Book Review – Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

My Opinion:

This is a story of three high school friends. One ends up dead, another one behind bars, and the other is left to put all the pieces together.

This story is told in five parts, alternating between the perspective of two of the characters – Georgina (Geo) Shaw and Kaiser Brody. Geo is serving time in jail for her part in the murder of Angela Wong, and Kaiser is a detective who is determined to see justice for Angela. Throughout the book these two characters piece together the story of what happened to their childhood best friend, Angela Wong, by alternating the times lines between past and present day.

I had mixed feelings about the main character Geo. There were moments when my heart went out to her, moments when I wanted her to stand up for herself and let her voice be heard, and then there were moments when I began to wonder if she was just a big ol’ con artist.

The last twenty percent of this book was quite intense! It all comes together in a couple of eye-opening moments that I will not soon forget.

This is a dark story of murder, regret, and abuse. It captured my attention from the very first pages and took me on quite a journey.

*Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Jennifer Hillier for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

Book Details:

My Rating: 4/5
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Series: None
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: 6/12/2018
Pages: 320 (eBook)

Let’s get social…

Goodreads
Twitter
Instagram