Faith Gardner continues to blow me away. As someone who has always had such a fascination with cults, this book made me realize just how easy it can be to get wrapped up in one.

I don't connect with many characters in thrillers, but I was able to instantly relate to Winona. I could feel her vulnerability and need for love and acceptance.

I loved the interview excerpts. I kind of wish there had been a little more of that. The cast of characters was PERFECT. There wasn't and overabundance of people to get to know, leaving the opportunity to really get to know each character and their backstory.

I highly recommend!!! One of my favorite reads of the year!

Thank you NetGalley for the early read of this book! I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint. Fantastic book from one of my favorite authors! Very suspenseful and engaging. I’m always excited to pick up a Faith Gardner book

Whoa! First, I love a cultish book, but this was more than that. It really delved into the manipulation and mind games that come with a cult. Winona, the main character, is longing for so many things, and she finds it with Simon Spellmeyer at Mirror House, and so much more. Normally when reading books with cults, I feel like screaming because the characters fall so easily for the utopia that the leader promises. This novel, however, had me understanding the needs that were being met by the members. This may have been the first time I have felt that way through the eyes of another. Psychological thriller lovers will devour this book!

When Winona rents a room in the infamous “mirror house” in Santa Cruz, she gets a group of friends and a place to call home. We instantly see the progression of this cult and how the dangerous leader Simon leads them to a path of destruction.

I literally cannot tell you how uncomfortable this book made me. To see these people brainwashed was so difficult. I wanted to scream at them and tell them to run as fast as they can away! The methods made me cringe and I was utterly disgusted.

The shocking end we know is coming because it’s told in the beginning of the book. But I promise you that’s not the end! The ending gave me a lot of closure and hope. WAKE UP!

Another nail biting thriller by Faith Gardner, author of Like It Never Was. A cult thriller like no other, this book had me hooked from the first chapter and I was unable to put it down. The relatable characters, and demonstration of vulnerabilities made this one of the most realistic cult-centric books I’ve read. The accompanying original songs are a must to download, and add another layer to the characters and overall experience! And, be sure to read the bonus epilogue, Home, that Faith has linked at the end of the book! I’m going to call it early and say that I think this will be one of 2025’s biggest hits

Have I ever mentioned how much I love a cult?

We have a dual timeline told via our FMC, Winona (Noni) at The Mirror House and via documentary transcripts one year after the “event”.

This was an inside look into how a simple group of chosen family can quickly turn into something more sinister, how a charismatic group leader slips into the role of manipulative cult leader, and how the need for belonging can cloud one’s judgment to the point of no return.

This was such a great read, y’all!

You also need to make sure you sign up for Faith’s newsletter so you get to read the bonus chapter at the end!

Thanks to NetGalley and Mirror House Press for an ARC of Mirror House Girls in exchange for my honest review!

Winona decides to rent a room at the Mirror House and hopes to connect and create friendships with the other roommates. She is soon under the spell of the eccentric Simon and his strange protocols for self improvement. Red flags go up but it’s too late as Winona’s stay takes a dark turn.

I could not put this book down! Cults fascinate me. It’s shocking that people can get so entrenched and brainwashed into doing the things they do. The author does an amazing job at depicting the insidious nature of cults. She makes the FMCs journey into this world so believable. Although I knew generally where the story was going, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. I loved the interviews that were interspersed into the story too.

If you liked the documentary about the NXIVM cult or something similar, you will love this book!

I have enjoyed Faith Gardner's previous works so I was excited for the opportunity to read The Mirror House Girls in advance of it's publishing date. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I could not get through this. It was a very slow read for me.

Winona is floundering. Her beloved grandmother has died. She works a dead-end bookstore job. She has never gotten along with her mother. She's been a person without a home. A person who needs friends. When attending a grief seminar, she befriends Dakota. Dakota is full of energy and life. She lives in an amazing house that is infamous, as it's covered in mirrors.

