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House of Liars: A Novel
A slow-burn psychological thriller about AI, motherhood, and desire, written by a former big tech AI ethics insider.
House of Liars
delves into the marrow of the coming wave of AI intimacy, where chatbots and agents influence the most personal parts of our lives, with consequences we can’t yet fathom.
"Riveting, tender, and terrifyingly real." —Mia Fontaine, New York Times bestselling author of Come Back
When single mother and failed novelist Anna Olin is invited to an exclusive residency on a remote island, it feels like an opportunity for artistic redemption. Alongside five other writers, including an old flame whose spark still smolders, she must finish her novel to compete for a million-dollar publishing contract. The catch? One of the writers isn't human; it's an AI.
Isolated and under pressure, Anna’s grasp on reality loosens as alliances form fast, seduction beckons, and secrets press closer to the surface—including Anna's own. When she starts receiving cryptic notes and the AI develops frightening new behaviors, Anna must decide what—and who—she's willing to risk if she is to fulfill the darkest fantasies she can't speak aloud, even to herself.
"Riveting, tender, and terrifyingly real." —Mia Fontaine, New York Times bestselling author of Come Back
When single mother and failed novelist Anna Olin is invited to an exclusive residency on a remote island, it feels like an opportunity for artistic redemption. Alongside five other writers, including an old flame whose spark still smolders, she must finish her novel to compete for a million-dollar publishing contract. The catch? One of the writers isn't human; it's an AI.
Isolated and under pressure, Anna’s grasp on reality loosens as alliances form fast, seduction beckons, and secrets press closer to the surface—including Anna's own. When she starts receiving cryptic notes and the AI develops frightening new behaviors, Anna must decide what—and who—she's willing to risk if she is to fulfill the darkest fantasies she can't speak aloud, even to herself.
291 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for proving me with this book to review.
Probably 2.5 stars. Unfortunately this just didn't end up being for me.
To start off with what I did enjoy, this was a very interesting set up and a very readable plot. I flew through this and was entertained basically the whole time. I didn't love the flashback chapters, but they were probably necessary for the overall plot to work. I think it was a bit of a mistake presenting this as a mystery. For most of this book, there is only barely a mystery. I think if the marketing of this and the summary had been different, I would have maybe enjoyed this more. Really this is a reflection on AI and motherhood, not a mystery.
I think the author does do a good job of explaining why people want to use AI and particularly for creative tasks, why it can feel like an easy solution for self-doubt. She clearly has thought a lot about this and that comes through in the story.
That was part of what didn't work for me. This book is About AI and About motherhood. It's all text and no subtext anywhere. Everything is over-explained to the reader, which makes for a more boring, less fulfilling reading experience. In the flashback chapters, when our main character is working to build an AI model (which I found to also be very strange considering she was a writer with really no apparent tech expertise), she literally says stuff "... we were ignoring basic human questions like: Does this nourish us?" Does this nourish us???? This is so clunky and annoying to read. Let me decide how I feel about the themes your presenting.
The dialogue was generally unrealistic and clunky. There is one character in particular, Qelema, who basically talks like a collection of stereotypes and internet posts. She's a young Black woman and an immigrant who tells people to watch their privileged and says things like "I don't adhere to Western linearity." There is absolutely no depth to her character, despite some attempts to insert some. I could not tell if the author wanted me to make fun of this character or respect that she had principles because he actual dialogue is just so unrealistic.
The ending was interesting but did feel very disjointed from the rest of the book. It was like the first 75% was a litfic about writers reckoning with AI and the last 25% was a techno-thriller. The author needed to decide what lane she wanted to occupy and go from there. I think there is a lot of potential to this book, I think it just needed maybe a bit more developmental editing before publication to clarify who the characters were and how to connect the elements of the plot more cohesively.
Also, I am loathe to point out copy editing issues in an ARC, but at one point Stephen King was misspelled as "Steven King", which is just kind of funny for a book about writers.
Probably 2.5 stars. Unfortunately this just didn't end up being for me.
