Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book has a very interesting premise and the cover is great. While I didn't hate this book, I just didn't love it either. I felt like the characters were not likeable and I jus couldn't connect with anyone. I also felt like the plot was jumbled a bit and hard to follow.

I think there is an audience for this book but it is not me unfortunately.

I found this to be a fast-paced thriller with great commentary on technology and the current direction of our society. This was a perfect vacation read and I crushed through it over a day or two in Belize. The crash landing on a deserted island lent this one perfectly to beach reading!

While all of the characters in this book were the ~worst~ I did still want to find out what happened to them because the plot was twisty and kept me guessing. Glass Houses feels a bit like a puzzle but carries all the energy of a thriller.

Check this one out if like AI, technology, big companies, and beaches!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the eARC of this title!**

Every so often you need a quick thriller to reignite your love of reading, and Glass Houses was exactly that for me.

The story opens with the team for the next revolutionary tech invention, who are on a self flying plane, crashing onto an island. We quickly find out that they're meant to be celebrating, as they're all now massively wealthy as they have been bought out.

The story focuses on their time on the island, where they're struggling to survive, despite the glass house looming over them, presumably with supplies inside. Every few chapters were also treated to a view from the past, before the flight took off.

I have two favorite parts of this story:
1. is that it takes place in an unspecified future, with small dystopian elements sprinkled in. Without much clarification, rules like men and women in parts of the US are not allowed to share a hotel room unless they're married are thrown in, along side of the tech at the center of the novel, a way to create a universal currency based on emotional response. (No more ads in content creation!) The world is eerie enough that you're constantly on edge.

2. I loved that none of the twists gave me reader whiplash. They were fun, interesting, and unexpected, but they fell into the story in a way that was believable, and set up right.

Overall, I definitely recommend this, especially as a summer thriller.

I found this story very bizarre. I wasn’t sure if it was a Jurassic Park story or a Charles Mason story which made it was hard to follow at times. Both Sumter and Kristen are sociopaths and not likable which also made it hard to invest in the story.

A tense dystopian thriller with morally ambiguous characters and a pace that keeps building until you can't put it down. The corporate celebration crash lands on a remote island - there's a mysterious structure no one can get into - people keep dying for reasons no one understands - at first it felt a bit too much like a Lost novelization but that disappears after a few chapters, as the near-future world becomes more clear. I loved the commentary on social media and social capital - ultimately though, my favorite part of novels like this is having flawed characters that you still want to root for. A fun read with enough depth so you don't feel like you wasted your weekend.

There were so many things to like about the setup of this book and that’s why I really wanted to read it. It just wasn’t executed well. 75% through the book something that had been left out was thrown to the reader with a ‘by the way’ emphasis and then that defined the character for the rest of the book.

I had a hard time figuring out what was going on because I was chasing a shadow plot. None of the other characters were like-able because they were portrayed as the stereotypical cutthroat Silicon Valley types always playing survival of the fittest. The ending had some surprises to it, but I was more in a ‘please get it over with’ mindset, wanting it to wrap because it was taking too long, while at the same time feeling that it was rushed once an unidentifiable cat had been let out of a burning house.

I'd give this 3.5 stars if it were an option, but instead 4 stars because I kept reading and it really kept my attention and curiosity.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an ARC of this book.

Glass Houses is a sci-fi thriller about a tech startup team whose plane crashed on a mysterious island. What is first believed to be a freak accident quickly turns more sinister. This book was a thrilling mix of Black Mirror and Lost. I really enjoyed this for the first 80% but the ending just fell apart for me. I am a huge fans of unreliable, morally gray characters… however I was unsure if the characters in Glass Houses was supposed to be that way or if they were just written poorly. For most of this book I was going to rate it 4 stars but the ending caught me off guard in the worst way possible and I wish it would have gone any other way possible. Like I would have preferred “it was all a dream” over the monstrosity that was the climax of this novel. I am giving this a 2.5/5 stars which is unfortunate because this plot was super exciting and enjoyable until it wasn’t.

I received a copy of Glass Houses in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC.

Madeline Ashby's Glass Houses is a gripping dive into a world where technology and humanity intersect in unexpected ways. The story follows a future society where a powerful AI system shapes and influences daily life, exploring themes of identity, privacy, and control.

The novel centers on the protagonist, who navigates a world of digital surveillance and artificial intelligence while unraveling a mystery that could upend everything she knows. Ashby masterfully blends elements of science fiction with sharp social commentary, creating a narrative that is both thought-provoking and intensely engaging.

