4.5 Stars

I must say, it's turning out to be a great year for mystery and suspense-thrillers. From The Good Liar to Bring Me Back and now Jar of Hearts, I've loved every one of these. The story centers around Geo, convicted of aiding in the murder of her best friend, Angela, in high school. We also get glimpses into Kaiser's mind, their other best friend turned detective, Kaiser, who helped solve this case.

The first part of the book shows Geo's time in prison and while that part is good, it really picks up starting in part 2. Here, new murders take place and they're very reminiscent of the Sweetbay Strangler's crimes. The strangler just happens to be Geo's ex and the guy who murdered Angela, Calvin James.

It was oftentimes hard to sympathize with Geo and most of the time I felt a mild disdain for her, if not more. Kaiser, while not a lying accomplice to murder, had some faults of his own and therefore did not fare better in how I felt toward him.

I loved how glimpses of the past were interspersed throughout. They were put in at the perfect places and really allowed for a better understanding of the characters and current happenings. When you look at this novel as a whole it almost reads as a cautionary tale of (dysfunctional) love and how toxic and blinding it can be. Everyone from Geo to Calvin to Kaiser (and others that I can't say, because spoilers) gets a touch of this consuming love that creates chaos instead of harmony.

It took me most of the book to see the whole truth. And even then, it is only what our characters, mainly Geo, wanted us to see. I normally prefer first person POV, but here, third-person is used so effectively that I cannot see it being written any other way.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier is a riveting thriller that is both gruesome and treacherous. This book keeps your attention pretty well, however, some of it is so revolting and gross that is it tough to read. Georgina and Angela are friends, Angela being the more popular of the two. When Angela goes missing, it never crosses anyone's mind that Georgina could possibly be involved. Georgina however is involved with a no-good character by the name of Calvin, who with his addictive qualities, draws her into his web. Ultimately this is a story of a good girl gone bad, and when Georgina gets pulled into Calvin's psyche who knows where it will take her. Fast forward, and Angela's body is found in Georgina's yard. Maybe a little unrealistic in it's presentation of how quickly someone can become unraveled, there are truly no redeeming qualities about this book, there is no real redemption at the end, there is no happy ending at all. Hard to read, but interesting nonetheless, this book is not for the faint of heart, but may be for those who can forgive. Netgalley kindly provided me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very well written novel. Geo is hard to love, but she draws the reader into her twisted world.

The ending was brutal--both physically and emotionally.

A suspenseful, well-written and quite engaging story. The author managed to keep me guessing without simply getting frustrated that the protagonist was keeping information back. I only was a bit disappointed in the ending. Some of the behavior seemed not quite consistent with what we knew of the main character, though perhaps the point was we didn't know her as well as we thought.

A gripping "psycho" thriller !
This book is one that is difficult to make yourself stop reading because you can't wait to see what happens next. I finished it in two days by "burning the midnight oil" I didn't get much done in the daytime either. It really makes you think!

I really enjoyed this book! Great characters & a story line that kept me interested n wanting more. Recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers

Creepy, disturbing, and absolutely a page turning read. Quite simply I could not put down this book!

Jar of Hearts is a tale of first love, the consequences of the choices we make, and the human instinct and determination to survive. We meet Georgina Shaw (Geo as she is known to family and friends) facing the repercussion from a decision made 14 years ago - the decision to assist her then boyfriend cover up the murder of her best friend, Angela Wong. But what really happened all those years ago and what was Geo's role in them?

Told primarily through Geo's perspective, we learn about her current day situation and see through flashbacks the events surrounding the murder. Kaiser, Geo's former best friend and current police officer also offers insight to both the current events as well as the dynamics between he and his two best friends, Geo and Angela. The teenage years can be rough - but the ones that they faced were tragic.

Both characters and their stories drew me in and made me want to learn and understand what really happened all those years ago. I also was drawn to how the current day situation would play out as the twists and turns of the story were unexpected and kept changing my perspective of this would end.

I found this to be a thrilling, fast paced mystery - one that kept me up to the early morning hours trying to puzzle out. This is my first book from Jennifer Hillier but I know it will not be my last!

