Sunset Academy in Miami Beach is a public school pretending to be an exclusive private one. Back-to School Nights with PTA donations starting at $20,000? Designated donor parking? Birthday parties for nine year olds with a D.J.? Halloween extravaganzas? It’s all at Sunset and it’s all organized by a PTA clique, led by lead fundraiser Charlotte Giordani. Small town Kansas is about as far away from these over-the-top happenings as you can get and that’s where new PTA mother Melody Howard is from. At first she’s amazed by Sunset and hopes her daughter will fit in. Then she’s sucked in by the competition (parties! restaurants! shoes! handbags!) and running for PTA President against Charlotte. She’s urged on by lawyer Darcy Resnick who has her own problems with the Sunset PTA regime. Both wonder why wealthy socialites Don and Pamela Walker make such large donations to the school. Who checks on how that money is spent? And why are so many children in the gifted program anyway?

Pink Glass Houses is a delightful, fun read. Told by multiple narrators, we watch the slow unrolling of disaster as each woman realizes what is most important in her life. Hint: It’s not the PTA. All characters are well described, especially Melody who has to adapt to Miami dress, weather and morals. It’s hard to believe this is a first novel! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Asha Elias for this ARC.