With its well-crafted plot, complex characters, and an intriguing exploration of futuristic concepts, Glass Houses offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between humans and technology. It’s a compelling read for anyone interested in how emerging technologies might impact our lives and our sense of self.

This book is set in the near future with advanced technologies and AI systems.

What a unique mix of sci-fi and mystery thriller genres. The setting on the deserted island with the mysterious house gave me the vibe of the TV shows LOST and Black Mirror.

It was very interesting that despite all the advanced technology in the future, social issues and gender issues remain unsolved. Like domestic violence or female work inequality for example. It even felt like everything went a little bit backward socially and felt like The Handmaid’s Tale.

It’s sad that women and marginalized groups still felt insecure and not safe in the advanced future.

I liked this quote:
𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙨. 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙨. 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨. “𝙁𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣,” 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖𝙨 “𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.”

Thank you so much @torbooks @madashby for the gifted copy. Recommend this read for fans of Black Mirror, Lost and The white lotus.

This book was a case of interesting concept, so-so execution for me. Claustrophobic thrillers about a stranded group of people always appeal to me. Plus, the AI element sounded like it could really fun and timely.

The book just never really gelled for me, I guess. I never really felt connected to the characters or the plot while I was reading/skimming it. (It ended up being a skim read for me.) The story does move along quickly though and there are definitely some interesting ideas/themes, so I can see how it would appeal more to other people.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I am not quite sure what I think of glass houses. The plot is usually one that works on me (remote island-people begin to die-closed circle). The pacing was good and the plot held my attention. I think the last 25% was what made the book uneven for me and it sort of fell apart then. The plot is a dual timeline and jumps back and forth in the past and present as Kristen’s secrets are slowly revealed. I loved the incorporation of the ai technology into the plot. The villain was truly villainous-there is a lot to like here! If something (I don’t want to say without giving away the plot) had been tweaked slightly in the ending to be less cringe inducing-this would have been a solid 4 star! I would give this a 3.5 solidly.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby is a dark, near-future thriller packed with advanced tech. A start-up team, led by their billionaire CEO, crashes on a deserted island and finds an AI-driven mansion. As they struggle to survive, tensions rise.

I really enjoyed this book, what a page turner!

I was definitely hooked by Glass Houses from the start, which opens in the immediate aftermath of a plane crash onto a deserted island. That is certainly an intense way to start things, right? And we are thrown right into the action, with main character Kristen finding her dead colleague, and realizing she's injured herself. From that point, it turns into an all-out fight for survival, leading to a very interesting lone house in the middle of the island.

Clearly, secrets are abundant, and it's hard to tell if there is anyone who can be trusted. As the reader shakes out what is happening both in Kristen 's past and present, it becomes clear that nothing is quite as it seems. For me, I loved unfurling all the secrets of both the island and its inhabitants, but the wheels fell off a bit at the end for me. I didn't quite understand a lot of the characters' motivation behind certain decisions, and at the end I just wasn't sure what the point of certain things were. I don't know how to properly explain this without spoilers, so apologies for the vagueness.

That said, it was still quite entertaining! A lot of questionable decisions, intense action, drama, and survival made it easy to fly through the pages. While the payoff wasn't as great as I'd have liked, the journey was still enjoyable, so I can live with it.

Bottom Line: A very readable story that was lacking a bit in bringing it all together, Glass Houses was still more a win than not.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. Glass Houses had an interesting story line, but the trapped with coworkers or friends and people start dying story has been written so many different ways and so often that I can no longer get behind this type of thriller.. Although, the book was well written, the story was just not original. 2.5 stars

After crashing and getting stranded on a mysterious island, a group of employees start to die, one by one. The horrific monstrousity glass house that only allows certain people to enter and exit, is high-tech and fully stocked, set in the middle of nowhere.

A billionaire CEO obsessed with Kristen, his chief of staff and right-hand woman. Kristen, a cunning woman with a disturbing past and dark secret, hell-bent on survival.

Who will survive in this futuristic thriller? Whose house is this? Why is everyone dying and who is responsible?

𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: Spoiler Alert!
☁️☁️☁️
Told in one POV, witching from past to present, this sci-fi horror/thriller kept me at the edge of my seat! This read more like a horror and I LOVED it! It’s so SPOOKY and WEIRD! The revelation of Kristen’s past really surprised me! The ending was the ICING ON THE CAKE!

This one was a twisty, sci fi, thriller. At times I was put off by the bluntness of the writing but at other times I was completely sucked into the drama and mystery of it all. The characters were mostly ones that I loved to hate which is always fun.

