This is my first book from Jennifer Hillier, but i will certainly be reading more!! I really liked the different perspectives in this novel and that the twists were unexpected, which I find to be rare these days in this genre. The past really does catch up with you, no matter how much time goes by.

While I wanted to hate Geo from the beginning, I found myself feeling for her as the book went on. She did something awful, but as you find out more about the details behind everything you start to feel for the 16 year old dealing with things she should never have to witness and/or face.

I was given an advanced copy of this book in return of an honest review. Thank you St Martins Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book!

I received an ARC of "JAR OF HEARTS" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Jennifer Hillier for the opportunity to read this book.

If you like suspenseful, murder mysteries, then THIS is the book for YOU! It has a LOT of twists and turns, but it was a great ride. It was a very easy to read book - I actually read the book in one day - it is that good. This is the first book that I have read by this author, Jennifer Hillier, and she writes beautifully even though it is about death and murder.

If you are a fan of the recent books "GONE GIRL" or "THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN", this is MUCH better writing, MUCH better character development, and a MUCH better story-line.

This is a definite recommend for fans of murder and suspense mysteries!! This is not your light and easy summer reading!!

This was such an emotional, intense story filled with twists and turns!! I started reading it one afternoon and it grabbed me and wouldn't allow me to do much else (sorry hubby and kids!) until I was done!
This is about three best friends, Angela, Georgina and Kaiser, who are all affected by Angela's disappearance at 16 years old. Now, 14 years later, Angela's remains are found near Georgina's childhood home. Calvin, Georgina's first love and serial killer, is deemed responsible for the crime. Just when everyone is satisfied knowing the "truth", the past comes to light and secrets are unearthed. One can never outrun their past.
Thank you to Jennifer Hillier, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this fantastic book!

5 stars, it's that good. If you're looking for a suspense thriller that rivals Gone Girl, Jar of Hearts is your next read. I was hooked from the very beginning and with so many twists and character developments I found myself speed reading to find out how it ends.
Angelia, Georgina, and Kaiser were best friends, like the three musketeers they did everything together. Angelia was always the popular one, so when an older boy approaches Gio and asks her out, Angelia is immediately put off. Calvin is a bad boy and Geo's life is slowly changing the more time she spends with him. Her grades are slipping, she gets in a fight with Angelia and gets kicked off the cheer team, and the friendship she has with Kaiser is suffering. One night changes everything when Angelia and Geo go to Calvin's house after a party and have one too many drinks, and in the end Angelia ends up dead. Calvin goes to jail, and Geo must go on living without her best friend, knowing her boyfriend murdered her. Fast forward 14 years when the cops show up at Geo's work and arrest her. The body of her best friend has been found and cops arrest her for her part in her best friends murder. The cop who arrests her is her old friend Kaiser. Everything from her past is coming back to her. She accepts a plea deal and prepares to serve 5 years in the penitentiary. Two weeks before Geo is released, another murder occurs, and this time the bodies of a young woman and a child are found in shallow graves, the same area Angelia's body was found 5 years before. Calvin escaped prison a few years ago and hasn't been spotted. Is he out there killing other woman now? What do these murder's have to do with Geo? The clues found on the bodies are meant for Geo, but she doesn't know what they mean. Every chapter will reveal more detail from the past and how it ties into the present. Just when you think you have it figured out, a new twist appears and you realize you don't!

Jar of Hearts will be, I predict, one of the most talked about psychological thrillers of this summer. When you think you know what’s coming next, think again. Jennifer Hillier does an excellent job at making this the least predictable thriller you’ll read.

A fantastic thriller with a real heartbreaking story in the centre of it.
Not at all predictable and full of intriguing characters and plot twists. One of the best reads of the year.

Gripping, thrilling, suspensefull!! Wow! Just WOW! This book was incredible! From the very first page pulling you in and keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire book, this book was AMAZING!! Had me reading late into the night to find out what would happen next. I finished this book in just over a day. That’s how great it was!

Kaiser (Kai), Georgina (Geo) and Angela are all best friends in highschool. They do everything together, that is until Georgina meets Calvin – a good looking, older man who has a keen interest in Georgina. Georgina and Calvin seem inseparable, they do everything together, and soon Kai and Angela feel left out and forgotten about.

This story was told from two different points of view – Georgina (Geo) and Kaiser (Kai) from different timelines – present and past. The story unfolds and you learn bit by bit what happened on that fateful night many years ago. Who was responsible? Who is to blame?

I love a book that captivates it’s audience from the very beginning, and this book did that for me. This is a must read for fans of suspense and thrillers!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book!! Very dark and twisted,with many twisted turns that had me on the edge wondering what would happen next. Weird and creepy, it all came together and in my opinion was very well written.

This book is AMAZING! Yes, you heard that right......AMAZING!!!

