House of Glass follows Stella, a best-interest attorny who works with Rose, a troubled young girl who is mute due to a traumatic experience involving the suspicious death of her nanny.

The story follows the investigation that Stella takes into who possibly killed the nanny, and what would be the best course of action for Rose in regards to custody and visitation. However, this case hits a little too close to home for Stella and leads to her uncovering information about her past that she never expected to find.

I'll be honest, I wasn't wow-ed by House of Glass. It sounded like an original concept but at it's core its core, it was too similar to other books involving investigating a suspicious death. They all seem to follow the same general plot lines.

If you don't mind plot lines being familiar, then this is a great story for you to pick up! It was an interesting story but it wasn't my cup of tea.

This was an entertaining thriller full of suspense and a family that you can’t trust.

A nanny has fallen to her death. Mom and dad are fighting and getting a divorce and their nine-year-old daughter, Rose, has become mute since the death. Stella is assigned as Rose’s advocate during her parents’ custody battle. As Stella spends more time with the family, she learns what really happened to nanny and why Rose doesn’t speak.

This was a solid thriller. The suspense was there but the pacing was a little off. There were times when I couldn’t put the book down and then there were parts that dragged. I loved that all characters were unreliable and suspects. I thought the element of rose being mute interesting and unique, and I enjoyed the ending.

I devoured this book in a few sittings. It was truly one of the best thrillers I have read this year. It had suspense and the characters were well thought out. I am quickly becoming a huge fan of Pekkanen. If an author can consume you like this, it is a great read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The short, face-paced chapters kept me interested in finding out what was happening. I enjoyed how everything unfolded, and how the novel was written so that I did not trust anyone. However, the novel seemed to wrap up very quickly. I kind of wish there was more about Stella and Charles.

Stella is an interest attorney, assigned to 9 year old Rose, whose parents are going through a divorce. The nanny recently died in the home as well and Stella is acting in the best interest of Rose to provide a recommendation to the courts.

This is a slow burn, bingeable, popcorn kind of thriller. This features a rich family with secrets. Some parts do read a bit more predictable to me and when one description was put out there about a character, I guessed the big twist, but, it was still interesting to see how we got there. The house itself is highly atmospheric and reads like its own character. A few parts did seem overly dramatic and you really had to suspend reality to believe, but it was still highly entertaining!

Recommend if you enjoy:
▫️Popcorn mysteries
▫️Psychological thrillers
▫️Unlikable characters
▫️Rich people behaving badly

I read thrillers reluctantly. I'm aware that things don't always work out and have to convince myself not to read the final pages so I can sleep.

The better the thriller, the harder it is not to cheat. House of Glass was so hard to put down that sleep was postponed. Pekkanen has created another world that was dark, twisty, and altogether wonderful.

The protagonist, Stella Hudson, is a "best interest attorney." Unlike a guardian ad litem, a best interest attorney is hired to protect the interests of a specific person. In this case, Stella is hired to speak for Rose, a nine-year-old who has developed mutism as a result of witnessing the traumatic death of her nanny.

Stella has entered a world of privilege where the family lives behind gated walls in a picture-perfect mansion that, once entered, reveals an unsettling atmosphere. The once-loving parents are fully engaged in a harrowing battle for Rose's custody. The grandmother tries to maintain normalcy. The staff seems to be quietly complacent. And most of all, Rose collects sharp objects and is reading about serial killers. Adding to the creepiness, every piece of glass from the windows to all household items has been replaced by plastic.

Nevertheless, things will shatter as Stella draws closer to solutions both in the present and by uncovering truths from her own damaging childhood.

More than a standalone, this would make a great choice for book clubs. Highly recommended.

Full disclosure: I received this ARC from NetGalley and Macmillan in exchange for an unbiased review.

House of Glass is a psychological thriller by Sarah Pekkanen that centers around the Barclay family. The story unfolds with the mysterious death of Tina de la Cruz, the family’s nanny, who either fell or was pushed from a window. The novel is set against the backdrop of a bitter divorce and custody battle over their nine-year-old daughter, Rose, who has been deeply traumatized by the events. The plot thickens as Stella Hudson, a lawyer with a traumatic past of her own, is assigned to evaluate the best living situation for Rose amidst the unfolding drama and secrets of the Barclay family.

House of Glass is a compelling psychological thriller that will appeal to fans of domestic suspense and intricate family dramas. Its strengths lie in the intense atmosphere, complex character portrayals, and the relentless pace of the plot. While some elements may feel familiar to avid readers of the genre, Pekkanen’s execution and the emotional depth she brings to the characters make it a standout read.

Solid Suspense Takes Atypical Turns. This is one of those tales that almost seems destined for at least a sequel, if not a series of some level. There's more than enough here to justify it, and yet this story itself is fully complete as is. In other words, coming back to this world would be interesting and compelling... but not necessarily *necessary*.

I love the way that certain elements are played in an all-too-real-yet-not-usually-shown-in-fiction manner, and the specific construction of how Stella's past and present collide is particularly well done - and perhaps indicative that no sequel is expected here, as that particular sub plot could have been spread across a small series - while not feeling rushed or out of place fully happening within this story itself.

There *is* one particular element that could throw at least some readers off, and that is the (minor) romance subplot and specifically that it introduces an LGBT element not otherwise present in the story. Minor spoiler there, apologies, but I'd rather avoid 1*s (which I've seen already) specifically because of this. So just know it going forward, and yes, I know that others will praise this book specifically for that very point. *In the context of this particular story as told*, to me it felt refreshing that the author would choose to go that direction rather than feeling forced in just to have that "representation" in the book, but it is also a point where I could see others feeling that it was a touch forced, and they wouldn't get much pushback from me beyond what I just stated - it didn't feel that way *to me*.

