I very much enjoyed this book. I liked that there was only a handful of characters, which are so much easier to remember. The storyline was good and kept me guessing what really happened!

When 9 year old Rose's young nanny falls to her death through a glass window, Rose is a witness to her death-or was it her murder? Stella, a best interest attorney, is assigned Rose's case as her parents are going through a bitter custody battle and has an unusual connection to her: Stella, like Rose, experienced traumatic mutism. Rose, who is by all accounts advanced beyond her years, is suddenly unable to speak after witnessing Tina's death. When Stella arrives to meet the family she immediately feels something is off and soon discovers all glass has been removed from the house-including picture frames, windows, doors, etc. As Stella gets to know the family and Rose, she finds herself increasingly in danger and discovers Rose has a collection of objects to use as weapons. Stella's own past begins to collide with her present and as her job is to protect Rose's best interests-Stella finds herself wondering if they all need protection from Rose? Told against the backdrop of DC and the suburbs, Sarah Pekkanen's newest release is one of her best yet.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Sarah Pekkanen is an auto buy author for me and this book absolutely did not disappoint! The twists and turns will leave you gasping and tearing through the pages!

This was most definitely a page turner thriller that was very hard to put down. It had such an interesting premise that kept me guessing. A glassless creepy mansion, a murder and a strangely mute child will definitely hold your attention. Also, the audio book has a fantastic narration that is hard to stop listening to. Highly recommended!

A well written psycholgical thriller novel. While not action packed, it certainly was one to tug on emotions and keep the reader engaged.

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney who has been assigned to observe a family which includes two parents in the midst of a divorce and their 9 year old daughter, Rose. Stella will get to know the family and make her recommendations for the custody of Rose. The biggest challenge, however, is Rose cannot talk to communicate. She recently witnessed her former nanny fall out of a window and die. She has not spoken since the tragedy and no one knows the truth about how she fell out the window. Was it an accident or otherwise?

There are a lot of dysfunctional family dynamics and decit woven into the story which makes it easy to envision how each of these characters could have played a part in the death of the nanny, including Rose. The story kept me coming up with different theories how this could play out and really, it could have had many different endings.

Overall, fantastic flow to the story, great character development which allowed me to have a lot of good and bad emotions for the characters. I was satisfied with the ending and would definitely recommend to fellow psychological thriller readers.

I enjoyed this psychological suspense story of a BIA (best interest attorney) representing a young girl whose nanny has been murdered. Was Rose's mother to blame? Her father? Her grandmother? Or Rose herself?

With a limited group of suspects, this book does a good job of keeping you guessing. Overall, a solid beach read with a twist on the usual domestic suspense premise.

Stella Hudson is an unusual type of lawyer. She generally works at the behest of divorce court judges to advocate for children at the center of the most difficult and contentious custody cases. As a best interest attorney, or guardian ad litem, her sole focus is on what’s best for the children she represents.

Her devotion to her career is partially due to her own troubled childhood. As such, she usually only takes on teenagers, as younger children too often prove an unsettling reminder of that tough time in her life. But when her mentor asks her to take on the case of eight year-old Rose Barclay as a personal favor to him, she can’t say no.

Rose’s parents, Ian and Beth, are locked in a bitter custody dispute, each seeking sole physical custody of their daughter. Their divorce was seemingly set off by the tragic death of Rose’s live-in nanny. Young, beautiful Tina de la Cruz had plummeted to her death from the window of her attic apartment in the Barclay’s historic Potomac mansion, while Rose and her grandmother Harriet had been gardening below. The investigation into Tina’s unattended death revealed not only that she’d been pregnant, but that she’d been having an affair with Ian and wanted him to leave Beth for her. The police had taken a good hard look at all the Barclays, but there was no proof that Tina had been the victim of anything more than an unfortunate accident. The scandal had proven too much for the Barclays’ marriage though, and so Stella has been asked to intervene in their child custody arrangements, thoroughly investigating the family in order to make the best choices for Rose.

