Jar of Hearts

by Jennifer Hillier

"This is 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. 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?"--

• ISBN10: 1250154200
• ISBN13: 9781250154200
• Publish Date: 28 January 2020 (first published 12 June 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Minotaur Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Veronica 🦦]

A | I usually don't start reviews like this but I feel the need to warn any potential readers of what you'll see in this book, especially since I know a number of people who are reading this for Wikathon.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It's not for people looking for a warm, fuzzy, and cozy mystery/thriller. No. This book is brutal and gut-wrenching. It doesn't hold back at all. There is abuse, violence against women, murder, and multiple rape scenes. Please remember to take care of your own mental health.

Now, I enjoyed the book a lot. From the start, the book gripped me and refused to let me go. I know. I got through the book so fast. I sort of wished I used Bookly to find out exactly how many hours it took me to read the book. But I just couldn't stop. Had it not been for the fact I was determined to play video games last night, I would have finished this book in one sitting. It's that good.

But you know what? Despite the fact that I enjoyed it, the book unsettled me, specifically because of the rape scenes. I was not at all prepared for this, especially because none of the reviews I saw mentioned them. I think what's making it worse to the point it's lingering is the fact that the scenes were so raw and brutal.

Still, I would absolutely recommend this book to those who can handle reading this. It's a good book. Even though we know what happens to Angela in the end, it's learning about what lead to her death and the immediate events after that kept me going. It was also the mystery of those dead women and their kids. Even though I ended up guessing the twist at the end, Jennifer still managed to surprise me.

Again, give this book a shot if you are okay with the above warnings because it is absolutely worth picking up.

[kristy]

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for a review. Wow, I really enjoyed this book a lot! It kept my attention from the first page and I was able to read it within a day. I enjoyed that it was from a few different character's viewpoints during the book to get a different side of the story. There were a few elements of the story that surprised me, though I did have the main plot twist figured out I still enjoyed reading it and liked how it was all revealed in the end. The main female character is initially unlikable due to her past actions but I ended up caring what happened to her by the end and wanting it to end in a certain way. I have read another book, The Butcher, by this author which I also really enjoyed and I defiantly plan on reading her others soon

[kalventure]

📣 Do yourself a favor and pick up Jar of Hearts now! Not sure yet? You can now read the first three chapters for free!

"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. The book begins 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.

"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!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, for the electronic ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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[kimbacaffeinate]

Caffeinated reasons to toss Jar of Hearts into your Beach Bag

• 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. Someone murdered one,  one had 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)


• For fourteen years Geo has kept a secret, but that all changes when she is arrested in connection to her best friend's murder. Geo's then-boyfriend, Calvin James murdered Angela Wong and killed three more known victims. For fourteen years Geo remained silent. Kaiser Brody, now a Seattle detective makes the arrests.


• Through Geo, we witness her testimony and learn the details of what happened during her sixteenth year. Hillier fleshes out Geo in such a way you hate her. feel sorry for her, root for her and become caught up in learning all the details. We spent time in prison getting to know her and Hillier held nothing back. Geo is clever and smart and she uses those skills to survive her five-year sentence. At times, Geo's personality seemed aloof, and I knew she wasn't being honest. Despite knowing this,  I couldn't help but like her.


• While everyone thinks they know what happened that fateful spring, we as the reader understand Geo is keeping secrets and want to unearth them. The suspense was so thick I could taste it and with each twist; it shocked me.


• While I pieced things together and knew what the outcome would be this was one heck of an addictive read.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[chymerra]

I like a good mystery. I also like a good suspense. I have found it hard to find a book that can keep the suspense up while unraveling a mystery. So, I have become very picky about what I read. When the publisher approached me to review Jar of Hearts, the blurb caught my attention. I was very interested in a mystery about what happened after the murder and trial. I thought that it made for an interesting storyline. So I accepted. I am glad I did. Not only did this book keep the suspense high but the mystery was fantastic.

When I started reading Jar of Hearts, I had no pity for Geo. She showed little to no remorse for her part in Angela’s death. She was more worried about what was going to happen to her in prison and that made me not like her. But, as the book went on, her remorse and sadness started to show. I started to pity her when it was revealed what happened that night. The trauma she endured that night shaped her into the woman that she was 14 years later.

I liked how the author kept what happened the night Angela died under wraps until almost the end of the book. I wasn’t surprised at what happened. I was surprised at Geo’s role in it when it was revealed. What happened afterward took me by surprise also.

Geo’s relationship with Calvin was complicated. He was her first love but she also hated and feared him. He wanted to own Geo completely and wasn’t afraid to use physical violence or mind games to get her to stay with him. I had no issue seeing him turning into a serial killer. His transformation started the night that Angela was killed.

I thought that second storyline of the other serial killer was pretty good. I thought I had it figured out until Geo last flashback. Looking back, there were hints but I didn’t see them. I was surprised at who it was and who that person was to Geo. I was also surprised at who came to Geo’s rescue.

The storyline with Kaiser didn’t make sense to me at first. I didn’t need to know that he was sleeping with his partner. That was unneeded information. But his relationship with Geo and Angela was. I do think that his relationship with Geo after jail was complicated. I was not expecting what happened to them to happen. Now that came out of left field.

I know that the book stressed that Geo and Angela were besties and had been besties for years. But I didn’t see that. I saw a spoiled girl used to getting her own way ruling her friends. The whole cheerleader practice fiasco was what made me feel that.

The end of Jar of Hearts was one shock after another. All I can say about it is “Wow“. The epilogue got me too. I guess some people deserve their happily ever after. I wasn’t expecting who Geo was experiencing hers with.

What I liked about Jar of Hearts:

A) The suspense was kept high throughout the book

B) Everything was kept under wraps until the end of the book.

C) Interesting storyline

What I didn’t like about Jar of Hearts:

A) Geo showing little to no remorse in the first half of the book

B) Kaiser’s storyline. Didn’t need the sexcapades with his partner. Him doing the police work was fine.

C) Geo and Angela’s friendship. Screamed friendemies to me. Also Geo and Calvin’s relationship. Super creepy

I would give Jar of Hearts an Adult rating. I would suggest that no one under the age of 21 read this book. There is explicit violence. There is language. There is sex with a few rape scenes thrown in (F/F, M/F). There is also a brutal scene of a body being dismembered.

There are trigger warnings with Jar of Hearts. They would be: rape, attempted rape, domestic violence, and assault.

I would recommend Jar of Hearts to family and friends. I would give a heads up about the triggers. This is a book that I can see myself rereading.

I would like to thank Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Jar of Hearts.

All opinions stated in this review of Jar of Hearts are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**