An intriguing premise with a unique setting, but the predictable plot and flat dialogue made it hard to stay engaged. Some elements felt unrealistic, and the story didn’t quite deliver on its potential. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love family drama! It keeps me turning those pages like no other! This book had that and more.

When Gertie finds out her estranged father Arnold dies, she is summoned to the reading of the will. Finding out she was left a home that she knows nothing about leaves her perplexed. Her siblings are not happy and will stop at nothing to get their hands on everything they can.

When Arnold's death is questioned about being an accident, Gertie starts to investigate the family and staff. Did he really die accidentally, or did someone murder him?

4 stars!!!! I really enjoyed this one and feel others will too! Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Get ready for deadly family drama. Arnold Glass died on his 90th birthday and Gertie, his youngest child, is determined to figure out who is responsible for his death. The only problem is her older half siblings downright hate her, even more so after they find out she inherited the famous Glass House.

I like Stacie Grey’s writing style. It flows well and keeps my attention. I did guess who the killer was, but that didn’t negatively impact my enjoyment. This is a good whodunit told mostly through Gertie’s POV with some glimpses of Arnold’s POV leading up to his demise.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Aug 12 2025

I really enjoyed She Didn't Stand a Chance. This isn't necessarily your ultra twisty, high stakes thriller. Its a mystery. It's a little slower paced and a little predictable. It felt a little like Succession light. I enjoyed the differences in the characters. Gertie had this quiet calm that lead her through the challenges she faced after her estranged father died and she was set to inherit one of his most prized assets. Her character is a complete contradiction to the rest of the Glass children. They are loud, messy and chaotic. That could possibly lead to their downfall.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Imagine staying in a Palm Springs historic mansion, known as the Glass House, with two sides enclosed by two story-height windows overlooking breathtaking views of the Vista Seco State Park. You would be living in the lap of luxury and waited on hand and foot. Then imagine the shock of inheriting it from a father you haven’t seen or heard from since you were three years old!

Although Arthur Glass raised four children of his own, he made the surprising decision to leave the Glass House to his youngest child, Gertie. Gertie and her mother, Carla, moved out of the house years ago when Arthur and Carla divorced. As I’m sure you presumed, Carla’s four older half-siblings are not thrilled with the prospect of losing the mansion. Neither is Arthur’s latest honey, Haylee, who expected to inherit it herself. In fact, they are all furious.

Gertie can take their anger, and even their snarky remarks, but things begin to heat up when she starts to suspect that her father’s fall down the stairs wasn’t exactly an accident. She doesn’t hold back on her opinions about this either, which doesn’t bode well for her. Then a member of the household staff suddenly dies, and Gerie herself has a near death accident.

Can Gertie navigate through all the lies, envy, and family secrets in order to set things straight and save herself? She doesn’t have a chance . . . or does she?

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gertie Glass is the daughter of Arnold Glass—a mall tycoon who had a fling with Gertie’s mother. Arnold Glass has had nothing to do with Gertie or her mother besides child support and a free ride to the college of her choice. A recent graduate of law school, Gertie gets the terrible news that her father has had an accident and she is invited to the house. When she arrives, all of Arnold’s other children are already there and make Gertie feel quite awkward, like she doesn’t belong. Finally the will is read, and the house is completely left to Gertie. Thus a crazy chaotic mystery unfolds—who killed Arnold? Why did he leave the house to Gertie? And is Gertie the next victim?

Overall, there weren’t any plot twists or crazy surprises. The end was expected and the mystery played out like a bland, simple murder mystery. I found the characters boring and hard to like. The plot dragged without much excitement but here and there. The dialogue was stale and dull. Overall, it passed the time and I was able to finish it but I didn’t find it very interesting.

**Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC of this book.

This story follows Gertie Glass, who hasn't seen or heard from her father since she was three years old. When he passes away, Gertie is summoned to his house for the reading of his will -- only to find herself surrounded by four half-siblings from his first marriage who want nothing to do with her. Tensions rise when Gertie inherits the house, sparking jealousy and resentment.

But things take a darker turn when Gertie begins to suspect her father's death wasn't an accident, but a murder. As she starts digging for the truth, a member of the household staff is also found dead -- and Gertie become convinced that one of her siblings is the killer. Now she's racing to uncover the truth while avoiding being framed, or worse, becoming the next victim.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a quick, engaging read with short chapters that kept the pace moving. I flew through it is under 24 hours because I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen next. The mystery was solid, the pacing tight, and Gertie was a character I rooted for throughout. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone in a reading slump who needs something fast-paced and absorbing. I am so happy that Bookstagram kept recommending this book and look forward to reading more work by this author.