The atmosphere in the Barclays’ home is poisonous as the adult members of the household maneuver around one another, each with their own secret agenda. But Stella notes, with growing unease, that Rose just might be the most sinister figure of them all. As Stella interviews all the important people in Rose’s life, with her position granting her access to information she likely wouldn’t get otherwise, she learns more and more unsettling things about her young client. Even Rose’s therapist, Dr Gina Markman, feels the need to preface her evidence with caveats:

QUOTE
“Art is subject to interpretation,” she tells me. “People can look at the exact same image or read the same book and come away with very different impressions.”

“I understand.”

“Often, what we see in art is a reflection of us. Of our optics. Our mindset. Have you ever tried to read a novel and not enjoyed it, then gone back at another point in time and loved it? The story didn’t change. But you did. This is an insight into who we are at any given moment and what we bring to our unique intersection with art.”

She’s preparing me for something. What am I going to see in that folder?
END QUOTE

The more Stella investigates the Barclays, the more convinced she becomes that Tina was murdered. But which of them did it, and why? None of them will tell her the truth, and at least one of them is ready to kill again.

This inventive thriller had me in a figurative headlock one Sunday afternoon as I ignored everything else in my life in order to race to the end of the book, desperate not only to unravel the Barclays’ secrets but also to unlock the mystery of Stella’s own childhood. The way the two stories converged was breathtaking, and I felt personally invested in Stella’s ongoing happiness, especially as she grappled with thorny issues of both honesty and forgiveness. Most of all, I loved her commitment to doing the right thing, especially for troubled, vulnerable Rose:

QUOTE
But I won’t stop fighting for Rose. If this case ends in the way I fear, I’ll work to get Rose the best possible help. The Barclays have means. They can afford for Rose to stay inpatient at a place where the caregivers are knowledgeable and kind, where ample time is taken to find the best combinations of medicines, intensive therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. There are such places for children who seem beyond hope.

And every once in a while, with massive early intervention, a child manages to emerge and live a productive, healthy life. They are the outliers, but who’s to say Rose won’t be among them?
END QUOTE

I’m not sure whether House Of Glass was meant to be a riff on the Agatha Christie classic Crooked House, but I found this book just as gripping as its predecessor. Smart, compelling and above all compassionate, this felt like the 21st century update of a murder mystery that was definitely of its time. Fortunately for us, there are better modern alternatives to literally dying of shame, as Sarah Pekkanen so wisely displays in this excellent novel.

Stella is a child advocate working to decide which parent should have primary custody during a divorce. The child is unable to speak so that makes Stella's job all the harder. From the moment she stepped foot in their home she knew something was off. This is going to be one difficult job.

Well written characters that seem like real people with real problems. Fast paced. I was hooked from the start. I felt sympathy for all the characters at one time or another.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin;s Press for the arc.

Things are not as they seem in the Barclay house. When Stella takes on a new best interest case following a Nanny's death, she finds herself unable to distinguish the truth. As she interviews the family, all signs point to an attempt to covering up the tragic death of their Nanny. But, as she isn't so sure who's guilty. This book is a whirlwind, that will keep you suspecting each of the family members.

I loved the back and forth between the timeline of the story, learning more about Stella, and how she relates to Rose. Who, is extremely creepy, and who absolutely seemed guilty throughout the entire story. But, no one suspects the sweet supportive grandma!!

Woah! I did not see that ending coming and it blew me away. I really enjoy a dangerous kid storyline but that wait made it so good! It was a little slow to go at times but the end was just hit after hit.