Overall a truly well told, suspenseful, complex tale with a more-fleshed-out-than-many main character that clearly has a lot going on, and a tale whose world seems ripe for exploring more of. So here's hoping we get a chance to, and here's hoping it will be soonish.

Very much recommended.

Pekkanen's House of Glass is the kind of thriller that leaves you bleary-eyed from staying up till 5AM ( Which I did to finish this book). I felt like I was a ghost hovering around Stella as everything was going down. Page turning and thrilling in a way not done before. House of Glass is the book you need to pick up if you are a thriller enthusiast, but be prepared to lose some sleep.
A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this book!

This is a really great book if you’re in a slump and need something to quickly grab your interest. That’s exactly what it did for me! I was invested in Stella and her job as a best interest attorney to determine the fate of Rose, a 9 year old girl whose parents are divorcing. The family’s nanny died under mysterious circumstances and that has affected the whole family. I thought I guessed where it was going but I was pleasantly surprised by the twists! Fun read!

I absolutely love Sarah Pekkanen books and this one didn’t disappoint. Full of twists and turns and suspects. I can’t wait for her next book. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

An intelligent, multilayered thriller that is also very quick moving. Something important was always happening as Stella tried to solve the mystery of who killed the nanny, Tina and what really happened in her past when her parents died. The interconnected characters were expertly woven together. I am looking forward to reading the other novels this author has written. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

A nanny falls to her death…was she pushed?? I was sucked in from the beginning and couldn’t stop reading. I had to see what was happening next in this whodunnit thriller. Rose is 9 years old and stops speaking after witnessing the nanny’s death. Stella is a best interest attorney assigned to Rose as her parents are divorcing. Stella uncovers many secrets about this family during her assignment that were shocking and had me double guessing who I suspected many times!
I loved this book! Fans of The Push will love this!!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on September 11th, 2024. Links provided.

On the surface, the Barclay family seems perfect. Yet beneath their polished facade lies a web of deceit. A young nanny has mysteriously died. Was it an accident or murder? And why did nine year old Rose, who apparently witnessed the incident, all of a sudden stop speaking and start collecting sharp objects? Enter Stella Hudson, a lawyer who specializes in child custody cases. Despite her personal trauma and preference for older clients, Stella reluctantly takes on the twisted case at the urging of a respected judge and good friend. As she steps into the Barclays’ opulent, glassless home, she uncovers unsettling truths that suggest everyone - parents, grandmother, and even the silent Rose - could be a suspect in the nanny’s death. But as Stella unravels their secrets, she realizes that the person she’s meant to be protecting just might actually pose the greatest threat.

I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in one day! The fast pacing and short chapters made it almost impossible for me to put down. I loved the writing and couldn’t wait to find out the mystery behind the nanny’s death. Even though the story was fast paced, I felt the author did an amazing job of developing the characters and allowing the reader to get a better understanding of who each character was as the story progressed, right until the final reveal. Although I wasn’t shocked by the ending, I had so much fun reading this story. I actually really appreciated how the story (and ending) were both plausible, as I think so many stories in the thriller/suspense genre these days are so far-fetched just for the shock factor. This was my first book by Sarah Pekkanen and I will definitely be reading more of her works in the future! I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun, fast paced, and well written domestic thriller.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of House of Glass in return for my honest review.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I found it to be slow and predictable. I also thought the added romance was unnecessary and didn't really fit.

I have read many duel thrillers that featured Sarah Pekkanen. This book is just as great as any other.

Kept me engaged the entire time. Psychological thriller fans unite!

It’s sometimes difficult to get through plots that have considerable evil lying underneath them. This was very eerie to read and didn’t depend on twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. It just made me further and further invested. I never had a chance to stop reading this one.

I literally suspected EVERYONE in this story at one point or another. While this was definitely a slow burn at first (in my opinion) it was FULL of suspense. I would definitely recommend grabbing this one when it comes out in August.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ℍ𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝔾𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤
𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗣𝗲𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻
Thriller
352 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
Stella is the lawyer who has to decide which parent Rose should live with after her parents divorce.

Figuring out the Barclay family is a tricky situation as everyone in that house lies, and Rose has mutism brought on by the death of her nanny.

That death is suspicious as she fell through a window. Was it accidental?

Throw in infidelity, grandma living in the home, and a pregnancy, and you have one tricky family to decipher.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
House of Glass makes you question the whole family. As it progresses, more is learned about each of them, and my mind took it all in and made me unsure of who the guilty party is.

I felt the story moved quickly. The atmosphere in the Barclay house was dark and somewhat creepy.

I had a very tough time figuring Rose out. She did so many odd things throughout the story. Besides strange behavior, she was highly intelligent. Mix those, and yikes!
This was a thriller I could and did sink my teeth into.

💕Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

I usually enjoy a good "Is this child evil?" premise, but this one left me hanging. It focused entirely too much on the main character's childhood and her potential new relationship with a woman instead of the actual plot, which is a woman who either committed suicide or was murdered...

I didn't feel the throw in of a lesbian relationship was necessary because it felt like it was being thrown in there for no real reason other than to have LGBTQIA+ characters. In no way do I mind this being in the book, and I'm a huge ally and advocate for diversity in literature, however this felt cheap somehow because it wasn't the main focus of the book. It would've been different if it tied in, but it didn't and therefore was unnecessary.

This book gave me whiplash and felt very unorganized. I really wanted to like this more, but it wasn't for me.

This was a twisty and intriguing premise that kept me entertained as I sifted through the list of suspects and suspicious behaviors. I happen to share a name with the nanny, so I was highly invested in what happened to her. None of the characters were particularly likable, but that’s not that unusual in a story like this one. It kept me guessing until the end and ended satisfyingly. .