Riveting, tense, and propulsive psychological thriller with lots of twists, turns, and red herrings to keep you guessing! The character development was spot on, and the pace was fast! I was hooked from the very beginning and did not want to put this one down.

House of Glass is a mesmerizing, atmospheric thriller that had me captivated from the first page to the last. The way the author weaves mystery, tension, and psychological depth into the story is nothing short of masterful. Every twist left me breathless, and the eerie setting heightened the suspense in ways I didn’t expect.

What truly stands out is the complex characters and how deeply their motivations and fears are explored. You find yourself second-guessing everyone, unsure who to trust, and that unpredictability kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. The writing is sharp, evocative, and laced with just the right amount of foreboding to make you feel like you’re in the story’s haunting world.

This book is a must-read for fans of thrillers, suspense, and dark mysteries. It’s an absolute page-turner that will stay with you long after you’ve finished!

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Why is it that when a mystery thriller plants the seed that a child is responsible for all the tragedy around them, it is the most terrifying of reads? The Barclays claim to be just another ordinary wealthy family BUT when their young nanny is found dead and their daughter, Rose stops talking, it is up to the best interest attorney, Stella Hudson to figure out what is the best future for the child.

This book had me hooked and it played with my head in a very good way. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, a little seed of doubt would begin to whisper. For me, those become the best kind of reads in this genre.


Publication Date 06/08/24
Goodreads Review 31/08/24

Quick Take:

This is my first Sarah Pekkanen book and I will absolutely be checking out more! This book started out super strong with creepy house vibes, creepy kid vibes (I thought of The Push by Audrey Audrain in the first half of this book) and a lot of unreliable characters! It is faced past and majorly page turning, which I love in a thriller.

There were a few elements that I could have done without as the book went on - some back story of the main character and her childhood that I felt was necessary to understand her character but also took me out of the main story sometimes and a love interest that I could have done without. But overall, this was a fun, wild ride and I cannot wait to read more from this author - I have a few on my shelves that I will now be moving up on my TBR!

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stella Hudson takes on the case of nine-year-old Rose Barclay, who stopped speaking after possibly witnessing the murder of her nanny amidst her parents' bitter divorce. As Stella dives deeper into the troubled Barclay family, she uncovers dark secrets that blur the line between victim and perpetrator, putting her own life at risk.

I had mixed feelings about House of Glass. The beginning drew me in, but the second half of the book was boring. While the plot seemed intriguing at first, the main character, Stella, came across as dull even with her complicated past. The twists were predictable, with clues that were too obvious. Even if the twists were easy to guess, the journey to uncover them could have been more engaging. I wish we had more of Rose’s perspective or additional scenes featuring her. Stella felt too naive and Rose’s parents were one-dimensional. The only reason I gave this low three stars is that the writing style kept me reading, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

This was my August buddy read with my friend, Jenny.. She was off to the races and made me eat her dust, but lucky for me, this was a bingeworthy read that didn't leave me too far behind.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, for the ARC.

This was my first book by Sarah Pekkanen, but it won't be my last. This was a thrilling, family suspense that had me guessing until the end.

Pekkanen did a great job of making the cast of characters all viable options to be the villain. The pacing was solid throughout, and you were never quite sure how things were going to pan out. An enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I really like this author and was excited to get approved for this book. Stella is an attorney that works with children, never under 13 to help place them in the best situation after trauma. She was recommended by her close friend to help this young girl who lives the perfect life with the perfect family. The nanny fell from the window and died right in front of the girl. Now the girl won’t talk, parents were in the middle of divorce and Stella needs to decide what is best for Rose. Strange things are happening and Stella needs to figure out what really happened to the nanny and who is the culprit of all the problems.
Twists and turns- definitely recommend!!

Great story that grabbed my attention from the first page. A whodunnit with a twist, that will keep you guessing (and reading) until the very end.

@BookstagrambyKate and I accidentally buddy read this together, and it was so nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of! Big thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for my early release copies of this book! Sarah Pekannen is always one of my most anticipated authors!

From the start, I was invested because our MC, Stella, deals with divorces (I love courtroom drama) and she works with the children to ensure their best interests are represented. This leads the way to another main character, Rose, the child at hand.

The whole time, I was trying to figure out WHODUNNIT!? I came close, but I didn’t fully guess it! Sarah did a great job of making everyone a suspect.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was Stella’s backstory and how it played into Rose’s case. There were some really great twists thrown into that subplot, too!

The narrator of the audiobook did a great job keeping me invested and on high alert ‼️

This was pretty good. I enjoyed it a lot. There were some complaints that I had: a lot of the details, for example, felt like throwaways, like they didn't really matter. The "grandpa's" voice, in particular, was like . . . why? Did Harriet know that tina had a dead grandpa? The ex-boyfriend and Ashley didn't need to be unique characters, they could have totally been a composite.

House of Glass is absolutely stunning. Original. Gripping. Could not put it down! Will be purchasing for my libraries.

