Georgina (aka Geo) Shaw’s life has really turned around, since her childhood. She’s about to be married to a very rich, caring man, Andrew Shipp of Shipp Pharmaceuticals So why are the police here to arrest her in the Boardroom, where she is presenting to the Board, as VP for Shipp Pharmaceuticals. She knew this moment would come, but why now? As she is being led out of the building in handcuffs, she knows her life will never be the same. So much for the upcoming wedding as well. Andrew will never look at her the same again. This all started with the murder of her childhood best friend, Angela Wong. They were both on the Cheer Team at school, and were always together. Of course, this changed when Calvin James came on the scene. Calvin was an older boy and was attracted to Geo. He began to take over Geo’s whole life, to the point where her friendship with Angela suffered greatly. Angela suggested that since Geo and Calvin were together, she needed to become friends with him as well. After both Angela and Geo attended a party, bother were very drunk and decided to drop in on Calvin. Little did the girls know what was going to happen. So how did Angela end up murdered? How did Geo become involved? Why did it take 14 years for this murder to come to light? Why was her childhood friend, Kaiser, the one to arrest her? This plot was genius, and kept the reader on their toes throughout the book. The character development was superb, and the reader could definitely relate to each character. I certainly didn’t expect such a fantastic ending. I would have given this book a 5 star rating, but there were so many grammatical errors throughout the book. I had to reread the sentences, and this takes away from the readers experience. All in all, still a great book and look forward to the next one.

This was a well-plotted and well-paced book with dark, thrilling subject matter. I really wanted to like it more, but there were too many elements that were shallow and unrealistic. For a crime-based novel, the research into law enforcement procedures was woefully thin (a convicted felon uses a gun and suffers no apparent consequences?)

Because my mind kept tripping me up with this type of question, it was hard for my emotions to be fully engaged. There was so much to like about this book, but also so much that seemed superficial. I would classify it more as a romance novel than a true thriller.

(This was an advance reader's copy from NetGalley.)

Holy Cr*p!! This book was amazing. A very riveting, thrilling, page-turning read. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. I was literally taking 'bathroom' breaks at work so I could sneakily read it in the bathroom stall. If you are a fan of murder mysteries/thrillers. you will love this book. You are taken on a journey through a friendship that carries the undertones of a rivalry, a love gone wrong, and a cold case that is finally ripped open by the discovery of remains left over by a grisly crime. There are quite a few grammatical errors, which I'm sure will be corrected when the final piece is edited, but other than that I honestly could not put this book down.

Georgina "Geo" Shaw served five years for covering up the murder of her best friend in high school. She was a highly successful businesswoman, engaged to the CEO of the pharmaceutical company she worked for, drove a Range Rover and wore her Louboutins every day. But she waited, for years, until Angela's grave was uncovered and she testified at the trial of the Sweetbay Strangler who killed Ang all those years ago. Calvin James was Geo's first love and he was a bad man who went on to kill four more women before being caught. Geo serves her sentence and returns to her father's home when the killings start again. Calvin has escaped and Kaisar Brody, the cop who caught him originally, is convinced Geo knows more than she is saying. But is Calvin really guilty this time? Edge of the seat writing. Recommended for anyone who enjoys psychological suspense.

Had to suspend a lot of disbelief in terms of character behavior but I couldn’t turn the pages days enough. Intense thriller, great if you’re a Harlen Coben or Karin Slaughter fan.

Jar of Hearts is an intense read. Jennifer Hillier is known for writing twisted thrillers and this one falls in perfectly with her other novels. In some sense, I was itching to get through this one fast because I needed to know what was going to happen next. In other instances though I wasn't caring too much whether I finished it or not. It's one of those books that I loved while reading it, but didn't care to continuously pick up whenever I had to put it down. That's not to say that the book isn't good because it truly is. It just wasn't a particular favorite of mine. Regardless of my personal feelings towards it though I think many readers are going to want to read this and when they do, they are going to become entranced in the story. There is a lot going and the book isn't very long. So getting to the climax doesn't take very long. Also, the twist? IN.SANE. I loved it!!! I found it very unexpected (there are literally no clues leading up to it) so it hits you with a bang.

If you are a fan of Hillier's previous twisted thrillers, this is going to be one you want to pick up as soon as it hits the shelf. If you are new to her novels I don't see why this wouldn't be a good start to her work. It's a well written novel of thrills, crime, and suspense.