If you're looking for a light, quick read that doesn’t require much mental effort, this might be a decent option for some casual time-pass. It wasn’t a standout read for me, largely due to inconsistent logic and underdeveloped reasoning in parts of the plot.
The author clearly put effort into building suspense, often trying to end each chapter with a sense of mystery or a twist. While this technique was used throughout, it didn’t always have the intended effect—it sometimes felt a bit forced or predictable rather than genuinely gripping.

The author attempts to portray the culprit as a criminal mastermind, but some of their reasoning defies basic logic. For instance:
* The family lives in a house made entirely of glass, and they're known for their association with glasswork—yet the glass used isn't shatterproof, which seems like an odd oversight.
* There’s no indication that a particular character has ever been involved with drugs, but the “mastermind” believes that staging her death as an overdose will instantly convince the police she was responsible for a major crime—despite no supporting evidence or prior behaviour.
* The mastermind also assumes that the police will overlook both physical and video evidence simply because they can discredit the person delivering it, which felt implausible.
There are several such inconsistencies throughout the plot, though it’s hard to go into more detail without giving away spoilers. One other thing that stood out to me was the repeated use of the word “whelp”—as in, “the woman who whelped you.” It felt a bit jarring and out of place in the narrative; I’d be curious to know if others found it odd too. Also, I do not think the title is appropriate if you consider the story.
This was my first book by this author, and I noticed on Goodreads that opinions seem to be mixed or lean slightly negative. That said, there was a sense of mystery that did keep me reading, and I appreciate that the author at least tried to keep things engaging.
Thank you @netgalley

Well, this was a pretty solid whodunnit! I had read this author's previous book, She Left and enjoyed it so was excited for this one. Gertie's father dies under pretty sketchy circumstances, and she is summoned to the family home for the reading of the will. The problem is that she has not really spoken to her father or siblings since early childhood. Oh, and she inherited the majority of the riches. Uh oh. Maybe if Daddy was murdered, someone may want to kill Gertie too? Gertie tries to figure out what happened, as the body count rises. I loved Gertie! She was fun. Not so much the case for the others, but that fit with the story, I thought. I was kept guessing until the end and am eager for more from Stacie Grey!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Stacie Grey and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of August 12, 2025.

A family murder mystery. Really like the FMC Gertie the rest of the character are not likeable. A quick paced story that I flew through. Will read more from this author. Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for ARC.

Gertie’s father has passed away and she has returned to the family home for the will to be read. Unfortunately for her siblings Gertie is to receive a large part of the estate, and her siblings are very surprised and extremely unimpressed. Gertie has her suspicions about his death and worries that there may have been forces that led to his demise.

I loved the setting and the atmosphere featuring the glass house in the middle of a desert, a wondrous feature to picture in your mind as I was turning the pages. I always love books that focus on families that carry secrets and especially those who come from wealth and seem to have it all. It is amazing what people do when money is involved, greed is a terrible thing and shows people’s true colours. Unfortunately, I found it hard to find any endearing factors within these characters even though I understand the roles the author wished them to play in the book.

The writing was smooth, and I found the book to be quite suspenseful and compelling. The story was well put together and I was struggling to work out who was guilty which kept my attention, but it was predictable in some parts. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to seeing what comes next from Stacie Grey.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

wow. going in to this book i was trying to come up with any other way other than this whole family didn't want Gertie around as much as we were pointed to going in? and surely not...dead? i was ready for the adventure anyway.
Gertie is back to a place she doesn't call home and people she doesn't call family. but shes called here after learning of her fathers death and coming to settle the estate. upon learning she stands be an actual part of whats given in the will know one is more surprised than her, and noone is more angry than her family. how does SHE get a share of what is theirs?
then she starts to glean more information that feels off and it goes more to suggest that her father might have been murdered. she needs answers but is this going to put her at risk? yes it is, Gertie is now in very real danger as secrets and lies are exposed in this family. we are all feeling tense for the plot and tense for Gertie with this gripping plot and irresistible thriller.
i really enjoyed getting to see Gertie in this book. she is just the heroine you can root for. i was concerned how this would tie up in the end, concerned for her. i wanted more for her rather than just coming out alive. i wanted her to win over these awful folk. and the ending was what i needed.
a great book and a definite read for all thriller lovers.

This was definitely a fun ride! I really loved Gertie! Family drama has become a fun trope for me. This book definitely delivered that, This was a gripping whodunit thriller and I loved it so much!

