This was utterly gripping. Despite a slow start, House of Glass had me reading for 4 hours straight, because I just HAD to know how it ended.

When a wealthy family’s nanny dies in the family home, under mildly suspicious circumstances, Stella is called in as a Best Interest Attorney for little Rose. A 9 year old girl, suffering from traumatic mutism, after witnessing her nanny fall to her death from a window in her room. With her parents filing for divorce, and a live-in grandmother, everyone has secrets, and everyone is lying. Stella needs to award sole custody of Rose to one of the parents… but she’s afraid someone in the family is capable of pushing the nanny to her death.

What a wild ride!! In true Pekkanen fashion, I was kept guessing until the end. Every character was a suspect, with motive and opportunity. It was such a well-planned plot. I usually love books and then hate the ending - House of Glads gave me all the closure i needed (though I would desperately thumb through a sequel 🫢😉) Easily a top favorite read of 2024!

Thanks to the author and #NetGalley for the ARC for review!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is. a domestic thriller surrounding the Barclay family, featuring a young girl who is portrayed as quite creepy.

When the Barclay's family nanny tragically dies in their home, 9 year old daughter Rose stops speaking. Stella is appointed as counsel to Rose and begins to give this family a closer look to determine what, if anything, could help the child.

There was plenty of suspense and tension in this book that kept me reading though I did find it quite predictable. While I was intrigued by the family's drama, I found Stella's background story to slow down the plot a bit. Overall this book was good not great.

House of Glass is a terrific book about a nanny that is killed by falling out a window. Rose is a 9 yr old child that the nanny cared for. Her parents are in the middle of a divorce so an attorney is assigned to figure out who would be best to have custody of Rose. Since the death of her nanny, Rose has been non-verbal, which leads the attorney to try to figure out who the killer is in the household so she doesn’t assign custody to the wrong parent, if one is a killer. The father was having an affair with the nanny, and she was newly pregnant. Did he kill the nanny so she wouldn’t tell? Did the wife kill the nanny for ruining the marriage? Did the live-in grandmother do it because his affair with the nanny was ruining her family and upsetting her nice living arrangements that she was very fond of? Could Rose have pushed the nanny out the window? I flew through this book to find out what happens to 9 yr old Rose - was she evil or just stuck in the middle of a horrible situation going on in her home? I really enjoyed this book and the story of each character in it! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

Another great thriller by this author! I love the ones she does with Greer Hendricks, and this was no different. Untrustable parents, a nanny and a creepy child, what more could you want?

Thank you for granting my request for this chiller thriller. It quite creepy and very intense. After Rose's nanny falls, (or was she pushed) from a third story window the nine-year-old child develops traumatic muteness. She also collects sharp objects. As a result of the parents impending divorce and Rose's strange behavior all the glass from the house has been removed and plexiglass has been substituted. Stella, a child advocate is brought in to determine what will be in the child's best interest. Every character is flawed with lies, secrets, betrayal and deception. Stella's early life mirrors Rose's trauma and the unsolved mystery of how her parents died. What goes on behind closed doors is eerie. It's a book that's hard to put down with a heart stopping intense ending to a great story. If you like a suspenseful thriller, you'll love this book as much as I did.

House of Glass is a highly addictive, spine tingling suspense where everyone is in question.

The Barclays are a seemingly perfect, wealthy family. But when their nanny falls to her death and a divorce is imminent with an ugly custody battle on the horizon, a best interest attorney is put on the case to represent the young child, Rose. Stella usually doesn't take cases with kids that are not in their teens, but the judge on this particular case knows Stella is the perfect person for the job. Stella is the type of attorney that is beyond driven and will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of everything.

But when Stella steps into the Barclays home, she knows that this case will be unlike anything she has experienced before. She not only is acting in the best interest of the child, but now is drawn in by the creepy "plastic" home and its inhabitants. Everyone is off and seems to be keeping her from the truth that lies within the walls. Stella feels that she must now find out what happened to the nanny in order to come to her resolution concerning Rose. Who is guilty and who is telling the truth? The mother, the father, the nanny's boyfriend, the grandmother and even Rose herself are all suspects.

Sarah Pekkanen did a great job of creating a setting that was both suspenseful and characters that all seemed like they were hiding something. Even when it came to Stella's personal life, you had to wonder how that all fit in with the case of the Barclays and the nanny's death. I liked that everyone was a suspect and seemed to be lying or at least withholding truths. There was always an underlying tenseness within the characters. Their actions intrigued me. While I didn't feel this was a thriller that was full of twists and turns, it felt more like a psychological study on the characters and their actions. And I love a good "who dun it" with a bunch of questionable characters.

