Review posted: 8.5.24

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I’ve really enjoyed Sarah Pekkanen’s books, especially her collaborations with Greer Hendricks (specifically The Wife Between Us).

However, House of Glass did not quite meet the mark for me. It had some good parts, but some of it underwhelmed me.

What I liked:

The cover is really cool.

The current storyline of who killed the nanny. Some great motives and characters that really kept you guessing.

Rose. I would love to see this made into a movie so I could see who would play Rose.

What I didn’t love:

Stella’s story, while it did have some intriguing aspects, kinda slowed down the story of how the nanny died. It was very tied to Rose’s story, which added an interesting wrinkle, but it dragged just a bit.



Bottom line: There was a lot of good stuff here, but it just ended up being ok for me.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

Sarah Pekkanen delivers yet again with another fantastic domestic thriller! This novel blends twisty plot lines with characters with complicated pasts and adds a dead nanny and a child who refuses to speak -- what a mixture just waiting to explode! Grab this and cancel all other plans immediately because you will need to keep reading until the very end.

I enjoyed this one. It was twisty and kept me guessing. I also liked the characters, a mix of likeable and unlikeable.

The only thing I didn’t like away the romance with Stella. That seemed like it was thrown in at the last minute to check a box. Really didn’t add anything to the story.

Otherwise this was a quick, fun read that I’d recommend to others.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

In HOUSE OF GLASS by Sarah Pekkanen, Stella Hudson is tasked with finding the best placement for a troubled ten year old whose parents are divorcing after a scandal that left the child’s nanny dead. Was it a tragic accident or murder? There are plenty of unanswered questions and unlikely suspects in this attention grabbing novel. As Stella struggles to do the best for her young client, surprising answers to the mysteries of her own tragic childhood surface. Stella is a smart & caring heroine that I rooted for from the first page. She did not disappoint and neither does the author in this captivating thriller.#netgalley

After reading the co-authored books by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks, I was curious to see if Pekkanen could write a stand out thriller on her own and she has! Sarah Pekkanen has once again given us an original plot, with this story of Stella, a best interest attorney, who is called on to give her professional advice on whether a little girl should be placed with mom, dad, or in shared custody in a divorce. The problem? The girl can't tell her because of traumatic mutism brought on by witnessing the death of her nanny. That is not to say she doesn't find ways to communicate with Stella.

This book gives all the creepy gothic vibes as Sarah gets weird feelings every time she enters the Barclay's, as though the house itself is evil. She second guesses whether she can help Rose, who is staunchly defended by her parents and grandmother even as they hide glass and sharp objects from her. But Stella's mentor has assured her she is the only one who can help Rose.

The characters were well developed with stories so convincing you didn't know who to side with. I may have teared up a couple of times. Reading a THRILLER! What the heck! But the twists and turns brought me back to the book and the satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader's copy.

Sarah Pekkanen is a wonderful author and I've read four of the novels she co-authored with Greer Hendricks as well as one other she wrote on her own. I've devoured and enjoyed everything I've read by her so far.

Description:
On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.

A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed? A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying?

Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny - in the midst of her parent's bitter divorce - and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella's mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help.

From the moment Stella passes through the iron security gate and steps into the gilded, historic DC home of the Barclays, she realizes the case is even more twisted, and the Barclay family far more troubled, than she feared. And there's something eerie about the house itself: It's a plastic house, with not a single bit of glass to be found.

As Stella comes closer to uncovering the secrets the Barclays are desperate to hide, danger wraps around her like a shroud, and her past and present are set on a collision course in ways she never expected. Everyone is a suspect in the nanny's murder. The mother, the father, the grandmother, the nanny's boyfriend. Even Rose. Is the person Stella's supposed to protect the one she may need protection from?

My Thoughts:
I had no choice but to give this exciting book five glowing stars! I spent a lot of this book believing I knew the scenario only to find it was something totally different than what I suspected. Pekkanen is a master of the psychological thriller and this is a shining example. The plot is well conceived and delivered. It is fast-paced and tense and doesn't slow down anywhere in the book. I literally couldn't put it down. I highly recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

3.5 stars rounded down.

This was a fun popcorn summer thriller. I think the middle dragged a little too long, but once the end came it was fast and furious. For the longest time I think the author did a wonderful job setting up everyone as the potential villain.

