Woah. You know how people talk about books that keep you up all night reading? Jar of Hearts is one of those books. And you know when people talk about books that they just can’t seem to get over and keep thinking about days and weeks after reading? This is one of those books. It is beautifully written and emotionally jarring. It is easy to connect with the characters and feel empathy despite the horrific situations.

Jar of Hearts CW + TW

First off, please know this book comes with ALL THE TRIGGER + CONTENT WARNINGS. This is a legit thriller in the true scary/shocking/horrified sense of the word. This book covers a wide range of social issues including rape, the prison system, abortion, incest, the foster system, and abusive relationships that will make you uncomfortable. But it will also make you think. And make you second guess. And make you wonder. I felt a bit about this book like I did with Silence of the Lambs – it was awful but also somewhat genius and I could not look away.

“being in an abusive relationship was nothing like Geo expected. She kew hitting was wrong, of course. She wasn’t stupid. The problem was that none of the public service announcements address the real issues behind abusive relationships. A relationship is not supposed to consume you. Or make you feel out of control. Or make you change into someone you don’t want to be. But how do you teach that? How do you explain to someone who’s never been in a romantic relationship what a healthy relationship feels like? How do you explain to a 16 yr old girl who’s never been in love what love is supposed to feel like? ”

What’s It About?

The story begins when the remains of a 16 year old teen that went missing 14 years prior are found in her then best friends yard. Back then, Geo + Angela were inseparable, but got drunk at a party one night, and Angela was never seen again. Geo is now engaged to a high profile man and works a high stakes job. She tried to leave her past behind but always new one day it would catch up with her.

Both Geo and her then much older boyfriend, Calvin, end up serving time for the murders. It turns up that Calvin may have been a serial killer! But what really happened that night? Told through flashbacks and memories, the book slowly unravels the horrifying truth. Then when Geo is finally released from prison, similar murders begin to happen again. Is it a copycat killer? Or is Geo’s old boyfriend sending her a message?

Thoughts on Jar of Hearts

I flew through this book! It is cringe worthy and you will try to look away in all the right places. I promise you’ll be absolutely shocked at the ending. I admit to struggling with some of the subject matter and some of the themes. But I think that’s also what makes this brilliant. It will make you uncomfortable and that unsettling feeling sticks with you throughout the entire reading process. This is a dark, twisted story and a must read for thriller fans. Nerve wracking, uncomfortable, skin crawling jaw dropping 5 stars from me!

You can purchase this book here and get ideas for other thrillers, too! If you want to see what fun new giveaways I have going on, visit my Instagram page where I post almost daily giveaways. And you can see more book reviews and product highlights on my blog!