To start off with what I did enjoy, this was a very interesting set up and a very readable plot. I flew through this and was entertained basically the whole time. I didn't love the flashback chapters, but they were probably necessary for the overall plot to work. I think it was a bit of a mistake presenting this as a mystery. For most of this book, there is only barely a mystery. I think if the marketing of this and the summary had been different, I would have maybe enjoyed this more. Really this is a reflection on AI and motherhood, not a mystery.
I think the author does do a good job of explaining why people want to use AI and particularly for creative tasks, why it can feel like an easy solution for self-doubt. She clearly has thought a lot about this and that comes through in the story.
That was part of what didn't work for me. This book is About AI and About motherhood. It's all text and no subtext anywhere. Everything is over-explained to the reader, which makes for a more boring, less fulfilling reading experience. In the flashback chapters, when our main character is working to build an AI model (which I found to also be very strange considering she was a writer with really no apparent tech expertise), she literally says stuff "... we were ignoring basic human questions like: Does this nourish us?" Does this nourish us???? This is so clunky and annoying to read. Let me decide how I feel about the themes your presenting.
The dialogue was generally unrealistic and clunky. There is one character in particular, Qelema, who basically talks like a collection of stereotypes and internet posts. She's a young Black woman and an immigrant who tells people to watch their privileged and says things like "I don't adhere to Western linearity." There is absolutely no depth to her character, despite some attempts to insert some. I could not tell if the author wanted me to make fun of this character or respect that she had principles because he actual dialogue is just so unrealistic.
The ending was interesting but did feel very disjointed from the rest of the book. It was like the first 75% was a litfic about writers reckoning with AI and the last 25% was a techno-thriller. The author needed to decide what lane she wanted to occupy and go from there. I think there is a lot of potential to this book, I think it just needed maybe a bit more developmental editing before publication to clarify who the characters were and how to connect the elements of the plot more cohesively.
Also, I am loathe to point out copy editing issues in an ARC, but at one point Stephen King was misspelled as "Steven King", which is just kind of funny for a book about writers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"House of Liars" was fun to read. From the very beginning I was hooked, and I found myself looking forward to the next chance I had to pick it up and step back into the world Jenny Williams created. It kept me engaged the entire time, and I never once felt tempted to skim (as sometimes happens).
Anna is the kind of protagonist who feels like a real person rather than simply a character moving the plot along. Because the story is so grounded in issues we're already beginning to face, it felt completely believable. I especially appreciated how it explores the growing role of AI in the writing world. Rather than offering easy answers, it gave me quite a bit to think about after I finished the last page.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the setting. The story takes place in the Pacific Northwest, a part of the country I visited in 2019. Williams describes it so vividly that I felt transported back there. Instead of simply serving as a backdrop, the setting became part of the experience and made the story feel even more immersive.
What stayed with me most, though, was the writing itself. There were several passages I highlighted, not because they advanced the plot, but because they expressed an idea or emotion so perfectly that I wanted to remember them. Since this book hasn't been published yet, I won't quote them here, but I found myself stopping more than once just to appreciate a beautifully written sentence. Jenny Williams has a genuine gift for knowing exactly the right words to use.
I've read several novels that explore the impact of AI and future projections, but "House of Liars" approaches the subject from a fresh angle. It manages to be thought-provoking without sacrificing the mystery and suspense that make it such an enjoyable read.
If you're looking for a novel that's both entertaining and intelligent, with characters you'll care about and a story that will stay with you after you've finished it, I highly recommend "House of Liars".
Anna is the kind of protagonist who feels like a real person rather than simply a character moving the plot along. Because the story is so grounded in issues we're already beginning to face, it felt completely believable. I especially appreciated how it explores the growing role of AI in the writing world. Rather than offering easy answers, it gave me quite a bit to think about after I finished the last page.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the setting. The story takes place in the Pacific Northwest, a part of the country I visited in 2019. Williams describes it so vividly that I felt transported back there. Instead of simply serving as a backdrop, the setting became part of the experience and made the story feel even more immersive.