3.5⭐️s
The story follows the main character Gertie as she returns back home to meet with her step siblings as her father had passed away and his will needs to be read. Except something seems off with her father’s death, was it actually an accident or was he murdered? Lies and secrets are revealed, will Gertie be able to figure out what had happened before it’s too late?

This was a gripping whodunit thriller with lots of family lies and secrets. The setting takes place in the desert of California in an extensive glass house. I really liked the main character Gertie and the house manager-Mrs. Phan but I felt I didn’t connect with any other character in the book. The ending wasn’t as exciting as I was hoping and the “big reveal” wasn’t very big, but over all it was a good popcorn thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: August 12, 2025

This is a fun popcorn thriller packed with all the messy, dysfunctional rich people drama you could ask for. Inheritance battles, possible murder, and just generally terrible people. With books like this, I’ve come to expect that most of the characters will be awful, and that definitely holds true here. The only likeable people are the house staff, especially Mrs. Phan and the chef. I loved how they looked out for Gertie and supported her as she took ownership of the house.

I do wish we got more background on Gertie’s half-siblings instead of just being told they were terrible. It would’ve been nice to understand why they were the way they were. That said, I really enjoyed Gertie’s character arc. She stood her ground, held her own, and her attitude toward her entitled family made her super easy to root for.

The desert setting and the house were described in great detail, you can tell the author put a lot of thought into the atmosphere. I just wish that same level of detail had gone into the side characters too.

The ending was pretty much what I expected, but it was still satisfying to watch everything unfold. Overall, this was a quick read that kept me invested, especially in figuring out who all played a part in Arnold’s downfall.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This book will be released on August 12th, 2025.

Read if you’re into:
💰 Rich Family Drama
❓ Whodunits
🍿 Popcorn Thrillers

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the advance copy and opportunity to read before publication.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

Overall this was a fun read. The story follows Gertie, who is summoned to her estranged late father's estate for a reading of his will. She hasn't seen or spoken to him in a very long time, so it comes as a surprise she's even invited. The mall tycoon has died after a nasty fall at his home during his birthday party, and police seem to be suspicious about the circumstances. Gertie is very much the black sheep amongst her siblings and the resentment is clear — they don't want her there.

Tensions remain high as Gertie navigates the next several days at the home, determined to find out what happened to her father and understand the message he had been trying to send her.

Pacing felt slow but overall okay, I liked the differences in each sibling and the dynamic between the family. It very much gave Succession vibes.

It's fiction so there is a need to suspend reality, but I found it strange that this 90yo man and this very well run machine of an estate would just so happen to have old computers and a bunch of old cables hanging around in the pool house (that did not have air conditioning in a hot climate) that just so happened to be able to read an outdated disk and work perfectly fine, however, perhaps that was part of him leaving the disk for Gertie to find in the old hiding spot in his office. The whole book felt like Gertie just had really good luck. I did enjoy the ending and how everything tied up nicely.

I've read both of the author's books and would add her to my must read list.

solid and well-done murder mystery. Gertie's character is interestingly done and the rest of them work fairly well too! 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

4.25/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This book kept me completely engaged from start to finish!
I thought I had the killer figured out turns out, I was wrong. Some parts I did guess, but Stacie Grey weaves a clever and suspenseful story that kept me turning pages.
It gave me major Clue or Murder Mystery vibes trying to piece everything together as the story unfolds and trying to figure out who will be next.
If you love a twisty, character-driven thriller, this one’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the EARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a complimentary early release copy of She Didn’t Stand A Chance by Stacie Grey.

She Didn’t Stand A Chance didn’t really work for me, the premise of the book sounds intriguing and I’m all for socialite/rich people drama but these characters just didn’t keep me drawn in. I was more interested in the staff then this estranged family, my favorite characters out of this book are Mrs Phan and Boyd but many of the staff members were enjoyable to read about. The mystery of the book was suspenseful in some ways, I was intrigued to figure out what happened but I wasn’t impressed with the way in which things went down. I thought the ending of the book was disappointing and the characters were flat/boring. The writing was nice and detailed but comes across as really formal, there are lots of descriptive bits about the house and desert they are living in. I feel mixed regarding those, while they are nice to help picture the scene better they are repeated a few times and can come across as repetitive.

In the scorching heat of Palm Springs, secrets fester and jealousy simmers in this tense family thriller. Gertie, estranged from her siblings since early childhood, is summoned back to the family estate for the reading of her father's will. To her shock—and her siblings’ fury—she inherits a significant stake in the family business and their father's beloved home. But Gertie’s inheritance quickly becomes the least of her worries when a suspicious death, a near-fatal accident, and whispers of murder make it clear that someone in the house doesn’t want her there.