"Jar Of Hearts" by Jennifer Hillier

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? ~taken from Goodreads

You have been warned! Pre-order this book now because in June this book will be flying off shelves at your local bookstore! 

This was my first time reading a book by author Jennifer Hillier, but it certainly will not be my last. I have already added other books of hers to my list. But, I'm getting ahead of myself... let me explain to you why this book was AMAZING!

This story revolves around 3 (former) best friends. Georgina (Geo) and Kaiser are now both grown adults, but no longer friends. They drifted apart in their late teen years when Angela, the final piece to their teen trio of BFFs, went missing. Now Geo is headed to prison for her part in killing Angela all those years ago and Kaiser is the one who arrested her. Though Geo is in prison, Kaiser just can't shake his detective instinct that there is more to this story than what he has been told.

The story alternates between past and present and also from third person point of view of both Geo and Kaiser. The characters are very well developed, easy to relate to, and despite the horrific event of murder, both characters are very likable. 

We get glimpses into the past and are slowly given clues on how these teens' life were before the murder and what lead up to it. I loved reading the parts of Geo's life in prison. Even the small, seemingly insignificant characters in the story are so well developed and interesting. The story flows seamlessly and little plot twists dropped throughout kept me guessing up until the end!

You all know I hate ruining a good story, so I won't give any spoilers away! I will tell you it's a 5 star read! Hands down one of my favorite books of 2018 so far! I can't wait to read other books from this author.

Jennifer Hillier's "Jar Of Hearts" is set to be released on June 12, 2018 here in the United States. Like I mentioned before, pre-order it now!  You'll want this book in your hands to gobble up the second it's released! 

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press (I received both the egalley and printed ARC) to read and give my honest review. 

Happy Reading!

"Things We Do In The Dark" by Jennifer Hillier

 

When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.

Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she's unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris's secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.

Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges. ~taken from Goodreads

Author Jennifer Hillier is back with another thriller and I was so excited to get my hands on this! I have read and reviewed "Jar of Hearts" and "Little Secrets" which you can see here. 

I have to say this is my favorite I have read of hers so far. This is such a smart and suspenseful novel. Cleverly written with characters that are multi-dimensional and truly add to the overall story. There's no fluff here- every single happening in this thriller happens for a reason. Pay attention! 

This is broken up into different parts and is told from different perspectives and in different timelines. It gives such a unique perspective to the overall story. There are those moments when something suddenly clicks and you think " okay! Now that makes sense!". The writing just flows and wraps you up in the story. 

This book is filled with so many secrets and lies you will have a hard time guessing what's next. There are twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages wanting more while simultaneously wishing it weren't coming to an end.  The end was a twist I never saw coming! 

"Things We Do In The Dark" is set to be released July 19, 2022 here in the U.S. so pre-order now! 

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an advanced digital copy to read and give my honest review. It was a 4 star read! 

Happy Reading! 

"Little Secrets" by Jennifer Hillier

From the author of Jar of Hearts, a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with the woman who might have kidnapped him.
Four hundred and eighty seconds. That’s how long it took for someone to steal Marin Machado's four-year-old son.

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman.

Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student—Instagram famous—and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he's rich, and dating him comes with perks: help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn't her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he'll be the last. She's falling for him—and that was never part of the plan.

Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek's lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek. ~taken from Goodreads

I was worried before reading this. As the mother of 3 boys I wasn't sure I could handle the fact that the main character's life revolves around the fact she can't move on from her son being kidnapped. I worried it would seem too real for me. Honestly, I am glad I pursued this anyway because I ended up really liking this fast paced thriller. 

I will say that it started out slow, but interesting. The main character, Marin, is a successful business woman married to a successful man. They seem to have a dream life and marriage and that all crumbles down around then when their son is abducted.

In Part 1 of the book we meet Marin. Almost a year after her son was abducted she discovers her husband is having an affair with a much younger woman. Now on top of all her grief over her missing son,she has a new mystery to solve. Who is this woman in her husband's life? How did they meet? How could he just move on with his life? She even starts online stalking this girl and shows up at her work to see what college-girl Kenzie is all about. 

Part 2 of the book is from Kenzie's perspective. She's a college student working in a coffee shop and sharing an apartment with a roommate. She knows who Marin is. She knows that Marin and her husband are super successful and very rich. This is not Kenzie's first time becoming the mistress of a rich man...

What started as a dark, gripping thriller soon turned into a woman-hating-woman domestic thriller. Though I stayed entertained, I was just confused as to why the two types of thrillers had to mix. It seemed like two separate mysteries held together by a very thin thread.

Then ending was rushed and boring. Predictable at the least. It's hard to get into why I hated it without giving the "who done it" away. 

Overall, it was a quick read and it did entertain me. A 3 star read for me. 

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an eARC to read and give my honest review. 

"Little Secrets" is set to be released April 21, 2020 here in the United States. It is a quick and fun read for all those that are self quarantined during this COVID-19 epidemic so pre-order now.  

Happy Reading!