<u>Jar of Hearts</u> is a compulsively readable thriller! Geo, Angela, and Kaiser were best friends in high school until Angela’s mysterious disappearance. Now, 14 years later, Geo is arrested in connection with her murder. Geo’s high school boyfriend, Calvin, is as well. But what is the truth of what happened to Angela? Why did Geo keep it a secret? And are there still more secrets to come?

I really enjoyed this story and, as evidenced by my blowing through it in one day, it really kept you flipping pages! It reminded me of Criminal Minds in novel form – and also just as graphic. I think it was one of the more graphic novels that I’ve read in terms of describing rape, etc. so be forewarned of that.

I thought it was unique that it basically started with the closing of the case and Geo going to prison – which I found to be an intriguing setting as well. The fact that there was a new mystery to solve even as the secrets of the past were revealed was probably my favorite part of the plot as the multiple timelines pieced clues together, it kept me reading searching for the next one.

<i>You</i> need this book if you’re looking for a quick thrilling read! But be aware of graphic content.


Entertainment Value: 5
Characters: 3-4
Voice: 4
Plot: 4
Overall: 4 stars

<i>Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!</i>
See my reviews @ mamaneedsabook.blogspot.com

A lot of people seemed to like this book, but it just wasn't my thing. Someone else said that they did not feel connected to the characters. I'll agree with that statement and go one further; I flat out didn't like them.

I'm happy that so many people did enjoy the book and if it's your thing, then more power to you. But it just wasn't to my taste and I didn't finish it. I have too many other things to read so, after reading about 100 pages to see if things got better, I peeked at the end and called it a day.

Fourteen years ago, Georgina "Geo" Shaw's best friend, Angela Wong, disappeared without a trace. The girls were only sixteen years old. Now Geo is a successful executive--and it comes to a surprise to everyone (except Geo) when she's arrested at her pharmaceutical firm for her role in Angela's murder. It turns out, fourteen years ago, Geo was involved while her older boyfriend, Calvin James, killed Angela and buried her remains in the woods behind Geo's childhood home. Calvin has gone on to become a serial killer known as the Sweetbay Strangler. But to Geo, he's Calvin, her first love, despite their abusive and turbulent relationship. For all these years, Geo carried the secret of what happened that fateful night with Calvin and Angela. She told no one, not even the girls' best friend, Kaiser Brody, who is now a detective with the Seattle PD and working on Angela and Calvin's cases. Geo is sentenced to prison and all her secrets appear to be out in the open. But are they truly? And what does it mean when more bodies start appearing, killed in the same manner as Angela?

This was just a great thriller. It alternates its viewpoints, with pieces of the novel told from Geo and Kai and changing between the past and the present. The result is completely captivating. I was mesmerized by this compelling and well-executed novel, which draws you in from the start. The characters in this one are excellent; rarely do you get two such strong vivid main characters, but I felt drawn to both Kai and Geo.

The story slowly works its way back to that fateful night. Hillier unravels things so adeptly that I was kept guessing for quite some time, meticulously starting to work out pieces of the plot, feeling quite triumphant when I was proved right. This novel is just so intricately plotted and incredibly creepy at times--it's simply a pleasure to read. It's deep and dark, propelled by its wonderfully written characters. Honestly, I can't rave enough about both the plot and the characters.

Overall, you can't go wrong with this one. It features compelling characters and a twisted, dark story that will keep you reading until the very end. I need to track down more of Ms. Hillier's books and soon! Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. The right amount of mystery and thrill.

Angela, Georgina and Kaiser were best friends. One night changed everything. Fourteen years later, Angela's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. The truth was bought to light. Kaiser, now a detective, learns the truth. Calvin James, Geo's boyfriend at the time, murdered Angela and three other women. He is sentenced to life in prison but escapes. Geo, now vice president at her fiancé's Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in Angela's murder and did not tell anyone for fourteen years. She served five years in jail. But the whole truth is still hidden. Geo has secrets no one knows. What really happened that night? Suddenly, someone is murdering women again in the same way Calvin did to Angela. Is he back?

