trigger warning
<spoiler> child disappearence, grief, rape, racism </spoiler>

After her grandfather's death, his greenhouse shows up in their garden overnight. And as if that was not weird enough, the adults don't seem to be able to see it.

We have two timelines: Contemporary USA, I believe Virginia was mentioned but am not sure enough to tag it, and India around the second world war and the partition - the latter being a topic that gives me the creeps, probably because I only heard twice about it, both times in novels, and it never ended well for the people involved.
(Just a clarification, WWII gives me the creeps, too, but living in Germany, and having had to talk about it again and again and again in school, also makes me bored by the topic. Weird mix.)

In present-time-timeline, years ago, the protagonist's brother went missing, probably in the greenhouse that now stands in their garden. She doesn't really know, it isn't talked about, so she is curious and determined to go in there and find out what's up.

We have a teenager doing stupid teenage things, but at least she has company: Her cousin has arrived from Pakistan because of the grandfather's loss, the whole family gathers. Her best friend is there, and stirred from the arrival of the greenhouse, the lost brother's best friend who hasn't been around since the disappearance suddenly stands in their garden, talking of nightmares.

I think this works because it is so short. It is not my favourite, but I can't find a real mistake that was made. I guess it's just not for me, and I hope many readers will find this, and themselves in the pages.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

magic, Pakistan, cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, customs-and-belief-systems, grief, family, family-dynamics, friendship, teens, history-and-culture*****

It's hard to be a teen anywhere, but it's even harder when you are between two very different cultures. Part of the family lives in the US, but the whole family is rooted in Pakistan with it's quite different belief system. One of the problems facing Maera is the sudden disappearance of one of her friends ten years ago and the sudden appearance if a magical greenhouse in the yard in Pakistan. A very interesting story about teens in a culture I know little about. I enjoyed it a lot.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Yali Books/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) via NetGalley. Thank you!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I try to be honest with all my reviews. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this book. The main character Maera was very annoying, almost childlike. The writing style was all over the place and let me feeling more confused than anything. Great idea for a book but just not my cup of tea.

This novel is a beautiful read. Set in Pakistan, the protagonist is on a journey to discover her grandfather's past. This novel discusses a historical narrative that is often hidden in mainstream history. The themes of loss, love and learning is heavily encapsulated throughout the novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Yali Books for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

This was a really interesting book - it has tons of potential, but at this point still feels unfinished/unrefined. The story begins when Maera and her older brother Asad are visiting family in Pakistan. Asad wanders away from the other children one night to explore, and goes into a mysterious greenhouse in their grandfather's backyard, one that has always been out of bounds. He's never seen again.

Ten years later, Maera is nearing the end of high school when her grandfather Haroon dies, and his mysterious greenhouse appears in her backyard - thousands of miles away, in the US. Maera's mother, already broken by the devastating loss of her child, hardly seems to notice or care, and when her mother's twin sister appears, she doesn't seem to notice it either. Maera and her cousin Jamaal - who wants to be called Jimmy - want to find the truth, and they begin with the diary that appeared in Maera's room the same day as the greenhouse. In it, they find Haroon's story...

This book swaps perspectives between modern day and the tumultuous, painful time around the partition of Hindustan into India and Pakistan. I understand why- the author, a diaspora child herself, wanted to explore the past through the lens of a modern Pakistani-American. However, the chapters told from Maera's perspective read very "middle grade" and simplistic with Maera arguing with her mom, forgoing prayers, and crushing on the boy next door. I think middle grade certainly has a place and an audience, but it's just not my thing. I nearly put this book down as a DNF.

But Haroon's story in WWII era Hindustan into Partition was rich, vibrant, engaging, and scary. His chapters really highlight Hindustani-Pakistani culture and storytelling, making use of frightening Churailen. (For those who want a visual reference for a churail, I strongly suggest the movie Bulbul on netflix; they are really pretty scary!) Haroon and Shah Jehan's story is definitely written in a way that suits an older audience, not so much middle grade. There are some really dark themes involved. Appropriate, for such a dark era, but the change between Maera's and Haroon's povs is so stark and abrupt that it's jarring. If the Maera portions of the book were tightened up and edited some to better fit the tone of Haroon's story I think this would be a five star read.

Maera’s brother Asad vanished inside a greenhouse in Pakistan many years ago. Many years later, that greenhouse suddenly appears in American, in Maera’s backyard.

I DNF’d this at 29%. The main character, Marta, is descrived as a 16-17 year old, but talks and acts like a 3-4 year old. The entire book is written extremely childishly, and I couldn’t bring myself to continue reading it. The writing style was very confusing, and I’m unsure of what the plot was supposed to be. Would not recommend this to anyone.

Liked the diversity, but the book felt a bit slow and kind of pointless. I liked that an otherwise buried part of history got brought to life, but it was kind of predictable, so I have mixed feelings.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

House of Glass Hearts was an enjoyable read. The plot focuses on Maera in the present time dealing with grief, family struggles, and the mysterious greenhouse that had appeared in her backyard overnight-and her grandfather's life in the past. I enjoyed the grandfathers point of view and learning about his life more than I did Maera's story. I learned a lot about colonial India that I never knew. The magical elements to the story were an amazing touch.

