The Vice

by Jennifer R. Jensen

When Harper Jones was 20, she lost not only her plans for the future but her ambition for it as well. Now, at 28, her life is spiraling out of control—torn apart by lies, meaningless sex, and excessive drinking. She faces a critical let the chaos consume her or fight for the second chance she never thought possible.

A glimmer of hope emerges through a former flame, the one person who was part of that failed future. But to reclaim that love and rebuild her life, Harper must confront the lies she’s been hiding behind, or risk losing him all over again—this time, for good.

Her best friend, the one person who has stood by her through it all, is also caught in the crossfire. Harper’s deception threatens to destroy their bond, leaving her truly alone.

Will Harper find the strength to confront her darkest truths and salvage the relationships that matter most, or will the ghosts of her past keep her trapped forever?

In this gripping tale of heartbreak, resilience, and redemption, Harper's journey reveals that the toughest battles are often fought within—and that true love and friendship may be worth facing your darkest fears.

Genres: Romance

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2024

About the author

Jennifer R. Jensen is a fiction author who dove back into the world of writing in 2019. She had spent a decade away from her passion becoming a wife, mom, and advancing her career. With six independently published books and two novellas under her belt, she is beginning to expand her love and knowledge for writing into the world of traditional publishing. She is looking forward to the next big adventure in her writing career that will expand her knowledge on the publishing process, and take her creative works to the next level.

Reviews

[Robyn_reads1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper hasn’t had the easiest life. As a result of that, she’s in a very unhealthy place, making self-destructive choices. As her decisions begin to effect her life, Harper knows something must change. Can she beat the voice inside her head and learn to love herself?
The Vice by Jennifer R. Jensen is a serious look into a woman who is damaged but wants better. There were times when I wasn’t sure if I wanted to choke Harper or hug her but watching her inner process was captivating. Some of Harper’s story is heartbreaking and offers an insight into the person she has become. The story flowed and was very smooth. I am looking forward to reading more books in this world.
TW: Abuse, miscarriage

[MyDogAteMyBookReview · Rating 4 out of 5]

I yelled at Harper more than once while reading this book - because it’s totally normal to yell at fictional characters to make better choices.

Harper is an absolute trainwreck, the only constant in her life is her drinking. I wanted to hug her, slap her, shake her and help her. She’s caught in a vicious cycle of self sabotage and a fog of depression. It’s hard to look forward to your future when you’re shackled to your past demons.

Harper is the bent but not broken heroine that you root for. It’s ok to not be ok and you just want her to be happy. To be with the guy she actually loves and that she’s worthy of it.

[Bri Biller · Rating 4 out of 5]

harper's character was beautifully written. her fragility throughout every experience was written in a way that made me really think of her reactions and reasonings, remembering that it was coming from a person with severe trauma experiences. I don't always enjoy multiple lvoe interests, but this is one I really enjoyed reading

[DebbieDoesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew this book would wreck me. Luckily for me I live for books that rip me up from the inside out. Harper is so many of us. Trauma, bad coping mechanisms, that dreaded voice in your head, keeping the wrong people around you, self destructive behavior, depression. I can absolutely relate to her in so many ways it was kind of scary to be honest. I found myself wanted to shake some sense into her but yelling "BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, SIS!" at my e-book. I love that Harper sought help but the author didn't make it seem like 2-3 sessions were a magical cure. They absolutely were not. Harper relapses over and over.

I feel like this book would hit home for a lot of people. However, If you don't like reading about broken characters or can't deal with them making bad choices over and over then this book is not for you. Trigger warnings- miscarriage, alcohol abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts.

[Sabrina Voerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you down the dark path of Harper, who has endured so much in her life so far. As she bounces between coping mechanisms, she is quickly forced to deal with herself head on - though she avoids it as much as she can.
Harper is a complicated character, because she is frustrating enough that you want to shake her, but she is still trying to put herself back together again, even if she isn't always using the best methods.
There were a lot of characters in this book, and it was definitely more character-based than plot-based. As the past unravels through Harper's therapy sessions, readers are able to sympathize with her a bit more, and see that she is trying to get a leg up while her inner voice keeps trying to keep her down.
I was drawn in much more by Serena, Sarah, and Jesse, and all the other characters did irk me a bit. But I was glad to see progress at a reasonable rate - the more things piled up against Harper, the more believable her struggles to get through the day-to-day became.
I am eager to see where this series goes!
3.5 Stars!

