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A review by snugglesandpages
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
First of all, WOW. ππ
Jar of Hearts was dark guys... and I loved it!
The story kicks off with a bang when our main MC Geo, is abruptly arrested during a board meeting for her role in the brutal murder of her best friend, Angela Wong 14 years ago. I love it when an author throws you into the thick of it right off the bat, reeling you in so that there is just no way you aren't going to smash through the pages to find out how and why!
We get a brief, but a raw glimpse into what life in prison is like for Geo. This part of the book gave me total "Orange Is the New Black" vibes, which I loved, before we time jump to her release 5 years later.
In the present tense, Geo is now faced with the reality that the perfect life she once had is gone. It's clear Geo and Calvin are still tethered in some way, after all, she protected him for all those years. But why?
In alternative chapters, we discover just how this sweet 16-year-old straight-A cheerleader fell in love with a violent and possessive future serial killer like Calvin, and the startling truth about what really happened to Angela Wong. These scenes were intense and very confronting at times.
I quite liked the chapters from Kai's POV as well. They provided further insight into the dynamics of the BFF trio that was Geo, Angela and Kai. It also satisfied the police procedural aspect of the story, though it could have done with a bit more of the investigative side.
About halfway through, the penny dropped for me and I was messaging a fellow booksta with my theories π They were mostly right, but that didn't detract from the suspense. Hillers writing captivates you in a way that as dark and unnerving as parts of this story were, you will be utterly transfixed. I just couldn't stop reading.
If you like gritty thrillers with serial killer vibes like me, then you will love Jar of Hearts. Keen beans to read through Hiller's backlist as well, so I'm sure you will be seeing more of my thoughts on her work soon.
Jar of Hearts was dark guys... and I loved it!
The story kicks off with a bang when our main MC Geo, is abruptly arrested during a board meeting for her role in the brutal murder of her best friend, Angela Wong 14 years ago. I love it when an author throws you into the thick of it right off the bat, reeling you in so that there is just no way you aren't going to smash through the pages to find out how and why!
We get a brief, but a raw glimpse into what life in prison is like for Geo. This part of the book gave me total "Orange Is the New Black" vibes, which I loved, before we time jump to her release 5 years later.
In the present tense, Geo is now faced with the reality that the perfect life she once had is gone. It's clear Geo and Calvin are still tethered in some way, after all, she protected him for all those years. But why?
In alternative chapters, we discover just how this sweet 16-year-old straight-A cheerleader fell in love with a violent and possessive future serial killer like Calvin, and the startling truth about what really happened to Angela Wong. These scenes were intense and very confronting at times.
I quite liked the chapters from Kai's POV as well. They provided further insight into the dynamics of the BFF trio that was Geo, Angela and Kai. It also satisfied the police procedural aspect of the story, though it could have done with a bit more of the investigative side.
About halfway through, the penny dropped for me and I was messaging a fellow booksta with my theories π They were mostly right, but that didn't detract from the suspense. Hillers writing captivates you in a way that as dark and unnerving as parts of this story were, you will be utterly transfixed. I just couldn't stop reading.
If you like gritty thrillers with serial killer vibes like me, then you will love Jar of Hearts. Keen beans to read through Hiller's backlist as well, so I'm sure you will be seeing more of my thoughts on her work soon.