Stella Hudson is an accomplished attorney whose specialty is exploring family dynamics and deciding which parent should be awarded custody of a child, or children, in a divorce settlement. She is also a grown-up seven-year-old little girl who cowered hiding in a closet in the living room while her mother slowly died of an overdose on the rug outside the closet door. She has never quite forgiven herself for not somehow "saving" her mother and suffered from traumatic mutism, which led to her not speaking for months after discovering her mother's body.

Now and old friend and fellow lawyer has recommended her for a case involving a nine-year-old girl with traumatic mutism after witnessing the death of her nanny following a fall from the third floor of her house. Stella doesn't want to take the case, but her friend, Charles, convinces her she may the the ONLY person who can reach this child, Rose.

This was SO good!!!!! I loved the twists and turns. It was unique and enjoyed how having unraveled. Can’t wait to read more by this author

This book had all the makings of a great thriller. It had me hooked from the beginning, had eerie and unsettling moments, I could barely put it down… but it got to a point where it felt too drawn out and the ending left me disappointed. I guessed some of the twists, didn’t see others coming. Ultimately I think I was waiting for a big gasp moment and that didn’t happen. Was this overall an entertaining read? Yes, but fell flat towards the end.

House of Glass had a lot going on. There are relationships and connections between characters that indicate a deep connection. The kinds of connections between people who will do anything for each other. While reading, our job is to discover who is trying to protect whom. Characters may have overstepped their rights and responsibilities but there are a few twists and turns that make me curious about the characters outside of this particular story.

This thriller was pretty good. Nothing really shocking or unique in my opinion but keep me engaged and always second guessing people. Thrillers are so hard to wow nowadays because there are so many. I like the way this author writes and would definitely continue to read more from her. You really can’t do wrong with this thriller, although I was expecting a bit of a different ending. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stella Hudson is an attorney who works for the best interest of children. She usually works with teenagers, but her mentor has recommended she work on behalf of Rose Barclay, who may or may not be safe in her own home.

Rose is 9 and lives with her parents and her father’s mother. After an incident at school, she’s been homeschooled. Her grandmother teaches her, and she has a language tutor and a piano teacher. Her parents have filed for divorce, and the family court thought that Rose needed someone to step in and protect her interests, especially since her nanny died.

Tina was Rose’s nanny. Then she had an affair with Rose’s father, Ian, and got pregnant. She lived in their house, on the third floor attic, where she had a lovely room with large windows. It was one of those windows that she fell (or was pushed?) and did not survive the fall. Rose was in the garden with her grandmother when it happened, and she hasn’t spoken a single word since. And now Stella is coming in to try to figure out what’s best for Rose moving forward.

Stella’s mentor hand-picked her for this assignment because he knows her background. Her father was killed in a car accident when she was very young. Her mother turned to drinking to face her grief, and then to drugs. One night, she put Stella in the closet to keep her safe, and Stella stayed in that closet all night waiting for her mother to come and get her. Finally, Stella opened the door and found her mother on the floor, dead from an overdose. She was sent to live with an aunt who didn’t want her, and she didn’t speak for a long time.

But from the first time she shows up at the Barclay house, Stella feels that there are secrets being hidden by the family. Ian and his wife Beth are reluctant to let Stella have access to Rose, and Rose can’t speak for herself. When Stella tries to talk to Rose’s grandmother, she feels blocked by her too. There is clearly something going on in the house, but Stella can’t get through.

She notices that all there is no glass in the Barclay house. The picture frames have all had their glass removed, the drinking glasses are all plastic, and all the windows are being replaced by plexiglass. She sees Rose reading Anne of Green Gables, but when Stella looks more closely, she sees a book about a violent killer under the Anne book jacket. She talks to some of Tina’s friends and finds out that she’d had strange things happen to her in the house. Some of her things had gone missing, and she’d heard voices.

Stella tries to put together everything she learns about the Barclays and their house, but she can’t quite figure out what’s going on. Did Ian kill the nanny when he found out she was pregnant? Did Beth kill her because she slept with Beth’s husband? Was it an accident? Or could Rose have gotten angry with her nanny and hurt her? It is up to Stella to figure out what happened, so she can tell the court what will keep Rose safe.