I thought the writing was really good. My only downside about the writing was how slow paced the book was. A lot of the action didn't happen until halfway through, which got me a little bored during the first half.

The characters were all enjoyable for the most part. By the end of the story I felt Maera's character fell a bit flat. A heartfelt conversation between her and her mother would have been a great addition.

Overall, I liked the book and I will definitely read more historical fiction by Leila Siddiqui.

When Maera's grandfather dies, the strange greenhouse from his yard in Pakistan appears in her backyard in Virginia. And Maera is convinced it will help unravel the mystery of her brother's disappearance ten years before.

From the start the book grabs you. There is magic, mystery and something mystical with the undertones of a story that needs to be learnt. We meet Asad, a vibrant, rambunctious 9 year old, who makes his way into a forbidden place leaving his family forever scarred.

The story alternates between two timelines, one of Maera, Asad's younger sister, who is on her way to college now; she is faced with a greenhouse appearing in her backyard in the middle of the night after her grandfather's passing, the same greenhouse that used to exist in her grandfather's home in Pakistan. The second timeline is that of her grandfather, during WWII and the partition of Hindustan into India and Pakistan and follows his life and how these events changed it.

This book captures the heart of the damage and trauma of that partition, the lives lost, scarred and changed forever as seen through the eyes of a first generation immigrant growing up in America. It shines a light into a history that is not taught at all or sometimes glossed over when the bloody history of WWII is taught and the atrocities and lasting damage that the partition had on India and colonialism had on Asia! It also captures the legends and myths that used to haunt India and the fragility of women in a culture and time where men had the power.

This book is also about taking the scars of the past and moving forward, healing and finding new purpose. For we all have to keep moving forward no matter how heartbreaking things get.

It weaves history and myth to tell a story so beautiful it had me heartbroken and crying by the end. I would definitely recommend this book for its honesty and beauty and unapologetic and unbiased look at a dark and terrible time in history.

***I would like to note a few things, there is a scene when Rob and Maera are in the greenhouse and he removes a branch from the pathway, one moment he is confronting her and the next she is somehow on the ground and has one of her brother's toys in her hand, it feels like a scene is missing. I also noted that the word "was" is missing in 'as if she (was) perpetually'.

I can tell House of Glass Hearts came from a place of love from the author. She cares passionately about displaced peoples and the heritage of those people. This story is done in a dual-timeline fashion as we unravel the mystery around a magical greenhouse that springs up in Maera's backyard. While searching for its secrets she uncovers some secrets of her own family's history in Pakistan and India.

For all the fantastical elements in the story I felt that there was a significant lack of world-building. You have to wait a long time to get the answers to questions surrounding the magic greenhouse, and it just doesn't feel very satisfying when you do get them. I also felt that the modern characters were quite flat and one-dimensional, Maera and her mother kept getting on my nerves with their non-communication. The only character I liked was her grandfather, but even my regard for him was hampered by the lack of description and world building in India and Pakistan. The author would throw out many words foreign to us, but not provide any context clues for me to even know what she is talking about. I stayed for the history (even though you only get a cursory glance at it), but at times it felt like a chore reading such an underdeveloped world and characters. Overall just an ok read.

Full disclosure: This was provided via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Baseline: I loved this book.
I almost didn't pick up this one but I'm so glad that I did, this book had historical fiction, mythical creatures and modern day mysteries all wrapped into one and it was amazing.
As someone thats not that into historical fiction I was concerned that those aspects of this book were going to be a real drag to get through but a mixture of the writing style and the pacing together made this super interesting to read.
I loved the way the author gave additional context to Maeras timeline by telling the story of her grandfathers life, it both lead the story on in a smooth way while also balancing out the horrific nature of some aspects of the historic timeline of this book but still giving those events the space to be impactful.
Knowing nothing about Pakistani folklaw/mythology the inclusion of this simultaneously taught me about it while also making it super accessible so I never felt punished as a reader for not knowing about it before. Super interesting concepts all round and the author did a solid job of melding mythology, true historical events and modern day fiction all together at once.
Definitely worth a read

DNF at 25%

After reading other reviews and requesting this book I was expecting to really love it. I enjoy historical fiction and multiple perspectives. However, I found the beginning clunky and not as engaging as I wanted it to be. While there seemed promise that relationships between characters would show more the further I got into the book, the sudden change in timelines with the journal made me lose what little investment I had in the original characters.

Beautiful book cover, lovely premise, just not for me.

Percy Jackson meets Historical Fiction in this haunting tale by Leila Siddiqui, who beautifully blends Indian/Pakistani history and myth together in House of Glass Hearts. Siddiqui beautifully tells the untold stories of her – and many other’s – ancestors as she explores India’s involvement in World War 2 and their fight for freedom from British colonisation, as well as the Partition of India that followed.

