I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier Published by Macmillan Audio on August 25, 2026
Genres: Thriller
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads
A serial killer recants his long-ago confession regarding a small-town high school girl―and her then-best friends are forced to confront what really happened that night and what's happening now.
Seaside is a small coastal town, known originally for the local amusement park. But twenty-five years ago, a serial killer dubbed The Carnival Killer confessed to the murder of a local high school girl. Now, he's recanted that confession.
Barb, Nicolette, and Lorelei were best friends - then they met "Sam" at Wonderland, the local amusement park. After hanging out with him there, and accompanying him to the drive-in movie, where the twenty-something handsome drifter made out with Lorelei in the backseat. That night was the last time Lorelei was seen alive, her murdered body surfacing a couple of days later in a local cranberry bog.
Barb's dreams of leaving Seaside and becoming a successful writer never materialized and she is a freelancer for the local newspaper and, secretly, writes anonymously about reality tv stars for a hugely successful gossip web-site called Reality Bitch. Specifically, she writes savagely about a long-running show set in Canada called Trophy Wives.
Nicolette left town shortly after Lorelei's body surfaced, never to return. Ultimately, she married a very rich man, moved to Toronto and rebranded herself as Cole Lennox, one of the stars of Trophy Wives.
With the amusement park about to reopen, revitalizing the dying town of Seaside, the Carnival Killer recants his confession about killing Lorelei, the dead body of young woman washes ashore, and the truth about what happened that night twenty-five years ago - and what is happening now - threatens not only the carefully constructed lives of Barb and Nicolette, but the very fabric of Seaside itself.
To say this thriller audiobook has been the highlight of my summer reading would be an understatement. I absolutely loved this novel!
The experience of listening to this book was incredible. We’ve got a great cast of narrators who made the characters come to life. The audiobook also worked well with the entire concept of true-crime podcast.
The story is told from 4 perspectives and each is intriguing. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. I don’t think I can even pick a favourite POV; truly, they were all equally great!
I think what really made this novel work so well is the characters. Each one is compelling and brings something different to the table. The character growth and development was also done really well.
Now, were there plot holes? Yes. This isn’t the most airtight thriller out there. But I didn’t mind. The character development and prose just had me sucked in from the start. Maybe if I had read the book rather than listened to it, I would be more critical. But overall, this was a great read for me and I am interested in reading more by this author!
