This book had some definite creepy vibes to it. Stella begrudgingly accepts a job as best interest council to young nine-year-old, Rose. Rose is the only witness to the death of her nanny; however, Rose is no longer speaking. At all. Meanwhile, Rose's parents are on the brink of divorce and the grandmother is super protective of Rose. When Stella arrives at their estate for her first meeting with the child, she notices that everything seems strange, especially the fact that all glass has been removed from the house. The more time she spends with the family and trying to get to know Rose, the more intrigued she is. She cannot seem to get Rose alone to have some one-on-one conversations. She keeps finding strange things around Rose. The parents and grandmother all seem to be covering something up. Things just don't add up and Stella begins to wonder if she is in trouble.

This was a good thriller that kept me guessing until the end. The psychological mix with the aspect of who did it really worked. If you are looking for an overall creepy novel with family drama this is a great pick.

Rose witnessed her nanny die in front of her eyes, now Rose is mute and an expert observer. Stella is a court appointed best interest attorney, tasked with determining if Rose’s mother or father should have custody of her in their divorce proceedings. As Stella begins to assess Rose, she learns a great deal she didn’t expect.

Sometimes the slow burn novels are hard to get into, this had a slow burn beginning. I held on and I’m glad I did. The author had you explore Stella’s past and her connections to Rose, it was really interesting to learn about the dynamics of mutism. What came out about Rose’s family was equally as shocking. I really enjoyed this book! The ending wasn’t what I was expecting, I devoured the last 15%. The bow that I love so much ended the novel beautifully!

Omg! This was so twisty and so good! I couldn’t put it down!
From the beginning, I was gripped and on the edge of my seat!
From the outside, the family is the picture-perfect family, the one that everyone on the block covets. However they have a secret and that secret is tearing them apart, their young nanny went out the window and fell to her death. Was it an honest accident or was there something more sinister going on in the house and she was pushed? But with all the lies twisted and a nine-year-old girl who refuses to speak, how will a lawyer discover who is telling the truth and what will be the better environment for the child amidst the parent's messy divorce battle? Stella Hudson is one of the best attorneys to represent the best interests of the child in a divorce battle. She usually has a rule about accepting children under thirteen however, her mentor convinces her to take this case because he believes she is the only one who can help! The writing is amazing and the story flows soo well that you don't notice the time clicking and you've been reading for two hours straight! This book is soo good and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller! Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this one!

“Evil isn’t merely a word, it’s a tangible, dimensional thing.”

ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ɢʟᴀꜱꜱ
✍️ @sarahpekkanen
🖋️ @stmartinspress
📚 Thriller
⚖️ 4.06

Thanks to @stmartinspress for the eARC provided through @netgalley 🙏

I’ve loved Pekkanens collaboration with Greer Hendricks, but this one seals the deal for me.

Obsessed and impressed!

This had my attention from the very beginning, with the creepy house, aggressively protective parents, and the mysterious death.

Everyone was a suspect and while it was a slow burn, there was enough excitement and stress to keep the suspense high enough to keep you hooked.

Highly recommend for your next thrilling read!

Read if you like:

👶 Creepy kid vibes
🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Overprotective parents
🔪 Who-done-it murder
🗒️ Short chapters w/cliffhangers

Stella Hudson works with young children to determine the best course of action for them in cases of divorce. Being a child of a single mother who died in tragic circumstances, she is in the unusual position of being able to truly empathize with these children.

When she’s called in on a strange case where 9 year old Rose Barclay is suffering from traumatic mutism, she must call on all her skills to try and get Rose to open up to her. The Barclays seem to have it all - wealth, a big house, a live-in mother of the husband, and Rose, who is wise beyond her 9 years of age and is almost a prodigy with the piano. But when the nanny is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Stella must figure out what really happened, in order to help Rose recover. But the more she learns of this odd family, the more she doesn’t trust any of them. Trying to stay a step ahead of each of them - including Rose - proves exhausting for her, but she is determined to push through and see this one through.

This story had me hooked from the beginning, and I read it in a day, which is rare for me to do. Excellent thriller and had me guessing until the end - highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an ARC of this book; it’s out now for purchase!

I loved Sarah Pekkanen's books with Greer, so I was excited to read House of Glass! The characters were dynamic and interesting, and their development was extensive throughout the book. I was hooked by the beginning and easily flew right through!

As I started reading this book, the story was leaning towards creepy horror movie child (which I’m much too creeped out by that angle), so I was slow to get through the first half but as the story progressed I couldn’t put it down. It is the very definition of a page-turner!

The Barclays appear to be the perfect well-off family from the outside, until the family’s nanny falls out of a window and dies. Was she pushed, or did she trip and fall? The case goes cold but the parents are in the middle of a bitter divorce, so it’s up to Stella Hudson, a best interest attorney, to determine the custody arrangement for the family’s nine-year-old daughter, Rose.

As soon as Stella enters the Barclay’s home, something doesn’t seem right. Rose isn’t speaking and is collecting sharp objects, nothing in the house is made of glass, and everyone in the family is lying.

House of Glass was such a great domestic thriller read. 👏🏼 The book was so eerie and creepy, I was on the edge of my seat every time Stella entered the Barclay’s home. And the chapters are shorter and often end with cliffhangers so I breezed through this book.