What stayed with me most, though, was the writing itself. There were several passages I highlighted, not because they advanced the plot, but because they expressed an idea or emotion so perfectly that I wanted to remember them. Since this book hasn't been published yet, I won't quote them here, but I found myself stopping more than once just to appreciate a beautifully written sentence. Jenny Williams has a genuine gift for knowing exactly the right words to use.
I've read several novels that explore the impact of AI and future projections, but "House of Liars" approaches the subject from a fresh angle. It manages to be thought-provoking without sacrificing the mystery and suspense that make it such an enjoyable read.
If you're looking for a novel that's both entertaining and intelligent, with characters you'll care about and a story that will stay with you after you've finished it, I highly recommend "House of Liars".
Review of advance copy received from Author
A slow-burn psychological thriller with a captivating plot, compelling characters, and prose rendered with intelligence and care is a rare bird. Jane Harper (sometimes), Tana French, Peter May... writers who treat me, the reader, as if I'm worth writing for, not a cog in their tried-and-true plot machine, churning out slop that a publisher can send straight to the top of the bestseller lists with the inevitable marketing blitz.
Jenny Williams wows me with House of Liars in this same way. She channels thoughtful "what-ifs?" into our fizzing anxiety about AI and its potential to not just disrupt our lives but to infiltrate our intimate thoughts and private longings, and stirs these into a low simmer of a locked-room mystery.
Five novelists with varying degrees of commercial and literary success are selected for a two-week residency on a remote island in Washington State's Salish Sea, where they will complete their novels-in-progress in pampered seclusion. Their work will be judged and the winner will come away with $1,000,000 and a publishing contract. The catch? There is a sixth competitor: AI.
The narrative is unspooled through Anna Olin, mother to toddler Toby, partner to steadfast Lee (not Toby's father, but I'll leave that mystery to you to catch up with), and an erstwhile author. Her first—and only—novel was published many years before to critical acclaim but little commercial notice. Anna has been searching for her literary mojo since, but between motherhood, her job as a Large-Language Model developer at a Seattle-based tech firm, and her own withering self-doubt, her writing is a painful afterthought.
Until she's selected to compete against some of the most successful writers of contemporary letters: a bestselling romance novelist, an up-and-coming young writer of fantasy, a celebrated speculative fiction author whose œuvre would fill a library shelf, and a literary novelist Anna had known—or thought she'd known—in her previous almost-famous writer's life. How each writer faces the challenge, navigates their insecurities, and interacts with their bespoke AI companions makes for richly-layered investigation of personal morality, literary ethics, and a good old-fashioned tangled web of mystery and intrigue.
Jenny Williams plunders her own fascinating background for the novel's substance: she spent nearly a decade delving into AI ethics and its impact on human creativity while working at Google and Microsoft. She is also an author (her debut The Atlas of Forgotten Places is a must-read) and a once-single mother. Williams marries these passions into a novel of depth and timeliness that I couldn't put down.
Jenny Williams wows me with House of Liars in this same way. She channels thoughtful "what-ifs?" into our fizzing anxiety about AI and its potential to not just disrupt our lives but to infiltrate our intimate thoughts and private longings, and stirs these into a low simmer of a locked-room mystery.
Five novelists with varying degrees of commercial and literary success are selected for a two-week residency on a remote island in Washington State's Salish Sea, where they will complete their novels-in-progress in pampered seclusion. Their work will be judged and the winner will come away with $1,000,000 and a publishing contract. The catch? There is a sixth competitor: AI.
The narrative is unspooled through Anna Olin, mother to toddler Toby, partner to steadfast Lee (not Toby's father, but I'll leave that mystery to you to catch up with), and an erstwhile author. Her first—and only—novel was published many years before to critical acclaim but little commercial notice. Anna has been searching for her literary mojo since, but between motherhood, her job as a Large-Language Model developer at a Seattle-based tech firm, and her own withering self-doubt, her writing is a painful afterthought.
