This was such a unique premise - A lawyer determining the best place for a 9 year old to live. The plot has an accident or is it murder and who is manipulating who? Stella’s childhood mirrors Rose’s in eerie ways. Overall a great read and solving a mystery is always a good time!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is another knock out of the park unexpected thriller. The story leaves the reader suspecting a certain character despite it being one that was never expected at all.

House of Glass is a thriller that deals in the psychological vision of the perfect family. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney that helps children find their best suitable environment after difficult situations such as divorces and custody battles. While Stella typically tries not to assist children so young when she is asked to assist the nine year old Rose Barclay, she is unable to turn down the request.

Rose has witnessed the terrible and sudden death (okay murder) of her nanny. When it comes to Rose, Stella knows only that the girl collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. The mutism is something Stella is quite familiar with as after she suffered from a tragic loss of her mother she herself became mute.

However, things are not all that they seem. It is up to Stella to determine who is the murderer and who is a victim. Stella begins to question everything when she begins to realize that a house filled with windows is not a house filled with glass. In fact anything sharp or glass in the house is missing.

Everyone is a possible suspect in a family consisting of Rose's parents Ian and Beth, and her grandmother Harriet. To add to the mix there is the affair Ian had with the nanny, Tina that resulted in a pregnancy and Tina's ultimate demise. Now Stella has to determine who is the true killer while each and every step puts her more at risk and deeper in danger.

While she tries to unravel the mystery, Stella is also faced with dealing with her own traumatic past. Things she saw to be true end up becoming lies and what she thought had happened ended up being not as they seemed.

All together House of Glass was a fantastic thriller with some enjoyable plot twists. The family certainly needs help but the character development was one that makes the reader appreciate the characters more. If you are a reader intrigued by suspected violent children and twisted families then this may be right up your alley. Until next time, happy reading!

I literally couldn’t put this one down, listening to the audio book and then picking up the eBook version at times when I couldn’t listen.
With HOUSE OF GLASS, Sarah Pekkanen kept me guessing with multiple twists. Laura Benanti does an excellent job with her narration and keeping me engaged. The characters were well written, Stella has a lot going on in her life, her past influences her present and her career choice. As the Barclays and their daughter, Rose, come into her life, she starts to uncover secrets in her past, while trying to untangle what’s going on with Rose.
Pekkanen kept me on the edge of my seat until the unexpected end of the novel.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#MacAudio2024 #StMartinsPress

House of Glass
By: Sarah Pekkanen
4 stars


I am such a big fan of how Sarah Pekkanen sets up her stories and this was so exception. We are introduced to Stella Hudson, a Best-Interest Attorney who has been tasked to handle a high profile custody case between a wealthy family whose nanny was found dead at their home. The nanny who died was pregnant with the husband’s child and throughout this book you’ll suspect every single family member of being capable of causing harm. The couple Beth and Ian reside in this huge home with their daughter and Ian’s elderly mother. The daughter of the couple, Rose who is 9 years old, has since gone mute after the death of her nanny, called traumatic mutism, and has been experiencing some creepy behaviors.

I’ll start off by saying that anything that has to do with creepy kids ALWAYS gets me. It’s why I am such a fan of Ashley Audrains novel “The Push” ( read it if you haven’t!) and this child had me on edge the entire book. I will say that I loved this main story of this one but there was a subplot revolving Stella and her traumatic childhood that didn’t offer much to the story for me. Stella also suffered from traumatic mutism after her mother’s death as a child, so she can relate to Rose in a unique way. But the constant bringing up of her past didn’t do much for me and I just wanted to know more about the present case.

The last bit of this book was action packed and the way Stella connected the dots between bits and pieces of conversation she previously had had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The majority of the book was a slow burn mystery as she spent several days with the family and a few moments here and there with Rose. I really loved this one and did not see the twist that came at all!

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martains Press for this highly anticipated ARC!

Look no further for your next spooky thriller. Sarah Pekkanen does not disappoint in her newest novel that has twists and turns that will keep you turning pages until the end.