In my little neck of the woods here on Goodreads my friends have all been raving about this book and the 4 & 5 star reviews are really starting to pour in. While this delights me it also makes me nervous. I don't enjoy being an outlier though it happens more often than I'd like. I am just so happy to report that this book does not disappoint.

I don't want to talk about the plot at all mainly because there are plenty of other reviewers that have already explained it all and I don't really have anything fresh or new to add to all their wonderful reviews. All I can express to you is MY enthusiasm for this incredible book.

For sure this will be one of my favorites of 2018! All THE STARS!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, & Jennifer Hillier for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

What an enjoyable psychological thriller. It was intense. Geo goes to prison for helping her boyfriend Calvin who killed her best friend Angie. Part of the book is Geo surviving in prison, part of it is flashbacks leading up to that fateful night and part of it is the after affects of the killing. Calvin becomes known as a serial killer and escapes from prison where he is serving 3 life sentences. But now there are more killings happening since Geo got out of prison. There were things that happened that did not see coming. If you like psychological thrillers, this is a great one to add to your shelf.

Although suspenseful and interesting this was not my cup of coffee. Just as I would get caught up in the story, it would bounce right back into the past. I felt like I had whiplash at times trying to keep up with the present day storyline that would sometimes be interrupted in odd spots by flashback memories. I can see this being a popular book because of well flushed out characters and a captivating primise, but for me personally I couldn't get past the breaks in the story that took me out of the flow if the plot. It was like waking up in the middle of a really good dream.

The cover and title of Jar of Hearts seduced me into taking a closer look, and the gripping, heart-stopping story held me captive until the shocking end . . . and beyond. It's been several days since I finished this dark, chilling story, and I still can't let it go. Hillier's writing is magnetic. It sucked me in and held me in a trance as I burned through page after page - in fear of what was to come and yet helpless to stop reading. For me, that's the mark of a great author and book.

At the age of thirty, executive Georgina (Geo) Shaw is arrested while in the midst of conducting a boardroom meeting. After years of looking over her shoulder, the past comes calling. It took fourteen years for her lies and deadly secrets to be discovered and five more for her to pay her dues to society. Everyone believes they finally know the truth of what happened that fateful night when Geo's sixteen-year-old best friend disappeared. Do they? Or does the tragic truth remain hidden in the chaos of Geo's mind? Can she keep the past buried and make a fresh start? I'm not going to risk spoilers by going deeper into this story. As intriguing as the synopsis is, it doesn't prepare you for the horrendous madness to come. My advice is to dive in blind and swim for your life. It's one hell of a ride.

Hillier does an amazing job with the pacing and execution of the overall story arc in Jar of Hearts. Brilliantly written, a frantic, sinister tone of impending doom heightens, page by page, from beginning to shocking end. For me, the strength of the story is in the heart-breaking details of lives forever shattered and altered by an appalling split-second betrayal that can't be undone, and in the slow unmasking of broken characters - their splintered hearts and souls stripped bare as ghosts of the past overpower them, demanding to be set free. This gut-wrenching, heart-stopping story is dark, graphic, and at times, a little too real.

Through twists & turns, Hiller takes readers on a journey that is unapologetically raw, gritty, and tragic. While I did foresee one of the plot twists, I was in no way prepared for the shocking ending. I've reread it three times now, trying to determine in my own mind if Geo's state of mind and circumstances at the time justify her actions in the final heartbreaking scene. While the ending is jarring, brutal, and abrupt, it's clear now that it's also predestined. I greatly appreciated the addition of an epilogue which gives readers some closure and hope. Jar of Hearts is a stunning, gutsy story that will haunt me for some time. A Page-Burning, Must Read!

Out June 11
A riveting story jumping back 14 years and back to the present to tell the story of how Georgina ended up in prison and what really happened the night that changed everything. Georgina was 16 years old and life was wonderful until her best friend, Angela, went missing without a trace. She mourned, along with all their other friends and family, but Angela was never found. Georgina’s life went on and suddenly she was 30 years old, had a wonderful career, and was engaged to the wealthy owner of the company she worked for. Until the past came knocking on her door. Georgina finds herself being the top story plastered all over the news; Successful business woman, engaged to wealthy business owner, arrested for murder of her childhood best friend alongside serial killer boyfriend.
A different angle on your usual whodunnit, this story has such interesting and non-predictable twists that make this one of the must reads of the summer!

review scheduled to post June 1st on Blog

From the first few pages, this book grabs the reader in a choke-hold and refuses to soften its grip until 3/4 of the way to the end. At that point, pieces start coming together and, while not predictable in a negative way, the picture becomes clearer. The characters were well developed, and the flow carries the reader quickly through each page.

Jennifer Hillier is a new author to me. This book was twisted and intense. I couldn’t put it down. One of the best books I have ever read! 5 ⭐️

This book is INTENSE. The story revolves around 3 friends: Angela Wong who disappeared back in high school, Georgina Shaw, AKA high school Angela's best friend, and Kaiser Brody, who was close to both friends in high school, but is now lead detective on her case. 