SO THRILLING. I don’t use that word lightly. The last 60% I could not read the pages fast enough. I was able to predict a little bit but I was not disappointed. A thoroughly enjoyable psychological thriller

Unfortunately I wasn’t a big fan of this book. It started off t with a bang but I found myself losing interest. It was just okay and not very memorable for me personally.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is a twisty thriller told in first person. The main character, Stella, is an attorney who is basically an advocate for her clients, usually teens, helping determine who gets custody in tough divorce cases. Her latest client, Rose, is only nine and hasn’t spoken since her nanny died under mysterious circumstances. Stella can identify in a unique way with Rose.

I enjoyed the way we learned Stella’s backstory even as Rose’s story moves forward. The writing is engaging and descriptive, setting the scenes very well for the reader. And it all wraps up in a satisfying and unexpected way.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Stella Hudson, a best interest attorney for children, has been assigned to represent 9-year-old Rose Barclay in her parent's ongoing custody battle. There is one glaring problem, Rose may or may not have witnessed the murder of her nanny and is no longer speaking. It is up to Stella to unravel the mystery surrounding the Barclay family and their peculiar mansion, a mansion without a single piece of glass inside.

This was a stellar 4.5 stars for me! It was a slowly unraveling mystery and truly could have gone one of many different directions. I enjoyed the way Stella played detective and also the way each of the characters had something to hide. I was not able to figure out the ending which is always a win for me with thrillers!

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a satisfying mystery.

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
This book was hard to put down. It's was a fast paced mystery that kept me guessing. I enjoyed the smaller chapters and quickly flew threw them. Pekkanen has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat while weaving a whodunnit that's a slow burn. The characters were well thought out and easy to like/dislike. Stella seems to be trying to solve this mystery for Rose, as much as she's also doing it for herself and her past that's never been put to rest. Add this to your TBR!

This is my first stand alone Sarah Pekkanen (I have only read the books she has co-authored) and I really enjoyed this thriller. The writing and narration style was easy to read and made for a good binge. Ultimately, the storyline and reveals didn't really wow me or do anything really amazing, but it was a solid thriller/mystery that I would recommend to people looking for an easy and engaging story.

This book had me making theories, scrapping them, bringing them back from the dead, and trying to figure out who 'dun it, while suspecting literally everyone in the story. The characters were complicated in so many ways and we got to see a few different sides of them at different times, which was interesting. We also got the main storyline mixed in with the main character's backstory and journey to find answers for herself which broke up some of the tension in the story and kept it from getting boring. This was a really good thriller!

Once again, Sarah Pekkanen has entertained me with one of her suspenseful, intriguing stories. I love entering the worlds that she creates because I know I will be taken on a ride with twists and turns and bits I won't be expecting.

Poor Rose. She witnessed the horrific death of her nanny. Or is she the one who pushed her? Everyone suspects her, and honestly they are somewhat afraid of her. But she's an innocent 9 year old, right? Stella is there to help Rose but there are things that scare her as well. Something is not right in that house.

House of Glass is a story that captured my attention from the first page and I loved every minute of it. It kept me guessing until the end and had me holding my breath at times. Intense! Pekkanen does not disappoint with this story and as always, I'm excited to see what she writes next.

Trauma warning needed! This book was a rollercoaster and I almost didn't want to give feedback because it's just not for me, but I guess that's kind of the point of these things huh. That being said - this was NOT for me. I think in the "thriller" genre I should wait and see what people thing of books before I read them because maybe I'm a scaredy cat or maybe easily triggered by certain things but ooooof this was too much.

I could not put this book down! Sarah Pekkanen has written some of my favorite thrillers (especially her books co-written with Greer Hendricks), so I have very high hopes for this novel and it did not disappoint. House of Glass was thriller about a best interest attorney, Stella, that is assigned to determine the best living situation for Rose Barclay. The nine-year old's parents are in the middle of a divorce after an affair with their nanny and her suspicious death. I absolutely love a book where everyone is suspicious, and this was exactly that. I also enjoyed the connections between the primary plot and Stella's back story. It was not the most original plot, but it was generally a very good thriller that I enjoyed and could not put down.