Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Jar of Hearts

It’s not a bad book at all, but I was very unprepared for how rough this book was going to be. It felt a bit like tragedy/trauma porn for me and there were a lot of sexual assault/rape scenes that were a lot to get through. I also didn’t love the final act; it felt kind of far fetched and just wasn’t for me.

Again, not a bad or poorly written book which is why I’ve given it a 3 but honestly personal enjoyment wise it was a 2 for me.

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creepycrawlybookworm's review

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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blackcats_and_coffeecups's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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phantasmaboo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier is a dark thriller revolving around a set of serial killings in the Pacific Northwest. The story opens with Georgina (Geo) Shaw being sent to prison for assisting in the murder of her friend, Angela Wong. Geo has cut a deal with the district attorney's office to testify against her boyfriend Calvin, who is accused of being a serial murderer. Upon her release, however, new murders begin happening with the same M.O. as Calvin's, leading to significant questions about who killed Angela and who is continuing this serial killer's legacy.

I have some pretty mixed feelings about this book. First and foremost, there are serious trigger warnings for multiple, graphic sexual assaults (of minors!) throughout the novel as well as incest and domestic abuse. All this leads to a very dark plot that is very likely not something for everyone, so be careful while reading.

Breaking down my feelings, I thought the following:

The Setting
I enjoyed the setting of a somewhat remote area near a city, but not quite part of it. I thought that the small-town feel gave the story a dark atmosphere as well as built up tension regarding who is currently doing what to and with who.

The Plot
I cannot figure out why the author included the first 1/3 of the book at all. This portion describes Geo's time behind bars, but doesn't really add much to the story that could not have been handled had it not been there at all. The majority of the plot lines that begin in this area are not resolved or are resolved quickly with little buy in. Honestly, by the end it felt more like the author wanted us to see Geo traumatized in this setting before moving her home, so that the trauma could aid in "character development" (more on that under characters).

For the overall plot, I thought that it was okay. I would say that the ending is indeed a surprise, but only because the threads are not laid out for the ending to happen until the very last chapters. The ending itself felt pretty anti-climactic, however, and it left me scratching my head as to what the point of this story was. It was definitely more of a "tell" experience than a "show" experience.

The Characters
The characters are generally well-developed, but I do think that it fell into the realm of stereotypes at times. For example, nearly all the female characters are shaped through their traumas, typically sexual abuse, rape, drug use, domestic violence, abandonment, etc. By the end, I don't think there was one woman who was not defined by one of those things. Geo herself is shaped by them. Even one male character is completely defined by his traumas. These events become their entire personalities and character arcs. I felt like there was very little character building outside of the traumatic, and at some points it just felt like trauma porn.

Another thing that didn't sit right with me was the author's depiction of victims of domestic violence, assault, and rape. It seems that she paints these individuals in negative light, casting them as manipulative and not to be trusted. I got the feeling that Hillier felt that she was being dark and edgy in these portrayals, but ultimately just created stereotypical, surface-like characters that fail to develop.

As far as diversity goes, sure, the characters were diverse, but very little is done with their diversity other than point it out. The main character is mixed race, but other than telling us that, there is very little influence on the plot. With the exception of the jail portion, there is no talk that I can remember about how race could have influenced the events of the book.

Overall
Like I said, I didn't dislike this book, but I wouldn't put it on the top of my list either. I personally wouldn't want to read it again because of the graphic sexual assaults of minors and adults portrayed and how those individuals are treated in the writing.

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cady_sass's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Well, I started this in an attempt to get out of a reading slump and it most definitely did the job. Nearly every twist had my jaw on the floor. This is a tough read, lots of really heavy topics and grisly imagery, but that ending takes the cake. I feel more than a bit torn by the final conclusion, not sure how I feel about it or how I *should* feel. There are some highly problematic assumptions and implications here… i so badly wanted to give this 4 stars but i just CAN’T because of that ending. The story as a whole, though, very well done.

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michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

⚠️ TW: rape, sexual assault, grooming, serial murders with multiple being children, mutilation, graphic content, mentions of child pornography, abuse and paedophilia, domestic violence, toxic relationships, drug/alcohol addiction ⚠️ Wow this book broke me and definitely isn't for the faint hearted because it is a whole new level of dark. This book is so hard to review without giving spoilers but it follows three friends, Angela, Geo and Kaiser, who are best friends throughout high school until one ends up brutally murdered, one ends up in prison and one spends their life searching for answers. Honestly this book is darkly intense, fast paced and disturbing and even when some chapters make you want to put it down you simply can't stop reading. Jennifer Hillier hands down blew my mind with her writing style! She pulled off a flawless thriller filled with jaw dropping chapters as well as explosive twists, turns and a crazy ending. However, my main issue was the extensive amount of rapes and sexual assaults. In my opinion, some of the rapes and SA's that took place were in no way necessary to further the plot or the dislike toward any characters and I'm not a fan of them being dropped into books purely for the shock factor (and I lost count of how many there were). Overall though, this is mind blowing thriller and if it sounds like something you'd be able to read then I highly recommend it!

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