Thrillers are not my usual cup of tea when it comes to reading, but when I got the email with a blurb for this book, I felt compelled to put in a request. I liked all the build up and learning all the individual's stories. I did not see the ending coming. I had some suspicions of whodunit throughout the whole book, but I was still sitting on the edge of my seat until the very end. I definitely want to check out more books from this author!

I am new to reading Sarah Pekkanen and saw House of Glass splashed all over my Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon Recommended, and many other places. Thanks to Macmillan Audio & St. Martin's Press, I read this book in a day. I had to know what Rose saw on the day her nanny fell to her death. Stella's job is to determine which of her parents Rose would be best suited as her primary giver or some combination of the two. However, as Stella attempts to do her job, the media storm around the family kicks up, and at her core Stella knows something is amiss about that fatal day..

I found the novel interested. The plot was intriguing and I actually enjoyed how unlikeable most of the characters were. At times, the book felt far-fetched and drawn out and other times I was wanting more. I read and listened to the book. The audio was easier for me, because I could speed up the audio pace when my attention at times started to drift.

I both read this with my eyes and listened to an audio copy and felt that both ways worked really well for this twisty story. The author did a great job of tossing doubts into the main character's head (and therefore into the reader's mind as well) and I, for one, never guessed the actual killer until the reveal. The secondary story between Stella and Charles was a great mirroring of the trauma both Rose and Stella felt and how important it became to know the truth in order to heal.

From the onset of this book, I was sucked into the story. The Barclays were acting all kinds of shady from the start, and I, much like our MC, needed to know why. I wasn't overly surprised by the twist as I had guessed pretty early on what was going to happen, but I still enjoyed the ride.

Stella was an interesting lead. I liked her thought process and how she tried to connect with Rose and figure out what was happening at the Barclay mansion, but I felt like we got a little too much of her personal life in this book. I didn't need the Marco storyline nor the extra bit of romance towards the end. It didn't add anything to the story at all. The stuff about her mom was also a little overdone, but at least it connected with the main storyline, so I was able to give that a pass.

Rose was my favorite part of this book. She was a really intriguing character. I wasn't totally sure what was going on with her, even though I felt like it probably wasn't what the author wanted us to think.

Overall, this was a quick read that grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the entire book, but it didn't wow me with a twist.

If your looking for something quick and engaging, I'd recommend.

Reading Between the Wines book review #82/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: House of Glass
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Available now!! Released on August 06, 2024!

Sipping thoughts: Creepy little child anyone? I love a good creepy little child book while at the same time getting almost too scared to finish reading. So many secrets, lies, coverups and danger lurking through the pages of this book. I’ve enjoyed Pekkanen’s books and this one did not disappoint.

Cheers and thank you to @StMartinsPress, @sarahpekkanen and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @HouseofGlass.

#HouseofGlass #SarahPekkanen #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

House of Glass is a thriller you can read very quickly. It’s evenly paced and has an interesting premise which drew me into the story right away. In fact, my favorite part of the reading experience was that I never felt bored. It held my attention the entire time.

But as engaging as the story was at the beginning, by the end I felt a bit frustrated and disappointed.

I’m always drawn to stories about children because children are often unreliable and it makes for an interesting plot. The question of whether Rose was responsible for the death of her nanny, Tina, and the reason she acts the way she does was the one thing that kept drawing me back to this book.

However, what brought down my rating the most was the illogical inconsistencies in the story. To discuss them in detail would be spoilery, but I found Rose’s characterization very inconsistent. It was as if the author threw in a few scenes for shock value or to throw readers off track, but it made Rose feel like a jumbled mess of a character. In fact besides Stella Hudson, the main protagonist, the other characters were not that strong. I never felt I had a chance to truly understand their motivations.

So, while I enjoyed my time while reading the majority of the book, the ending was a bit disappointing and overall the story didn’t do anything unique or different.

I’d recommend reading House of Glass if you enjoy a tightly paced thriller, unreliable characters and are looking for a quick weekend read.

*Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4
This was an interesting suspense. You don’t know who you can trust and what really is happening/happened. It all came together at the end and I liked how it was wrapped up but I never really felt connected to any characters and what was going to happen to them.
A decent suspense.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved the short chapters and the mystery vibes. It was a total whodunnit scenario and I was suspicious of everyone! This was spooky and dark domestic thriller and I definitely recommend it!

I loved this thriller! Stella is an attorney charged with determining custody arrangements for nine-year-old Rose whose parents are planning to divorce. Rose is mute ever since her nanny died after falling through an attic window in Rose’s family’s mansion.

While Rose is facing tragedy, Stella is still suffering from her own childhood trauma while trying to do her best for Rose, all while untangling the nanny’s death, as well as other strange and eerie experiences in the mansion.

This book was unputdownable because it had an interesting, fast moving plot combined with well developed characters. I especially admired Pekkanen’s sensitivity and understanding of childhood trauma.

Thrilling and heartwarming to the last page, which brought tears to my eyes.