I could not put this book down. As a 16 year old Geo did a very bad thing that catches up with her 14 years later. She is a great character, as the book progresses we learn about her relationship with her best friend, the relationship with her first love, Calvin, and the truth about 'the very bad thing'. Nothing is black and white though, and Geo is both the hero and the villain of this book and one of the most interesting characters I've come across in this genre in a while.
The book is fast paced and manages to pack an incredible amount into its pages; prison life, abusive relationships, the power struggles between teenage girls and keeping secrets.
As if this weren't enough (I know! this book totally spoilt me!) events in the present day suggest that the Sweetbay Strangler is not only back, but he is coming for Geo. Add in a few devious twists and I just devoured the book.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I read this book over a few nights and I really enjoyed it, it kept me guessing right to the end. I will be looking out for future books from this author.

Loved it! Probably Jennifer Hillier's best one yet, 'Jar Of Hearts' is a narrative of a girl, and later a woman, who has been found guilty of her part in the murder of her best friend.
The truth of the murder becomes secondary to the story of Georgina 'Geo' , who has risen quickly in the business world to become a force to be reckoned with, how she was brought down, sent to prison, survived it and learned to adapt to life again.
However hard this would have been for anyone is compounded by the fact that her ex-boyfriend, the murderer himself, has escaped from jail, and bodies have started turning up at places of significance to Geo. Each has been adorned with a heart, a message for Geo telling her he is on his way.
With the police unable to find him and the judicial system unable to contain him, how long will it be before Caleb adds Geo to his jar of hearts?
Taut and thrilling this is great for fans of psychological tales, it therefore has quite a bit of violence (physical and sexual) so this is a trigger warning (It's appropriate rather than excessive in my humble opinion).
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this!

Intriguing story, author shows considerable imagination and successfully turns her thoughts into a gripping story line. Looking forward to catching up on other books from this author..

This book has so many great Reviews,that I think I missed something. 
I finished it pretty quickly,it got me turning the pages. I liked the slow reveal of actual events from the past as we progressed through the story.
But I couldn't get passed Geo hacking up her friend and just carrying on with life,yet constantly referring to doing the worst thing possible.
The ease with which Calvin seems to escape yet stay in a close area seems a bit of a joke.
Arghhh... frustratingly I can pick holes in the book for ages... but the ease in which I read it,and speed I did so,means I enjoyed it.

Using a then and now narrative, we meet 3 high school best friends. Angie, Geo and Kaiser, all 16 years old. Angie goes missing without any trace. Geo is dating older man, Calvin, an abusive manipulative 21 year old who goes on to become serial killer, the Sweet Bay Strangler. Kaiser searches for years after to find out what happened to Angie. When remains turn up 14 years later the truth eventually comes out about Angie's disappearence.

Meanwhile, when the Sweetbay Strangler escapes from prison and more bodies start to turn up, the race is on to catch the perpetrator.

Jar of Hearts is up there in my top 3 reads of this year. It is a dark, twisted, complex and disturbing psychological thriller. It's pretty fast paced and I read it in just over 24 hours. The characters are particularly well drawn out and, while most chapters are narrated by Geo, I also enjoyed the chapters in Kaiser's voice. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Ms Hillier for an advance copy to review.

Well where do I start, got in to this book really quickly and chose every spare moment to read it, a great read with some great characters, It bounced along nicely to a perfectly tied up conclusion, a really great read

Tip for crime writers – get a murder into the novel early on. Don’t , for example , start off with a years-ago death for which the perpertrators have apparently already been brought to justice and then let your readers’ eyes roll as we take multiple trips to Memory Lane High School.
Okay, the early prison scenes were interesting and engagingly-written but not enough to push the narrative forward. But then, at 20 %, a body. Immediately the book is lifted. Morbid, yes…but this is what we came for.
Here’s a nerdy thing – there’s a shocking pivotal scene at around 60 % and, in the story, Closer by Nine Inch Nails is playing. I didn’t know the track so I played it while I read. Does music enhance the reader’s experience? It worked for me.
So, after the stuttery start , I became immersed in the story, although I do have a list of niggles: (view spoiler)
But…this is fiction and so it doesn’t have to be totally believable to be good. And this is a very good, well-written book that, in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for this review copy.

This book takes no hostages. It is challenging and very incisive in its analysis of characters and the reasons for their actions. It is about betrayal and murder and aggression but it is also about love and loyalty over many years. The story is compulsive and readers will not want to be interrupted! It has many unexpected twists in the story and a reassuring final page.