I also loved the flashbacks to Stella’s childhood, experiencing similar trauma as a young girl, and how that impacted her treatment of Rose. This book was an intertwined web of multiple storylines and possibilities that kept me guessing until the end.

This book started off strong for me but then fell flat. I felt like I didn't want to keep reading. I did but wasn't my favorite. I see where the story was going but it just fell flat

After witnessing her nanny’s fatal fall, young Rose has withdrawn from the world, refusing to speak. Did the nanny jump, or was she pushed? If it was foul play, who is responsible? Her parents, each in their separate home offices, insist Rose was with her grandmother in the garden at the time—yet doubts swirl around everyone’s story. With a messy divorce underway, a lawyer is brought in to determine what's best for Rose, but as the police classify the case as cold, uncovering the truth becomes crucial for her future. In this gripping thriller, you'll suspect everyone, only to discover you’ve been misled at every turn.

The story was well written, fast paced and slightly creepy. It was a perfect read for October. I liked the flashbacks to Stella's traumatic childhood. I was glued to the book and fully invested in the story from the beginning. Pekkanen does a great job casting suspicion on multiple characters. I couldn't stop listening. The narrator was very good.

Real Rating: 3.25* of five
<I>What Maisie Knew</i>, with added (and unnecessary) murder, from a lawyer's PoV. It's not much of an improvement TBH. A lot easier to read than James's prose; less intensely compelling, too.

Tendentiously moralizing tale of a child's nightmarish loss of innocence. Judge less, understand mor

I read this book while simultaneously listening to it. Which is an amazing way to experience this book BTW.

The story is amazing as always with this author. Nothing is as it seems but all gets tied together at the end.

I will definitely be referring this book to everyone!

I was looking forward to this book but unfortunately the writing style just wasn't my type. There was a lot of telling and hinting at things in a way that felt a little more juvenile. The plot was decent but the pacing/writing made it hard for me to keep reading.

This was a gripping and unexpected thriller! I love Sarah Pekkanen's work, both with her co-writer Greer and alone. This book lived up to my expectations. This is perfect for fans of twisty thrillers that involve nannies and children.

I love Sarah Pekkanen’s previous books and this one was another home run!

I thought the plot of a best interest lawyer was new-to-me and I loved it! It was a thrilling to have Stella, the lawyer, meet her new client, Rose who stops talking after seeing her nanny die before her eyes. Ahhhh! As a speech-language pathologist who has not had much experience with mutism, this was so interesting to me! It gets even better when we start to learn more about the parents and grandparent that are close to Rose. And the weird quirks of having no glass in the house. This story was very bingeable and the short chapters helped me to keep working towards who killed the nanny. Honestly, Pekkanen did a great job at casting doubt on Rose, her parents and grandma. The ending was really good! 4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for my advanced copy!

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney. She has been assigned to work as counsel for Rose Barclay in a custody case. Rose is only nine years old. She usually avoids working with children this young due to her traumatic childhood. She has agreed to work this case because Rose is suffering from traumatic mutism something that Stella understands as she too had it as a child. Stella needs to work closely with the family and determine which parent should have custody of little Rose.

Rose witnessed the death of her nanny. It may or may not have been an accident. Upon entering the home Stella feels uneasy and the more time she spends with the Barclay's the more twisted everything and everyone becomes. The Barclay's have secrets and everyone is a suspect. Things intensify when Stella starts to experience some of the same episodes that Tina (the nanny) did. Stella needs to find out just exactly what's going on in order to ensure which parent is best one to get full custody of Rose but will she lose her own life in the process?

House of Glass if a FAST paced read. It had my full attention. The read is intense and kept me guessing. My ONLY issue with the book was that I simply could not figure out the imagery of the window and the house.

House of Glass is a solid thriller, with unexpected twists. I questioned every character at some point. I enjoyed several of the characters: the ominous child who doesn't speak, and potentially unreliable narrator with a traumatic personal background. This was well done without re-using the tiresome tropes we often see in this genre. The ending was really satisfying.

I have read several of the author's co-written books, and thoroughly enjoyed them. This is the second book I have read by this author written independently, and it was my favorite of the two. I am looking forward to future reads from this author!

(I apologize in advance, as I thought I hit submit on this review, and it appears it did not go through.)

Rating: 3.5/5

This author never fails to deliver and this one was no exception. Look forward to more from. her. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher.

Sadly I think I've come to the conclusion that I prefer this author's work when it's co-authored with Greer. Or maybe I just prefer Greer's writing, who knows. Anyways, this book was not it for me. While I could appreciate the short chapters this book felt entirely too long and dragged out. After all the hype I've been seeing and everyone saying they were freaked out and even couldn't sleep, I'm questioning whether we read the same book. Nothing was creepy or thrilling to me, the two "huge" plot twists at the end didn't shock me and honestly I skim read the last 50 or so pages and didn't feel like I missed out on anything. I didn't care for Stella or really any of the characters so there wasn't much I did enjoy about this book. I'm only giving it 3 stars because I did think parts of the plot were creative but I do feel like I wasted my time reading this.

Many thanks to St. Martins Press for the gifted copy for my honest review!