Overall, this was a good suspenseful thriller with some interesting characters that all seemed guilty at one point or another. I was led to believe that all were a little bit sinister. WIth the short chapters and interesting characters, Pekkanen brought a sense of urgency to the story and made it that much more exciting. A good overall read.

This gripping domestic thriller was a real page turner. It kept me interested until the end - and it was unsettling at times. The story was good - twists and turns throughout - satisfying ending. It had great elements: nanny death, traumatically mute child, custody battle, best interest lawyer trying to do the right thing. What cemented this for me as a book to recommend is that I really genuinely liked the protagonist Stella Hudson. She had a strong character with a big heart. Smart and empathetic. I do miss the collaboration books that Sarah Pekkanen has written with Greer Hendricks - those have been my favorites. This one is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. This book is available now - worth the read!

This one was definitely a slow burn and the first half felt like it was moving pretty slowly. The obvious suspect was clearly a red herring from the beginning, like maybe the author was trying too hard. Everything was just over explained in the end. I would have liked a bit more connection between the two story lines too!

3.5 stars rounded down. Started out strong and was loving it but got a little slow in the middle. By the end I was reading faster just to see who did it. There were a couple of story lines that seemed thrown in and didn't add anything. In fact, I thought they took away from the main story about Rose.

From the very first page of “House of Glass”, I was completely hooked and found it nearly impossible to put down. Sarah Pekkanen has delivered another gripping story with her signature style of storytelling that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The book stands out not only for its intriguing plot but also for its exceptional character development. Pekkanen's ability to breathe life into her characters and make them relatable is my favorite. Each character feels multi-dimensional, real, and relatable which adds depth to the story and makes it all the more intriguing. The book's structure is my favorite format…...short, fast-paced chapters that create a highly engaging reading experience.

“House of Glass”, Is a quick read due to its fast pace and engaging story, and it kept me eagerly turning the pages until the very end. I can’t recommend it highly enough—this one definitely earns a full 5 stars!

I enjoyed this thriller! There weren’t crazy twists or scares, but it was still a tense page turner. Stella was a decent character who really did have her clients’ best interests at heart. The Barclays were definitely an interesting family, and the central mystery around their nanny’s death was intriguing. There were some teased backstories that never really went anywhere, but it wasn’t distracting. The ending was satisfying and I’m glad I read this book. Beautiful cover colors as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book!

This book starts out strong. I wanted to like it. But unfortunately the main character started to get on my nerves and by the end I just didn't care anymore. I wasn't all that surprised at the ending either. It was ok but I wish I had liked it more.

I'm a big Sarah Pekkanen fan, so I jumped at the opportunity to read an advanced copy of House of Glass. It did not disappoint!

At the heart of this riveting story is nine-year-old Rose Barclay, a silent witness to the tragic death of her nanny, which has shattered her family's facade of perfection. The author's portrayal of Rose alternates between haunting and heartbreaking. It's why I couldn't stop listening!

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney (also sometimes known as a guardian ad litem) with her own traumatic childhood, who reluctantly takes on Rose's case. As Stella delves deeper into the Barclay family's secrets, we're drawn into a world where nothing is as it seems. Pekkanen's skill in crafting complex, flawed characters shines through, making each suspect in the nanny's death feel believable and potentially culpable.

The Barclay's historic DC home, with its iron gates and unsettling lack of glass, becomes a character in its own right. The author's vivid descriptions create a palpable sense of unease that makes this such a compelling story.

As Stella races against time to uncover the truth, the story takes unexpected twists and turns that challenge our assumptions and keep us guessing until the very end. The author deftly explores themes of trauma, loyalty, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets, all while maintaining a pace that made me speed through this book.

House of Glass is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers who crave depth, nuance, and characters that linger in the mind long after the story ends. It's a testament to Pekkanen's skill that she can tackle such heavy subject matter while still leaving readers with a glimmer of hope. This is one I highly recommend!

I received this e-book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

After a young nanny plummets to her death and a family is facing an impending divorce, Stella is called as the best interest attorney to give her recommendation on who Rose, the 9 year old daughter, should live with, because she has gone mute since the accident. Stells doesn't normally take on a case for a child this young, but she felt connected to Rose since Stella had also gone mute as a child after her mother died. After interviewing with Beth and Ian, the parents of Rose, as well as Harriett, Ian's mom who lives with them, and a handful of other people, Stella starts to question whether or not the nanny's death was an accident or not. As things start to get weirder, Stella starts to wonder if Rose is the issue and not the parents.

I don't think this was a bad book, it just didn't catch my attention in the beginning as much as I wanted to. As the story went on, I started to get more invested, but there was just something missing. I really thought the story would start going in one direction, but then it would go in another, which was good; the entire story wasn't predictable.