The nanny falls to her death through a third story window. Several people are in the house at the time. A 9 year old girl who has traumatic mutism. Her parents who are going through a divorce because he had an affair with the nanny. And the child's paternal grandmother who walks with a cane. So, was the death a tragic accident or murder? Stella is an attorney whose job is to determine the best custody placement for the child. She suspects everyone but her own life seems to have parallels. Excellent mystery.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one. The beginning kept me pretty engaged but then I just found that there were too many side characters to keep track of. The ending was super lackluster and it could have been about 100 pages less.

This book haunts me, in the best way. Rose, the child, creeped me out. The whole family did. The house did. And that’s just what the author intended. As a social worker, I could somewhat relate to Stella’s work with Rose. You want the best for the child, but what if the child is the danger?

I found the main character’s personal growth to be a compelling subplot. It was strange for her life to be so disrupted mid-story, almost as if it took up more space than just a side plot. Her mentor/father figure gave the reader much to think about, though some parts of his relationship with her felt unbelievable. Also, the relationship with her ex-husband felt underdeveloped.

I also appreciated reading an interview with the author, where she explained the inspiration for the novel came from meeting a Best Interest Attorney.

This was a fantastic thriller that had me hooked. I loved the twists and turns and the eerie vibes of the book. So much is going on you won't know what will happen next.

This was just an okay mystery thriller that did not have as many twists as I was expecting. The premise was interesting and I was waiting for it to get more creepy and dark than it did so I was a bit disappointed that it kind of seemed to play it safe. Overall it was an ok book and a good one for the beginning of the fall season but it just was a bit underwhelming.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The setting was very creepy, and the Barclays themselves were super intriguing. The book constantly held my attention, and the multiple storylines were easy to follow and tied together in the end. I would highly recommend this book, and this author is becoming one of my auto-buy authors.

I listened to this book on audio. The narrator did a superb job. LOVED this story. I've read other books by this author and this was one of my favorites. It was full of intrigue and twists and I thought I had it figured out at times...I was still surprised at the turn of events. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone. Thoroughly enjoyed it. There are a couple different storylines with our main character and the author did a great job writing her backstory along with her involvement investigating the mutism of a little girl. I was not bored with either as the book shifts from the little girl to the woman's personal story/history. Loved this book.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is a tense, fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps you hooked from the start. Ava and her family move into what seems like the perfect home, but it quickly becomes clear that something isn’t right. As the secrets of the house and its past start to surface, Ava’s life takes a dark turn, and you’re left guessing who can be trusted.

The story is suspenseful and full of twists, making it a real page-turner. While the characters could have been developed a bit more, the plot keeps you engaged with plenty of surprises along the way. If you love domestic thrillers with plenty of intrigue and mystery, House of Glass is a great pick!

I had no idea where this was going! This book had me hooked and it was such a good read. It is fast paced and kept my attention. Rose is mute due to a traumatic experience. The unraveling of family secrets will have you guessing!

I was super excited to get this ARC in the mail and even more excited when I got an audio copy as well! It worked out well, as I didn’t want to stop reading this one when I had to go to work. The audio fixed that!

What I liked: I really enjoyed this one! I felt like I had it figured out a couple chapters in, but then the twists started happening and I was dead wrong. I was just along for the ride after that! The ending was strong and wrapped everything up nicely.

What I didn’t like: it was a little slow in some parts, but that was it.

Read if you like: fast paced domestic thrillers
Would I recommend?: yes! It was a strong thriller
Star rating: 4 stars

DNF at 21% because this is SO. BORING. The premise is really intriguing but I just do. Not. Care. About any of this. It’s too slow paced for me and so far the characters are just..flat? I feel like there’s no reason to be attached to any of them. Rose is fine, I don’t think she’s creepy at all (at this point, maybe I just didn’t get there?). The parents feel more like caricatures and I can’t find any reasons to be care about stella either. It’s taken me a month to get through 20%. That should say enough. I’ve dreaded picking this up every night.