[Kimmey Fitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of the book from the author, Jennifer R. Jensen. The first thing I want to say is that the book deals with highly sensitive issues. The main character named Harper has lost her father and never dealt with the trauma from it. She has issues with her mother that need resolved as well. All of this leads her to a life of hypersexuality and panic attacks. She seems to attach herself to men who are abusive in one way or another. Then, when she does find a good guy, she doesn't want him, probably not feeling good enough for him. All through the story, she deals with hearing voices and having troubled dreams, which is a sign of PTSD. She is seeing a therapist, but it is a therapist that her mother insisted she see. I never truly understood if it was helpful to her. She also has a best friend that she loves. I had a difficult time with Serena being her best friend. She set her up to fall a couple of times. She is probably as toxic as the guys are that she chooses. My favorite part of the book was when she went to eat dinner with her mother and they had a talk. I could feel her longing for a real relationship with her. The ending threw me off a bit, but now that I know it is just the first of a series... I understand. The grammar and formatting were on point. Way to go! Bravo Jennifer R. Jensen!

[Shantel Brunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional romance novel

As I read through The Vice my emotions were up and down like I was on a rollercoaster.
Harper is an extremely relatable character and I found it easy to connect with her. I liked the use of journal entries to communicate with her therapist. This was a great literary device to reveal information about the character without info bombing the reader.
I also really like the Voice Harper is always hearing. This is an excellent personification of negative thoughts.
Then there is the romance between Caleb and Harper. This kept me turning the pages to see what their fate would be.
I can’t wait to see what happens to all of the characters and I look forward to reading more.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to be completely honest here - I didn’t immediately fall in love with this book. It took me a bit to get through, but I decided to stick with it and I’m so glad that I did. I found the main character, Harper, annoying at first - as I got more into the book, I realized that was because I didn’t really understand her yet. Harper was dealt such a shitty hand in life and every time you think that nothing more can happen to her, it does. I hope she gets the happy ending that she deserves and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Also, I love the way that Jennifer R. Jensen puts an emphasis on mental health and it’s importance!! As someone with mental health issues, this is a really refreshing thing to see in a book :)

[Mamabookowl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vice written by Jennifer R. Jensen is fantastic to say the least. A lot of it hit home for me. There are so many emotions in this book that I feel many people will be able to relate to.


However, if you or anyone you know has suffered from depression and/or suicidal thoughts, this may not be the book for you. Those topics are brought up several times and may be triggering.


As I said, this book hit home for me in several ways. I have struggled and continue to wrestle with depression, suicidal thoughts, and, just like the main character Harper, for a short time I felt alcohol could be a vice to make me feel better. Harper's relationship with her mother is also almost on point with my own maternal relationship. We're not very close, she criticized quite often, and we haven't had a real conversation in years. Toward the end of The Vice, Harper and her mother seem to at least be heading in the direction of relationship repair.


Though Jensen writes about scary, socially unacceptable topics, the book is not negative. What can be taken away from The Vice is there are people out there to help, and it's okay to get help. It's also okay to talk about mental health, because everyone is dealing with something.

[Joanne Slazyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Honest Portrayal of Women’s Mental Health Issues

Jennifer Jensen has created something special with her protagonist Harper. She is a woman who I cheered for, cringed for, and cried for. Jensen bravely discusses mental health and gives an honest look into the mind of a victim of abuse. It is one of my top women’s fiction reads of the year. Looking forward to gobbling up more of the series in the future!

[brooke_and_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book like this before! It deals with so much and it’s honestly a real truth type book. I think Harper is an example of what a lot of people go through, and how they deal with things. Life is messy and there isn’t a manual and Harper doesn’t have the best decision making skills but that makes it more real! I highly recommend! Please check content warnings but definitely give this one a try!

