When I started this book I thought big deal some private school teenagers getting drunk and whatever. When I finished the book I thought it was a solid four plus stars with a remarkable plot and some of the best functioning dysfunctional characters around. I won’t spoil the novel for other readers by revealing more of the plot, but will say you learn what is going on now, what happened nineteen years earlier and what happened during Geo’s prison stay. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for an ARC for an honest review.

The newest thriller from Jennifer Hillier is a spine tingling heart stopper. Jar of Hearts is a riveting page turner that delves into the mind of the truly twisted. A tale of the mistakes we make and the past we can not escape. It will grab hold of you from the first word and leave you breathless and shaking by the final period.

Jennifer Hillier scares me. I was engrossed in Jar of Hearts right from the start. Her way of going from the past to present day is expertly done. There was always something I didn't know lurking in the corners of my mind while I was reading her story. The suspense was slowly built and kept me Interested right up to the last reveal which was totally unexpected. This is a great book.
Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author for this advanced readers copy.

First off let me say that I have read all of Jennifer Hiller's books, and though she may not be well known, it's just a matter of time. The story involves Geo, a successful young woman at the height of her career and personal life, until the past catches up with her. Mistakes that were made when she was a teenager come back to bring all of her adult life to an end. The memories of the past have never left her but the darkness she kept them hidden in can no longer be buried. As we follow her through the story you can't help but feel that although the mistakes were quite large, the path that she chose for herself at the time is one many could have stumbled into. It is a story of youth and all the insecurities a teenager faces. Choices that are filled with regret but not having the strength to deal with the magnitude at the time, she is forced to reconcile with and face now. The danger has not ended for her, the past is not dead and buried. A gripping mystery awaits you as the story takes you full circle from the future she created to the one that was waiting for her all along.

If you enjoy teenage angst, drama and sudden horror, Jar of Hearts is the book for you!
Drawing you into their lives and wrapping you into their teen drama, bring you all the way to adulthood...for some of them.
Definitely a solid 5 stars

Thank you to Jennifer Hilliard, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my advanced ecopy of Jar of Hearts.

This was an excellent thriller that grabbed me from the first page. Geo was a unique protagonist as the reader spends the majority of the book wondering about whether she is a bad guy in her own right or if she was just a young girl being brainwashed by older boyfriend/psycho.

Admittedly, I have reached an age where I often roll my eyes at literary behaviors of teenagers. In Jar of Hearts, whenever I noticed myself doing this I had to remind myself that 16 year old girls with significantly older boyfriends often are easily manipulated.

But then there was some stuff in the last 20% of the novel I had just not seen coming. Totally shocked me and threw me off-balance about how I felt about Geo overall. By the very end of the book, I was satisfied yet deeply conflicted about some things, which is often a very good way for me to feel about a book.

Warning: Jar of Hearts doesn’t shy away from heavy, dark, and violent themes and content.

A murder solved 14 years later, the victim’s best friend and her older boyfriend arrested and sent to prison for it. But what really happened to Angela Wong? Her best friend Georgina served five years behind bars for the crime, while her high school boyfriend and man accused of killing Angela and three other women escaped from prison. When Geo is released, murders begin again. Is her past boyfriend trying to get her attention again? And why?

This novel weaves both past and present murders together as the reader tries to figure out who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. With one main character accused of murder and another working through his own problems, Jar of Hearts is a story of secrets that are revealed slowly. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and its flashback scenes up until the last few pages. Was it what I was expecting? Not at all. Then again, I’m not sure of any other way to wrap up the story.

It may sound trite, but this book is an absolute must read. Because of the excellent timing and sharing of Geo's flashbacks, the reader will be kept guessing until the very end. Call it karma or consequences of bad decisions, it may not happen right away but it will. I didn't want to put it down and fortunately had the upcoming weekend to finish reading it. It is that superb!

I couldn't put this one down, literally. A few minor holes in the plot, but don't let that stop you from reading this suspense thriller. Fast passes and un xpected twists and turns. I loved it.

Net galley boasted that Jar of Hearts was to be the “breakout psychological thriller” of the year. And unfortunately I feel like that falls short.
This book was amazing, very well written, good details with enough information to piece everything together and feel comfortable with the lay of it all.

However, there was no psychological aspects to this book that would make it a psychological thriller, in my opinion. To me a good Psych Thriller is a book like B.A Paris’ Behjnd Closed Doors, or her novel The Breakdown.

As far as this book being a thriller, I would agree! It was a lot of fun to read and had honest views of what life can be like. I really enjoyed learning about “the event that started it all” and how I’d impacted Geo’s life, and her decisions.

Like many books before this one, I’m left with many questions. I wonder if there’ll be a follow up or side line book to give me answers.

I’m definitely a fan of Jennifer Hillier’s now, and look forward to reading her earlier works.

Jar of Hearts is set to release in June, and I hope you all pick up a copy!