The changing perspectives of protagonist Maera (as she searches for her long-lost brother in modern times) and Maera’s nanni/grandfather, Haroon (as he recounts living through WW2 and Indian Partition in the 1940s) helps build suspense and keep the reader engaged. Siddiqui frames the narrative in such a way that we can be simultaneously horrified by the devastating actions of some and tragic circumstances of many, and also inspired by the resilience and optimism of those who survived the horrors to pass their heritage and legacy on in their descendants. There are a few times when the narrative feels rushed as Siddiqui tries to fit a lot of action into the novel. The occasional Indian/Pakistani words throughout the novel give it a personal and authentic feel, although I’m not sure how easy it would have been to understand without using the Kindle search feature (as I did). The bibliography at the end gives the novel a credible quality whilst the explanation of Siddiqui’s own family history adds a sentimental touch to the narrative.

House of Glass Hearts is a beautiful tale centred around family and lost loved ones. Siddiqui reminds us of the importance of being together and supporting each other during difficult times, whilst also conveying the significance of knowing about and discussing our pasts and our heritage, so that we may use them to move forward towards our futures.

House of Glass Hearts is a great blend of magic and historical events. It's extremely well-written and the characters are well-developed and empowering. Overall, it's an excellent read.

There was so much to love about this debut book from author Leila Siddiqui! I loved how the book transports you into two different times of the past and present. It does such a great job of exploring the history of India during WW2. The book is informative about history but also adds this wonderful magical element that you as the reader can't help but get lost and sucked into. My only negative is I felt like the book started a little slow for me. Once I hit 40% of the book I could not stop reading or put it down. Siddiquil does a great job of character development and you really feel as if you are in the backyard right along with the group.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publication house for letting me read this wonderful book.

I love this kind of plot structure that switches between the past and present. I have read a few of these kinds of books before and I think you can never go wrong with them, especially when you’re implementing heavy subjects such as world war II and the Partition. This way, the story flowed nicely, and the heavy subjects were interwoven in a lighter story of a sister trying to get her long-lost brother back.
What I loved about the plot is that Siddiqui wasn’t afraid to dive straight into the story right away. It pulled me in fast and I loved the narrating styles. As a Dutch woman this book reminded me of the books by Hella S. Haasse, who in her life wrote multiple books about the white and indigenous experience in Indonesia at the time of colonisation and after the world war. I loved her books and definitely loved this one too.
I had no prior experience with Indian and Pakistani culture or history, so this book was a really nice introduction. I could follow along really well and enjoyed the cultural elements implemented in the book. The only thing that pulled me out of the story in the beginning were the Hindi words, like Ammi (mother) and Naana (Grandfather). But after the first time looking up the meaning I was pulled straight back into the story. Now the words carried more meaning and helped the story a fair bit with feeling like you were in India or Pakistan.
I would recommend everyone to read this book to learn about a history that’s not spoken about often enough. I would also strongly recommend the author’s note at the end. If the book didn’t bring you to tears, the author’s note will. Siddiqui tells a very personal story which I felt throughout the book but hearing it directly from her means so much more to me. I loved her book, it was an emotional rollercoaster to read, diving into heavy subjects and shining a light on history that matters.

thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book early. (I did not request this book. It was open for everyone to read).

This is a solid 4-star book for me and a really good debut.

This book follows Maera, a Pakistani-American teen; after her grandfather dies, his greenhouse suddenly appears in her backyard, and after years of avoiding talking about the Past and her brother's disappearance, that Past suddenly shows up and is basically unavoidable, and Maera and her mother have to confront it at some point.

I loved how we were thrown straight into the story, it was perfect because that's basically what happened to these characters. I'm also in love with this concept; avoiding the Past until a physical manifestation of it just shows up in your backyard, unexpected, and I love seeing how all these characters actually dealt with it, it felt very real. This fantasy aspect of the book was a great way of showing how characters dealt with the past.

I loved the two timelines of Maera's present-day and her grandfather's POV from India right before and during the partition (The reading list in the author's note was great - will definitely check that out) The history was explored through diary entries of his and I loved how everything was slowly revealed and coming together in the end, the reader was reading the diaries as Maera was discovering it and I think that was so much fun.

I felt like the writing got a bit slow at points in the middle and then really fast in the end (though I do love how the author writes these action-packed scenes that are at the same time really emotional, I did tear up at the end) Some things in the end happened that were expected but other things just completely blew my mind, this was a great book, I definitely recommend this!

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great read, i didnt want to put it down! I would recommend this to my friends and family

I’d like to thank NetGalley for letting me read the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.4/5 stars

I enjoyed this book. This is the first time I’ve read a book that follows 2 plot lines - one in the past and one in modern setting. It was very interesting to learn about India’s history during WW2 and the mass migration of Muslims and Hindus crossing the border of India and Pakistan. I’ve never even heard about these events before. I also liked learning more about the Indian and Pakistani culture, along with some legends and terms.
The magical realism aspect of this book was also good - this weird greenhouse from her grandfather’s house in Pakistan suddenly appears on Maera’s backyard. I would never have guessed the ending!

However, I think that this book is not for everyone. If you don’t like historical fiction - this book is not for you. If you want to read something fast paced - this is not it. Introduction felt like ages for me and there was barely anything happening until like 60-70% of the book. As for the rest 30% - so fast that sometimes I had reread the page to understand what is happening. The ending was sad and surprising.