Now, about the story... Readers will meet Geo right as the story opens. She is sitting in a board meeting, doing the work thing, when all of the sudden, police officers swarm in and arrest her. But for what? She leads a perfectly normal life- good job, loving fiance, and no sign of trouble in her past. But something is coming back to haunt her. Something she thought was left in the past... Something she can no longer run away from.

Readers will learn throughout the story, what involvement Geo has in her friends death 14 years prior to her arrest. They will learn all the dirty little secrets she has hidden from the police, her family, and everyone else (except for Calvin, the "Sweetbay Strangler"). They will journey through the past in present (as the story alternates time frames) and understand what transpired the night her friend disappeared. Be warned, there are many dark parts. Talk of dismemberment, abuse, and rape are key terms throughout the novel, and readers will get a first hand account of it all. It's dark, twisted, and utterly enthralling. But most of all? Pretty disturbing when everything comes to light.

Jar of Hearts
Jennifer Hillier

A suspenseful thriller that will hold you captive till the last page is turned.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️

SUMMARY
Jar of Hearts captures you on the first page, with the trial of the Sweetbay Strangler, Calvin James. He is on trial now, for the murder of sixteen-year-old Angela Wong fourteen years ago. Her body was just found, only half a mile away from her home. Georgina, Angela’s best friend is in the witness box—a witness for the prosecution—to shed light on the events of the night Angela was murdered. Georgina is sentenced to five years in prison and Calvin will go away for life for killing Angela and three other women. But before he does, he slips Georgina a note right after she testifies. What did the note say, and what did it mean?

Calvin had been Georgina‘s first love fourteen years ago when she was sixteen and he was 21. Georgina knew what happened to Angela fourteen years ago, but she told no one. She kept the secret of Angela‘s death, until she was arrested and sent to prison. Now she has served her time and has been released. While everyone thinks they know the truth, there are even more dark secrets about that fateful night that no one can even imagine. And now new bodies are beginning to show up, killed in the same manner as Angela.


REVIEW
JAR OF HEARTS has a perfect blend of well-developed characters. The beautiful and popular girl, her best girlfriend, the bad boy turned serial killer, and the girls’ skinny, acne-face friend, Kaiser, now a handsome detective with the Seattle PD all coalesce to propel this nail-biting story. You’ will have love-hate feelings about each of them at some point in the story. Author JENNIFER HILLIER has skillfully crafted a story that flows fast and easy and is cleverly layered between the past and the present. It has just the right amount of suspense, surprises and twists to keep you entertained for hours. And who doesn’t like a suspenseful thriller with a dark and twisted ending? The film rights for Jar of Hearts were purchased earlier this year, so you better read it now. You know the book is always better than the movie!

All of Jennifer Hillier books are set in the Seattle area where she lived for eight years. She was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and has returned to live there once again. She has written five novels. She writes about dark and twisted people who do dark and twisted things. Jar of Hearts is no different!

Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Jennifer Hillier for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Minotaur Books
Publication Date June 12, 2018

Check out all my reviews at bluestockingreviews.com

I love Jennifer Hillier’s books! Creep and Freak are too of my all time favorites. This book is full of edge of your seat twists and turns. I finished it in one sitting as I do with all of Hillier’s books. But the endings are always well worth the read. Don’t miss this gem.

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

This was an incredible read. I have seen a lot of great reviews for it lately and I thought I'd give it a shot. I've read a lot of murder mysteries, but never anything quite like this. It is written in third person and the point of view alternates between Kaiser, a homicide detective, and Georgina, who is an accomplice to a murder. Geo's perspective is an uncommon one and it is done incredibly well.

The plot and pacing had me carry through this novel. There was a twist but I didn't see coming at all, but it is really Geo's perspective that makes the story stand out in the genre. Being able to relate to a character who did something so horrific isn't easy, but the character development was done so well that this wasn't a challenge. Even though Geo made a horrible mistake, there was so much humanity to her character that I felt bad for her.

""So who are you, then?” His tone is gentle. “An unemployed ex- con who has no idea what the fuck to do with the rest of her life.” It’s the most honest answer Geo can give. “And I’m learning that it doesn’t matter how sorry I am— and I am so fucking sorry— or how much time I spend in prison, or how many college degrees I have, or how much money I made . . . I will always be judged on the one, terrible, horrific thing I did when I was sixteen."

This novel held my attention in a way that I don't often find, even with books that I absolutely love. I didn't want to set it down for a second, and when I was almost done I found myself sad that it was almost over. I completely understand why this has been getting such great ratings. This was my first read by Jennifer Hillier, but if her novels are anywhere near as good as this was, I want to read them.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books for my honest review.

