Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a page-turner! I am a fan of Jennifer Hillier's writing so I was super excited when i got the chance to review her new book Jar of Hearts. Oh my gosh, I loved this book! I could not put it down - it was a very quick read. Its full of twists and turns and secrets that are revealed. I’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers and this one certainly did not disappoint. I give it 5 stars!!!

I stayed up until 3:30am last night finishing this book, so clearly I didn't like it at all...NOT! Totally addictive read, I absolutely had to know how it was going to end!

Since I spend most of my time in the world of YA and rom coms, this was dark in comparison, lol! But I love morally gray characters, and these were definitely that. Some twists I didn't see coming, but I was in it more for the character development than the mystery. Interesting to see how prison can transform a person and how there are some bonds even time can't break.

A solid read! Fans of psychological thrillers will love it!

**Got this on Netgalley for my honest review.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier is one of those thrillers that you may not want to pick up until you have a good block of free time available to read. This one was the pure definition of a page turner that grabbed me early on and didn’t want to let go causing what I like to refer to as a case of “one more chapter-itis”.

The story is told in five parts switching the point of view as the story goes on. In the beginning readers meet Georgina “Geo” Shaw who is now an up and coming executive and engaged to be married. Geo’s past has suddenly caught up with her though sending her picture perfect world spiraling out of control.

Kaiser Brody has been one of Geo’s best friends in high school along with Angela Wong. When Angela went missing all those years ago the friendship between Kaiser and Geo fell apart and now years later Angela’s body has been found leading Kaiser back into Geo’s life but not as a friend, as the one to arrest Geo for the murder of Angela.

Jennifer Hillier has crafted Jar of Hearts to draw in readers and then keep their attention by slowly peeling back the layers of the story in each part of the book. As soon as you think you know something another twist will come along to make you rethink what you know as she digs deeper and deeper into the secrets of the past. The only reason I’m taking a half star off of this one and rating 4.5 is the final wrap up seems to be one a reader needs to suspend a bit of disbelief a bit but that in no way changed how engaging and intriguing it was. Definitely recommend checking this one out if you get the chance.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Georgina (Geo) Shaw is a 30 year old successful businesswoman at a Seattle pharmaceutical company. She is engaged to be married and seems to have the perfect life. She's harboring a dark secret though. She knows more than she's letting on about the disappearance of her best friend back in high school. Angela Wong disappeared without a trace fourteen years ago. When her remains are found, Geo is brought in for questioning and is given a deal in exchange for information about the murder. The killer is brought to justice and both he and Geo are sentenced to jail. 5 Years later and Geo is about to get out prison. Angela's killer escaped shortly after sentencing and has never been found. Will he try to track Geo down and get revenge for her turning on him? Will Geo be able to live with herself knowing she didn't let the whole truth come out?

This book grabbed me right away. It's definitely not for everyone. There are some parts where I could see people being very turned off. Child murder and rape are mentioned and would immediately cross this book off some peoples' to-read lists. As disturbing as those things are, they were essential to the story and it wouldn't have been the same without them. I liked how the book started right off in the courtroom and we immediately were drawn in. The characters took awhile to develop and I felt like I knew them all well. Even the unlikable characters had a likable side (except for 2 males in the story). I would recommend this as a good mystery and look forward to more from the author.

I loved the unexpectedness of this book!! I was never really sure what turns it would take. The writing was great and i really liked the characters. I really enjoyed the way the story was told, going between the present and past. It flowed very well.

I would highly recommend this book! Looking into her other works now too!!

I've been a Jennifer Hillier fan ever since I stumbled across her first novel, Creep, at the library (I'm now a proud owner of a signed copy!). As soon as I heard about Jar of Hearts, and saw the gorgeous cover, I was excited to read it. Hillier's writing expertly grabbed me from the opening page, and didn't let go until I finished the novel late last night. Suspenseful, shocking, and downright creepy at times, Jar of Hearts is an absolute must read for thriller fans.