Until she's selected to compete against some of the most successful writers of contemporary letters: a bestselling romance novelist, an up-and-coming young writer of fantasy, a celebrated speculative fiction author whose œuvre would fill a library shelf, and a literary novelist Anna had known—or thought she'd known—in her previous almost-famous writer's life. How each writer faces the challenge, navigates their insecurities, and interacts with their bespoke AI companions makes for richly-layered investigation of personal morality, literary ethics, and a good old-fashioned tangled web of mystery and intrigue.
Jenny Williams plunders her own fascinating background for the novel's substance: she spent nearly a decade delving into AI ethics and its impact on human creativity while working at Google and Microsoft. She is also an author (her debut The Atlas of Forgotten Places is a must-read) and a once-single mother. Williams marries these passions into a novel of depth and timeliness that I couldn't put down.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I couldn't put this novel down! I devoured it in a day! As a woman who is a songwriter, a skeptic of AI, and an avid reader of mystery and suspense, this felt like the perfect blend of horror and speculative fiction. (I'm reluctant to call it sci-fi because it feels like it could be happening right now!) The prose was clear and elegant, the tension held and built through the plot, and I never knew what was going to happen next. It's so satisfying to be surprised by a novel these days! This was delicious.
The author dove into my unspoken fears and curiosities around AI and writing. There's a question inherent in this story about whether writing has to be a struggle. Does the struggle make us better or the writing better? Or does it just make us feel righteous? What if AI *could* make our writing better and easier? What if it could do the hard work for us? Let me clarify as a writer, myself, that I find writing deeply transformative and I love the work of it. I'm never outsourcing my job to an LLM, but I understand that if we don't talk about these technologies openly, people will use them in secret and claim that work as their own. It's happening every day in my industry, which is sad and scary.
What I loved about Williams' novel is that she opens up the writers' psyche with surgical precision to look at what's under our skin-- ego, fear, desperation, poverty, greed, yearning and heart. She doesn't soften the characters or go easy on them. Her characters wrestle with the development of AI in a deeply human way. This story is told responsibly, while also being easy to read. Williams is aware that we are writing our own rules as a society about AI this very moment, and that even fiction can influence how we use it.
5 stars! If you love suspense and psychological horror and are also an AI skeptic, get your copy, race through it, then pass it on! A must-read.
The author dove into my unspoken fears and curiosities around AI and writing. There's a question inherent in this story about whether writing has to be a struggle. Does the struggle make us better or the writing better? Or does it just make us feel righteous? What if AI *could* make our writing better and easier? What if it could do the hard work for us? Let me clarify as a writer, myself, that I find writing deeply transformative and I love the work of it. I'm never outsourcing my job to an LLM, but I understand that if we don't talk about these technologies openly, people will use them in secret and claim that work as their own. It's happening every day in my industry, which is sad and scary.
What I loved about Williams' novel is that she opens up the writers' psyche with surgical precision to look at what's under our skin-- ego, fear, desperation, poverty, greed, yearning and heart. She doesn't soften the characters or go easy on them. Her characters wrestle with the development of AI in a deeply human way. This story is told responsibly, while also being easy to read. Williams is aware that we are writing our own rules as a society about AI this very moment, and that even fiction can influence how we use it.
5 stars! If you love suspense and psychological horror and are also an AI skeptic, get your copy, race through it, then pass it on! A must-read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Marion Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
I hate to give any book such a low rating, but I couldn't justify a higher one. It's a promising premise, and I did genuinely enjoy the first half, especially the beginnings of the Lore Island retreat when we were getting to know the other writers and watching some interesting dynamics emerge among them. Unfortunately, there's a quote from our MC, Anna, that I think captures my main issue with the writing: "I could continue the philosophizing work I'd started yesterday, but I didn't want to push the pedagogy too hard."
For me, the pedagogy did get pushed to hard.
Nothing is subtle in this book — to the point that it's pretty easy to guess early on what's really going on and where the story is heading — but the last 20% felt even more heavy-handed, with an overdone climax and an all-too-neatly wrapped up resolution that were complete misses for me. Even before the ending (which is what ultimately dropped my rating from 3 to 2 stars), Anna consistently makes the most insane choices/judgments possible (in both past and present) and seems so strangely naive or blind to the predictable outcomes of her actions that I had trouble both understanding and rooting for her. Likewise, her musings on motherhood, desire, writing, and AI, and on the potential for those things to intersect and influence each other, didn't resonate with me in the way I'm sure they were intended to. It's all just too on the nose; there's no trust in the audience to take these ideas and explore their nuances for themselves, just spoon-fed answers and lessons that make the book far less interesting/impactful than it could have been.
