Name: Jar of Hearts
Rating: 4.074803149606299 (127 reviews)
ISBN: 9781329843813

Jennifer Carlson

Buy it. Read all of it. Trust me, it's worth far more than the price on the sticker.

Jar of Hearts

Jennifer Hillier

"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 • A Top 10 bestseller (CrimeReads) • A June 2018 LibraryReads pick • 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.

This was a good read! It definitely had some twist and turns I wasn’t expecting, especially in parts 4 and 5. The short chapters kept me engaged in the story and each character introduced had substance. It was overall a good book and I would recommend it to any true crime lover. 

Tatyana Owens

Captivating read. Lost a star for being predictable, but it did a great job of keeping you hooked. A little darker than the typical thriller so be warned. 

Jillian Roberts

alexandria slocum

A slow book, not the best read but the ending had an amazing twist

This book was wayyyy darker than I thought. The ending left me feeling very uncomfortable 

Murphy-Ann Craig

➺ 
  4/5 🌟


I wasn't expecting anything at all when I started this book. I just picked it up because it's been on my e-reader for ages and I thought it was about time to get it off my tbr list. And I finally did!

The mystery seriously got me so hooked right from the start. It started off with Georgina in the trial of her best friend's murder and her receiving a five-year imprisonment. It was not the mystery of who killed Angela all those years ago. It was clear from the start that the killer was Geo's ex-boyfriend and that she 'somehow' had a hand in the tragic event, but we don't know exatly what she did. Did her guilt came from the fact that she stayed silent despite knowing who the real killer is? Or did she directly contributed with killing her?

The way that I was so sure of my guesses and then the revelation came and it threw all my speculations away. I appreaciate that the revelations happened one at a time, bits and pieces, letting the readers wanting for more. You think you know what happened but actually you don't. The series of plot twists happening, especially at the last part, just slapped me so hard, I was left gawking at my e-reader for a long time. The confrontation scene at the end is seriously so messed up. It happened so abruptly and quickly I thought I was having a whiplash.

Calvin, the killer ex-boyfriend, might now be included in my most hated fictional character to ever exist. He actually didn't appear that much, mostly only in the flashbacks, but his presence is palpable. Maybe because of the degree of his crime, the terror his name as the serial killer brings just by mentioning it, it felt like he's been lurking all throughout the whole story. He's an arrogant, gaslighting animal who deserves an excruciating death. 'She's wearing provocative dress and danced like she's asking for it, it's not my fault for raping her' -- his non-verbatim excuses. JUST. GO. STRAIGHT. TO. HELL. 

Anyway, there are a lot of trigger warnings so if you're planning on reading this book, beware of that. I can't recommend this to everyone, but to those who love reading crime/suspense/mystery book, you might want to pick this up. It's not the best thing ever, in my opinion, but still great on its own.

i really enjoyed this book a lot! i like how it all built up and you slowly get through the recaps on how the night of Angela happened and then the last few chapters showing how involved Geo actually was. i will continue to look more into the other works of the artist

Daniela Mauricia

'Jar of Hearts will have readers gasping in shock. Suspenseful, gritty and utterly unforgettable.' Riley Sager, author of Final Girls Five years ago, Geo's first love was revealed as a terrifying serial killer. But he escaped custody and went on the run. Now, bodies have started turning up, killed in exactly the same way as before. The message is clear: he's making his way to her, one murder at a time...

The 'riveting, stand-out thriller' perfect for fans of Lisa Gardner and Riley Sager

So I did figured out the big twist about halfway through the book, but it was still great. There is a lot of back and forth in time, so an audiobook you have to pay attention to that, but I thought the transitions were very clear. Narrator did an incredible job. Overall I really enjoyed it. There are so many triggers in this book though. Read with caution 🫶🏻

🚨 tw: sexual assault, rape, murder, descriptive death scenes, alcohol abuse, death of child/ren, reference to death by cancer, drug abuse 🚨 

So I did figured out the big twist about halfway through the book, but it was still great. There is a lot of back and forth in time, so an audiobook you have to pay attention to that, but I thought the transitions were very clear. Narrator did an incredible job. Overall I really enjoyed it. There are so many triggers in this book though. Read with caution 🫶🏻

🚨 tw: sexual assault, rape, murder, descriptive death scenes, alcohol abuse, death of child/ren, reference to death by cancer, drug abuse 🚨 

Shelby Wheeler

Alexa M

Liz B

Dark as fuck. Like too dark, even for a thriller. Also a fairly unbelievable ending, a pretty obvious twist, and some big plot holes. Loved Little Secrets but this author, but this one didn't measure up.

Heather Miller

Warning! Possible spoilers ahead!



  As always, please be aware of trigger warnings…

Rape, dismemberment, death of women and children, murder, gun violence, incarceration, and pregnancy.
 
(Source: Trigger Warning Database)

At just sixteen years old, Geo’s life is changed forever. Her and her first love, Calvin, cover up the murder of her best friend, Angela Wong, after he rapes and strangles her. A few nights after, after raping Geo, she never sees Calvin again.

Fourteen years later, Angela’s remains are finally discovered, and both Calvin and Geo go to trial, and eventually prison. Geo has very deep, dark secrets that are only known by her and her ex-boyfriend Calvin, and he covers for her so she only has to serve a short five year sentence.

Kaiser, Geo’s other best friend of sixteen years ago, is now a detective with the Seattle Police Department. Just as Geo is set to be released after finishing her five year sentence, bodies begin turning up all over again by her childhood home. Kaiser investigates with the help of his partner Kim, and finally gets the truth out of what happened that night from Geo.

Kaiser is quick to presume it is Calvin all over again, who had escaped from prison years ago and still hasn’t been found, but his partner is quick to remind him that although there are similarities, there are also major differences, and killers typically stick to one way.
The biggest question both Kaiser and Geo have to ask themselves is whether or not this is Calvin sending Geo a message, or if there is a possibility someone else just as dangerous as him is out there murdering innocent women and children.

* * *

I put my other books aside in order to focus on this one, as I couldn’t put it down! The pacing, the dual timelines, the characters were just beautifully put together. This was most definitely a dark, wild thriller written masterfully with a twisted ending, and Jennifer Hillier never fails to deliver that!
I had a problem with the ending though. It was chilling, unexpected, and unthinkable and felt more like an afterthought. If felt overly brutal and like something better could have come of it. Maybe a little forced. I also don’t understand how she got away with it. I was left with questions and would’ve really liked the satisfaction of a complete ending. I still very much recommend it and give it a 4.5 star rating.

Rebecca

Wow. This story was so well written. There was the perfect amount of character description, the pace was perfect, & I truly enjoyed reading it. 

The only negative was the lack of suspense in some parts, but other than that this book was a great suspense novel.

daisy

Carol Bailey

Crazy

This story started out nutty and then took a crazy turn at the end. All of which was a good thing. There were some parts of the story that were slow but they laid a foundation for the finish. I found that the further I got along with the story the more I got sucked in. I will however say, I didn't think the bits about Kaiser and his affair added real depth to the story. That part felt like the author just needed something to fill out his character. On a brighter note I did not see the end coming.

Kristina Masone

It took me a moment to get into this book, but once I did, whew what a ride! This book was so twisted, but I'm so glad I read this.

Jar of Hearts

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