Before anything, I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader’s copy. The book was published on August 6th.
This was a reliable thriller/mystery, but it's not my favorite book the author wrote. It was an ok novel and it kept me entertained.
I thought I had the culprit figured out, but for a good part of the story I had the suspect wrong. Which is what I appreciated about this book. I liked the fact that the author managed to surprise me, but there was something I can't quite pinpoint that irked me about this book.
Maybe it was the damaged child trope, or the way all the characters were behaving. And they were all shady and weird. To me, that was the downside to this book.
Having said all that, it wasn't a book I will remember in a couple of months.

Stella Hudson is a 'special interest' attorney. It is her job to represent the best interests of the child or teenager in court cases. Though she usually favours teenage clients, this time she has made an exception because of the request of her friend and mentor, a judge named Charles. Having experienced a traumatic event in her own young life, this new case closely parallels Stella's own personal experiences. She deeply empathizes with Rose's vulnerability. It is up to Stella to recommend custody arrangements that will best serve Rose's needs and wishes.

On a personal note, Stella is 38 years old and recently separated from her lawyer husband, Marco. She remains close to him and his warm Italian family. They parted ways because he wanted children and Stella couldn't provide them, nor did she wish to... She has few people in her life other than Charles, a retired judge, and Lucille, an elderly neighbour.

Rose Barclay is only nine years old. She witnessed the tragic fall and subsequent death of her nanny, Tina. Now she is suffering from traumatic mutism. Rose's parents are in the midst of divorce proceedings, so soon she will be moving away from the opulent home she shares with them and her paternal grandmother. She is a unique child who dresses quite formally and has the demeanour of an adult. She is an 'old soul'.

Rose's mother has a severe phobia about glass since the incident where the nanny fell to her death out of a third floor window. Now, she has replaced all the glass in their home with either plexiglass or plastic. Meanwhile, the extremely intelligent, musical prodigy, Rose doesn't talk, but she does collect sharp objects - which she secrets away in her room.

When events in Stella's life begin to mirror those of the nanny Tina's before her death, the line between paranoia and threat blurs, and Stella faces imminent danger.

At about the one quarter mark I believed I had everything figured out. However... the author cleverly made me then question my ideas. None of the Barclays seemed trustworthy. The mother, the father, the grandmother... not even Rose herself.

"I believe evil is a natural force, like a hungry virus, perpetually swirling through the air and seeking places to infiltrate. Most of us bar the door against it. Others welcome it in."

Set in an opulent Washington, D.C. suburb, this novel was vividly described. The characters leapt from the page and the tension escalated toward the denouement. Essentially a murder mystery (who killed nanny Tina), it could also be described as a slow-paced psychological thriller. Recommended!

Sarah Pekkanen has done it again! This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I was so excited to get a copy of this author's latest mystery/thriller! I think this novel had the perfect amount of twists, I truly wasn't able to predict what happened and I'm usually pretty decent at detecting these things. This book left me with chills and one of those that will stick with me for quite a bit!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion on this story.

This book definitely took me by surprise! I wasn't expecting such a chilling and unsettling read, especially going in blind. There were parts that genuinely creeped me out, so much so that I couldn't read it before bed – which, honestly, is a testament to the author's ability to create a truly disturbing atmosphere.

However, while the unsettling aspects were a highlight, I felt some elements of the story didn't quite hit the mark. The resolution, in particular, felt a bit convoluted and strange. I also think the focus on the troubled child and the social worker, while interesting, overshadowed the marital dynamics between the husband and wife. I would have loved to see their relationship explored more deeply, as that seemed to hold a lot of potential for tension and intrigue.

Finally, the ending felt somewhat predictable, which was a bit of a letdown after such a gripping and unsettling build-up.

Overall, this was a mixed bag for me. The unsettling elements were incredibly effective, but the plot and resolution could have been stronger. If you're looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and maybe even give you a few chills, this one might be worth checking out. Just maybe don't read it right before bed!