showing how a young girl could fall for him and be pulled into his web of deceit. I also enjoyed how the story evolved through the eyes of the different characters and the way the time frames for events were presented....kept the story riveting. Lots of different twists that keep you changing your opinion of the characters -- showing that everyone has multiple dimensions to their personalities. Fast paced and hard to put down.

This book 🙌🏼. I think I might have loved everything about it. I was sucked in right away. I went back and forth hating Geo and then feeling sorry for Geo, then hating her, then wanting to be a mother to her and then hating her and by the end even loving her. Raw characters, great storytelling and the plot and all of its many many layers. I did guess the ending by about 75%, but the author was smart and had another curve ball waiting at the end. This book captivated me and made hard topics relatable and told them with a realistic sense. Perfect read anytime or anywhere!!

Jar of Hearts a is great, fast-paced thriller that kept me hooked until the end. There were very nice elements to this story. The narrative alternated between past and present and it was told from the point of view of both Geo (Georgina) and Kaiser Brody. I really liked the way Hillier described Geo's life in prison. I liked that it wasn't sugar coated at all. I also liked the way the story captivated the reader and how it was a difficult book to put down.

One thing that didn't work so well for me was the fact that apart from Geo, all other characters were rather flat. Not a lot of character development there. Partially because of the genre, maybe, but more because of an emphasis on the development of Geo, a character who you don't really get to know until the very end of the story.

I don't give half a star so this was a hard book for me to rate. I felt like this book fell in between a 3 and 4 stars mainly due to the ending, which I felt was rather rushed and predictable. This book is still a gripping and entertaining thriller for fans of the genre.

I would like to thank Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this one and didn't see the ending coming at all. The author's story telling will definitely keep you up at night.

What a great novel! I didn’t realize until I finished reading this that I had read this author before in the book The Butcher. So I should not be surprised that Jar of Hearts was so well written, the characters are well written and the story line builds to a shocking conclusion. Many of the directions the author takes in this novel are not the ones expected but this makes it much more enjoyable.

I could not put this book down. It was entrancing and gripping, everything I love in a Thriller. This so far is my favorite release of this year. Some parts were so sick and twisted, it was hard to read. The author did an excellent job of making the characters come to life and seem real. I will be recommending this to friends.

Jar of Hearts is a really addictive read. Really well paced, with an engaging plot, I found it difficult to put it down. A little gory in parts, and quite graphic in others, maybe it’s not for the faint of heart. I really enjoyed it though. I was eager to find out what was going to happen with the characters. And I will definitely check out the authors other books!

Georgina Shaw, Angela Wong and Kaiser Brody are best friends in high school until one of them disappears. One of them goes on with their life and becomes a successful executive, another becomes a detective. For fourteen years no one knows what happened to the friend that disappeared until the body is discovered. Life gets turned upside down for the two that remain

The story goes back and forth from the past to the present. It is extremely well written and is a gripping story that you can’t put down.

I read this book in one day. I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns kept me riveted to the story and I couldn’t wait to get to the end. I highly recommend this book and plan on going back and reading Jennifer Hiller’s other titles.

Wow,this was a twisting read. This a 3rd person,alternating POV thriller that goes between the time before and after Angela's murder, Geo's sentencing and prison sentence and what happens after she gets out.

I at least understood the characters. Geo messed up big time and she comes across as a flawed but sympathetic character ..Kaiser is also flawed but his friendship with Geo and dedication to the truth rings true.These aren't the easiest characters to like,especially Geo,but they are fleshed out.

I recommend this book.Not everyone with enjoy it as it goes into the dark territory of sexual assault,murder,and prison life.

Overall this was a good thriller with lots of twists and turns. I didn't feel connected to the characters, though. I did keep turning pages though. So while others may give it 5 stars I am stuck at 4.

Amazon is not allowing reviews right now. This book is so engrossing that the reader has a difficult time putting it down to do anything else!! All the characters are quite real to the reader, with Geo, of course, the one best understood. The many twists and turns most captivating! OUTSTANDING!!

If you love thrillers, murder mysteries and want to read one of this years top ten books, look no further than JAR OF HEARTS by Jennifer Hillier.

JAR is the story of best friends, the most popular girls in school and the people in their lives. I sat reading, trying my best to pick up any clue, trying to figure out the ending. Was this possible? Maybe that? Turns out everything I guessed was wrong. Just sit back and enjoy this very tightly - not to mention well written - adult thriller. It has everything you could possibly ask for.

Coming in June from St. Martins Press, this is an amazing Advance Review Copy that I am happy to recommend.

Wow. This book was amazing but seriously intense. It is one of my favorite reads so far this year. Geo is not an easy character to like but it is easy to empathize with her. Everyone makes mistakes, particularly in their teen years when you don't have enough life experience to know how to extricate yourself. The story, I think, leaves you questioning what you would do in her situation and whether you would make better choices than she did under such pressure. I will absolutely recommend to psychological thriller readers, particularly fans of Jessica Knoll's Luckiest Girl Alive. And I'll definitely be checking out this author's backlist and looking forward to her future titles.