This was really well done. The entire family was unlikeable at first, so there was no easy “clues” as to who did it. The side characters like Charles offer just enough “extra” without getting off base because everything ties in at some point. I wasn’t left with any questions or overly annoyed by anything, I just cruised right along through the pages. I kinda ate it up. I’ve had Gone Tonight and I just started reading it!! :-)

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press + the author for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love stories about seemingly perfect families hiding... something.
But creepy children and psychological suspense aren't really my bag.

HOUSE OF GLASS follows Stella, a best interest attorney, trying to figure out what her custody recommendation will be for 9-year-old Rose. One challenge is that Rose is not currently speaking. Another is that the family's nanny just fell to her death on their property, and the identity of her killer (if it was a homicide) is unknown. Stella has her own childhood trauma to contend with.

This story kept me going, but ultimately it just wasn't really for me - I wanted more tension/suspense. In that sense, author Sarah Pekkanen's last book, GONE TONIGHT, was more up my alley. To be sure, I don't think HOUSE OF GLASS is a bad book, it just wasn't the best fit for me personally, which I probably could have guessed based on the synopsis (but I read it anyway because I've enjoyed the author's books in the past!).

Also, I was very excited to get to finally listen to a book narrated by Laura Benanti. And... I did not love the narration. It just felt needlessly dramatic - I'm not sure if that's a mismatch between Benanti and me (say it ain't so) or because the plot of this one wasn't a home run for me. Will try again!

I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. \

3.75/5 rounded to a 4/5 for Goodreads

The Barclays: Rose, Beth and Ian, experienced a death in their home. The death was a nanny who cared for Rose, whom witnessed the murder. This has all happened in the mist of Beth and Ian's divorce and custody battle. Stella Hudson is the best interest attorney around and has been assigned to the case to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She normally does not accept clients under thirteen because of her past childhood trauma, but Rose was different. Both Rose and Stella stuffer from "traumatic mutism". With both of them sharing this coping mechanism, maybe Beth is able to reach Rose and find out what truly happen the nanny. Was the murder an accident? Was it on purpose? Who killed the beloved nanny?

Overall, I felt there was a good balance between the Barclays and Stella's story. The ending is what made the book though, I was guessing to the very end. The twist was incredible and made my heart happy. I would recommend this book to the people who enjoy psychological thrillers.

House of Glass is an engrossing psychological thriller that you might be afraid to read alone in the dark.

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, charged with making a recommendation in the best interest of a child at the middle of a custody battle. 9-year-old Rose Barclay is her new client. Rose witnessed the horrific death of her nanny and now has traumatic mutism - a rare condition Stella was also afflicted with after losing her mother at a young age. As Stella seeks to understand Rose and uncover all the secrets surrounding her, she digs in to her own past, finally looking for answers to her mother’s death. There’s something sinister at the Barclay mansion, is it the stoic little girl that collect sharp objects and doesn’t speak? Or is it the adults protecting her or protecting themselves?

Thrillers and mystery lovers won’t be disappointed by Sarah Pekkanen’s latest.

Stella is in the final stages of her divorce when her old friend and mentor asks her to take a special case. Stella is a best interest attorney for children who are in the middle of custody battles when their parents are divorcing. Right off the bat, Stella knows this will be an interesting case when she spies the young client she will be working with pocketing a piece of glass she picks up on the street.

Stella’s past and present interconnect as she gets completely submerged in the custody battle between Ian and Beth Barclay. When their nanny falls to her death months before and no leads in the case have given the police a break into the investigation surrounding her death; Stella goes on a mission to find out who killed Tina (the nanny) and hope the truth will help her better determine which parent Rose should be awarded custody to.

This was a great book. The story kept my interest though it was slow sometimes. Having only 4 possible suspects in the case surrounding the nanny’s death didn’t leave much room for surprise when the real killer is found at the end of the book, but it was enjoyable and I will continue to read books by this author as she is very talented and keeps readers entertained. Solid 4 star book.

4.5⭐️
Really good book, 10/10 recommend!!
Every chapter kept you wanting to read more and more to figure out who the killer was and what actually happened. Very captivating, well written, heart warming ending book! It really got me when Rose ran to Stella❤️

This book was perfect to get lost in for a day or two and I did really enjoy the writing and the subject. It reminded me of other thrillers where the nanny finds themselves in a house with seemingly off things going on, but it was enjoyable even if familiar. I saw the end from a mile away though and could easily predict the "twists" throughout so while I liked the book, I was hoping for a bit more. Thanks for the advance copy!

