#allthebookreviews: Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier @jenniferhillier @minotaurbooks
Jar of Hearts
by Jennifer Hillier
Thanks so much to Minotaur Books for this amazing thriller!
All thriller lovers (and even those that aren't) need to put this on their TBR.
An absolute thrill ride that you won't ever forget.
Come see Jessica and I's 5 star reviews below!
HAPPY PUBLISHING DAY
Come see Jessica and I's 5 star reviews below!
HAPPY PUBLISHING DAY
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: June 12, 2018
Hardcover
320 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
Goodreads Synopsis:
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?
My Review:
Oh that first love. The guy you get obsessed with, who can do know wrong, and where love and obsession really is blind. Focus on the good. The bad really isn't THAT bad, right? We start with Geo at trial. She's turned herself into a successful business woman, fiance to a well known business man and has her life together. Yet she isn't surprised when the authorities show up to take her away. Five years she's put in prison while Calvin, the love of her life, is put in for life. What part did she actually play in the murder of her best friend? And why didn't she say anything? Fourteen years is a LONG time to hold on to a secret and we see how it has scratched away at her from the inside out. Hillier takes us through Geo's time in prison, her tenacity that made her a shrewd business woman helps to save her and make her five years less terrible than it could have been. Then, right when she's about to be let out, it seems more murders are happening and Calvin is trying to speak to Geo through them.
How does one get back into "normalcy" after being shunned by her peers and her neighborhood? Why is the obsessive nature between Geo and Calvin never ending? All the secrets that lie between them create an eternal bond that neither of them can shake. The past will catch up with them and when the secrets spill, it culminates into an unexpected ending that will leave you picking up your jaw.
Hillier pulls you in straight from the first page and never lets you go. A page turner that will keep you up late and pull at your emotions. I loved and hated each character equally. Extremely well written, a different kind of thriller that will delight those who read a lot in this genre and cause newcomers to want to pick up more. I HIGHLY recommend this and suggest you ALL put this on your TBR lists immediately.
★★★★★
Jessica's Review:
So I had received this book awhile ago and I'm so mad it took me until now to read it! JAR OF HEARTS by Jennifer Hillier is the perfect twisty thriller. If this isn't on your TBR then you're doing something wrong. As a warning, there are some elements that won't be for everyone, including graphic violence, murder of children, and rape.
"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 . . ."
If that's not enough to pique your interest then I don't know what will! Years ago, sixteen year old Angela Wong went missing, never to be heard from again. Her best friend, Georgina Shaw, has moved on from the tragedy and is now a rising star at her pharmaceutical company. Kaiser Brody has never stopped looking for Angela. Now, fourteen years later, Angela's remains are found. The most unsettling part? They were found near Geo's childhood home.
Angela was a victim of Calvin James - who had murdered an additional three women. Calvin was Geo's first love and boyfriend in high school. Their relationship was often volatile but Geo was bordering on obsession. Geo is sent to prison after her day in court, she knew about the murder and said nothing for over a decade. Is the truth finally out? Or are there more sinister secrets under wraps?
This book. The twists were incredible and each of the four parts seemed to one-up the last. I haven't had a thriller like this where I said, "What the hell" out loud in a long time. I loved the pacing, the chapters moved quickly, and that ending! In a genre that can sometimes become predictable, this was a breath of fresh air and full of the demented and gruesome elements some of us crave in a serial killer thriller.
I give this one 5/5 stars!
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