Pink Glass Houses by Asha Elias

A Four-Star Book Review

If Mean Girls and the Real Housewives formed a Parent Teacher Association, you would get Pink Glass Houses by Asha Elias. This satirical novel about the haves and have-nots of Miami’s top elementary school is a quick, entertaining critique of how much outward appearances define us.

Summary of Pink Glass Houses (No Spoilers)

Charlotte Giordani runs Sunset Academy’s fundraising for the PTA, and her crown jewel achievement is wooing Don and Patricia Walker, the uber rich parents of Maddox and Monrow, to fund multiple projects. And with the Walker’s dollars comes a lot of work for Charlotte, catering to the couple and to all the other donors who make a difference for their children’s school. She’s confident that her savvy and success, along with her networking skills, make her a shoo-in for next year’s PTA president.

Until Melody Howard arrives on campus, fresh from Wichita, Kansas where she ran a successful nonprofit consulting business. Melody may be shocked by the tight cutoff shorts, platform heels, and Chanel 19 handbags worn by the mothers of other third graders, but she can see the opportunity that being PTA president could present for restarting her career in Miami Beach, where charity galas and fundraising events seem to be held every weekend. 

With cheers from Darcy, a lawyer mom who’s too busy for the PTA antics of Charlotte and her crew, and Carol, a levelheaded judge who knows how to play the political game at work and at school, Melody decides to make her mark at Sunset Academy’s fundraising. But when stress and a shocking scandal threatens the highest echelons of them all, everyone starts to crumble, and clearly no one is set up to throw stones.

What I Enjoyed about Pink Glass Houses

It’s a dreary Indiana December as I read Pink Glass Houses, but this easily felt like a book I should be reading in a sunny Miami beachside cabana. Here is what I enjoyed about the book:

• Guilty pleasures: The women of Pink Glass Houses are all about the gossip, and as satirical as the novel is, their behavior felt real. After all, who hasn’t gossiped at one point in their life? If you say you haven’t, I challenge you on that. I know I’ve done of it. Reading the tea spilled by each of the ladies was a guilty pleasure, as was reading about the extreme luxury and overspending that some of these characters underwent. From the Walker’s all-pink glass house on Biscayne Bay to Charlotte filling her backyard with real snow for her annual Miami Beach Christmas party, the money flies in this book. 
• Unlikable characters: None of these women—Charlotte, Melody, Darcy, or Carol—were likable characters. Their cattiness and interactions were iffy at best and despicable at worst. But yet, I wanted to read their points of view, and I couldn’t find a few redeeming qualities in each of them by the end of the novel.
• Motherhood: In the end, Pink Glass Houses is about what mothers will do for their children. No matter how much I disliked Charlotte and Darcy, I enjoyed their journeys, and I felt similarly toward Melody and Carol. The choices they made were questionable at times, but each woman showed a dedication to her child(ren) in her own way. it just took some of them longer than others to show it.

My Final Thoughts about Pink Glass Houses

At less than 275 pages, Pink Glass Houses is a quick, fun read filled with gossiping women who have their own agendas outside doing the daily dropoff at Sunset Academy. With a sharp look at what money can and can’t buy, and how no one really has it all, Asha Elias has written an engaging story that will keep you turning the pages until the end.