I hate to give any book such a low rating, but I couldn't justify a higher one. It's a promising premise, and I did genuinely enjoy the first half, especially the beginnings of the Lore Island retreat when we were getting to know the other writers and watching some interesting dynamics emerge among them. Unfortunately, there's a quote from our MC, Anna, that I think captures my main issue with the writing: "I could continue the philosophizing work I'd started yesterday, but I didn't want to push the pedagogy too hard."
For me, the pedagogy did get pushed to hard.
Nothing is subtle in this book — to the point that it's pretty easy to guess early on what's really going on and where the story is heading — but the last 20% felt even more heavy-handed, with an overdone climax and an all-too-neatly wrapped up resolution that were complete misses for me. Even before the ending (which is what ultimately dropped my rating from 3 to 2 stars), Anna consistently makes the most insane choices/judgments possible (in both past and present) and seems so strangely naive or blind to the predictable outcomes of her actions that I had trouble both understanding and rooting for her. Likewise, her musings on motherhood, desire, writing, and AI, and on the potential for those things to intersect and influence each other, didn't resonate with me in the way I'm sure they were intended to. It's all just too on the nose; there's no trust in the audience to take these ideas and explore their nuances for themselves, just spoon-fed answers and lessons that make the book far less interesting/impactful than it could have been.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating 4.75 / 5 Stars
Thank you so much NetGalley and Marion Books for the ARC! All opinions are mine.
"Six writers compete for a million-dollar prize. One of them is an AI."
* Locked Room mystery on a remote Pacific Northwest Island
* Book-within-a-book and multiple timelines create a trippy, reflective thriller on how AI is impacting our society
* Great for Book Clubs - themes of AI's impact on creativity, motherhood and the awe of creation, living your authentic life
Why I loved it:
I have never highlighted more phrases than I did for House of Liars - not just for their profound meanings, but the beautiful-without-ever-trying-too-hard prose. Similarly, the characters, pacing, dialogue all felt so natural but gripping it was hard to put down. This book excelled in almost all areas - the writing was excellent, the mystery was intriguing, and it begged to be discussed deeper without coming across as heavy handed. The parallels with creating AI to creating life, the themes of sentience and independence in our children and the agents we build, the grayness and uncertainty of our times took the conversations we are probably all having today to a higher, artistic level but also to a profound one.
Reader-know-thyself cautions:
If you're coming for plot twists you don't see coming, you might not get that here. I don't think that detracted from the book at all, but I can see it being disappointing if that's what you look for in mystery.
There are themes of infertility, IVF and child birth that as someone going through my fertility journey I resonated with, but might be traumatic for others.
[Vague Spoiler] My only criticism is with the upping-of-the-ante that I felt the story could have done without. The rest of the story was so original, with enough stakes and tension that it didn't need this plot point that seems a bit overdone.
Takeaway: What a wonderfully written book that was entertaining but also set up insightful discussions on AI, creativity, and motherhood. This book is so good, I'll be letting my local indie bookstores and libraries to stock them!
Thank you so much NetGalley and Marion Books for the ARC! All opinions are mine.
"Six writers compete for a million-dollar prize. One of them is an AI."
* Locked Room mystery on a remote Pacific Northwest Island
* Book-within-a-book and multiple timelines create a trippy, reflective thriller on how AI is impacting our society
* Great for Book Clubs - themes of AI's impact on creativity, motherhood and the awe of creation, living your authentic life
Why I loved it:
I have never highlighted more phrases than I did for House of Liars - not just for their profound meanings, but the beautiful-without-ever-trying-too-hard prose. Similarly, the characters, pacing, dialogue all felt so natural but gripping it was hard to put down. This book excelled in almost all areas - the writing was excellent, the mystery was intriguing, and it begged to be discussed deeper without coming across as heavy handed. The parallels with creating AI to creating life, the themes of sentience and independence in our children and the agents we build, the grayness and uncertainty of our times took the conversations we are probably all having today to a higher, artistic level but also to a profound one.