[MK Whiting · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Vice by Jennifer R. Jensen

Harper had an interesting life and a strange view on things.
She had many forms of trama and used a few vices to cope with them.
Her emotional swings and internal dialog showed that she was conflicted about many things.

Not my normal genre but the story kept flowing and moving forward. The characters were real and imaginable.
I enjoyed the switching between voices especially the internal dialog.

A good book and worth reading.
Some trigger points but they are well presented.

[Kacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story! The characters are great and the plot really makes you feel so many emotions. It was sad, happy, devastating, encouraging all the way through our MC’s story. Check trigger warnings. Can’t wait for more in this series.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept talking out loud to the protagonist, Harper, in the book to "Stop it girl! Make better choices!" but I know that depression and/or self sabotage doesn't work that way.

This book brings mental health issues to light and tries to destigmatize therapy while showing Harper's destructive inner voice that she deals with on a daily basis as well as the toxic relationships she is part of.

I was heavily involved with her healing process, and just when things seemed to be getting better, WHAM cliffhanger! Now I want to know what happens next.
•••••

Thanks to @jjensonbooks for the ARC

[Hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a woman and her destructional choices, yet
Working toward a better life. Interesting book

[Anshul (stories.buddy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one just bowled over, writing was flawless. Jennifer you did an amazing job writing it, the background of story is realistic and in real life many people may be in similar situations. ‘Harper’ is the girl who has so many self doubts and being an introvert I could relate to it. The moment I read about ‘Caleb’, he became my automatic favourite and I was rooting for them to be together in spite of the differences.

Many times I really felt like giving Harper a piece of my mind telling her that what she’s doing is just destructive path and having a little faith in oneself can change the entire story. To hell with distractions, they can never change the result, just can delay the outcome for you. We all fight the demon inner voice, who is constantly berating us and to see that voice in Harper’s head was astounding.

I binge read both the books because the curiosity got better of me. Simply loved it. Devoured it. Related with it. It was an emotional ride for me as a reader too. It’s like when you watch a movie then you can say that shit this is happening and it should be other way round, I keeps saying those things. Reading these books made me feel that I’m watching it as a movie or say can see things happening in front my eyes.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. A broken protagonist that you root for with every poor choice she makes. I could not put it down and read until there was no more to read. Can’t wait for book 2!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper is extremely relatable if you have had any kind of trauma in your life. It seems everything is going wrong for her, and you learn a lot of her past through her therapy sessions. As someone with mental health issues, I found this book hard to read in some parts as Harper's inner voice sounds like mine. I can't wait to pick up the second book and see where her life goes, you are rooting for the main character even though you want to shake some sense into her.

Trigger warning: There is abusive relationships, miscarriage, rape, death.

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper is a mess. Let's just start there: Harper is a mess. From the first pages of the book we're given a glimpse into Harper's head as she's navigating the challengers of her life. It's not a pretty sight.

It can be frustrating at times when Harper seems to sabotage her own chances for happiness over and over again, but that's depression for you. Amiright? The portrayal of "The Voice" is incredible at shedding light on the terrible things we tell ourselves, the horrible toll that anxiety and depression take on us when we listen to that voice, when we believe the worst about ourselves and assume the worst about the people around us.

Harper has a lot to deal with as personal tragedy on top of personal tragedy mount, and as the story progresses we watch her try to cope, to walk through fire on her journey toward mental wellness. It's a very real, almost too-close-to-home journey to watch.

I found Harper's story, and that of all her relationships, fascinating. I couldn't put it down. This book is the first in a series, with this one ended not at a cliffhanger so much as a wait-and-see, but I'm anxious to see what happens next.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper is a mess. Let's just start there: Harper is a mess. From the first pages of the book we're given a glimpse into Harper's head as she's navigating the challengers of her life. It's not a pretty sight.