Georgina Shaw (Geo to her friends) is 16 and in love with a 21 year old guy named Calvin who abuses her. Then one night, when she is passed out drunk, the unthinkable happens and her best friend is killed. Georgina helps Calvin bury her and then she proceeds to lie to everyone about Angela's whereabouts. Fourteen years later Angela's remains are discovered and Geo and Calvin are sent to prison. Calvin escapes and goes into hiding. Then, right before Geo is set to be released, killings start that creepily mimic Angela's murder and burial. That is all I can tell you without giving the entire plot away.

This book was so good. I could not put it down. I am a huge fan of thrillers and I have to say this was right up there with the best. I defnitely recommend this book!

Jar of Hearts is a well-crafted story with a believability that makes events even more chilling.  At its heart, it shares the story of three best friends. One was murdered,  one went on to have great success and one lost both and hasn't stopped searching for the truth. The story moves between two timelines but all surround Geo Shaw as she shares events that occurred when she was sixteen and fourteen years later. (present timeline)

You wont be able to put it down !

Popular 16 year old Angela Wong disappears without trace, only for her scattered bones to resurface 14 years later close to her best friend’s house Georgina ( Geo ).
Geo is a high achiever VP engaged to a very old family multimillionaire CEO when she get get arrested in relation to Angela’s horrific death. Affluence gets Geo a 5 years plea deal, in exchange to be a key witness in the Sweetbay strangler aka Calvin James her ex-boyfriend.
And you’re done with Chapter 1!

The fact that the book rely on a body, burried in a shallow grave, in a well-to-do neighborhood without smell or without being digged out by dogs is not plausible… but forget that oversight and let the story get you. The story line is strong, the plot is dense and convoluted but well tied together.

The book follows four main characters : Angela (the victim) , Geo ( MC) , Kaiser ( the arresting cop) and Calvin (the serial killer). The characters have been in each other’s life since high school and we follow them in a very tangled twisted set of events spanning 19 years.
All four are selfish, self centered and self serving.
There is love, bad decisions, alcohol, death, surprises, abuse, prison and redemption all in one.

The book is written from both Geo and Kaiser point of view. The story goes back and forth between present and past.

There is a lot flashbacks reminiscent of tv shows like Criminal Minds, Dexter, Six Feet Under, Orange is the New Black. …..
My guess is that this book will soon be picked up for a movie !

Some editing is require as there were a lot of typo’s but off course being an ARC...… it comes with the territory
Thank You St Martin press and Minotaur books for providing me with this opportunity in exchange for an honest review.
Jar of Hearts comes out June 12, 2018.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier is not a happy read by any stretch of the imagination. It is a deep, dark, and twisted story that will keep you up late at night wondering what the strange noises you're hearing really are. I'd recommend not reading this while you're home alone. There is some graphic violence but given that it's a book about a serial killer that should not be unexpected. This book is about Geo and a relationship that she had at 16 years old that went horribly wrong. Fast forward 14 years and Geo is finally paying the price for the crime she committed along with her then boyfriend. Expect plenty of twists and turns with a shocking ending. Read and enjoy!

The Sweetbay community was mystified when popular high school cheerleader Angela Wong went missing. Georgina (Geo) stood dutifully by her best friend’s parents sides for years, never letting on that she knew their daughter's true fate. Fourteen years later, Angela's remains have been found and Geo is paying the price for her lies. As she is led back to her cell after testifying against her ex-boyfriend Calvin Davis—now known as the Sweetbay Strangler—he slips a cryptic message in her hand: "You're welcome. ❤" Geo revealed some terrible misdeeds to the jury, but she didn't tell them everything.

After five years of serving time at Hazelwood Correctional Facility (aka "Hellwood"), Geo is set to be released. Once again, she's starting over. But just before her release, a dismembered woman is found buried in the same spot Angela was found. Is someone trying to send Geo a message?