This is the story of 3 school friends Geo, Alison and Kaiser. When Geo is just 16 she meets and falls in love with a 21 year old Calvin James.
The relationship takes over Geo`s life and not in a good way.
A period of 14 years have passed when a dismembered body is discovered in a shallow grave in woods next to Geo`s house.
Kaiser now a detective is the one to arrest Geo, who agrees to a plea bargain sentencing her to 5 years in prison.
In return for giving evidence against her former boyfriend Calvin, now known to be the Sweetbay Strangler, an infamous serial killer.
Does Geo tell the whole story at the trial ?
You will want to read this book to discover just how disturbing and twisted this psychological thriller is.
This book had me hooked, I liked the way it shifted between the past and the present.
It has a very original story line, well plotted with believable characters and an interesting twist at the end.
Jar of Hearts is a disturbing tale of friendship,love, heartbreak, abuse and more. Finally coming full circle.
Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic books for the opportunity to read this as an ARC a definite 5***** from me. .

Jar of Hearts

A complex, twisted tale which had me hooked from the first page. It's one of the best crime thrillers I've read in a long while. It has strong central characters, plausible dialogue and really skilled plotting with so many twists and turns, it's difficult to know where the tale will lead next.

It's a complex tale of young love gone bad and the repercussions. But more than that, it's a very satisfying psychological thriller which explores the real nature of love, trust, friendship, guilt and more.

From the outset, the reader learns that the central narrator, Geo, was complicit in a murder. The victim, her closest friend. The intrigue is how and why and I was really sucked in to a story which looked at familial relationships, privilege and poverty, trust and betrayal but most of all a powerful story of personal relationships, good and bad. The early prison scenes felt very real; I've enjoyed Orange is the New Black and some of the settings are reminiscent of prison stories. I enjoyed the sub story about Cat and her influence later in the plot.

All in all, this book was an unexpected delight which I couldn't put down. Convincing, gripping and one of my best reads is year.

I found Jar Of Hearts a very easy read. When Geo is arrested age 30 after hiding a secret for fourteen years, we begin to learn the secrets of her past. At age 16 her best friend went missing and is discovered a year later buried in the woods nearby her home.
Geo's violent ex boyfriend is arrested for the murder and that of subsequent women over the years, but there's definitely more to the story.
I found the book to be well written, but a little far fetched in places. There was a good twist that was drip fed to the reader throughout the book, however I find myself with questions at the end of the book.

I've read other reviews which were lukewarm and even quite hostile - I could not put this book down ! the writing is fast paced and relatable and the characters are at once revolting and realistic. The character of Geo is so complex and difficult to unravel that it keeps you going right to the end.

As the book starts it is all pretty straightforward - young girl falls head over heels in love with older "badboy" and it all goes horribly wrong, the court case which follows years later tells a horrid but straightforward tale. You pretty soon start to realise that it is not straightforward at all. Teenage love, teenage jealousy, passion all play a part in this story. The titbits of information keep you guessing and suspicious that all is not being revealed - you will be right in this !

Murder, Rape, Prison all revolting concepts take the main stage in this book so if you are squeamish at all I would avoid it. If you can cope then you are in for a rollercoaster ride - enjoy

I was lucky enough to be given this book to read by the publisher (Corvus) and NetGalley. All views are my own

Jar of hearts is my first book by this author and it was really good. I will be checking out more of this authors work.
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 . . .
It is a really good thriller and it has to be one of my top reads this year it is so good.
This story is going to stay with me for a long time to come.
This book had me from the start it will keep you turning the pages to find out what is going to happen it is so well written and I can’t wait to read more from this author

The story is told by Georgina or Geo as everyone knows her by. How she's shocked to learn that her first love has become a killer. After he escaped custody more people have been found murdered in the same way as his first victim, now making him a serial killer. Although it jumps backwards and forwards it reveals how it all started and where it went from there. The big question is, why do the police think he's making his way to Geo? And if he is, will they be there to help her? I found it easy to follow and has a brilliant twist towards the end.
There are many authors on my list of must read books but this author has certainly gone to the top of it. I have never read anything from her before but will most definitely be looking out for more. What a fabulous read! My grateful thanks to Atlantic Books for my ARC copy via NetGalley. I have no hesitation in recommending this thriller which gets a full five stars from me

A brilliant fast paced story, beautifully written, with many unanticipated turns. A wonderful dark thriller with pleasantly touching moments. Definitely one to read, gripping and thoroughly enjoyable.