But as Stella gets closer and closer to the truth, she also gets closer and closer to a killer. Will she survive long enough to protect Rose, or will Stella not be able to keep anyone safe?

House of Glass is a domestic thriller from bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen, and it is filled with twists. There are secrets layered with secrets, many of them hidden behind Rose’s mutism. The plotting is first-rate, with all the ups and downs you would expect from a author of this caliber. I raced through this book to find out just what was happening in that house, and I was not disappointed in that ending.

I listened to the audio book for House of Glass, narrated by Laura Benanti. I thought she did a beautiful job. One thing I noticed with the audio is how Stella sounded so young and naïve at times. It makes sense with her childhood, and I thought it served the story well, but I was impressed with how Benanti could bring that forward so smoothly without making Stella sound incompetent or unprofessional. I thought she did an excellent job with Stella’s voice, and listening to this book was a joy. If you’re a fan of a domestic thriller, you will not want to miss this one. It’s fantastic.

Egalleys for House of Glass were provided by St. Martin’s Press and an early copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.

A best interest attorney, Stella Hudson has been assigned to evaluate nine-year-old Rose Barclay. It’s the most difficult case of Stella’s career. The n the middle of her parents’ divorce, Rose witnessed her nanny fall to her death from her second-floor window. Consequently, she developed traumatic mutism and hasn’t spoken since. The condition is familiar to Stella: she also experienced traumatic mutism as a child after her mother died of an overdose.

Rose’s expansive, almost archaic, house has to Stella a pernicious miasma, and she is alarmed and baffled when she realizes that there isn’t one piece of glass in the house. Moreover, as she meets with each family member to decide the best custody arrangement for Rose, Stella finds that every member of the family is lying to her.

Stella’s job is to ascertain what situation will be most healthy for Rose, but the person most at risk seems to be Stella herself since anyone in the Barclay family—mother, father, grandmother, even Rose herself—might be the nanny’s killer.

Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down! There’s just something so fascinating about evil children (or maybe that says something terrible about me!). Stella was a sympathetic character, extremely competent and compassionate yet still affected by her early trauma and subsequent years living in a loveless house with her aunt.

It put Stella in an interesting and stressful position—a scenario reminiscent of her own trauma where she needed to communicate with a resistant child unable to speak and adults unwilling to speak the truth.

Some of the developments were telegraphed fairly obviously—some characters waved major red flags—but I enjoyed Stella’s journey uncovering the mystery, and some aspects were so unbelievable as to be shocking (not in a bad way).

The book centers on questions of family, trauma, and forgiveness and is an oh so satisfying read. I prefer it to GONE TONIGHT.

House of Glass is a deftly plotted, atmospheric thriller that kept me on my toes from start to finish!
Stella Hudson is a "best interest attorney", her job is to represent the interests of children during divorce cases with custody battles. Her latest patient is nine-year-old Rose Barclay, who is not only dealing with her parents' impending divorce but also the recent death of her nanny, which may or may not have been an accident, and left Rose with traumatic mutism. Stella's efforts to get to know Rose are hampered in part by Rose's silence and dramatic mood swings, but perhaps even more by her parents and grandmother, who don't seem to want Stella to spend time alone with her client. What are they afraid of? Did one of them kill the nanny? And when Stella starts to experience some of the same strange occurrences the nanny reported before she died, she starts to wonder if she may be next. I loved the tense, moody tone, the multi-dimensional, engaging characters, and the difficult-to-decipher plot.

i liked this one! Sarah Pekkanen is a fave author of mine and i know her books will bring me out of a slump and pull me in right away—and this was no exception!

i was invested immediately, the short chapters and murder mystery had me hooked. throughout the first half, i was getting major THE PUSH or EVERYONE HERE IS LYING vibes. if you like those books, you’ll enjoy this one! i really liked how she made you question every character and who was really telling the truth. also i always find it fascinating when there’s a naughty/unique child in a thriller. it gets juicy!

domestic thrillers >>>>> so good

the ending is what lost me a bit? not sure how i pictured it ending but i felt like it was a bit random to me or i wanted something different, it’s hard to explain. i knew we were getting a ton of red herrings and that didn’t bother me but when the twist was revealed it didn’t give an “OMG” reaction. also the love story at the end felt quite random and i’m not sure what it did for the plot.

i think i favor some of her other work more than this but i still enjoyed the read :) thanks to St Martins Press for the gifted early copy!