When sixteen-year-old Geo began an intense, toxic relationship with twenty-one-year-old Calvin, she altered the course of her and her two best friends' lives. Geo, Angela, and Kaiser all had their roles within the friend group, but Geo became a completely different person when she was with Calvin. The dynamics of the little group changed completely. What motivated Geo's participation during that terrible night and her secrecy in the years that followed? Fear? Love? Jealousy? Geo did everything she could to put that night behind her, but Kaiser is now a Seattle PD detective committed to getting justice for Angela. Unfortunately, his resurfacing feelings for Geo might be clouding his judgment: "You see what you want to see, not what’s there."

This book was so well-paced and engaging that I almost forgot I was reading! One of the elements that kept the story moving was the perfect balance between Kaiser's investigation and Geo grappling with the consequences of her actions, both in prison and at home. She is forced to start over from nothing after the cushy life she built on top of her lies has tumbled down, but this isn't the first time she's had to hit the reset button. Geo is a survivor. The events in her life have slowly chipped away at her until she feels like there's nothing good left, but she's always managed to pick herself up and move forward. She compartmentalized to keep her sanity, but she never forgot that she was living free on borrowed time. Despite everything we learn about Geo in the first chapter, I couldn't help but feel for her.

Sometimes when a person is caught up in their emotions, it's difficult to see what's obvious to everyone else. Small lies and decisions can snowball until it becomes too late or overwhelming to change course. Jar of Hearts really appealed to my Orange is the New Black and Law & Order: SVU watchin’ heart! It's a compelling tale that I think fans of the genre will enjoy. Warning: There’s a high ick-factor and some of the descriptions are graphic: domestic violence, more than one rape, and gruesome murders.

I received a free e-copy of Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier from NetGalley for my honest review.

Wow, what a crazy roller coaster of a book. This is a psychological thriller and has some very detailed scenes of prison life that are not for the faint of heart. They were very hard to read. Jar of hearts is about a young girl, Georgina, her best friend Angela and their fiend Kaiser who are all in High School. Angela is beautiful, perfect in every way and makes every guys head turn. Georgina is also beautiful but Angela's beauty is always above Georgina until a boy named Calvin comes along. Calvin is older, handsome and has a bad boy appeal to him. Calvin is interested in Georgina though not Angela. This is their story of how their relationship grew, had flaws, anger, abuse and even murder. Georgina loves Calvin but Calvin is not a good person but she can't pull herself away from him until that night when everything goes wrong and changes all of them from that day forward. Your past will always catch up with you. Secrets eventually come out. Everything has consequences.

I can’t really say that I’ve done many (any?) bad—like, seriously bad—things. Most of us probably can’t, if we’re honest. Plenty of stuff we’re not too proud of, sure. Things we’d take back, not do, or do differently, you bet. But really, truly, awful bad?

But… what if you had—or, since I don’t know everyone out there who’ll stumble across this, what if you’re the rare beast who has—done something undeniably horrible, that’s been buried deep for however long? What would your life be like, every day, knowing that… whatever… was there, had happened?

It’s a scary thought, and a far-scarier reality, in Jennifer Hillier’s brilliant Jar of Hearts.
____________________________

Teenagers are notoriously stupid… in the sense that they process things differently, often act (or act out) very impulsively, and make some incredibly-poor decisions (of the sort that down the road, as adults, they’d never, ever make).

Fourteen years ago—under the combined (bad) influences of too much booze on an empty stomach and her older, controlling boyfriend—sixteen-year-old Georgina (“Geo”) Shaw helped cover up the murder of one of her best friends in the entire world, the beautiful and popular Angela Wong… and has kept that particular secret buried, literally and figuratively, ever since.

It would still be a secret, in fact, if the third part of the long-ago, high school BFF-trio—Kaiser Brody, all grown up and now a detective with the Seattle PD—hadn’t managed to catch an elusive serial killer, dubbed the “Sweetbay Strangler”, who led him all the way back to Geo (now a high-flying young exec at a big pharma company).