When it's discovered that Georgina's high school boyfriend is actually Angela's murderer, Georgina looks guilty as well. Georgina quickly realizes that although she's built an extremely successful life in the present, her past is catching up with her. And the secrets she desires to hide may not be hidden for very much longer. 

This book is pretty dark, even for a crime book. There is a good amount of violence, so if you're squeamish, I wouldn't suggest it. It was still an enjoyable book, for someone who likes suspenseful books, but I wouldn't say it was my absolute favorite.

A special thank you for my ARC for Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier, St. Martins Press and Netgalley.
Jar of Hearts was a very satisfying mystery and read. Good pacing, told from 2 pov and I didn’t have my “a-ha!” moment until it was upon me.

Told from Geo (Georgina) and her friend Kaiser’s perspectives we see the book start at the fictional women’s prison where Geo is serving 5 years with a plea deal for her role in the murder of her best friend when she was sixteen. This we find out was carried out by her then boyfriend Calvin. A sociopath whose violence was his norm.

Shortly after his incarceration, he escapes prison and the pressure is on Geo to let law enforcement know if she’s had any contact with him. For recapture certainly, but also for her safety. Because history is repeating itself and Geo is now in danger.

I really enjoyed Jar of Hearts and the writing style of the author.

4.5 stars.
At age 16, Georgina thought she was desperately in love with 21-year-old Calvin James. Their all-consuming and toxic relationship soon affects all aspects of Geo's life to the detriment of her friendships with popular cheerleader, Alison Wong, and Kaiser Brody, the boy who has a severe crush on Georgina.
Fast forward 14 years, and Alison's dismembered body is found in woods near Geo's house. Kaiser, now a detective, arrests Geo. In court and awaiting a 5-year prison sentence, Geo testifies against her former boy-friend, Calvin, who turned out to be the infamous serial killer, the Sweetbay Strangler. But did Georgina reveal all about what happened when her once best friend, Angela, went missing all those years ago?
This twisted and dark psychological thriller pulled me in right from the start and it kept me engaged all the way through. It was my first book by Jennifer Hillier but certainly not my last. While some elements of the story were not too difficult to figure out before they were revealed, there were some scenes that made my jaw drop and that took me completely by surprise. The multiple perspectives and shifts between past and present worked really well here and the pacing was excellent.
I really enjoyed every minute of this well written, exciting and original story-line with its well developed characters. My feelings towards them kept going back and forth between feeling hints of sympathy to utter dismay, but whatever the emotions, they remained believable characters throughout.
My only reason for calling this 4.5 rather than the full 5 stars is to do with the very end, which I can't explain because I want to avoid spoilers.
I would certainly recommend this, but sensitive readers beware, Jar of Hearts contains some very disturbing scenes.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

4.5 stars (release date June 12, 2018)

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good mystery/thriller. The story is intense and keeps the reader's attention right to the end. It's a very quick read and I had a hard time putting the book down.

The story centers on 3 high school friends, Angela, Georgina and Kaiser. When they were 16 years old, Angela disappeared without a trace. No one seems to know what happened to her. Fourteen years later Georgina is working as a high powered executive at a pharmaceutical company and Kaiser is working as a police detective when the authorities discover Angela's dismembered body in the woods behind Georgina's house. Everyone is shocked when it's discovered that Georgina's high school boyfriend Calvin is a serial killer responsible for killing several young women, including Angela. Even more shocking, Georgina not only knew about Angela's murder, she helped Calvin bury the body.

Calvin is sentenced to prison but quickly escapes. Georgina is sentenced to 5 years in prison. When she is released and returns to her childhood home, she is not welcomed with open arms. Georgina tries to move on with her life, but still has secrets that have yet to be revealed and lives in constant fear of them coming out. Even more disturbing, Calvin is still on the loose and dead bodies start turning up in the woods behind her house. Is Calvin seeking his final revenge, or is there a more disturbing presence at play?

The book has plenty of twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing to the end. I highly recommend you read this book.

I just finished reading the book, after starting it several times, I finally finished it, in a two day readathon! I will not disclose or examine the plot in this review. I will say that the book captured my interest and held me until its stunning completion. WARNING: The book contained numerous scenes that were upsetting, causing me to skip over some passages. This story contained themes of trauma, guilt and shame and retribution. There were several areas that were predictable but there were so many twists and turns throughout the story. There really were no likable characters in the book. Everyone was seriously flawed, some more than others, to say the least! Just when a character showed a redeeming quality, bam, the author slammed the readers with a disturbing fact about said character. Now, some of those people were truly evil while others were misguided, but each lent to the layers of the story.

I did not subtract a star for the numerous typographical errors, such as extra words and repeated phrases. Hopefully, the book will be better edited by the time of its release.

If there was a sequel to the book, I would read it. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoyed a dark and scary read.