* Winner – Best Novel, 2019 ITW Thriller Award * Authors on the Air Network – Thriller of the Year 2018 * Finalist – Anthony Award for Best Novel * Finalist – Macavity Award for Best Novel * MysteryTribune Ten Women Mystery and Thriller Writers You Should be Reading * Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Best of 2018 * Bustle’s Best Thriller 11 Authors Read This Year * CrimeReads’ 20 Best of 2018 * Writer … CrimeReads’ 20 Best of 2018 * Writer Types Podcast Favorite Books * LitReactor Best Books of 2018 * CrimeReads Favorite Crime Books of the Year * BOLO Books Top Reads of 2018 * SouthFlorida.com Best Mystery Novels of 2018 * Suspense Magazine Best of 2018 – Mystery/Thriller category
“Jar of Hearts grabs you by the throat! The perfect blend of riveting characters, chilling details, and gasping twists in this standout thriller will keep you frantically reading until the explosive end.” – Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of Right Behind You
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.
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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Really enjoyed this book.
Suspenseful and fast paced.
Hillier’s best yet!
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier is set in Seattle, Washington. Fourteen years ago, Angela Wong disappeared without a trace and now her dismembered body has been found in the woods near Georgina “Geo” Shaw’s home. Detective Kaiser Brody, Geo’s best friend in high school, never suspected Geo was involved in such a heinous crime. They learn that Calvin James, Geo’s high school boyfriend, killed Angela and has since murdered three more women. Geo has kept the events of the night Angela was killed a secret, but, after reaching a plea deal, she testifies against Calvin at his trial. Geo is sentenced to five years at Hazelwood Correctional Institute. Towards the end of her stay she is visited by Kaiser and told that Calvin has escaped. Then new bodies start turning up in the woods killed in the exact manner at Angela. Geo is released, and she returns to her childhood home much to the neighbors’ dismay. As the body count rises, Geo recalls the events that led up to that fateful night. What really happened the night Angela died?
Jar of Hearts had a good beginning that drew me in (the first third). After a while, though, the story took a downhill turn. The pace became slow and the story felt flat. I thought the story lacked depth and I found it to be predictable (reminded me of many other books that I have read). I wanted twists and turns that would surprise me and give me an OMG moment. The back and forth from the present to the past did not help. The characters lacked development and were one dimensional. I never felt the characters emotions (there should be hatred, anger, love, joy). I also wanted to know why Geo did the things she did. Geo is an unlikeable and unsympathetic character as were most of the individuals in the Jar of Hearts. I wanted to know why Geo was obsessed with Calvin (just one of my questions). Teenage naivete is an excuse that will only take a person so far. If a four-year-old knows the difference between right and wrong so should a teenager. I also felt Geo should have grown more as a person. One would hope that she would learn from her bad decisions and time in prison. The romance was unnecessary and did not add to the story. The ending was incomplete and anticlimactic. We are not given satisfactory answers that would wrap up the book and epilogue was unbelievable. I want to warn readers that the Jar of Hearts is a graphic story that contains extreme violence, crude comments, rape and foul language. Jar of Hearts was not the right book for me (I am in the minority on my opinion). Obtain a sample of the Jar of Hearts to see if it is it appeals to you. The cover for Jar of Hearts is beautiful and it is what drew me to the book.
this is 41/2 out of 5 stars
This is the first book I have read by this author and I must say that I was really impressed . You know when you have a secret and you are trying to keep this dark secret its bound to come out in one ay or another . Fourteen years ago Geo was part of a secret about what happened to her best friend Angela. After fourteen years and time in prison . Geo is finally released from prison and going to try and start her life over . But there is more to that night then people know . Will Geo be able to shake the fact that people are turning up dead around her that are killed in the same way Angela was. Will Geo be able to break from her past and have a life outside the lie .
This book is full of well written complex characters . Georgina aka Geo is a strong but confused woman , She has been carrying a dark secret around since she was a teen and ends up in prison at the beginning of the book . The five years she is in prison have strengthen her and made her into the woman that when she comes out all she wants is to be left alone . She is strong and gutsy but also it feels like she is still living in the past . The cast of secondary characters are varied and all have a part to play in the telling of Geo’s story
This book has so many twists and turns the author can really tell a story. She takes us on a emotional rollercoaster ride that will have you sucked in from the very first page. I truly enjoyed the writing style of this author. There is such and emotional book, I cried and I got angry and I was generally perplexed and on the edge of my seat most of the way through this book . There was only one thing that left me for not giving this a five star , The ending seemed rushed like the author had taken the characters to the edge and didn’t know how to pull them back and build up the ending . Over all I truly enjoyed this book and the twist at the end had me reeling . I honestly couldn’t believe what the author did . This is a creepy intense story that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through the book . This is a great summer read and you should pick it up and read it by the pool .
This kept me guessing, and guessing, and just when I thought I’d figured it out… BAM! It hit with a one two punch to the head. Kinda creepy, twisted for sure, and not for the faint of heart. Take this one to the beach!
“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!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a review copy. This is my honest opinion.
What a great read! I loved this book from the opening paragraph and found myself going back to it whenever I had a spare minute. The story is well written and the characters, while not all likeable, are believable and a bit scary. This is a great thriller/mystery that I absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys those genres.
Loved the roller coaster ride this book took me on!