There were many twists and turns in this drama about a month missing girl, a serial killer, and bodies turning up after many years of quiet from said serial killer. The main character, Geo, dished out the details of the night her best friend in high school was murdered a spoonful at a time. Before the final helping was served, I had an idea what the mystery ingredient was, but the main dish was still enjoyable.

This is a solid thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night. Set in Seattle, the plot line veers back and forth between the story of today (high paid executive testifies in court against high school boyfriend who is serial killer, and then begins prison sentence) and the story of their high school days (trio of friends, one who is murdered, one who goes to prison as an accomplice, and one who is the policeman who investigates). Fair warning, this is not for the faint-hearted as some blood, gore, and violence accompany this telling of a psychopathic murderer who preys on young girls, and adds in small children to the crimes of today. The author throws in numerous red herrings to send you in a variety of directions; it took me awhile to figure it all out, but eventually the clues were all there. My one complaint is that the ending was too saccharine for my taste, too pat, and a bit unrealistic. And I have to say, as a Seattle-ite born and bred, it's annoying to read about a fictitious college - just use one of the colleges that are in the city as there are a plethora of them. Just my two cents.

The creepiness factor is definitely strong in this book- a story of a girl whose high school boyfriend ends up becoming a serial killer. There's also a sliding scale of who is innocent and who is guilty as the author blends current events with flashbacks of what really happened to once BFFs Georgina and Angela. Overall, an interesting, yet disturbing read.

I enjoyed this story. I felt it started a little slowly but it kept me engaged until the end. A few times it was a bit predictable but overall I appreciate the characters and everything they went through, The narrator kept me entertained. I’d read more by this author.

Wow, this was crazy good! Everything you want in a psychological thriller: dark, twisted, creepy, riveting, and so much more. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend!

This ended being an okay read. There was a point that I almost didn't finish it. I would probably read other books by this author.

This book will haunt me for some time to come. A brilliantly put together spine chilling story. Geo ends up in prison when her past catches up with her. Her older boyfriend murdered her best friend when she was at school and she helped to hide the evidence. Now more murders are happening and the police are convinced that Geos ex boyfriend is to blame and is carrying out these crimes to send a message to her. There are a few twists and shocks in the plot. It is scary to think of the crimes that some people commit. One of the interesting questions that comes from this story is, are people born bad or do they become bad? This is an interesting read that I would definitely recommend. I will be looking out for more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is my first book by this author. Loved it!! You will not want to put it down. Highly recommend!

This is an interesting story. Teens who commit a murder and get away with it for many years. Jar of hearts refers to a romantic connection between the two main characters. Story will stay with you for awhile

This is one of those stories that tries to hold just enough back so that it can surprise you with it later, but what it does give you makes it easy to guess those surprises anyway. And hey, that’s ok. I don’t mind guessing the twists beforehand, in fact I kind of like seeing whether I can or not.

What knocked it down a few stars is that none of the characters motivations made any sense to me. It’s hard to get too into it without giving anything away. But it’s a hard sell.

There’s also this extraneous stuff, like Geo in prison, that only serves a very small purpose at the end. To spend more than a few pages on something, I’d have expected a bigger payoff. Maybe it was supposed to be about how she changed, like prison life made her remorseful, but she really hasn’t really changed at all.

Someone more eloquent than me needs to unpack this because I can’t put into words just how much Geo does not make sense to me.

Read all my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com

A mixed cast of characters pushes this book to the finish line as the past murder of Angela Wong and present day murders are all linked together. Calvin James is convicted of murdering his girlfriend, Geo's, best friend Angela Wong in high school as well as other women. Geo moves on with her life to become a competitive and savvy businesswoman engaged to the owner of the company she works for. She is then arrested under new evidence that ties her to Angela's murder. Meanwhile, Calvin escapes from prison. The book is written from different points of view which means you really don't know who is telling the truth or lying. The author does a great job of writing about the past and the present clearly. Secrets of what happened that night are slowly revealed. Geo spends five years in prison yet when she is let out, she finds that her life is still headed downhill. Bodies are found and the police think it is Calvin. The style of the killings, however, is completely different and is in the form of two women and their biological children. This book had a fantastic ending that I did not guess. A big 5 stars to Jennifer Hillier and Jar of Hearts.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jennifer Hillier, and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.