Glass houses was a wonderful read. I loved seeing these multidimensional characters, flawed and struggling, grow and bloom into better versions of themselves and owning their mistakes. I also loved piecing together the puzzle and the ambiguity of whether it was really magic or just coincidence. I don’t often real adult fiction, but whenever I read Melanie Murphy’s novels I feel so seen by her characters and plots but also taken away into another world, I have yet to be disappointed by her writing.

Just to say that this could be a trigger book for some people as deals with mental health issues in a big way. However it is written sensitivitly and with great care. The characters are all wonderful and it's really easy to relate to then and what they are going through. You really want to best for everyone.

Sisters Jenna and Rosie find themselves living under one roof for the first time in years. Jenna – and her feline companion turns up on Rosie’s doorstep after going through some life changes. Rosie spends her life thinking about the life she once had, trying not to reach her breaking point. Enter David Dolan and his son Peter, Rosie’s next-door neighbours, who just might be what the sisters need to get their lives back – or in fact start a fresh.

With themes relating to mental health, this book gets HEAVY at times (TWs listed below), and I found myself relating to almost every character in this book in one way of another, which I very rarely do.

It’s safe to say that adored this book. One of the main things that stood out to me/that I loved was the atmosphere/setting of Avalon Melanie manages to create with words – it’s magical; I could picture the glass house, the garden so clearly and the people so very clearly.

I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

TW // suicide, eating disorders, self-harm, bereavement, revenge porn, and death of a pet

I must admit that I was drawn to this book purely by the beautiful cover. For the first few chapters I wasn’t quite sure if this book was for me, I’m more of a psychological and crime thriller reader. However after reading a few chapters I soon got settled into this book and really enjoyed it, well enjoyed might not be the right word as it was at times a difficult read. The author has put a trigger warning at the start of the book something I’m not a fan of but many people like to know about sensitive issues before starting a book which I totally understand, This book was at times a sad read but also uplifting at times and I am so glad I read it. This is the first book I’ve read by this author but I will certainly be reading more.

Glass Houses is narrated by two sisters, Rosie and Jenna. They look alike but their personalities and difference in age has created a chasm between them over the years. They have the same love interest and their lives converge more over the course of the novel. Especially when they are pulled into the same project - to work on a neglected glass house and it’s garden.
Rosie and Jenna are dealing with their own personal problems and this is the case for every character in the book, they all have pretty serious personal problems. Including mental & physical illnesses, receiving hate online, and having been subjected to revenge porn.

I enjoyed the analysis of cancel culture, this was especially interesting and I feel like it had been influenced by modern academic discussion.
I also enjoyed the short dialogue between Rosie and Peter about whether they would like to be parents in future. This is a discussion that I don’t think I’ve seen before in a book and I liked it’s inclusion.

The novel was set out well and the first half dealt mainly with the two sisters and their concerns. This was enjoyable. Throughout the book we hear from both Rosie and Jenna and the narration switches from one to the other. I felt like the characters had quite a similar voice so this switch was sometimes difficult to follow.
For everybody, it seemed to take one small occurrence for their problems to be solved/healed and for this reason I think the novel was tied up too neatly at the end and did not pay homage to the true complexities of modern living.
A a handful of the characters were well developed however other members of the glass house groups were often stereotypes of themselves and this left them a tad flat.

The book deals with a variety of mental health issues, as well as other currently relevant topics such as internet trolling and its effects. The overall idea of the book - the attempt to bring together a group of people with a shared purpose to ultimately begin to heal themselves - was a great one. I enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters and its development over the course of the book. That said, I didn’t find any of the characters to be fully formed and therefore had a hard time really connecting with them. The one graphic sex scene seemed a bit out of place and unnecessary. Overall an easy read with important issues at its core.

A well written, poignant, and riveting story that deals with serious issues like mental health.
It's a gripping read, emotionally charged, and i liked the sister's relationship and the storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is an incredibly relevant read about many different types of mental health issues (which are referenced at the start with a clear trigger warning) which affect a group of individuals who are brought together by retired GP David to bring a garden back to life with a view to help to heal them in the process. This primarily featured two sisters, Rosie and Jenna, who have a difficult relationship a# well as their own personal issues. Whilst this was a fantastic read about mental health I struggled to engage with the characters overall and found it hard to persevere through the negativity to see how the garden helped them.I was also concerned that a GP would bring an eating disorder sufferer to a gardening group unless it was just to observe and interact with the others, that said the mind set of this character was well represented. Although this wasn’t an easy read for me it is very well written and raises some great points and it’s interesting to read a book that has such a mix of mental health subjects at its core.

Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed and likable characaters. I thought the way that the author deals with mental health in the book is done really well and handled really sensitively. I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this book. It has a great insight into mental health and how it affects those in different ways. It felt very realistic and relatable. I especially liked the progression of Jenna and Rosie's relationship. Sisters can have tough relationships and this portrays that really well. It has hard themes but there is a trigger warning at the beginning which was nice to see. All the issues in the book are important and well written about. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend 100%