Reader-know-thyself cautions:
If you're coming for plot twists you don't see coming, you might not get that here. I don't think that detracted from the book at all, but I can see it being disappointing if that's what you look for in mystery.
There are themes of infertility, IVF and child birth that as someone going through my fertility journey I resonated with, but might be traumatic for others.
[Vague Spoiler] My only criticism is with the upping-of-the-ante that I felt the story could have done without. The rest of the story was so original, with enough stakes and tension that it didn't need this plot point that seems a bit overdone.
Takeaway: What a wonderfully written book that was entertaining but also set up insightful discussions on AI, creativity, and motherhood. This book is so good, I'll be letting my local indie bookstores and libraries to stock them!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This felt real and kind of terrifying, especially given the context of AI usage in the writing industry these days. The premise was quite intriguing - six writers competing against each other, including AI, spend two weeks isolated in a remote island - and it definitely grabbed me from the start. I found the moral dilemma that Anna went through quite realistic, and it was interesting to see the point of view of the diverse characters in the writing competition, and their individual reactions to the AI bots that they were assigned to. The ethics on AI usage is always going to be a controversial topic, no matter how you present it, and I felt the different opinions were handled well by the author. Some characters embraced it, others were completely against it, while others - such as Anna - started skeptical but were slowly seduced by it.
I found the writing enjoyable and other parts I quite liked (and could definitely relate to) were all the thoughts on motherhood / pregnancy, as well as Anna and Claire's conversations on romance novels (which in my view are still unjustly seen as a lesser genre by a lot of people, despite how popular it is)
The mystery part is where I think the novel stumbled a bit, you can sense a bit of tension from the start but it's only more than halfway through that something seems to really happen, and then everything just develops way too fast in the last chapters, with a few plot points that didn't really make sense to me. The villain was somewhat predictable and so were parts of the ending but I did like it - and the prospect that this could be our reality soon is indeed quite scary.
I found the writing enjoyable and other parts I quite liked (and could definitely relate to) were all the thoughts on motherhood / pregnancy, as well as Anna and Claire's conversations on romance novels (which in my view are still unjustly seen as a lesser genre by a lot of people, despite how popular it is)
The mystery part is where I think the novel stumbled a bit, you can sense a bit of tension from the start but it's only more than halfway through that something seems to really happen, and then everything just develops way too fast in the last chapters, with a few plot points that didn't really make sense to me. The villain was somewhat predictable and so were parts of the ending but I did like it - and the prospect that this could be our reality soon is indeed quite scary.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review.
This book was excellent. I'm a huge thriller reader, but have been struggling to find something really good lately. Heads up, this is a slowburn thriller, it works more on atmosphere and doesn't really pick up on the 'thriller' aspect until the very end. But - it really is so excellent at what it does.
Firstly, all the characters are so good. They're fleshed out, they feel like real people, their relationships are as deep as it is possible to get in the 2 weeks they're together. Anna and Claire's relationship was such a highlight - books don't always manage to get female relationships right, and the way these two women immediately bonded and started looking out for each other while sharing their pain was so, so good.
The AI aspect of this book - incredibly well done. AI is a huge discussion in book circles, but I don't always find the conversation done super well. Every bit of that topic was incredibly handled, from the harms of AI, the good it can do in the world, the reason it's so seductive, the threat down the line, the way that companies see profit motives.
I devoured this book. The atmosphere is great, and there were so many great little nuggets in it - I particularly love the discussion on the snobbery around romance fiction with Anna standing up for Claire. I think everyone can find soemthing they love in this book!
This book was excellent. I'm a huge thriller reader, but have been struggling to find something really good lately. Heads up, this is a slowburn thriller, it works more on atmosphere and doesn't really pick up on the 'thriller' aspect until the very end. But - it really is so excellent at what it does.