It can be frustrating at times when Harper seems to sabotage her own chances for happiness over and over again, but that's depression for you. Amiright? The portrayal of "The Voice" is incredible at shedding light on the terrible things we tell ourselves, the horrible toll that anxiety and depression take on us when we listen to that voice, when we believe the worst about ourselves and assume the worst about the people around us.

Harper has a lot to deal with as personal tragedy on top of personal tragedy mount, and as the story progresses we watch her try to cope, to walk through fire on her journey toward mental wellness. It's a very real, almost too-close-to-home journey to watch.

I found Harper's story, and that of all her relationships, fascinating. I couldn't put it down. This book is the first in a series, with this one ended not at a cliffhanger so much as a wait-and-see, but I'm anxious to see what happens next.

[Alihandra_86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! I completely connected with the main character, and honestly, it's no wonder that she had so many vices. I've been where she was at, and I've had to dig down deep, just like she did, to pull myselfout of my destructive ways. From the mom who sweeps everything under the rug, to the thoughts of how this life would be much better without her in it. I've been there! I never turned to alcohol as my vice, but only because I had a child at the time. But I did turn to other vices...and the addiction there was very real. I'm so thankful that the author showed thegood, the bad, and the ugly parts of getting clean and even relapsing. The counselor gives sound advice to those struggling or in recovery. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had to seek happiness from another object or person in order to feel comfortable in their own skin. I can't wait to see what more this author has to say.

[Kristina (firebreathing_bookqueen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one is really hard to give a plot summary on. Basically, this is the story of Harper who is 28 years old and probably the most stable things in her life are her job and her drinking. From the drama with various ex boyfriends (which are still in her life), to new issues with her family that are starting to surface, to a series of new tragedies that befall her, Harper’s life is in a continual tailspin and she is left trying to decide how to move forward and pick up the pieces around her. While Harper tries to move towards a future, she has to first get out of the endless push and pull cycle that her past and present have her stuck in.

From the very first page this book sucked me in and I could not put it down! This book reminded me in ways of Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover where you have an obviously very damaged main character who is doing everything she can to survive day to day and is self-sabotaging in some of the worst ways but you know there is more to the story that you will eventually unravel. From the get go I had to know what secrets Harper was keeping. I had to know what was not being said and it kept me turning page after page.

These characters are beautifully written. I wanted to know more about them and I wanted to know what was going to happen to them. I loved how wonderfully complex Harper was but also all of the characters around her were so perfectly written.

This is the first of a series so I cannot wait to see where the next book takes us in this journey but I am so there for it. Overall, this was a beautifully written book with so many complex characters and so many hard to deal with emotional issues that I felt Jensen handled very well. I would definitely recommend this one --- HOWEVER, there are is a LONG list if CONTENT WARNINGS on this one so I would HIGHLY SUGGEST you check those out before you read this one.

This book is available in all formats tomorrow May 1, 2021!!

[Christine Hutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Vice is told from the main character Harper’s point of view. The POV is key to the story because a main “character” is Harper’s inner negative thoughts or “The Voice.” Throughout the story Harper goes back and forth between three men Ben, Caleb, and Jessie.
(both in her thoughts and in the present). Harper suffers from an unhealthy mental state and uses vices such as alcohol and sex as a way to self-medicate and mute “The Voice.”

What I liked about the book was that it portrayed mental health and therapy. Therapy was portrayed in a way that was both the stigmatism seen by others and encouraging breakthroughs by a patient. Having been (and currently seeing a therapist) to therapy I have my own bias on the importance of mental health and how incredible therapy can be. Also, Harper’s inner monologue really cut to the quick when she talked poorly about herself and put herself down. I believe many people (women especially) have felt this way at times.

However, there was a fair amount of the book that I did not enjoy. First, the ending left a lot of loose ends and was very abrupt. When I reached the ending it felt as though everything was still uncertain and I was not sure how Harper was coping mentally. Next, her choices throughout the book were very centered around the men in her life, from Ben to Caleb to Jessie. I wanted to shake Harper and tell her to work on herself and choose the man she’s been wanting all along.

