JAR OF HEARTS BY JENNIFER HILLIER

Jar of Hearts is an intense and twisted thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. If you are a fan of the authors previous novels, this is the book for you this summer. 

Rating:★★★
​Release Date: June 12, 2018
Page Number: 320 pages.
Genre: Thriller. Crime. Suspense. 
Series: None. Standalone. 
​​Format: eBook. ARC. 

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 she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong's remains are 

discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he's something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo's first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela's death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.
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How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it? Find out in Jennifer Hillier's Jar of Hearts.

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Read my Book Review

Release Date: June 12, 2018
Genre: Crime. Thriller. 
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

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.