I received an e-arc via NetGalley from Minotaur Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book should have been at least a 4 star, but the ridiculous ending ruined it. I was thrilled reading this book that at last I found a mystery that was well written and kept me engrossed all through the book..... at least, until the end.

If there is a chance of saving this book, please do, as follows AND THI S IS A SPOILER ALERT.

We, the readers could understand, sort of, that she was drunk and so cowed and frightened by Calvin that she helped him dispose of the Angela's body. But, we get to the end and find out that SHE cut up the body. You have to be sociopathic to be able to do that, so how in the heck do you think the readers are going to sympathize and empathize with another sociopath? NOT.

Then, the book becomes almost silly, with the son coming back and then the ex boyfriend miraculously appearing and then her being able to pull out a gun at the last moment and shoot them both, one of who is her biological child! And then, we are to believe she lives happily ever after with Kaiser.

The story should never have had her cutting up Angela. Period. We would have still have continued to feel her pain for her loss.

The denoument of the story could have remained that Calvin's son was the culprit, but he dies somehow (maybe killed by Kaiser),

Then we would still have a heroine with whom we can identify and wish her well.

The only reason that I am giving this book 3 stars is because of how well it was plotted and written up until the nonsense at the end f the book.

Jennifer Hillier’s “Jar of Hearts” follows the life of Georgina “Geo” Shaw, a woman who became caught up in the murder of her friend, Angela Wong, when she was a teenager. The book begins in the present, where we see Geo in court—years after the murder—getting ready to go to prison. Her former boyfriend and co-killer Calvin is also prison-bound at the time. Eventually we see that Calvin escapes prison, but Geo serves her entire 5-year sentence. After Geo becomes a free woman again, terrible murders begin occurring in the same area and in the same manner as the murder Geo and Calvin committed years ago. Is Calvin back? Is he trying to send her a message? Geo’s former best friend and current detective Kaiser thinks so, but Geo isn’t so sure.

I thought that “Jar of Hearts” had a great plot. The story was dark, intriguing, and held many surprises for us. Hillier did a great job building up the story, too. Though it’s primarily taking place in the present, she periodically takes us back to right before the murder to find out what really happened that night. The author made sure that we knew the main characters intimately, and in doing so she made me care about the story.

Though I enjoyed most of the book, I did have some qualms with it. First, I think that there should have been more to the present-day storyline. A chunk of the book is dedicated to Geo’s time in prison, which—while somewhat interesting—doesn’t really affect the primary issue of the book (the new murders and who is committing them). I think it would have been a better use of Hillier’s time to skip over Geo’s time in prison and start off with her life after her release. Then she could have added more meat to Geo’s freedom storyline.

The second issue I have is with the book’s ending. After such a wonderful effort in building the story, the climax happened too fast and the book was suddenly over. So much happened within a small amount of time, and I didn’t feel like justice was done for that final dramatic scene. I would have liked to delve more into the secrets that were revealed. I would have preferred having time to appreciate the surprise. And, I wish that the epilogue (I don’t think it was actually called an epilogue, but that’s really what it was) didn’t gloss over the fact that so many things had happened since the *big event*. It was all too abrupt to me.

Ultimately, I do think that this book has the bones to be a great read. I’m critical of it, but that’s only because I believe that the author is talented and that the book had the potential to be greater than it is. I would happily read another book from Jennifer Hillier, but I do hope that she spends more time developing the climaxes of her stories in the future.

In the present Geo has been arrested, tried and jailed but we don’t initially find out why.

14 years earlier Geo, Kai, and Angela are best friends until the night a murder changes everything.

I think this is a book best approached without reading reviews, jacket covers or descriptions. Just step into this twisted psychological thriller and let it drive you to the answers.

I'm not sure I even know what to say about Jar of Hearts without giving something away! LOL

A well written story with twists you probably won't see coming. Some suspense, a touch of romance, a lot of unusual things that just keep adding up to something surprising...