The story is told in third person and flashes back to the past at times. It starts from the trial and Geo goes to prison. You learn about what happens to her in prison. I felt like that was an unnecessary period and could've been removed from the book. The only complaint I have about this book was the ending.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jennifer Hillier and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

Georgina Shaw always knew this day would come, ever since she helped her then-boyfriend Calvin hide the body of her best friend, Angela Wong, when she was sixteen. Fourteen years later, Georgina was a successful executive at Shipp Pharmaceuticals, engaged to the owner’s son, and everyone was horrified when she was arrested for accessory to murder. To add to the drama, the officer who arrested Georgina was another best friend from high school, Kaiser Brody.

After five years in prison, Georgina returned to her childhood home and tried to rebuild her life. The discovery of more bodies, killed and dismembered in the way that Angela had been, makes Kaiser and everyone else wonder if Calvin had returned to Seattle after his escape from prison.

This was a fascinating and compelling read, full of unexpected twists. It’s all too easy to pin the blame on Calvin for Angela’s murder, to dislike Georgina for going on to have a successful life, to pity Kaiser for continuing to pine for Georgina even after her conviction, but things are definitely not as they seem on the surface. Jennifer Hillier has created a thriller with plenty of excitement that will stay with me for quite some time.

Orange is the New Black meets Serial meets the craziest Dateline episode you've ever seen! The narrative switches back and forth between high school, when the beautiful, popular Angela Wong was still alive, and the present, where her best friend Geo is serving jail time for assisting in covering up her murder. Geo is a successful businesswoman, engaged to a millionaire executive. The novel starts as her role in the crime is uncovered, and her carefully constructed life quickly falls apart. Hillier skillfully peels layer after layer of Geo's past away to reveal each secret and how it got her where she is. Despite having done something incredibly heinous in her past, Geo is somehow still a sympathetic and endearing character. The plot races, and the writing is fantastic. I almost passed on this one after recently reading The Butcher, but Hillier is clearly honing her craft.

Jar of Hearts was a truly addictive book, no one can deny that. This was a mystery novel that I feel could be enjoyed by most fans of the genre. It has all the ingredients to pull you in and it’s well-written and with a great mystery, so don’t hesitate to buy it.

I don’t know why I thought this would be a different kind of story, but it was actually about Geo, a 30-year-old woman who goes to prison for being an accessory to the murder of her high school best friend, Angela Wong. Georgina’s boyfriend was convicted for killing Angela and now there are other crimes that connect to Calvin James…

Stories set in prisons have always been among my favorites so I absolutely loved everything about Geo’s life in prison and what she had to do to survive. At the same time, the mystery in the present was great and I liked Kaiser’s character, so it was a pleasure to follow his investigation. The flashbacks of the night of the first crime were first focused on Geo, Angela and Kaiser’s teen lives, and while they weren’t my favorite part, they were necessary so you could understand more about their personalities and the relationship between the trio.

I wasn’t really sure of how Jar of Hearts would end, and once I realized where the story was going, I admit I thought it was really smart. Did you see it coming? All in all, this was a gripping thriller that it’s perfect for the summer and could easily become a best-seller. Ideal for fans of thrillers and serial killer stories.

To be honest, the only thing that bothered me about Jar of Hearts was that the main character thought that anything that does not involve penetration is not actual sex. Let’s not be like that, please, it’s 2018 🙄

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What would you do for love? Teenagers often think they have the world by the tail and are invincible. Unfortunately, due to lack of world experience they may choose the wrong crowd to hang out with, the wrong boyfriend or get themselves into a situation that will most likely have dire repercussions on the rest of their lives. But most of them don’t end up dead or in prison like Geo.

Jar of Hearts begins with the trial of a woman who seemed to have it all. A fabulous job and a huge diamond on her finger from a wealthy man. Unfortunately she also has a past with a connection to a serial killer that will take everything away she has worked so hard to get. Georgina Shaw sits listening to the horrific events of her best friend’s death fourteen years ago with her head down. Her ex-boyfriend, now commonly known as the Sweetbay Strangler, is on trial for the murder of her best friend Angela Wong and Georgina (Geo) is just as guilty. She’ll take a plea, go to prison and send Calvin James, the Sweetbay Strangler, to jail with her testimony.

But what really happened that night? Was Geo so involved with James she would have been a party to murdering the girl that had been her best friend? Why did she cover it up all of these years? What kind of monster kills her best friend and goes about her business day after day knowing where the body is buried while the entire community searches for years? When did she cross the line – or did she?