Another thrilling, un-putdownable story from Pekkanen! This story kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing the entire time! I loved it!

5 gloriously beautiful stars! I couldn’t put this edge of the seat thriller down. Loved everything about it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

What a creepy book, girl, family, house.....etc.... I was so excited to start this one and was sadly interrupted by going to work, so I had to stop for a few days. What a finish! When nine year old Rose, witnessed her nanny falling from the 3rd floor of their creepy mansion, her mind and body shut down. She was so traumatized she stopped talking. Stella is investigating the case and is disturbed by the setup and looks at everyone in the house as a suspect...even Rose.
Rose is hiding behind her book Anne of Green Gables, but she is also hiding behind an even creepier book. She also has a strange attraction to sharp objects. What secrets are her mom and dad hiding? Anytime there is a crawling chill involving a kid as a suspect, it ups the psychological factor for me.
The story doesn't give anything away, so the ending is worth the wait. What an awesome book and written uniquely well. All of Sarah Pekkanen's books have been a hit with me and I can't wait for the next one. Well written and planned!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review

Sarah Pekkanen’s House of Glass was a real thriller with twists around every corner. Her book also deals with human frailties and family dynamics which really added to the story. The main character, Stella, is interviewing the family to determine which parent should have custody in a bitter divorce. Their nine year old daughter has witnessed one of the family murdering her nanny and has traumatic mutism. Stella finds out so much about the family, but also has reason to suspect any of them could be guilty. Even the nine year old! You will want to read this book, there is a lot going on. There were a few parts to the story that didn’t seem like they belonged, but I still enjoyed this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this pre-release copy. The opinions stated are entirely my own.

Thank you, St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of House of Glass.

Sarah Pekkanen did not disappoint. This book grabbed my attention and kept it page after page. I was left guessing. Everyone was a murder suspect at one point or another, and I do mean everyone. It was a little bit of a slow burn, but the flame was hot! You will be so happy you picked this one up!!

Rose Barclay is just nine-years-old and is facing so much more than any child should have to. Her parents are embattled in a bitter divorce and custody fight, and she just witnessed her nanny falling out of a window. Whether the nanny's death was on purpose or an accident is yet to be seen. Stella Hudson is appointed as a best interest attorney to help decide a custody agreement that would work best for Rose. Although she doesn't normally accept younger clients, the judge believes that Stella is the best for the job based on Stella's own childhood trauma. Rose is currently diagnosed with traumatic mutism which is the same thing Stella went through after finding her own mother dead. As Stella comes closer and closer to unraveling the secrets of the Barclays, she may find herself in danger, too, not just from the present but also her past.

House of Glass is the first book I have read by Sarah Pekkanen and I'm always excited to find a psychological thriller author who keeps me on the edge of my seat. I've read so many books in this genre that I often figure out the "twist" or the ending, but this one kept me guessing the entire time.

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney who must decide which parent Rose Barclay, a nine-year old girl, should live with in her parents' custody dispute. The parents are divorcing after Rose's pregnant-by-her-father nanny falls (or was she pushed?!) out the attic window of the family home. Rose witnesses her nanny's death. and the trauma causes her to go mute. Stella also experienced mutism as a child after her mother's death so she's the perfect attorney for the case. Rose exhibits some creepy behavior and starts collecting sharp objects like shards of glass to use as weapons. Is it possible that Rose killed her nanny? Or could it be her father who killed his mistress or her mother in a fit of rage after she finds out about the infidelity or possibly her grandmother who lives with the family? Or maybe the nanny just jumped to get away from this extremely crazy, dysfunctional family?!! What a wild ride!