How? Why? Because the psychopath who committed at least three other murders is none other than Calvin James… Geo’s one-time high school boyfriend, who killed, hacked up, and buried poor Angela one fateful night, after a party.

Finally, the truth has all come out, and both Calvin and Geo are sent to prison (him, for life, and her, for a five-year sentence). Justice is served as well as it can be… or so it seems to the community, who are shocked, horrified, and infuriated at the knowledge of what Geo did (and then lied about) half-a-lifetime ago.

But prison, it turns out, is only another part of Geo’s continuing punishment, because the secrets she held for so many years are still not fully-exposed… and someone is determined that the very last bit of the actual truth of that awful night comes out… even if it means more people have to die in the process.
___________________________

In Jar of Hearts, Hillier creates what is perhaps the best picture of what prison must be like (for a non-hardened, non-career criminal female), that I’ve ever read. (It’s not all awful. You learn the ropes; you get used to it. Eventually, the routine becomes your new “normal”. And, when you get out, actual normal life is strange.)

She also creates a main character (Geo) who—certainly on the surface—seems hard to love or identify with; a sixteen-year-old who was complicit in the murder, burial, and cover-up of same, of her best friend? How can such a person be someone to root for?? And yet… she is, the more we find out (slowly, slowly) about not only that night, but everything that led up to it, and that followed.

Jar of Hearts is a roller coaster ride of not only thrills, but also feelings. I didn’t see this one coming… but am so glad that it did.
~GlamKitty

JAR OF HEARTS was more disturbing than I expected. It's an intense, really dark and pretty twisted psychological thriller which is a kind of book I don't usually read. But it grabbed my attention held it throughout. I found this book to be unique and well-written The characters were NOT very likable but they were definitely compelling.

Jar of Hearts is another miss in a growing list of books that start off strong only to fizzle without fulfilling their potential. The writing is decent, but the characters and many of the actions are cliché (like the word “Murderer” on Geo’s dad’s garage door when she returns home from prison, something which is never resolved). The setup, though, was great, which is why I stuck with the book (a decision I kind of regret).

A woman and her adopted child are found murdered, and escaped serial killer Calvin James is on the run. His former high school girlfriend and serial killer-bait, Geo, is arrested and jailed for her role in Calvin’s first murder. That of her best friend, Angela Wong, whose death she helped cover up. The investigating officer, Kaiser, is the third member of the high school trio, who, like Calvin, has feelings for Geo. That didn’t stop him from arresting her, but it adds a hint of tension when she’s released.

*Segue: There’s a whole section of this book when Geo describes being the abused girlfriend where her and Calvin’s relationship feels a lot like the movie Fear. Even the friend’s name, Kaiser, which is relatively unique, happens to be the name of the dog in that movie. I couldn’t help drawing comparison for about twenty pages or so.

Back to the murder. Geo serves five years in prison, during which time she befriends a lifer crime lord and a dying cancer patient, and while the prison bit might have been some of the better writing, it’s relatively pointless as plot points go. Literally, ALL of that could have never happened and the book would have been stronger for it. If that was all a plot device to get Geo a firearm, there are much easier ways.

Also, the murders. Two women, two children. Neither is a focal point, because the plot is too busy focusing on Geo’s exposition, on the then-and-now of teen drama, unrequited love, and repeated rapes. Yes, more than one. The book throws sex in here and there, but as I couldn’t engage with the characters, I didn’t care. Then the bombshell detonates in the last third of the book. After so much cliché, the writer finally brings out the big guns. The secret! Oh, my word. Had she focused on THAT and instead of going back and forth over Angela (who cares?), written about Calvin (perhaps multiple POVs instead of time shifts), this could have been a knock it out of the park book. Yet the minute the twist is mentioned, I’m like, “Well, there’s the killer.” Sadly predictable, and with the ending so neatly tied up, so improbably promising. I feel cheated. Three stars, though I blame developmental editing. Someone really should have seen how scattershot the plot was and helped an author out.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing an e-ARC.