When she is released from prison, Geo harbors many secrets. Someone may kill her to keep those secrets buried in the past. Her other bestie from high school has become a cop. He seems to be around more than necessary, seemingly ready to pounce at the slightest infraction. To add to Geo’s stress and isolation, the Sweetbay Strangler has escaped from prison – will Geo be his next target?

Hillier’s latest psychological thriller is a tightly woven story of love and betrayal, the hunted and hunters. By covering up a horrific murder, the characters would seem to be contemptable, but all of them are not. They are masterfully created as someone you would have coffee with, sit in meetings at work with and invite over for dinner. That is what makes Jar of Hearts such a superb story. Evil lurks closer than you can imagine in everyday life. We can only hope it only touches us via engrossing psychological thrillers like this.

The publishers have graciously sent this link for you to read the first three chapters of Jar of Hearts now. I suspect you will be hooked by the first chapter and immediately need to finish – I was. Follow the link below:

https://read.macmillan.com/lp/jar-of-hearts/



Copyright © 2018 Laura Hartman

Jennifer Hillier sure knows how to write a twisted thriller. I read Wonderland a few years ago and have been telling everyone I know that they need to read it ever since. So when I saw that she was coming out with a new book this year I knew it was going to be a must read. I have a couple of her other books that I'm determined to get to sooner rather than later as well. Jar of Hearts drew me in from the first few pages and there are enough twists and turns packed into this novel to make your head spin. Hillier doesn't hold back; her writing is dark, vulgar and graphic. It's everything I look for in a good thriller and more. Be sure to clear your schedule, because once you dive into this obsessive love affair between Geo and The Sweetbay Strangler, you're not going to be able to stop.

Truly stunning! I found the story kind of Pretty Little Liars meets Orange is the New Black, but in the best possible way. There cannot be a more creepy villain than Calvin or a more complex protagonist than Geo. Will keep you guessing till the last chapter.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy.

This was a quick, easy read about what happens to three best friends from high school - two girls and one boy - even though the storyline is twisted and disturbing. It kept my interest despite the fact that I was able to figure out where it was heading at the end. It was never boring, unlike other books that I put down and have trouble picking back up again.

This book was just ok. I believe the author has a bright future bt the subject matter made me queasy. Ms. Hiller does know how to flesh out characters but this one wa not for me.

I have conflicting feelings about this book. I didn't like the writing style and found the plot and the characters rather superficial. However, I was gripped by the story and it held my interest right to the cringing cheesy ending. Overall, I enjoyed this book, even though I don't know why! 🙈
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I really had a hard time rating this one. I liked it, at first. It grabbed my attention, it had enough completely messed up stuff (that I sometimes enjoy reading about) that I liked it and was enjoying it. I just knew something juicy was going to happen from all of it, and there were going to be twists and turns and OMG moments.

But those moments never came. I knew everything that happened and typically well before the big "reveal". I was super disappointed that it was so very predictable, the only thing I didn't know was the "one secret" but after that was told, it made sense but if that was the case, if made parts of the book even stupider because yeah, she was dumb.

So the book went on and my enjoyment kept going down. :/ Not the author's best outing, very predictable with no surprises, at least for me. I'm sure others will like it, it's a compelling story, very messed up. I just like there to be mystery in my mysteries. I know, shocking. And for me, there wasn't enough mystery for this, since I knew everything from early on.

But if you like mysteries, give it a try, maybe you'll like it better than I did.

AR OF HEARTS is a book that I will never forget, and it’s a keeper if I ever read one. If you read only one thriller this year, JAR OF HEARTS should be the one. Jennifer Hillier was a new author to me, and I will be looking forward to reading her other books – past and future – because JAR OF HEARTS is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read. I am still in shock, and in the best way possible.

This book was both thrilling and horrifying. I read it in two nights and stayed up far later than I should have because I couldn’t put it down. At the same time though there are parts I wish I had never read because they will haunt me for a long time. The story is told from multiple view points, as well from the past and the present, and its done very well. The story is full of enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. The next part of what I’m going to say is a little bit spoilery so if you are concerned don’t read on. Thrillers that enough children and their deaths, or other horrible things happening to them, bother me in a serious way. This book seems pretty straight forward in the beginning but it gets twisted and downright gross towards the end and that really bugged me. I get why the author put that in but I also felt like the story could have used a little less of that. Then again I think that is just because I’m a new mom and that is effecting my thinking. If you like thrillers, especially twisty creepy ones that are very well written then check this one out!