So I did accidentally start reading this book after finishing a different book with a creepy kid (I like to go in to books kind of blindly) but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this one. Once I got to make the 30% mark I couldn't put it down.
This is a great one to consume with your ears. The narrator did a great job with pacing and bringing the unlikable characters to life.

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a really interesting phycological thriller. It follows attorney Stella as she works a case to figure out the best custody arrangement for young client Rose. Rose's parents have filed for divorce after their live in nanny fell out a window and it came to light that she was having an affair with Rose's father. Rose has stopped speaking after the horrible events in her home, so it is Stella's job to put together the facts and determine what the most suitable and safe environment for Rose will be after the divorce. As she gets to know the family, it is clear that they are hiding something and they know more about the nanny's death than they are letting on. The closer she gets to the truth, the more likely it is that anyone of them could have murdered the nanny including nine year old Rose. As Stella investigates the case, trauma from her own past surfaces, and she struggles to keep her own feelings out of the case she is investigating as her past overlaps her present.

This kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. One second I was convinced it was the daughter, the next it was one of the parents, then it was the grandmother, then in the next chapters I changed my mind again. The author does a good job providing the reader with a good amount of red herrings to keep you guessing but does leave enough clues lead you to the right answer. I also enjoyed learning about Stella's background story, it had you wondering if it was a distraction from the main plot, if she was projecting her own trauma onto the case or if she was doing a better job because of her past. I do think the addition of the romantic subplot was a bit unnecessary, it was a small part of the book so it wasn't that distracting.

Overall I enjoyed this, I thought I had great pacing, and while I normally don't like books with small children in them when it comes to thrillers this one was worth the read.

Stella Hudson is a “best interest attorney,” assigned by the court in divorce/custody cases to ensure the best result for the child. Ian and Beth Barclay are getting divorced, the final straw being Ian’s affair with their nanny, Tina. But Tina is now dead having fallen from a window in the Barclay’s massive house. Rose is the child caught in the middle, but she hasn’t spoken since the death of Tina. Add Ian’s mother, Hannah, to the mix and you have a mess that Stella must wade through in determining which parent should have custody post divorce. Stella had a difficult childhood as well including suffering from “traumatic mutism” just like Rose so she seems to be a good fit to investigate and make the appropriate recommendations. But it is not nearly as straightforward as one would expect as each adult seems to have their own agenda.

This was the first book I have read by Pekkanen, having seen/heard about her earlier works, most of which was positive. I was not all that impressed - there were too many places where the story seemed to get bogged down in irrelevant dialog and description. The story does keep you guessing as to who will be the real bad guy - all the main characters were possible - although I did guess who it was fairly early on and the ultimate reveal was well done. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Publishers for the arc of House of Glass. I’ve read all of Sarah’s books so I was thrilled to get a chance to read this one. In the beginning be know that a nanny feel to her death from an open window in the mansion where Rose lives with her family. Rose’s parents are getting a divorce and are working through a custody battle. Stella is the attorney who was assigned to Rose to find out which parent should obtain custody of Rose. Stella was assigned this case by Charles, who has known Stella for many years and because he knows that Stella will relate well to Rose due to her traumatic mutism. When Stella starts going over to the mansion for visits with Rose, we start to get an uneasy vibe that progresses into creepiness. I do enjoy a creepy kid book. But this was so much more. We get to follow Stella as she collects clues along the way and we also get to visit Stella’s backstory which was her traumatic childhood and the death of her Mom. Two stories unfolding at the same time with breadcrumbs we can follow lead to a tense and gripping novel. There were a few times where I was stunned and shocked at some of the revelations. I read this in one sitting because I needed to see it through. The character development was very well done and the suspense was perfect.

If you’re new to the thriller genre and are looking for a suspenseful read, House of Glass might be a good pick for you. But if you’re a seasoned reader with a number of thrillers under your belt, I’d skip this one. The plot is fairly one dimensional and felt like it dragged. The twist at the end was a bit of a let down after a lot of build up. On the plus side, there is an interesting set up and premise and it is a fast read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

My first solo book read from Sarah Pekkanen. I've previously read and enjoyed all the co-authored books she wrote with Greer Hendricks. This latest book from Pekkanen is a psychological thriller that I liked in parts, but never felt fully invested in.

I personally did not become invested in the lead character, and with the entire novel being from that character's first person pov, I struggled. I felt there was a lot of telling instead of showing or revealing. Giant red herrings throughout - I knew the obvious wouldn't be the final outcome, but it was hard to see past the misdirection. The suspense definitely built to the end, but again much of the resolution was told instead of shown. I didn't hate this book by any means, but overall I won't find it memorable.

ARC received from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.