Jennifer Hillier has written an edgy dark thriller that I loved. The eye catching cover will draw readers to Jar of Hearts.

Georgina Shaw was Angela Wong's best friend when Angela disappeared 14 years ago. Georgina knows what happened but kept living her life pretending she didn't. She is not surprised when the police show up to arrest her when Angela's body is finally found. She does her time in jail and knows she deserves all of her punishment. Only Georgina and her ex boyfriend Calvin James know the entire story and how much worse that story really is. When she's released from jail, more murders start occuring and they all seem to have a link to Calvin James (who not only was arrested for Angela's murder but also at least 3 other women). Georgina starts to investigage these murders and finds similiarities in Angela's. This book kept my attention. I really liked the twists and turns and I was very happy with the ending. I did feel like the ending was a little rushed though. The entire book led up to this final event... then it was just over quickly. I think it is a well written and enjoyable book.
**I received this book in exchange for my honest review**

Thirty-year-old corporate executive Georgina Shaw is going to prison. Fourteen years ago, her best friend, Angela Wong, disappeared. But Angela’s remains have been found in a shallow grave, and while Georgina didn’t kill Angela, she knew what happened to her high school friend and never told anyone. Now she has plea-bargained a five year sentence in return for testifying against the killer.

But there are additional, gruesome details that Georgina continues to hide, and when she’s about to be released from prison, copy-cat murders — albeit with a twist — begin to occur. Somebody knows Georgina’s secrets, and that person is coming for her.

I read this book in a single day. Everything about it held my interest — the characters, the fast-paced storytelling, the suspense, the writing style. The arresting officer’s unrequited high school crush on Georgina and his current involvement in investigating the new homicides add depth and intrigue to the story, while the author deftly reveals just enough clues to let the reader have the satisfaction of starting to figure it all out.

This was a hard book for me to read. It was compelling, and I had to keep reading to find out how it resolved. However, it was too dark, disturbing and gory for me. I hope I don’t have nightmares!

This book is an excellent read and not at all what I was expecting in a truly wonderful way. It is divided into different ways that was very unique and different from most books I tend to read. I was intrigued and gasping for air as I felt the emotions and actions of each of the different perspectives. This book is very well delivered and has some great points and issues it discusses. How people change as they grow and how relationships differ depending on what is going on in life. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend!
***Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC to read and review.

Wow! What a great story! Thrilling, captivating, titillating. Love, jealousy, betrayal, murder, what else do you need in a psychological thriller. This one will knock your socks off!
Great line-up of characters. amazing storyline. A definite must read. This book actually gave me a physical reaction. My stomach actually rolled and for a second I thought I was going to puke! It's that good!!!

Five thoughts for the five stars I give this book:
* It's like reading an episode of Criminal Minds. (Never missed one!)
** If you know she did it, do you care why? Absolutely.
*** Learn about a killer's m.o.
**** Did she have any other option in the end?
***** Not left with any "What about..."s.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Jennifer Hillier for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! There were a couple of twists that you don't see coming. This was a heartbreaking story that weaves a tale of how far you would go to help those that you love. There are several points of view throughout the book and the characters are well developed.

This book kept me on my toes and I read it pretty quickly. I would recommend to anyone that enjoys a good thriller/suspenseful novel.

Trigger warning: rape, death (pretty intense descriptions)

Oh my god. Oh my god!! From the first page this book reeled me, spit me out, threw me in a loop and made me forget that I was living in a different world then the one written on the pages before me. So many twists and turns but for once I was able to say "I KNEW IT!" and predict a plot twist before it was revealed. This story will stick with me for a while. It was written to perfection - all the jumps from present day to the past were seamless and easy to follow, my head putting the puzzle pieces together easily, marveling at how incredible it all was. I could not put this down!

Despite all of her flaws, I loved Georgina so much. My heart broke for her on numerous occasions and empathized with her through all the ups and downs. She was refreshing, honest, broken yet tenacious, and I'm so happy she got the ending she deserved.

Thank you for such a great read! I wouldn't be surprised to see this adapted into an award-winning film sometime in the near future because that's just how good it is.