I finished reading JAR OF HEARTS by Jennifer Hillier and this book blew me away! This was my first Hillier novel and WOW I’m impressed big time.....

This CRAZY-GOOD masterpiece is divided into FIVE (5) parts – the FIVE (5) stages of GRIEF:
:denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – with 33 SHORT chapters (you all know how I LOVE short chapters) for a total of about 304 pages.

21-year-old Calvin James is Georgina (Geo) Shaws first love. Their relationship is ANYTHING but healthy but 16-year-old Geo loves him. Loves him enough to forgive him every time he raises his hand to her. THEN one drunken night Calvin murders her best friend, Angela, and Geo is forced (by Calvin) to help him cover up the crime. The case eventually goes cold after Angelas body was never found.

Fast forward 14 years – Calvin has moved on to become a serial killer, Geo, now a top executive at a pharmaceutical company, is weeks away from marrying a very wealthy man, and Angela’s dismembered body is finally discovered by a man walking his dog. Calvin is found and sentenced to life in prison for all his crimes (murders) and Geo will serve only fFIVE (5) years for her part in Angela‘s murder (helping to hide the body).

There is SOOOOO much more to this story – with twist after twist after twist after twist! And just when you think there CANNOT be any more twists – there is! Prepare yourself for very disturbing, intense, demented, violent, and deranged story.

[Review will be published at Reader Voracious Blog on June 7, 2018.]

"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. Geo knows that from experience. Because buried things can, and do, come back."

4.5 stars to this unputdownable novel. The narrative gripped me with its first sentence and captivated me until the very end. It starts with a trial, 14 years after Angela Wong was murdered by Calvin James. Georgina Shaw is on the stand at his trial, testifying to what transpired on that night when she was sixteen years old. After fourteen years of hiding the truth, Angela's family has closure. But the past holds many secrets and is more complex than anyone imagined.

The reader starts with knowing the end result, but not the actions that lead up to that fateful night or what transpired. This is a novel which navigates a dual perspective narrative masterfully, told in four parts in the alternating perspectives of Kai and Geo. Hillier weaves the past and present seamlessly with excellent pacing, giving the reader just enough information to keep them hooked as she slowly peels away the layers and revealing more about the past. A lot of times a dual perspective narrative winds up disjointed; however, it flows beautifully and is this narrative style done right.

"In every story, there's a hero and a villain. Sometimes one person can be both."

The character building was masterful. They are complex people that I learned to love, learned to hate. Even the smallest of characters have a depth that is palpable. Geo and Kai were best friends in high school, but Angela's murder drove them apart. How one decision can change the trajectory of your life, of the lives those you love.

"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."

cw: rape, rape culture and victim blaming, murder, abuse, domestic violence

Everything tied together in the end, and the little clues that were sprinkled throughout all clicked just before it did for the characters in the book, adding a level of suspense and intensity that didn't feel gimmicky but real. The only thing I am left wondering is was the Shipp Lipstick shade a coincidence?! Like how.

This was an amazing read that captivated me and caused me to read past when I was exhausted, causing me to drop my e-reader on my face twice. It was that good! Highly recommend this one!

The first two thirds of this book is really good. The characters were interesting and engaging, and the story moves quickly. I found Geo a compelling narrator and Calvin a convincing killer. In the last third of the book things really started to go downhill simply because the author revealed the plot to be completely unbelievable.