Firstly, all the characters are so good. They're fleshed out, they feel like real people, their relationships are as deep as it is possible to get in the 2 weeks they're together. Anna and Claire's relationship was such a highlight - books don't always manage to get female relationships right, and the way these two women immediately bonded and started looking out for each other while sharing their pain was so, so good.
The AI aspect of this book - incredibly well done. AI is a huge discussion in book circles, but I don't always find the conversation done super well. Every bit of that topic was incredibly handled, from the harms of AI, the good it can do in the world, the reason it's so seductive, the threat down the line, the way that companies see profit motives.
I devoured this book. The atmosphere is great, and there were so many great little nuggets in it - I particularly love the discussion on the snobbery around romance fiction with Anna standing up for Claire. I think everyone can find soemthing they love in this book!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A group of writers in an isolated setting, experiencing creepy, unexplainable events with no way out is one of my favorite tropes. This wasn’t what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it. The author worked on AI ethics at Google and Microsoft so, when she writes about the dangers of technology, she knows what she’s talking about. Anna published a novel when she was younger, but nothing came of it. She is now working for a tech company and raising her son as a single mother. Her life is not bad, but she is not completely satisfied. When she gets a once a lifetime invitation to a contest for writers, she leaves her kid with her boyfriend and goes for it, discovering many things about herself; as well as what could be a threat to humanity (or just her imagination). This is a slow-burning mystery, with a twist that was somewhat predictable, but also inevitable. I’m not too much into books where the characters talk about their feelings, so I was surprised that I didn’t mind it here. Many passages about creativity and the act of writing were fascinating. The final part was very suspenseful. We can only hope that this plot will remain fictional.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Marion Books.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Marion Books.
July 28, 2026
House of Liars is a sharp, incisive novel and cultural critique about creativity, AI, and our diminishing standards.
Ann Olin is a mother, wife, and writer. But it is the writer who struggles most in this thriller/cultural critique. When Ann has an opportunity to go to an island to compete for a million-dollar writing prize, she sets aside her doubts and plunges into the games with other writers and the dreaded AI writing program that could best them all.
"There were legacies to be defended, reputations to be forged, futures to be earned. Or taken."
The island has fierce competition, including a famous writer of many books.
As an insider to west-coast tech culture, Ann gives us insights into the world of AI and tech culture. She admires some people here, and runs into someone from her past. It is friendly on the surface but underneath it is a cut throat fight where minds and the truth devolve quickly.
Jenny Williams tells the story with authority and insight. Williams makes a strong critique regarding the gamification of our creativity, while her character still holds on to that foundational yearning to put beautiful work into the world. It is this fundamental need to express our creativity that brings so much strength to this book.
Ann Olin is a mother, wife, and writer. But it is the writer who struggles most in this thriller/cultural critique. When Ann has an opportunity to go to an island to compete for a million-dollar writing prize, she sets aside her doubts and plunges into the games with other writers and the dreaded AI writing program that could best them all.
"There were legacies to be defended, reputations to be forged, futures to be earned. Or taken."
The island has fierce competition, including a famous writer of many books.
As an insider to west-coast tech culture, Ann gives us insights into the world of AI and tech culture. She admires some people here, and runs into someone from her past. It is friendly on the surface but underneath it is a cut throat fight where minds and the truth devolve quickly.
Jenny Williams tells the story with authority and insight. Williams makes a strong critique regarding the gamification of our creativity, while her character still holds on to that foundational yearning to put beautiful work into the world. It is this fundamental need to express our creativity that brings so much strength to this book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The author did a wonderful job using her personal expertise on the AI subject and created an enjoyable story to understand the real life behind "Artificial Intelligence" as we know it.
As someone who reads extensively, I am always looking for a narrative that flows well and captures my attention immediately. I was hooked from the very first page. Jenny's writing style is wonderful; it was one of those books that made me excited to wake up each morning to read.