Sarah Pekkanen has, no doubt, produced another page turner. You've got all of the elements going here - a suspicious murder, an affair, a creepy, old house, a parents' divorce, a troubled child, and a past shrouded in heartache and mystery.

Our protagonist, Stella, whose voice is also used to relate the story, works as a best interest attorney. It is her job to decide which parent or guardian would provide the best environment to a child in a contested divorce. She usually does not accept cases involving children younger than 13, but her mentor and father figure, Charlie (also a lawyer), has personally asked her to take on this case.

The child at the center of this case, nine year old Rose, has witnessed a death at her family's estate. The girl's nanny, Tina, was either pushed or jumped to her death at the Barclay's historic, sprawling mansion from her own third floor lodging's window. Rose is now suffering from traumatic mutism as her parents are trying to finalize their divorce proceedings and both vying for custody of their only child.

Pekkanen gives the reader so many viable suspects for the nanny's death - Beth, Rose's mother; Ian, her father; Harriet, Rose's paternal grandmother; Rose's oddly acting piano instructor; the nanny's boyfriend; perhaps even Rose herself. Wow...we have quite the plethora of possibilities. Not to mention that the entire atmosphere surrounding the estate just emits creepy, chilling vibes to Stella each time she visits to make observations to try to wrap up her case.

It's interesting how Pekkanen weaves an interesting subplot into this thriller's main plot about our main character, also. The similarities between the two provide nice character insight.

This thriller will definitely keep you guessing. I loved Pekkenen's The Golden Couple, also, and House of Glass grabbed my attention and held it just as Golden Couple did.


Grab it August 6th and do a little sleuthing of your own. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Absolutely loved this book! From the first chapter to the end, I couldn't stop reading. I guessed some of it, but there was still a lot to uncover throughout the book! Can't wait to read more of her books.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen was not my first book by this author but has been my favorite. I really enjoyed the FMC and how we learned about her childhood and that she also was not able to speak after a traumatizing event in her life. I liked the involvement of other individuals in her life, her ex husband and the lawyer that has helped her in her life.

Stella is hired to perform an analysis on a family that is divorcing and has a young daughter that has lost her ability to speak after her nanny tragically passed away. This book has creepy vibes, from the house to what is happening in the house. The characters were all interesting. At first I thought it was similar to the book Baby Teeth, but House of Glass definitely has some different twists and turns.

I enjoyed the two story lines and the characters in this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen for an honest review.

Wow, wow, wow! This book had me on the edge of my seat from chapter one. Sarah Pekkanen is an amazing author and will keep you guessing until the very end! I highly recommend this book if you like twists and turns.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced copy of House of Glass in exchange for my honest review.

Right away I was pulled intrigued by this one because of the little girl who refuses to speak. Back when I taught kindergarten, I had a student who had selective mutism, and it’s not something you see in books all too often. This time around, its trauma induced, and I needed to know more!⁣
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I loved how all the characters in this book had me questioning whether I believed them or not, even the little girl. They all had possible motives for murder. Without giving spoilers, I will say the little girl reminded me in many ways of another evil child from another book- so if you have read this one, message me and we can chat! ⁣
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There were so many layers to this one, including how the attorney’s history, is wrapped up into the overall story. No matter how many times I thought I had this one worked out, I was still caught off guard by all the twists and turns. The ending was perfect & I loved how it all played out! So many secrets I didn’t even begin to guess!

📖 Book Review 📖

📱”House of Glass" by Sarah Pekkanen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
published August 6, 2024

The nicest, perfect couple with a beautiful, gifted young daughter…but someone murdered the nanny. Pekkanen has a way of writing thrillers that makes me doubt every character. When the nanny falls out of the attic window suspension falls on everyone in the household. Stella is a best interest attorney and her new client is 9 year old Rose Barclay. Rose has stopped speaking after she witnessed the death of her nanny and her parents are in middle of a nasty divorce. Stella must spend time with the family, together and independently to best determine how to help Rose. The Barclays have some secrets and their house gives off an eerie feeling- especially when Stella notices there is no knives, glass, nothing sharp at all.

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