I appreciate the invitation to read House of Glass but I probably should not have accepted it due to the current number of books I need to read.
My main focus is horror fiction and after a closer look at this book it's just not my type.. I have to give priority to physical ARCs that I have requested over digital invitations.

Sarah Pekkanen did it again!! Absolutely loved this book, which kept me hooked from the first page. If you love suspenseful thrillers this is for you.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Ptess for this ARC.

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒕𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚.

𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒚-𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑.

𝑨 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔, 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓, 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍-𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕."

Special thanks to @sarahpekkanen @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

MY REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was hooked from the first chapter. I couldn't put this one down. I stayed up WAYYYY past my bedtime to finish this one because I just HAD to know how it ended.

I have come to LOVE Sarah Pekkanen's writing whether by herself or when she co authors with Greer Henricks. Either way it's always a fabulous thriller. And this is no exception.

This story has you thinking everyone one of the Barclay's could be a suspect at one point, but what you know for sure is something super sinister is going on in that house - and it's definitely not safe there.

Preorder this one asap! Ypu won't be disappointed!

PUB DATE:
Aug 6, 2024

QOTD ❓️⁉️❓️ Do you know anyone (or yourself) with any "irrational" fears?

AOTD - I'm debilitating afraid of wasps/bees

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #houseofglass #sarahpekkanen #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller
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I really enjoyed this book. I loved the twists and turns of the Barclays and who was at fault all while seeing the parallels of Stella’s life. A great suspense thriller. Highly recommend!

I absolutely devoured The Golden Couple, so I had high hopes for this one buuuut it just didn’t do it for me. It was super predictable and I knew who did it within the first few chapters 🫣 It took me forever to finish it and I kept catching myself hoping it was over with already 🙃

People who live in glass houses......

Well, you know how that one goes. And there are plenty of rocks in this one. More like the jagged people kind who can shatter things in a nano second.

Sarah Pekkanen creates a crafty novel where things are not always how they appear to be. We'll meet Stella Hudson, a BIA (Best Interest Attorney) in Washington, D.C.. Stella has been handed a case involving a nine year old girl named Rose Barclay. She's recently suffered from Traumatic Mutism after her nanny fell from a third floor window. Rose saw it happen while harvesting tomatoes in the back garden with her grandmother.

Adding to all this is the fact that her parents have recently filed for divorce. Stella must conduct interviews with those in this household in order to decide which parent Rose should live with full time. It appears that someone in this family may have murdered the nanny. Everything is at loose ends. But with Stella, the focus has to be on deciding what is best for Rose.

House of Glass begins with an unusual storyline in regard to this custody battle. Rose cannot speak for herself. We'll also get some backstories on Stella who is dealing with some giant shadows in her own personal life.

I was stuck at 3.5 Stars with the weight flipping either way. Pekkanen's use of several threads of the past that wrapped around Stella seemed more like fill. I wanted more of Stella's interactions with Rose away from that house than just the hit or miss appointments. There was so much more to build upon here.

In any event, I still give kudos to Sarah Pekkanen for her originality. Nothing draws up tension than a who-dun-it with plenty of who's in the mix. Can't wait for more from this talented author.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Sarah Pekkanen for the opportunity.

I love all books Sarah Pekkanen and this one did not disappoint! Tons of twists and turns that were entirely captivating.

If your looking for a good easy summer read that is going to keep you guessing this is it!
A little girl who witnesses a terrible accident and can’t find any words to say. A troubled family life and a scandal rocks this little girl’s world. The BIA who takes the case knows a bit of how the girl feels as she was mute for a time after she suffered a traumatic experience that changed her life forever. She must unravel the mystery surrounding the family while finally having the courage to look into her own story which also has a twist that will continue to rock her to the core.
If you like alot of of twists you will definitely enjoy this book
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

What a fun read! I can always count on Sarah Pekkanen for a quick domestic thriller. I read this in maybe 2 days and it kept me entertained the entire time. As an avid mystery reader, sometimes I'm not in the mood to jump through 8000 hoops to get to a conclusion, and Pekkanen made it easy to follow while keeping me guessing as well.

Stella, a family law attorney, has been put on a new case. Ian and Beth Barclay, an extremely wealthy DC family, have filed for divorce and are fighting for custody of their daughter Rose. Stella was hired to get to know the family to ultimately make a custody plan for Rose. She was brought on the case fairly quickly, because the Barclay family witnessed their nanny Tina get pushed out a window. The case ran cold, and the killer was never found. After the incident, Rose suffered from traumatic mutism. She cannot talk. Stella then has to begin to interview the people surrounding Rose. Her tutors, parents, and live in Grandmother. As the case continues, Rose begins to become increasingly more difficult. Hiding weapons, reading about serial killers, and pushing other children. Stella becomes anxious around the child and begins to wonder is Rose capable of murder? Did she push her nanny out the window? Or are there are other forces that Stella hasn't come across yet. Stella knows she shouldn't get more involved in the case. but she can't help herself and finds herself in some life or death situations with the Barclay family.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

Sarah Pekkanen has written a gripping and suspenseful story with great characters, creepiness and surprising twists. A real page turner!

This book was a good whodunnit novel with some interesting characters. Stella is trying to help Rose to the best of her ability while also figuring out her past. I enjoyed the subplot of Stella’s past as it added the depth on why she was trying so hard to do the best for this helpless Rose. Although I did see the ending coming a bit, the book definitely kept me at the edge of my seat and was a fun quick read!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sarah Pekkanen for a copy of this ARC.

