DNF after 20%, this just wasn't for me. I was expecting something really creepy and fast paced but it ended up just being way too slow for me. I didn't enjoy any of the characters and ended up just not being able to continue.

Thank you for the earc.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for my review.

Women in tech fields have had an uphill battle for decades, and this book points it out with no pulled punches. This book starts out with a plane full of techies celebrating the sale of their company crashing onto a seemingly deserted island. We get lots of flashback chapters that fill in the background of our protagonist, the female HR specialist. She is, however, no shrinking violet, as we discover as the book progresses. Lots of unlikeable (purposely) characters, many of whom get their comeuppance. Plenty of dark turns in this entertaining novel.

I’m just not sure where to start with this review. Do I talk about the premise? Which, by the way, is quite interesting. Do I talk about the characters? Maybe not. Or, do I talk about the plot and its execution? Maybe.

Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby is a difficult book for me to review. Especially since I didn’t really feel involved in the story, the characters, or the eventual outcome. The story deals with artificial intelligence – something that is and will continue to affect all of us in some way.

Glass Houses takes place in the (possibly) near future and, for me, it paints a somewhat bleak picture. I don’t think it’s a future most people would want. At least not to this degree. But, I could certainly be wrong. Is Ms Ashby sounding an alarm? Or is she just using her imagination to write a futuristic story solely for entertainment?

While the writing is solid, the story is choppy, the characters are universally unappealing and mostly hateful, (not always a problem for me) and the ending is highly unsatisfactory. This is not the type of book I thought it would be and I didn’t enjoy it very much. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

dnf p. 99

I feel disappointed. The beginning started off great! I loved it. The plane crashed and they find this house in the middle of nowhere and they have to survive? Sign me up for that.

But instead we have these strange moments of the past coming into play in between chapters and they really took me out of the story. The book isn't that long so chapters being spent in the past drags and takes away from the tension.

Tried (and failed) to enjoy this one. The premise sounded so good but....the characters were SO unlikable, but not in the way that makes you want to keep reading inspite of them.

Thanks to Netgalley for my arc!

it was… interesting. a good read, but not exactly for me. the suspense and stories within the book were nice, but the storyline in the beginning confused me and just set me up to lose interest throughout the rest of the nook

I really enjoyed this mystery/thriller novel. Thank you so, so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title!

Blurb:
A group of employees and their CEO, celebrating the sale of their remarkable emotion-mapping-AI-algorithm, crash onto a not-quite-deserted tropical island.

Luckily, those who survived have found a beautiful, fully-stocked private palace, with all the latest technological updates (though one without connection to the outside world). The house, however, has more secrets than anyone might have guessed, and a much darker reason for having been built and left behind.

Kristen, the hyper-competent "chief emotional manager" (a position created by her eccentric, boyish billionaire boss, Sumter) is trying to keep her colleagues stable throughout this new challenge, but staying sane seems to be as much of a challenge as staying alive.

Being a woman in tech has always meant having to be smarter than anyone expects--and Kristen's knack for out-of-the-box problem-solving and quick thinking has gotten her to the top of her field. But will a killer instinct be enough to survive the island?

Oof I gave it my best effort, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I got 7% into it and I didn’t like any of the characters. They were so self centered and there was nothing redeeming about them. I couldn’t route for anyone on the island, I needed too!

It could have been better. This is just my opinion. I also am not a huge fan of sci-fi novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy. Because of my own lateness with this review, I bought a physical copy and read that version of this book. It was a quick and thrilling read. I don't know that I can say that I liked it because all of the characters were kind of unlikeable. But it was definitely thought provoking and well written. I think some science fiction readers will like this one but also if you like horror, give this one a chance.

I was really interested in this book, but it wasn't for me. There were a lot of parts that confused me. I dodn't typically read sci- fi, but this one caught my interest. I now know to stick with what I know I like.

# Glass House by Madeline Ashby
⭐️⭐️½ | 🏝️ Silicon Valley meets Survivor, but make it confusing

Glass House wants to be a tech thriller with big ideas about AI, surveillance, and human emotion, but never quite finds its focus. The premise is juicy - tech startup crew crashes on an island with a mysterious AI mansion - but the execution feels like watching through a smudged window.

The dual timeline structure (before/after crash) should build tension, but instead creates a disjointed experience that keeps you at arm's length from truly connecting with these mostly unlikable characters. Our protagonist Kristen tries to hold everything together as the "chief emotional officer," but even she becomes less compelling the more we learn.

The vibes we're tracking:
🤖 AI anxiety but make it architectural
🔍 Not-quite-a-mystery mystery
📱 Tech bros behaving badly
🏠 Smart home horror potential (unrealized)

When the book focuses on the "WHAT is happening" question, it briefly shines, but spends too much time elsewhere. By the final twist, you might find yourself caring less than when you started. Not the tropical tech getaway you were hoping for.

Wow! Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby was a really good read. It was unfortunately quite believable. Definitely made me want to check out Madeline Ashby's other novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby!

It took me a minute to get into this one. The premise sounds interesting, and I still think it was but there was something lacking to make the depth feel there. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading and I will read more by this author.

This was an enjoyable read, it just left me wanting more I guess. I would give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars for the fact that it kept me reading even though I wasn't feeling the story always. I think there is promise in this novel, it just missed the mark for me.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the early read. This one was more of a sci fi thriller, heavy on the suspense aspects. It was a fun page turner that was easy to fly through. I wish it had been more focused on the sci fi elements because they fell into the background. An enjoyable read, but not as memorable as I would have liked.

Even though I loved the premise, for some reason the beginning failed to draw me in. Perhaps it was the banter between the characters at the beginning that just didn’t garner my sympathy? Either way, it’s a cool concept!

Sci-fi is not my typical genre, so take my review with a grain of salt. For a book that seems to be marketed like a sci-fi thriller, this was slowwwww, which immediately puts me on alert that this might not work for me. Going into a book with certain expectations (due to marketing) only to get something different is a pet peeve. The people in this are MESSED UP, but to what end? It was also fairly predictable. It was short, and got me out of my comfort zone, so I'm not mad I read it but I'm not sure if I'll read more in this genre.

This book was so fun--a slightly futuristic whodunit that had me hooked from the first disastrous page. A real treat for mystery fans.

Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby is a gripping, high-stakes sci-fi novel that delves into the complexities of surveillance, power, and human resilience. Set in a near-future society where technology has drastically reshaped the way people live and communicate, the story follows a protagonist caught in a web of societal control and personal vendettas. Ashby skillfully blends fast-paced action with thought-provoking social commentary, exploring the ethical ramifications of living under constant observation.

The novel’s strength lies in its well-crafted world-building and the nuanced depiction of characters grappling with the blurred lines between freedom and security. Ashby’s writing is sharp and engrossing, keeping readers hooked as the plot builds toward a tense and satisfying climax. Glass Houses is a compelling read for fans of speculative fiction that challenges both personal and societal boundaries.