This was one of my most anticipated released of this year. I was so excited for it, but now I wonder if my own internal hype was too much, because I ultimately didn't really love this story like I thought I would. The setting, characters and plot were all interesting, though. "But Alex," you might say, "What didn't you like then?" Let me tell you: the tech speak. Oh my god, I was so befuddled by it at times. I had to reread entire chunks of text just to figure out what we were talking about. Like, listen I'm sure some people breezed through it, but for me it was just so dense and really took me out of the story. To end on a positive note: the twists and turns in this book were immaculate, I was left spinning by each one. So, overall, I did like this, I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would which saddens me.

What a deliciously dark book! From the offset, Glass Houses won me over with its near-future speculative twists. From the two compelling timelines to the creepy, creepy setting, I was pulled deeply into this thought-provoking premise. But it was the Black Mirror vibe that was married cleverly with And Then There Were None that won me over hook, line, and sinker. After all, there’s nothing I love more than a well-written locked room murder mystery novel.

The characters were a mix of those I loved to hate and a protagonist who had me cheering her on from the sidelines. While some were decidedly more flat than others, they each furthered the plot so as to keep me thoroughly intrigued. But the twists were what kept my fingers firmly flying. Perhaps thanks to the finely layered storyline, I didn’t anticipate nary a one. And I don’t know about you, but I simply love when a dawning realization makes you utterly giddy.

There was one piece that didn’t quite work for me, though. Heavily peppered with dense tech speak which went well over my head, I found myself sometimes having to parse sentences in an effort to follow what was being said. Was it important? Or could I skim a description? Ultimately, it took longer to read as I seriously had to slow down in order to try and comprehend.

Nevertheless, I had a blast reading this intoxicating look at a future I pray we never encounter. From its scathing look at what it sometimes means to be a woman to the potential downsides of everything from AI to crypto, there was no end to the criticisms. At the same time, this was every bit a thriller. With a soaring pace and a hard-hitting, palpable fear, I was fully invested from the first page until the last. And while it might’ve been more sci-fi than I was expecting, it just didn’t matter as I gobbled this book up in just a matter of hours. So come one, come all… You need to read this book. Dark and twisted, it was simply sublime. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Madeline Ashby, Tor Books, andNetGalley for my complimentary physical and digital copies. All opinions are my own.

Madeline Ashby’s Glass Houses is a gripping psychological thriller set in a technologically advanced near future and is a must-read for any woman working in STEM.

The novel opens with Kristen, Chief Emotional Manager for Wuv (an emotion-mapping-AI company), literally washing blood off of her hands. As she awakens to her surroundings, she realizes that the privately-chartered airplane she and her co-workers were on has crashed onto a seemingly-deserted island. Miraculously, Kristen and the survivors discover a luxurious, technologically-advanced mansion, complete with every amenity—except a connection to the outside world. The opulent house, it turns out, was meticulously constructed for a darker purpose.

As the narrative unfolds, readers are drawn into Kristen's complex past, revealing a woman who has developed a unique set of skills as she fulfills emotional labor in a surveillance society. Interweaving the tense present on the island with flashbacks to Kristen's rise in the industry, Ashby creates a portrait of a woman fueled by past trauma and desperate to control her future.

The ending took some unexpected turns that didn't fully add up for me, but I loved the ride so much that this was still a five-star read. I'm going to be talking obsessively about this book for a while, especially any time anyone mentions feminine rage.

This review will be posted to Goodreads on August 19, 2024 and to Instagram (@goodquietkitty) on August 22, 2024.

How fascinating! Feeling a little tv show Yellowjackets meets Lost, a little Black Mirror episode; and even feeling like I started in the middle of the story, I didn’t feel confused. I felt wanting more.

A look into AI, follow Kristen Howard in dual timelines; in the present time, on a corporate retreat, their plane has crashed on an island. And in flashbacks, the reader is following how we got there. Kristen is clever, interesting, and a fun main character to follow. A plot focused story, leaves you wondering what is this island and is it all just a company retreat. The story really conveys the downside of technology and the abuse of power that comes with, even with little moments.

Overall, the pacing moved faster at times and the story telling could give you whiplash. There were good moments of feminine rage and the story reminded me of a script of a tv show. But if you find yourself asking for something different in a book, this might be for you. I liked this. If the story had flowed a little smoother and the ending hadn’t halfway been an overall cop out from the journey, I probably would have said 5 stars