*Warning - Spoilers Ahead**




When the lipstick used on the dead children turns out to be Cinnamon Hearts the first thought is that Calvin is somehow involved with someone from Shipp, which is believable. However, when it turns out to be Dominick, who is an 18-year old foster kid, how could he have made that happen? How could he even have known about this new lipstick or when it was launched and where? It's not possible (nor explained), and there is no way those could be believable coincidences. Also, when it is revealed that Dominic killed Calvin's children, it begs the question how he could have known about these children, and then found their mothers and adopted families? For that matter, what are the odds that Calvin got two women pregnant and they both chose to give up their babies just as Geo did? Also, if Calvin is so obsessed with Geo, why/how is it that he stays away from her for 19 years old reappearing in time to save her from their son?

At the very end, when Geo is happily pregnant with Kaiser's baby, its not only unbelievable, it greatly diminishes good feelings towards Geo. She, a convicted felon who just shot and killed two men, including her own son, with an illegal weapon. The odds of her not being back in prison are astronomical. Also, she has still not told Kaiser the truth about her part in Angela's death or what Calvin wrote to her on the day of trial (which we know bothers Kaiser) nor do we see her confessing that Dominick has been writing to her in prison. All of the sudden, everything is great with Geo, she seems to be over all of the trauma and guilt of her past life, and now she and Kaiser, a famous convicted felon and a police detective, are riding away into the sunset. It's completely unbelievable and is not the ending that this story deserved. I was so disappointed with the end of this book. It could have really gone somewhere.

4.5 Stars

"The past is always with you, whether you choose to think about it or not, whether you take responsibility for it or not. Your 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."

The past never remains in the past. The decision you make, the judgement calls, the impulsive actions, the good, the bad, the ugly, it can and will come back to haunt you. That is something that Geo (Georgina) Shaw knows all too well. When she was sixteen-years-old, her best friend, Angela Wong, disappeared without a trace. No one knew what happened that night she disappeared - no one was supposed to know. But Geo knew and kept the details of that night a secret. She'll pay for that - don't worry she will pay.

"This 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 . . ."

When Angela's remains are found near Geo's father's property, it becomes clear that Calvin James has killed her. Who is Calvin James????? He is a serial killer responsible for the death of three other women. It just so happens that Calvin was Geo's boyfriend in high school. They had an obsessive and intense relationship which seemed to end abruptly when Angela went missing (ahem was murdered). Kaiser Brody, an investigator for the Seattle PD who arrested Calvin, was Angela and Geo's close friend in high school. He is shocked and saddened to learn of Geo's silence and knowledge about Angela's death.

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

Geo knew what happened that night but choose to keep what happened a secret. That decision is her downfall and she is sentenced to prison when Angela's remains are found. Upon her release, she is trying to start over and finds that is easier said than done. New remains have been found in the woods near her father's home and investigators are wondering if the bodies are in any way related to the Angela Wong murder? Who is the killer? Are the cases related?

This book had a lot of twists and turns. Just when I thought I had this book figured out, a new twist and a new turn, let me know I was nowhere near to knowing what the heck was going on in this book. Seriously, just when I thought I had a character's motivation down, a new secret or a new revelation would turn things around.

This book is told in Geo's and Kaiser's POV throughout five parts of the book. This not only helped moved the book along but kept things interesting - as in REALLY interesting. This is an interesting book because from the very beginning, the reader knows that Geo is getting prison time for keeping her friend's murder a secret. What we don't know is why? Why was Angela murdered? Why did Geo keep it secret? How was she able to go on with her life? How could she look her friend's family in the face? How do you live with yourself? Why do you lie? So many questions! The details of that night do come, and some are quite SHOCKING!

This book was a page turner for me. I seriously could not put this book down (nor did I want to put it down).

Thank you to St. Martin's Press Minotaur books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions in this review are my own.

See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com

Review I really liked this book. Is it perfect? No, but not many books are. Was it predictable? Yes, but I still enjoyed it. Was it believable? Not really but I can suspend disbelief sometimes if I’m really engrossed in the story. One complaint I have though is that I feel like it was a little long and that some scenes are unnecessary. All in all I think if you enjoy thriller especially ones with serial killers, then this book is for you.