I read this in two days. I could not stop. It hooked me from page one and took me for a ride I could not stop. Great writing, and that includes characters and plot. I will say it went off the rails in the end, and had me questioning some of it. But thank you to Net Galley for this great read. I highly recommend it!

***Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of JAR OF HEARTS by Jennifer Hillier in exchange for my honest review.***

Oh, Jennifer Hillier. Where have you been all my life? How did I not know you existed before JAR OF HEARTS. We have some catching up to do.

People like Geo, a thirty-year-old VP at her fiancé’s company, don’t get arrested at board meetings, especially not for murder. Kaiser, the arresting officer, harbored not so secret feelings for Geo in high school. He never suspected she took part in the murder of their third best friend Angela.

Told in Geo’s and Kai’s third person points of view, Hillier takes readers on a deliciously intriguing road in five parts, each a stage of grief, until the surprising conclusion of JAR OF HEARTS.

Hillier gave Geo and Kai engaging voices, almost as if written in first person. While the story is primarily Geo’s, Kaiser’s investigation plays an equally important component as the story unfolds.

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, the less you know the more you’ll enjoy JAR OF HEARTS as the big and little revelations happen. Mystery, thriller and women’s literate lovers will devour every word of this gem.

Received a copy of this book yesterday. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Twist and turns in every chapter. One of the best that I've read in a long time.

What a twisted tale the author weaved. This dark, thrilling story takes you on a ride you know you should get off of for fear of what the next chapter will bring but your ensnared and cant help but keep going.

Jar of hearts is the kind of psychological thriller that centres around a series of events that occurred whilst the protagonist was a teenager, which is personally one of my favourite kinds of thriller. Fans of Luckiest Girl Alive, Friend Request and Watching Edie will enjoy this book. It is gripping and effortless to read. A real pleasure

Jar of Hearts opens with a bang and doesn’t let up! The twists and turns keep coming. Geo is a small town girl who made some really bad decisions when she was 16. She ends up paying the price for hanging out with the wrong people by going to prison. When she gets out, one of her best friends is the local law enforcement and was responsible for her arrest. How she retains control of her life and moves forward with her life is the basis of the book. Happy reading!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book doesn't just pack a punch. It will smack you in the face! Gritty, raw, and not for the weak. Geo was only sixteen years when her best friend was found murdered. Now she is convicted in helping with the crime. The question is just how involved was she? Jennifer Hillier is an incredible writer. She can creep you out and make you cry in the same paragraph. I devoured this book and kept checking my windows. Fantastic read!

WOW! What a thrilling ride this author takes you on!! Starting from the first chapters when Geo gets sentenced to five years in prison .. you want to know why, how ,what happened.?? Did she kill Angela or did Calvin? As you fly thru the pages this book gets better and better till the thrilling ending! I absolutely loved this book it has everything I look for in a thriller. Great characters , great story, lot of suspense and the books keeps you captivated. DO NOT miss out on reading this book this is by far one of the best books I have read so far this year. I would give it more then five stars if i could... read it.. YOU will agree with me!

Loved this book!! Jennifer Hillier keeps getting better and better with each book. Jar of Hearts was interesting with enough action to keep me hoooked. I read it in one sitting. Highly recommended.

Because buried things can, and do, come back.

Life begins once again for Georgina "Geo" Shaw at the age of thirty-five. Sorta like being in a holding pattern without exhaling for those five lost years in Hazelwood Correctional Institution. Imprisonment certainly stakes its claim on the exterior, but self-imposed solitary confinement clutches the criminal offender's heart on the inside.

Plenty of hearts in that ol' jar affected by shaky decisions. Much like the lyrcis of the Christina Perri song. That, and the reality that there are no do-overs in life.

Back when Geo and her best friend, Angela Wong, were mere sixteen year olds, wisdom wasn't a prevalent quality in the young. Never really caught on since. Choose your friends carefully and take to the road when you hear that jar opening. Geo claimed silence about the disappearance of Angela. With degree in hand, she goes on to become the youngest executive at Shipps Pharmaceuticals. Rich and successful.........until they found Angela's dismembered body in the woods. Calvin James got life and our girl Geo got five years. Knowledge of the crime doesn't melt away like those candy hearts.

Jennifer Hillier presents a storyline filled with straight-up details and descriptors. Know that going into this one. Not for the faint-of-heart (Sorry!) Hillier paints a mighty picture of life behind bars in a women's jail and the survival gene dominating in some and missing in others. Geo, upon being released, has been honed into a totally different mindset. As she tries to reclaim her old life in Seattle, the horrors of today's nightmares are newly found bodies in the woods. Are there any connections to the past still lurking out there for Geo? And a very large, "by the way", do we have all the missing links threading their way like tendrils around our girl Geo? Hillier won't necessarily throw some of those details into that transparent jar.........not quite yet.

I received a copy of Jar of Hearts through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books and to Jennifer Hillier for the opportunity.