I'm a big fan of the author's "Hearts" series, so I was very curious to see her expand outside the WAC. There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed, and others that moved a bit too slowly for me. I will say to other readers that this is not an action packed type of book. There are a lot of scenes dealing with Emily attempting to write, and Beck looking after kittens. Those kinds of scenes.

What stood out to me was how great it was that one of the main characters, Beck, had a little bit of a disability. And the fact that Emily never made an issue of it, and made it out to be just "normal" Beck, was lovely. It made me like the character Emily more than I initially did, because she was a little too closed off at first to really like her.

Beck was instantly likable. Adorable too. She definitely rubs off on Emily, so Emily's arc is much larger than Beck's.

Emily's friends, and Beck's mother, are the main side characters and they are all written well. Again, not a lot happens with them but the dialogue and scenes are so nicely written that it doesn't matter much.

Overall, it was a nice book and I'm excited to read more books from this author both in the WAC and out of it.

After putting away this book after reading the first 2 - 3 chapters I am really glad I returned to it and finished the story cause I liked the budding relationship between Beck and Emily. At first the fact that one of them has had a serious head injury when younger and the other being a selfish, heartless person seemed to lead to a romance where I seriously disliked one of the main characters. Luckily I picked it up again and finished a nicely written book where 2 people who seem to have nothing in common form a believable connection and learn from eachother. Yes, maybe the issues they had were a bit repetitive and is Beck quite possibly the most forgiving person that has ever set foot on this planet, but it works in this story and is consistent with her character.
Emily on the other hand is rather egotistical and harsh but I grew fond of her towards the end of the book, since the story is from her point of view you get a good impression of her personal growth and a certain understanding for her way of thinking. Anyone who is in the mood for a slowburn romance between two people who should not really fit together need to pick up this book by Jaycie Morrisson and give it a go.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***

I really like this plot cause it is something I have not read before! The characters are really sweet and likeable especially Beck! She is really cute and I like it that she is not too naive cause that was what I kind of afraid of. But it is just very well written!

This book was well written and I really like the authors style. However, this book was not one of my favorites. I felt like the story, the MC’s backgrounds, and the tone of the story was just so dark and sad. So while I think that Jaycie Morrison is talented, I did not like this book’s story.

The Found Jar was for sure an interesting story. Honestly, it isn't what I expected from the blurb that came along with the story.. It is for sure an emotional rollercoaster.

Emily Harris is a horror fiction writer who decides to travel to the outer banks with her friends to try to start writing again. She meets Beck Reynolds, a housekeeper, after she rents a house that is need to cleaning. So there is a ton going on in this story. Emily has issues. Because of those issues she finds herself not being able to make friends or keep many. She is moody and has a secret. As you read you get small peaks of said secret, but it takes a while for the blanks to be filled in. I think that Emily could have been a really unlikable character if we didn't get these hints at what is plaguing her. It is funny that she falls for Beck because Beck has her own set of issues. She suffer head trauma as a child which resulted in brain damage. She really does see the good in people and is often taken advantage of. When you think about it, these two damaged people fit very well together. Listen, I don't want to give a ton of details here, just read the romance. Love the ending.

4.25 stars

This arc was provided by netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

I've read a couple of reviews before I started this book myself. I usually don't do that but it helped me decide which book to read first. This seemed to be a very interesting one that left a lot of people feeling emotional, I think I just missed that turn in this book.

Emily is a moody horror fiction writer, she never joins her friends when they go on their summer break, but this year is different. She tags along because she is struggling with writer's block and hopes the change of scenery will do her some good. Her friends get on her nerves instantly, as they do on mine, especially the agent/friend. she is such a horrible person. Emily has her issues, and lots of quirks, when the sleeping arrangement isn't what she expected she rents a different place. She meets the local housekeeper Beck. beck had a boating accident as a kid, which left her with some brain injuries. Beck is sweet and considerate, maybe a bit too much so. She puts up with Emily's prickliness, she is even drawn to it. There is a lot of inner struggle for both MCs, but more so for Emily. She makes wrong decision after wrong decision and Beck is almost too easy with her forgiveness.