The only reason this book wasn't five stars for me is that I felt like the side story with Stella's own decades old trauma was superfluous to the main storyline. I liked Stella's character, but for me her story was meh in comparison to the intrigue of the crazy Barclay family.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of this book. It is now available for purchase. Happy reading!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review your book!! I really enjoyed this story!! If you like short chapters, a creepy house with an even creepier kid, and a a domestic family suspense, then this book is definitely for you!! Be sure to add this to your TBR list before spooky season arrives!

Thank you to @sarahpekkanen @macmillan.audio & @stmartinspress for the #gifted #ARC & #audiobook of #HouseOfGlass

#SarahPekkanen is an auto-read author for me & House of Glass is another example of why. She consistently knocks it out of the park.

In her latest #psychological #thriller (available now), we follow #attorney Stella Hudson who has been appointed attorney ad litem to be a voice for 9-year-old Rose in her parents’ volatile #divorce. Stella is there to look out for Rose’s best interest. As if the bitter divorce & trying to determine which parent would be the best option to have custody of Rose wasn’t daunting enough, Stella is facing other unsettling issues at the Barclay residence.

First, there is zero glass at the residence, which is very odd. Why? Then there’s Rose who does not speak & collects any sharp object she can get her hands on. THEN, there’s the issue of the recently deceased #nanny, Tina, who died after falling out of her bedroom window - - did she fall or was she pushed? And Rose witnessed this event but won’t speak to clear up any questions about it.

With literally everyone lying & a potential suspect in the nanny’s death - - even Rose - - Stella’s job has become a lot more complex....and dangerous.

Stella was such a fabulous character. She took on the job of attorney ad litem AND murder detective like a pro. She never gave up on Rose’s best interest, even when she was #creepy AF. The Barclay family had LOTS of issues & Stella handled them with grace whereas I would have…….well, I better not say how I would have handled it.

This #book was full of #mystery, #suspense, fabulous twists & plenty of potential #whodunits to figure out. It hooked me from the beginning & kept a steady & quick pace throughout making it a very bingeworthy #read.

Definitely a #mustread to add to your #TBR!

#2024 #August #NewRelease #Bookstagram #Reading #Audio #Review #Fiction #Adult #Contemporary #Crime #MacAudio2024

I really enjoyed this book and the premise of the story was great. I felt like the pacing was good and I enjoyed the character development! Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Sarah Pekkanen for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I stayed interested throughout! I loved that Stella as an attorney of best interest; I'm not sure if that's a real thing but I thought it was a neat plot angle. Rose was a well written character, and there were some parts where I was a bit freaked out!

4.5/5 stars

House Of Glass is a riveting psychological thriller/domestic suspense book.

This book is creepy and I was fascinated right from the start.

The main character is Stella Hudson. She is a lawyer with a troubled childhood. Stella is a recently divorced best interest attorney. She is appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases.

In this case the child that she is trying to help is 9 year old Rose. Her nanny died under mysterious circumstances. And now Rose's parents are getting divorced and Rose no longer speaks.

Everyone at Rose's home is lying. The house is full of secrets. And the house is dark and disturbing. There are Beth and Ian (Rose's parents) and her grandmother Harriet. Plus some of Rose's behavior is quite troubling.

I really enjoyed Stella because she was dealing with her own issues. And I liked how her own childhood traumas were incorporated into the story.

This book was compelling and I could not put it down. I definitely recommend this book. It was so good!

Stella is a best interest attorney and has taken on a 9 year old girl, Rose as a client. Stella's job is to help the court determine the best placement for Rose as her parents go through a messy divorce made even messier by an open police investigation... Rose's nanny is dead and the circumstances are highly suspicious.

Stella shows up to their house where the divorcing couple are still living together, and where the suspicious death has occurred, and is immediately faced with a child who has stopped speaking after witnessing her nanny's death. She has also been collecting sharp objects. The family dynamic is strange and it is nearly impossible to get to the bottom of what has happened in this home. Time is running out for Stella to make a determination on how custody should be worked out for Rose after the divorce is finalized. It's feeling like a life or death choice to make.

Throughout the book, Stella's childhood traumas are brought to the forefront and truths about her parents and her past come out.

House of Glass starts out strong and gets a little muddled toward the last half, but is still a thoroughly enjoyable thriller.