Gripping story. Demonstrates that love can be all consuming - if we let it. Also, demonstrates the lengths people will go to for love and how difficult it is to speak the truth even when given the opportunity.

Now this is how a thriller should be! Fantastically written and full of dark twists and turns. Absolutely loved Jar of Hearts, I'll be recommending it to everyone!

Jennifer Hillier writes a gripping, emotive, dark and twisted psychological thriller that had me reading as fast as I possibly could, desperate to see how it all ends. Popular 16 year old Angela Wong disappears without trace, only for her dismembered remains to resurface in the woods 14 years later, close to Georgina 'Geo' Shaw's home. Geo is now a successful VP at Shipp's Pharmaceuticals in Seattle, and engaged to the CEO. Her life falls apart as the knowledge of what happened to Angela, and her role in it, secrets she has kept all these years, now spill out. Kaiser Brody, is a police detective in Seattle PD, he has never got past the stumbling block of his obsessive unrequited love for Geo through the years. He sees that Angela has been a victim of the 'Sweetbay Strangler', Calvin James. When Geo was 16, she developed an blinding obsessive teenage crush on the older Calvin that will indelibly shape her future. The story is told through multiple perspectives, going back and forth in time.

Geo is sentenced to 5 years in prison, and Calvin is imprisoned for life for the killing of Angela, and other deaths. Hillier gives us a chilling portrayal of Geo's prison life, for which Geo has to draw on her inner resources and strength to survive the experience. Calvin manages to escape, and other bodies with a similar MO turn up as the past comes back to haunt the present. As Geo is freed, you wonder if Calvin is responsible and if Geo's life is in danger. There is more to this deadly affair than is first thought as Hillier reveals twist after twist in this tale of abuse and violence. Geo, the once successful and wealthy business woman, now faces life as a pariah, shunned and derided. The narrative gives us a picture of broken and manipulated lives, prison hardships, abuse, friendship, and wrecked futures.

This is a fast paced, beautifully written and impressively plotted book. Admittedly the characters are difficult to like, but Hillier, nevertheless, makes them riveting and compelling, you want to know more about them and the direction their lives head in. I must warn readers that there is dark, unsettling and disturbing material that covers issues such as rape and abuse that may be too much for many readers. I found myself sucked into the story, and found it thought provoking, intense, and an emotional rollercoaster of a ride. I highly recommend this to readers who love twisted psychological thrillers that are a little different.

This is a strange, dark tale - definitely requiring a strong stomach in places - which opens with successful businesswoman, Georgina (Geo for short) Shaw telling a Seattle court how, 20 years ago, she was an accessory in the murder and dismemberment of her best friend, Angela Wong.

Seated in the court is Geo's fiancee, CEO of the company for which she now works and a boy she knew from school, Kaiser ("Kai") Brody, now a police lieutenant. The accused is Calvin James on trial for the murders of 4 young women and dubbed "The Sweetbay Strangler" by the media. By the time Geo has ended her evidence, she no longer has a fiancee.

Twenty years previously, the disappearance of Angela Wong had shocked Seattle and for all that time Geo kept silent about the horrific murder of her friend. But now she's testifying against Calvin in return for a 5 year sentence, while Calvin will receive a life sentence with no chance of release. But, soon after he's imprisoned, he escapes, murdering a prison guard and a counsellor and going on the run with 3 other prisoners, all later found dead.

Now, Georgina has served her 5 year sentence with very few problems, thanks to the protection of Ella Frank, wife of major drug dealer. All this while, Kaiser Brody has been keeping tabs on Geo via monthly reports from a prison guard who he's been paying 100 dollars a time for the privilege.

But, a few days before Geo's release, the dismembered body of a young woman is found in the same woods as where Angela Wong's body was discovered. Close by is the body of a 2 year old child. Try as he might, Kaiser can't stop thinking this is the work of The Sweetbay Strangler.

At times, this story reads like a soap opera. Kai is having an affair with his female detective partner, Kim, who's married to another cop. Geo has been having sex with a young prison guard who seems to have fallen in love with her. Geo's best pal in prison is Cat, who's seriously ill with cancer. I kept waiting for more melodrama to be piled on. Aside from Geo and Kai, most of the characters seemed superficial, despite the author's attempts to give their lives some depth.

For all that, "Jar Of Hearts" is an exciting tale of jealousy and murder with a sensational twist. What really happened on the night Angela Wong was murdered? After 20 years, as past and present collide and the truth will out!

My thanks go to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an unbiased review.