I feel like Emily uses Beck to make herself feel good, or maybe feel nothing at all, but never considering how Beck might feel. At some point in the book, this is addressed, which is a plus in my opinion, but it doesn't change a thing. There is so much going on and not everything is resolved by the end of the book, which is fine, because you know, life. But there are some loose ends that needed to be tied before it should have come to a resolution. I don't know, I enjoyed reading the book, it is an emotional story, but because I just can't shake the feeling that Emily is using Beck some of it is lost on me. There are multiple angsty moments, there is absolute care there as well. The story is beautiful in a way, but it just doesn't sit 100% right with me. I can't really put my finger on all of it, but it's mostly to do with Emily's character. It's 3.5 for me, I did like it, but there is just this little something...

“Even broken things have beauty when they find their place.”

This book is a page turner, the storyline is richly constructed and the characters multifaceted. Definitely not what you expect from the synopsis.

Suffering from a writer’s block, horror fiction writer Emily Harris joined her friends on a summer writing vacation to a beach house in Windsom Edge. Presented as cold and mechanical, Emily lived life going through the motions, limited her interactions with people and had nothing but her writing to keep her grounded. Plagued with nightmares, the pieces of Emily that she kept at bay started to crumble when she met Beck.

The younger Beck, arriving on the scene on a scooter, appeared to be reserved but insightful for her age. Beck is an enigma to Emily, with the former’s condition and especially when they both have something to hide.

When Beck slowly pulled down Emily’s walls, making her do the unexpected and steered her out of her comfort zone, the story took a turn.

Both main leads suffered from life changing tragedy, and despite the age gap, Beck taught Emily about life. The two needed each other. And to save each other.

I love the book. Love the layers upon layers of characterisation hidden by the author in the pages. A recommended read.

I just reviewed The Found Jar by Jaycie Morrison. #NetGalley

I did not see this coming. Beautiful book. worth the time and quite emotional. I did not like Beck a lot but I liked the feel of the story in general.

recommended

Emily Harris is a horror fiction writer in New York, but is having writer's block and is attempting a new writing genre as she is invited to join some friends at a beach house in North Carolina. Her personal life has been plagued with powerful nightmares of her sister Abby who went missing while they were young. This has not allowed her to grow close to another person aside from her casual friends and casual sex.

When Emily arrives at the North Carolina beach house, her room isn't met with her satisfaction. She decides to rent a nearby guest house where she meets the housekeeper and her daughter, Beck, who is also a housekeeper. Beck suffered a severe head injury on her father's boat while she was young. She is now twenty-six but is still teased and bullied by some similar aged people in town for being slow. We also learn during the story that she is a budding artist.

As I began reading the book and learning about both of the main characters I realized the story wasn't exactly what I expected from reading the brief description. The book was multi-layered, very emotional, and at times it was incomprehensible what Emily and Beck suffered in their lives. Beck seemed to be the more resilient of the two and she usually had a smile on her face and a positive attitude. These qualities seemed to impact Emily and over time make her more optimistic. However, there were times throughout the story where the reader just wants to shake Emily regarding her transgressions and her hurtful words. This was an impactful story and I would recommend that others give it a read. 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Emily is writer of horror fiction she didn’t have a great childhood because she been having nightmares about it it’s one of the reason she rather be by herself then with other people she has few friends she spends time with but you could tell she doesn’t let them all the way in who finally convince her to spend time with them at their summer house while she tries gets some writing done.

Becks is the local housekeeper who’s is a talent artist when she was a child she had accident on her father boat and she had to relearn everything you wouldn’t had known that if her mother didn’t explain it to Emily when she wanted her not to be friends with her daughter because Becks can be too trusting but for what I seen I didn’t see that trait she just like asking questions and making friends who actually want to be her friend because some of the friends she has aren’t that great of friends.

Emily decides she doesn’t need any complications and besides when it comes to people she rather be withdrawn. When it comes to Becks she tries to keep her at arm lengths because she doesn’t want deal with heartbreak and love but somehow Becks seems bring her out of her comfort zone. As they build a friendship she helps Becks breakout and see she is worthy helps build her up.

This was a good read sometimes it was hard to read because some parts I wanted go through the book strangle some characters. I saw myself in Emily because I’m like her I rather be alone then spend time with other people.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. The internal struggle the main character goes through is infuriating and heartbreaking. This book explains that lessons aren’t easily learned and love is hard won. Mistake after mistake builds in a circular fashion until an outside individual makes an unwanted choice forcing the main character’s hand. In an effort to right the wrong, she proves she can finally jump off the track of despair she is attached to. Poignant, difficult, intense, and real! This book was really hard to read until it wasn’t. In the end, everything falls into place in the most perfect way, making for a novel that really stands out from the crowd.