Emotionally raw, beautifully written, and deeply affecting, Hearts of Glass is an unforgettable work of contemporary Australian fiction that explores love, mental health, and the fragile boundaries between hope and self-destruction. For readers of Colleen Hoover, Sally Rooney, and Kathleen Glasgow, this haunting debut will linger long after the final page.
Cassie is searching for something she can't name - a way out of the chaos in her mind and the loneliness that won't let her go. Her life looks fine from the outside: a steady job at her father's accounting firm, a small apartment, a handful of friends. But beneath the surface, she's restless, anxious, and exhausted from trying to hold it all together. The fluorescent lights of the office, the polite chatter, and the endless paperwork all feel like another kind of cage.
By night, Cassie turns to the things that quiet her thoughts - alcohol, drugs, fleeting connections, and the constant hum of distraction. She knows it's not sustainable, but stopping feels impossible. Then she meets Patrick, an apprentice carpenter with an easy smile, rough hands, and a quiet steadiness that draws her in. He's everything she thinks she needs: grounded, kind, and unbroken.
What begins as a spark quickly becomes something fierce and consuming. Cassie sees in Patrick a glimpse of another life - one filled with love, safety, and maybe even peace. But as the intensity of their connection grows, the cracks in Cassie's façade begin to show. Her moods swing between euphoria and despair, her thoughts spiral, and her fear of losing him pushes her further toward the edge.
Patrick wants to help, but he's in over his head. Torn between love and confusion, he struggles to hold on as the woman he adores slips between versions of herself - the vibrant, magnetic Cassie who makes him feel invincible, and the withdrawn, unpredictable one who shuts him out completely. Their love burns bright and fast, but the pressure of unspoken pain, family expectations, and inner battles threatens to pull them both under.
When Cassie's world finally unravels, she's forced to confront the truth she's been avoiding - about her mental health, her past, and the limits of love as a lifeline. In the aftermath, what remains is a story about survival, self-compassion, and the courage it takes to rebuild from the inside out.
Told with striking honesty and poetic restraint, Hearts of Glass offers a window into the lived experience of bipolar disorder, addiction, and recovery, without shying away from the darkness or the beauty that coexists within it. It's a fearless exploration of female identity, love, loss, and resilience - a story for anyone who has ever broken down and tried to start again.
Set against the shifting backdrop of coastal Australia, this is a novel about young adulthood, relationships, and the messy truth of being human. Through heartbreak, self-discovery, and the quiet strength of those who stay, Hearts of Glass captures the raw emotional landscape of a generation learning to navigate mental health, vulnerability, and connection in a world that prizes perfection.
For fans of It Ends With Us, Normal People, Girl in Pieces, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, and The Paper Palace, Hearts of Glass will resonate with readers who crave emotionally charged, character-driven stories that stay with you long after the final page.
This compelling debut from Australian author Jade Rose marks the arrival of a bold and compassionate new voice in contemporary fiction - one that isn't afraid to look pain in the eye and find the beauty within it.