Omg! Could this book get any twistier? I stayed up until the wee hours to finish it! I could not stop until I found out what happened! This is one of the best thrillers I have read in a very long time. I will definitely be looking for more Novels by this author. It was exciting from beginning to end and contained a love story as well. The surprise ending definitely makes a person wonder!
Angela Wong, a 14 year old girl goes missing. She is believed to be a victim of the SweetBay strangler, Calvin James. Her former best friend, Georgina Shaw is on trial for her involvement in her disappearance and subsequent murder. This book was my first by Ms. Hillier but certainly not my last. I loved all the characters especially Geo and Kai. I’m looking forward to more books by this author.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway
This story is a crazy rollercoaster ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat! First book I’ve read by Jennifer Hillier and I can’t wait to read more!
Jar of Hearts is not my usual read. When it comes to thrillers, I prefer domestic suspense over serial killers, but this book blew me away. It’s a shocking, dark story about twisted love, violence and murders that made me gasp at many unpredictable plot twists, and that I found very hard to put down. Jar of Hearts is one of the best thrillers I’ve read, I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves dark stories. Jennifer Hillier is a very talented writer, I will be checking her other books for sure.
Fourteen years ago, Geo’s 16 year old best friend, Angela, disappeared.
Alternating between the past and the present, Jar of Hearts explored both the sometimes complicated relationship between Geo and Angela, as well as the tumultuous relationship between Geo and her first boyfriend, Calvin James. Could Calvin, who is now a convicted serial killer known as the Sweetbay Strangler, have had anything to do with Angela’s disappearance? If so, why didn’t Geo speak up? Where has Angela been all this time and could Geo have saved her?
“In every story, there’s a hero and a villain. Sometimes one person can be both.”
After Angela’s disappearance, Geo moved on as best she could, living her life to the fullest, knowing full well that:
“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 … Because buried things can, and do, come back.”
What happened when Geo’s past finally came back to haunt her? Read this shocking, dark, and downright chilling story to find out!
I’d recommend this for fans of the Orange is the New Black TV show!
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Location: Seattle, Washington
Jar of Hearts is a great beach read! Like most books, there were great plot twists at the end where I really didn’t see it coming! Looking back, the clues were there and I just wasn’t paying attention.
There were one or two details that as a mother, I felt were unnecessary, but I can see why authors choose to put their characters in certain positions.
Overall, if you are looking for a good, easy beach read and to discover a new, great author, then Jar of Hearts is the book for you!
(4.5 stars) A very gripping, chilling, suspenseful and at times terrifying read that I thought was very well done. There were quite a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and totally surprised me. I liked the way the story was told alternating from the present to the past as we get the back story of the events that led up to the murder that took place. I also love the title of the book. It’s perfect! This is a book that will keep you turning those pages because you won’t be able to stop reading. It is definitely a must-read for those who enjoy chilling psychological thrillers!!
I received an advance reader’s copy of Jar of Hearts from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Holy moley…..where to even begin!! I’ll start by saying that I would give this book more than 5 stars!! It was seriously that good!! It really kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The twists & turns had me constantly guessing, incorrectly lol, about what was going to happen next. I love a good thriller a this book definitely did not disappoint!! And DANG, that ending was epic and totally unexpected!!
Jar of Hearts kept me reading and swiping as fast as my eyes would go! This is one of those books that has twists and things around the bend that you didn’t see coming. Good storyline, good characters some good some you want to shake here and there and of course the bad ones, rounded out with mystery and murder…. Thank you Jennifer Hillier for writing a great book!
A big thank you to Netgalley and St.Martins Press for allowing me to read this ARC book and give my own personal opinion.
“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.”
Jar of Hearts gripped me from the start! A story that pulls all kinds of emotions, it’s honest and real, it’s shocking, and it’s full of twists that keep you engrossed to the end.
This story gives you mixed emotions. The writing is very detailed and leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s precise and well written. I enjoyed the way it was broken into parts. I especially enjoyed how the mystery is slowly revealed through these parts and pieces. The author does a great job of making you feel everything Georgina Shaw goes through throughout this story. Georgina’s past is catching up with her, but all the details of that fateful night have not yet been uncovered. As details emerge, and the story unfolds, these complex characters leave you stunned.
“But the guilt? It never leaves. It hangs around like a bad smell that no amount of bleach can eliminate. You can get yourself a new life, get yourself a new love, go to jail for the terrible thing you helped do…but the guilt is still there, stinking like an invisible piece of rotting garbage underneath your bed that won’t go away no matter how many attempts you make to clean it. Because that smell-of rotting flesh, of rotting soul-is you.”
This was an intense read from beginning to end. A dark and twisted psychological thriller, the writing and story kept me glued to my seat and turning the pages to see what would happen next. The characters were well written; so well-written that I wasn’t sure I liked any of them. There were so many fun twists and quite a few surprises.
If you like dark and twisted psychological thrillers don’t miss this one. When you pick it up, be sure you have time to just read, because you will be so engrossed you won’t want to put it down.
#JarofHearts #Minotaurooks #StMartinsPress
Reading this story was …..Wow, just amazing really.
I had some serious anxiety while reading this book. Those characters, the setting, the overall story was really just brilliant.
This was my first time reading a book by this author. I very much enjoyed this story and look forward to reading her other books.
I received an ARC e-copy through NetGalley.
#JarofHearts #NetGalley