Harper speaks to the reader and makes them feel as if she can never catch a break. As the reader you feel you want to help and fix her just like all of the other characters in the book. I gave this book a 3 out of 5 because Harper's decisions felt repetitive and the ending was disappointing. Overall, if you're looking to dive into a book that shows the inner workings of someone suffering an unhealthy mental state this book is for you.

[Maris Bounds · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little out of my normal reading pattern, which is probably why it took me a little while to read it (I’m also finishing up school so that was also the issue).
Harper was a very interesting protagonist that was a little hard to follow, especially because we were in her head for the entirety of the novel. I felt like shouting at her multiple times throughout at some of the decisions she was making. However, I believe most of her actions and reactions were believable considering her mental health issues and her extreme lack of self-esteem.
The ending felt a little too rushed and, although there is a second book, I think it further points to the fact that the ending didn’t need to suddenly happen within the book. Even though it takes the entire book for Harper and Caleb to get together, I felt like they shouldn’t have gotten together at all, not yet at least. Harper needs to experience not being in a relationship and I felt like Caleb kept pushing her and he was veering a little too close to “nice guy” territory.
While I’m glad Jesse and Harper didn’t get together, I felt like he treated her a little better than Caleb did and respected her boundaries, and didn’t use her to cheat on his significant others (even if Caleb wouldn’t view it that way).
The thing I wished that was explored within the novel was Harper’s relationship with her mom. With the limit of first person perspective, I feel like we were also limited in the view of how Harper interacted with other people, especially her mom. While I liked their reconciliation at the end, I feel like it too was rushed with the ending.
I think the book could have used an extra two chapters to flesh out the ending more.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have complicated feelings about this book. In all honesty I almost DNF'd it at about 30% but I'm ultimately glad I finished it.

My main gripe with this book is the writing style. The formality of it just didn't align with how I thought the main character would speak. She's a 28-year-old work in progress who uses alcohol to numb the Voice in her head that tells her she's never good enough and that everyone will leave her one day. For how jumbled her thoughts are the writing was rather clinical. Especially her journal entries.

At about 40% I really started to appreciate how this book was organized. Harper keeps so many things to herself and I almost felt like I was one of her friends, slowly learning about the traumas that are eluded to early on but explained farther in. Pieces started to fall into place and empathy levels rose.

Was I frustrated with Harper's choices and the seemingly back and forth between her decisions? Absolutely. But that's the point.

I don't know that I'll continue this series but I'm glad I finished this first book.

[auhliyasbookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper’s story is one filled with trauma. I will say this now it is not for the weak-hearted. The trauma she’s faced previously, the trauma she is currently facing and then wanting good but constantly self-sabotaging. You don’t know whether you want to scream at her or just pull her into a massive hug and cry for all the pain she has experienced. My heart aches for Harper reading her story in The Vice.
Adding onto this, the way Harper’s dreams are used to show the subconscious conflict within her - hats off to Jennifer for execution of this, I loved it and in the final chapter where we see the ending of that dream carried out where Harper is left in her internal conflict of self-sabotage or trying to do better, it leaves you hooked wanting to read more.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper is a hot mess with one life changing issue after another and uses unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with them.

This book has all the trigger warnings, and rightly so. However I really enjoyed the mental health aspect. We all have that voice in our head that we see beat Harper down throughout the story. The author does a fantastic job of showing Harper's mental health from many perspectives.

[Nikki Lamers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a wonderfully written book, but definitely a roller coaster of a ride! I cried so much throughout this book, feeling so much for the MC and the people in her life…the men, her best friend…it’s a lot. But it is so real, true, and all-consuming. I was rooting for the MC and everyone around her! I’m looking forward to seeing the character on the upswing, as this story is not over! Such a perfect title, as I saw both things and people as a Vice for her and I like how we slowly found out the reasons why and I love the ending, even though I know it’s not over.

[Nikki Lamers · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional read! I’m constantly rooting for her. Seeing her pain is incredibly difficult. You want her to be happy and find love. Everything about this book is so real! And the emotion s put into everything make you feel like you’re there with her. I can’t wIt to read book 2!

[Coco.V]

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