Winona is quickly added to the fold of Mirror House. A house full of women, with Simon as their one male roommate/landlord/leader. The women are all affected by something. A fear of snakes, a fear to drinking oneself to death, and for Winona, it's a fear of blood. Simon is helping them all work through these fears.

Simon's intentions aren't the most honest. He believes he's the next great hope, the next supreme leader. He soon moves the women out into the country and starts using Dakota and her TikTok followers to recruit new members. As with all cults, this one was doomed to fail.

Does Winona survive? Was Winona one of the women who left behind a braid and a pair of shoes? What actually happened at Mirror House?

I am always attracted to cult books, fiction and nonfiction. There's a mind manipulation that is so interesting to read about. Simon was just...so obvious and basic. Typical brainwashing, typical using sex as a vehicle to control vulnerable women. Like...the story is good, but TikTok really turned me off. I want a book that could be timeless. I want a story that transcends trends. I want... Jim Jones and the Jonestown Massacre.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First off, I was drawn to Winona's character and just wanted to give her a hug! If you love cult books, you'll love this one. It has to be one of the best written cult books I've had my hands on with great imagery and suspense. It was also a bit terrifying at times! I will definitely be picking up more of this author's work.

When I discover there’s a new Gardner book out, I just have to read it asap. Her effortless style makes you turn the pages as if your fingers were on fire, and I always find myself engaged and intrigued.

In her newest novel, we follow a cult through the eyes of the main character Winona. Her desperate need to belong and find a home, oozed from the pages, and the author manages to convey that longing perfectly. The most interesting aspect however, was how I was drawn in as well. I could very much see why people grew attached and felt at home. By the description you understood that it isn’t always black and white, and how easy one slides into the comfort of community, drowning whatever doubt might manifest itself. It also felt like that author must have researched cults well, as she described some manipulation techniques I think many charismatic leaders have. What I also liked was the short interviews with a person who didn’t stay in the group for the whole duration, it built suspense and made you wonder what would happen next.

Overall a very interesting and thrilling read that will stay with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you @faith.gardner #mirrorhousepress @xpressotours #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

Uhhh mic check…testing…testing….1, 2, 3. Can I have your attention please? This book was freakin amazing in the most terrifying and frightening way! Calling all cult lovers, followers and leaders…wow. This book was written in a way that makes it completely understandable and believable to how one would get wrapped up in a cult. There were so many scenes that were unbelievably unsettling and uncomfortable that it made my skin itch (that’s a good thing for a thriller lover!) I hung on every word, every unbearable moment and truly wanted to save every single person under Simon’s spell. Simon was such a disgusting human but also fascinating at the same time. The way in which he made these women feel…how he would build them up….only to tear them down made me want to do things to him I likely shouldn’t put in writing. 😅 This book is not for the faint of heart but if you love dark books filled with manipulation, cults, found family, gaslighting and brain washing then this book is right up your alley! I’ve read multiple books by Faith and I’m happy to report this one is my favorite so far!

Faith Gardner has quickly become an auto-read author for me. I am so thankful for the opportunity to read her upcoming release, The Mirror House Girls. Can we take a second to appreciate this gorgeous cover?

📖: Winona recently lost her loving grandmother, and she feels lost. She has a tumultuous relationship with her mom, so she joins a grief support group where she becomes fast friends with Dakota. When she's invited to visit, Winona quickly bonds with Dakota's housemates and moves in to their available room. While she loves her new found family, there are some red flags, especially with the head of the household, Simon.

🤝: This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- books about cults
- documentary elements
- dark, cinematic psychological thrillers

💭: Faith Gardner has become a go-to author if I need a quick, propulsive read. The Mirror House Girls balances her trademark bingeable writing with the slow-burn building required with a cult thriller. Part of me would have enjoyed a little more background on some of the other characters in the house, but I also think it was great the way it was. If you like dark, unhinged thrillers that can be read in a few sittings, here's another one by Faith Gardner!