My Thoughts

What happened in this story will chill you, thrill you and cause you to second guess everything you learn until the final reveal.

Stella Hudson is tenacious to the point of obsession in her quest for the truth of what is going on in the Barclay household.

Stella’s prime objective is to determine what is best for her 9-year-old client even when that puts Stella herself smack dab in the middle of a dangerous situation she never saw coming.

Be prepared for a roller coaster ride through the eyes of our main character as Stella slowly gets closer and closer to exactly what happened and who the perpetrator she has been looking for actually is.
[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

D.C. best interest attorney, Stella Hudson, works as an adolescent advocate doing home studies in contested divorces to determine what is in the best interest of her young clients. Because of her own traumatic history, Stella usually refuses anyone under thirteen; however, the judge who mentored Stella for several years puts in a special request. Rose Barclay at nine years of age has suffered a major trauma after witnessing her nanny fall from third story to her demise. Whether the young woman was murdered has not been determined. Rose’s parents are amid a contentious divorce both wanting full custody while still living in the exclusive mansion along with the husband’s mother.

Rose is not saying what she wants because of a trauma induced muteness. Stella inserts herself into the family life trying to discern who is being truthful, who is lying. and who may be deadly. The old house gives Stella seriously creepy vibes and since Stella just went through a divorce herself, her mental state is questionable. Aspects of the situation bring back haunted memories for Stella of her own family trauma. She has difficulty separating her emotions from the case at hand.

As Stella spends in that house with the family who clearly are not being honest, the more she becomes overwrought and caught up in her unresolved issues. Rose seems like a possible suspect as well since her actions and high intelligence give Stella very mixed signals. Stella is one of those own worst enemy kind of people willing to let go of the husband she loved rather than dealing with personal issues. She acts more like a police detective taking some over top risks and putting herself in extreme danger. I am a fan of this author’s work especially her books written with Greer Hendricks; however, the protagonist in this story seems barely capable of doing her job without deep emotional involvement becoming entangled with her own backstory and taking away from the main plot.

'House of Glass' was an easy read. It was well written with relatable characters. The story flowed easily. However, I did not find that there was a great deal of suspense or mystery. The story was pretty clear cut and somewhat predictable. The characters were fairly likable and relatable, but they were pretty 'cookie cutter' from most "thrillers" I have read. I also found Stella's relationship with Charles to be a bit of an unnecessary distraction. It added to the story as far as making her an empathetic character, but their connections to the past, and the reveals, seemed unbelievable. I did find the last several chapters a bit suspenseful as far as what actually happened in that house, but there were no big surprises. I will definitely read more of Sarah Pekkanen's books if I get a chance. She is definitely a good writer, and I think she will improve as she goes on.

Wow.

If you get a chance to pick up this book - DO IT!

Truly, I love a good suspense thriller - but there’s just something about a psychological thriller that makes it hard to put down. And let me tell you - it was hard to put this down.

The characters, the plot, the heart pounding, the nerve racking feeling that this book delivered was NEXT LEVEL. I was hooked from the first chapter, as the plot evolved so did the characters (& motives) and then everything tied together so nicely.

I read this book any chance I could.. lunch breaks, coffee breaks, before bed, even during my lunch break while I was facilitating training. This book delivered EVERYTHING I love.

I cannot praise and recommend this book enough.
If you like psychological thrillers, major twists, or heart racing short chapters - you need to pick this book up.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me early access to read this book. I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

House of Glass was a highly anticipated read for me and I was so excited to get my hands on an early copy! It was a great binge-worthy thriller that kept me guessing all the way through. I was immediately swept up in the storyline, and loved how the suspense continuously built throughout the book. Every single member of the Barclay family seemed to have nefarious intentions, and I didn’t know who to trust. I felt as though the plot lost some momentum through the middle. However, the ending was SO GOOD! I had a few theories about how things would play out, but the ending was a million times crazier than anything I could’ve ever dreamed up.

I loved buddying reading this one with @britt.loves.reading 🤍.

Read if you like:

✨Unexpected twists and turns
✨Untrustworthy characters
✨Intricate plots
✨Messy divorces

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Truly well written with a sinister suspenseful mood. The protagonist was actually thankfully smart. Looking at all options, trusting no one, sticking to her duty of protecting a child even if it is from herself. Her childhood and love life little footnotes in the story were not distracting and I appreciated that. I do think that It’s overkill how the author connects everything. Like everything. I get it. Not at all realistic but sure. The family, their wealth, Washington DC were well represented. I think the killer reveal was more practical and sensible rather than radical and uber interesting but the prose made up for it.

I loved this book and hated that I got busy and couldn’t finish it sooner. I loved the idea of a girl being traumatized and unable to speak. You know there’s something she wants to say about the murder at her house. There are multiple twist in a few different storylines which I also loved. There were a few things I was sure would be left unfinished, but she did great with tying up loose ends. I wish this was a series about Stella working with troubled children and their families.

House of Glass is my first Sarah Pekkanen novel and it will not be my last. I'm at a loss for words on how to describe it... without giving away spoilers. House of Glass is creepy, thrilling, mysterious and I can't recommend it enough!

This book was entertaining and enjoyable to read, As is true with most thrillers, it requires you to suspend judgment and accept the circumstances as the author has written them. In doing so, this book is fun and creepy and well worth the time to read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.