The characters were perfectly developed, each with a role to exemplify ethics and morals and how AI can influence all of us both good and bad. I found myself cheering for some characters and booing for others. The human conflicts are real and the author did a fabulous job with those dynamics. When the AI seems to "take over" I was horrified and flipping the pages as fast as I could to see how it would end. It was informative, mysterious, horrifying and gratifying all at the same time.
The author did a wonderful job using her personal expertise on the AI subject and created an enjoyable story to understand the real life behind "Artificial Intelligence" as we know it.
As someone who reads extensively, I am always looking for a narrative that flows well and captures my attention immediately. I was hooked from the very first page. Jenny's writing style is wonderful; it was one of those books that made me excited to wake up each morning to read.
The characters were perfectly developed, each with a role to exemplify ethics and morals and how AI can influence all of us both good and bad. I found myself cheering for some characters and booing for others. The human conflicts are real and the author did a fabulous job with those dynamics. When the AI seems to "take over" I was horrified and flipping the pages as fast as I could to see how it would end. It was informative, mysterious, horrifying and gratifying all at the same time.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Hi, dear readers: it’s me, I wrote this novel. I wrote it because I love human-written books and humans who write books and humans who read books, and I worry about the powerful forces that are working ceaselessly to put algorithmic barriers between us.
I’d love to answer your questions about House of Liars here, in the comments, or on my Jenny D. Williams author profile (maybe someday I’ll cast the right back-end database spell to get this book to show up there…). In the meantime, I’m grateful to everyone who picks up these pages. I hope you find resonance, provocation, and a bit of literary escape.
I’d love to answer your questions about House of Liars here, in the comments, or on my Jenny D. Williams author profile (maybe someday I’ll cast the right back-end database spell to get this book to show up there…). In the meantime, I’m grateful to everyone who picks up these pages. I hope you find resonance, provocation, and a bit of literary escape.
July 5, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the advanced copy! House of Liars is a speculative/ literary thriller that follows an author who decides to enter a writing competition taking place on a remote island. She must compete against four other best-selling authors as well as an AI model. This book delved into topics of motherhood as well as the ethics surrounding artificial intelligence. Every chapter had me wanting to read more. This book took by surprise with the twists and connection it made to previously mentioned plot points. I also loved the lyricism of the writing. I recommend!
July 11, 2026
AI hater 🙋🏼♀️ mystery lover 🙋🏼♀️
The remote island was giving ‘and then there were none’ vibes and drew me in.
The AI aspect was terrifying because it will probably all come true and the author, having worked in the AI/ tech industry knows what she’s talking about. It’s almost like we learned nothing from I, robot.
I liked the story and the way it didn’t drag through parts but the mystery element was lacking (perhaps it was misdescribed?) and at times the book was a little preachy. Overall 4 ⭐️
The remote island was giving ‘and then there were none’ vibes and drew me in.
The AI aspect was terrifying because it will probably all come true and the author, having worked in the AI/ tech industry knows what she’s talking about. It’s almost like we learned nothing from I, robot.
I liked the story and the way it didn’t drag through parts but the mystery element was lacking (perhaps it was misdescribed?) and at times the book was a little preachy. Overall 4 ⭐️
August 12, 2026
House of Liars comes at a time when we're all wondering about how we co-exist with AI and what the future holds. Williams's page-turning prose explores that relationship while keeping us on the edges of our seats.
I ran through this book in a few sittings, diving into the next compact chapter because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The characters were rich and well-developed, and I even saw a little of myself in several of them.
Williams did a great job of explaining the way the tech sausage is made without overly relying on jargon and acronyms.
I ran through this book in a few sittings, diving into the next compact chapter because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The characters were rich and well-developed, and I even saw a little of myself in several of them.
Williams did a great job of explaining the way the tech sausage is made without overly relying on jargon and acronyms.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is the sort of book you will want to tell your friends about. It combines a locked room mystery/thriller with the current issue of the impact and ethics of AI and art. The locked room is an island with a bunch of writers. The characters are well fleshed out and are an interesting collection. There are enough twists to satisfy the mystery reader. The interactions with the AI "character" are fabulous.
June 26, 2026
Full review to come.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars
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