One would have to give this a WOW just by reading a brief description of what the story entailed. It is the story of three best friends – one who was murdered; one who went to prison; and one who’s been searching for the truth all these years.

Angela Wong was beautiful, popular, and accomplished then disappeared without a trace. No one ever suspected that Georgina Shaw, her best friend had been involved in any way. It’s fourteen years later and Georgina is a fast rising star at a pharmaceutical company where she will soon be marrying the CEO’s son! Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was part of their threesome of inseparable best friends!

However, Angela’s remains have finally turned up and it looks to be the handiwork of Calvin James, a known rapist and serial killer and a young man that Georgina dated back at the time of Angela’s disappearance.

*** And here it is - WOW! This was one very suspenseful and exciting story. Twists and turns and all the things I like in a suspense story. The pace was quick and the story really engrossing as to what seemed an open and shut case and having a really quirky ending I wasn’t expecting.

Georgina - love her or hate her, I’m not really quite sure where I stand at the moment, other than on the fence one week after finishing the story. Guess you’ll have to decide that one for yourself.

Marilyn Rondeau

Jar of Hearts breaks away from the usual psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator by giving us a reliable but withholding, narrator. Geo, short for Georgina, begins the story testifying at the murder trial of her high school boyfriend, an accused serial killer whose first murder she witnessed and helped cover. She’s sentenced to five years in prison in exchange for her testimony. So, yeah, the person we root for is an accessory to murder…and maybe more.

Going back and forth from the past to the present, the secrets of her relationship with Calvin and her best friend and murder victim Anna are slowly revealed. There are some unlikely connections, the cop who cracked the case, arresting Calvin, the serial-killing boyfriend and Geo as well, is Kai, who was best friends with Geo and Anna. Geo serves her time but just before her release, a woman’s dismembered body, as well as that of a child, is found where Anna was buried. It looks as though Calvin, who escaped custody, is sending Geo a message.

Can Kai or Geo figure it out? Well, that’s why it’s a thriller because you never know what the truth is until the end…and sometimes even then you wonder.



This was suspenseful and certainly challenged us to accept a very problematic heroine. It asked a lot of readers, though of course, Geo’s complicity in the murder of Anna is complicated by her age and the circumstances. There are a few problems for me. She was 16 when she committed the crime yet seemed to be prosecuted as an adult. More problematic is the omniscience of the killer who had information that he could not have had. There’s no database anywhere with that info. There’s no explanation of how that information is acquired, so if you notice that problem, you’re left hanging. Other than that, though, it’s good to read a thriller with a woman who can handle herself when push comes to shove.

I received an e-galley of Jar of Hearts from the publisher through NetGalley.

Jar of Hearts at St. Martin’s Press | US Macmillan
Jennifer Hillier author site

Just finished reading Jar of Hearts and WOW what a page-turner! I am not the fastest reader but couldn't put this one down. From the very beginning this story hooked me and kept me wondering how it was going to end. It's like being a roller coaster with many twists and turns. Her writing draws you deep inside her characters where you really feel their passion and angst. I didn't want to like Geo but as the story went on I began to like her even though she did really bad things. I loved how the author took you back and forth from past to present and let the story unfold bit by bit. FYI: There was graphic and disturbing material throughout. I will be checking out this author's other books!

I received an ARC from Net Galley in return for my honest review.

I honestly did not like this book at first, but the more I read the more I was pulled into the story of Georgina and her poor choices. Georgina is in high school when she meets Calvin James and is drawn to his “bad boy” attitude. Calvin is older than Georgina and seems to take over her life. She sacrifices friendships so that she can have a relationship with Calvin. She is a good girl gone bad in this tale dark choices and redemption. I enjoyed reading the description of Geo’s life in prison and the way she managed to survive there. It was important that Geo was presented as a real person, a kind of “this could happen to anyone” girl. Readers who enjoy psychological thrillers will enjoy this book. It had a kind of magnetic pull that made me want to keep reading the Geo’s story in order to find out what really happened to her best friend Angela and how Geo would finally resolve her issues with Calvin. The book was definitely worth reading and would make a good movie!