Rating: I really liked it! (4)

This was such an insane and unexpected ride! I enjoyed every minute of it and can’t rave enough about it!

Faiths writing is so so great that you can actually feel yourself in the world that she has created. As the story progresses and the sinister nature of the mirror house seeps out, you will feel like you are actually experiencing it with Winona.

Thankyou NetGalley and Mirror house Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was good read it was very entertaining it keep you wanting to read more to see what happens next if you are look for a easy read this is it.

3.5/5

This was such an interesting and and well-organized psychological thriller.

I really liked that we had dual timelines (which I often do not like, I find them overly used and confusing at times, this was done is a smart and necessary way) in two different styles and perspectives. We get one timeline that is modern day and following a woman being interviewed for a documentary. And the other timeline is what happened that warrants a documentary. That timeline follows the characters in what is essentially a cult and how it slowly ensnares more young women. There is a mass death of those cult-inhabiting characters and the survivor is the woman being interviewed.

This was fun and unique and I could see it being adapted into a movie quite well (I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately but I think that's because I've been reading more thrillers and those are much better suited to a film/tv show adaptation than a fantasy novel).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Winona hates being alone, so when Dakota invites her to live in the mysterious house covered in mirrors, she is quick to accept. But under the tutelage of the charismatic Simon, she is slowly changing. Why does it fill her with such joy being with these other women and Simon? Her inner voice tells her something is wrong here, but she resists. Are The Mirror Girls a cult?

This was an interesting story. You say cult, and I show up. Told from Winona’s point of view but interspersed with interview footage from a year later with Scarlett a former house member, this story weaves the reader through a year in the lives of the mirror house girls, first in Santa Cruz, then a larger compound. While I found the story compelling, I couldn’t help but feel it was missing something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. An interesting story, but not quite compelling enough to completely satiate my interest in a the cult (and I figured out the ending, so always a bit of a let down. Three stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

This is an excellent psychological thriller, and truly scary in that it makes only too clear how anyone can fall into a cult. Winona is definitely not what would be considered “cult material,” she is smart, hard working and highly educated when she moves into the titular mirror house. In a short time she gets attached to her housemates, especially Simon. He is nothing to look at, but is a psychologist and is willing to help her get over a phobia, just because he’s such a good, generous soul. Little by little, Winona starts losing her self and becoming a mirror girl. The plot is very suspenseful and, even if the ending is known from the beginning, it’s hard to see how it will happen. The author shows the slow descent of not only Winona, but her housemates, into chaos. The reader can see what’s happening, but it’s not hard to understand the appeal, the traps, the slow and gradual loss of control into which we all probably would fall. One of the characters is a songwriter and, as a bonus, the book includes a QR code that takes you to a site where you can hear her songs. It helps set the tone. The ending was very well written and managed to add a few more twists.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Mirror House Press.

4.5 stars rounded to 5!

The Mirror House Girls is a haunting and riveting psychological thriller that fans of mind games and manipulation will love. When Winona rents a room at The Mirror House, she finally feels like she’s found a place where she belongs—part of a “family” led by the charismatic yet controlling Simon Spellmeyer. But as the house’s strange and unsettling routines grow darker, Winona is drawn deeper into a web of control and mistrust. The book expertly builds suspense, with each twist keeping you on edge. It’s a thought-provoking exploration of trust, manipulation, and the cost of blind loyalty. With an unsettling ending that lingers long after the final page, The Mirror House Girls is a must-read for fans of psychological suspense.

Thank you NetGalley & Mirror House Press for an advanced copy to read in exchange for my review.

This just felt like a run of the mill cult book to me. It was fine but it played out as expected. I liked the mixed media though with the interview, that made it a bit more interesting.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A seemingly innocuous self-improvement retreat turns into an ostensibly inescapable cult-like compound. A riveting story.