This was such a fast paced and twisty thriller! Every chapter ended with revelation that kept me reading and refusing to put it down. I also appreciated the ways in which the twists were revealed throughout.

Stella is an attorney who works on behalf of the court in figuring out who children should go to in contentious custody hearings. She is also carrying her own childhood trauma, neglect, and abuse with her. All of this converges when she takes the case of Rose Barclay - a 9 year old who has trauma induced muteness after witnessing her nanny fall to her death out of a window at her estate home. As Stella investigates the nanny’s murder, it’s clear it could be anyone, including Rose herself and that finding what’s best for Rose could be both impossible and dangerous.

While she’s investigating Rose and her family, Stella also decides to look into the drug overdose death of her own mother, which brings its own sets of unexpected outcomes. The two mysteries mirror each other and Stella’s hope of helping her small self was such a good and important part of this book!! I also loved the found family aspects of Stella’s life and the reality that occasionally those people can let you down. I also felt like Glass House handled Stella’s mom’s drug addiction with care, not just judgment, which added so many good layers to the story. I really enjoyed this thriller, which hits stands Tuesday, 8/6! Check it out if you love thrillers too!!

Stella Hudson works as a best-interest attorney, speaking on behalf of children in critical situations. She typically only takes on older children, as a result of her own childhood trauma. When her close confidant and colleague asks her to take on a case with a 9 year old girl with traumatic mutism, it threatens to hit way too close to home, as Stella also suffered from this around that age after the death of her mother. Stella feels compelled to take on the case of Rose Barclay, whose parents are divorcing after an affair between her father and nanny was discovered - and the nanny fell to her untimely death at their home. Stella is tasked with figuring out the best custody arrangement for Rose - but is there anywhere Rose will truly be safe?

This was another great suspense novel from Sarah Pekkanen! I listened to the audiobook and the narration kept me on the edge of my seat. The author did a great job of making you think one thing was happening, and then twisting it back in an unexpected way. It’s a story where multiple people could be suspects, and the truth isn’t found out until the very end. This author writes about an area that I’m very familiar with and she clearly knows it well. Bonus points for doing the research to know that you can’t record someone in Maryland without their consent but you can in D.C. - I love it when someone does their research haha! This was another winner and I’m already looking forward to whatever’s next!

This was such a solid twisty thriller, I really loved it!
I was completely on the edge of my seat the entire book and was flipping those pages as fast as I could read.
I absolutely loved the storyline and was trying to make guesses as I read of how it was going to turn out.
I think the characters were very well done, they were given just enough back story to get you hooked on them while also containing tons of mystery to keep you guessing.
I also really liked the fact that we almost had two stories in one, it kept me incredibly interested and had me not able to put this book down.
I was wrong with my guess as to what was going to happen and I absolutely loved watching everything unravel and figuring out all that really happened.
Fantastic thriller and I would highly recommend it.
Thank you NetGalley for my arc copy, this opinion is my own.

I enjoyed this one. That said, I wish there had been more of a surprise with the outcome of who the guilty party was. The list of characters was rather small so there weren’t a lot of options as to who that would be. Really only three suspects. Quick read.

I really enjoyed this read! The characters were relatable and multi-dimensional and the story kept me hooked all the way through.

On the surface, the Barclays appear to lead the perfect existence in their palatial home tucked away in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Beth, an heiress to millions, is married to Ian, a handsome and doting father to their prodigious young daughter, Rose, who is full of academic and artistic promise. But when their nanny, Tina, mysteriously plunges to her death at the Barclay estate, the murder investigation and exposed secret affair between Ian and Tina threatens to shatter the family’s golden image for good.

Stella Hudson is the best interest attorney appointed to represent 9-year-old Rose after Beth and Ian file for divorce and fight for sole custody. Stella, who sees much of her own traumatic past in her new young client, quickly discovers not everything that glitters is gold. As Stella spends more time with young Rose, who can no longer speak due to trauma-induced mutism, she becomes obsessed with finding out who killed Tina in this gripping psychological thriller that was hard for me to put down.

This story is fast-paced with cliffhanger chapter endings and twists I never saw coming. I’m used to mystery thrillers starting off strong and slowing down halfway through, but this kept going right through the last page. The D.C. backdrop was the icing on the cake for me.

CW: child abuse, drug abuse

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

An intriguing psychological thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end. Well developed main character that will catch your attention and make you want to follow her story to the end.

House of Glass
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was so good. I had to read it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. It is a great Thriller. You won't have it figured out till the end. I read the book & did the audio. Both were great. It was a complete full story. You need to make sure you get it for you beach bag.
Thank you NetGalley!!

I could not put this book down! It was so fast paced and I loved all the twists of this story, especially the parallels between all the characters and solving the mysteries in Stella’s life. I feel like readers are kept guessing up until the very end, which I love. I had a guess at what happened but still wasn’t sure how the ending would wrap everything up. I was very happy with the ending and overall loved this book!

An atmospheric whodunits with a touch of Great Expectations? I'm here for it.

We meet Stella, a Best Interests Attorney who advocates for children when no one in their lives seems to be pure of heart. She thinks she's seen it all, until she meets the Barclays. Their nanny has just died in a terrible accident - or was she murdered? - and seeing as how she was pregnant with Mr. Barclay's child, a divorce is in the works. Caught between 2 parents and an ever-present grandma, Rose Barclay, age 9, will not say which parent she wants to live with more. Will not, or cannot - Rose has gone mute after seeing her nanny fall through a window and hit the concrete patio.

While Stella spends more time than she would like in the Barclay's, a haunted house of horrors, we learn more about her background. Stella is getting divorced, and the only person she can turn to is Charles - who also happens to be the judge who asked her to work with Rose. He's like a father figure to her, having given her a receptionist job at his law firm while she was still a high school student. Raised by her aunt, who clearly resented her after both of her parents tragically died, it seems like Charles is the only one who has always been there for her.

Pekkanen seamlessly weaves Stella's tale along with Rose's as the reader comes to grips as to what really happened with the Barclays. Which one of them is the best person to take care of Rose? Or does Rose need another type of help entirely?

In the end, there are maybe one too many twists, especially in Stella's backstory, to be completely believable and a few details could be edited out. But overall, House of Glass is a taut, fast-paced roller coaster of a novel that earns every one of these 4 stars.

Rose Barclay is 9 years old and witnesses her nanny, Tina, fall to her death. She then suffers from traumatic mutism, in that she won’t talk. All the members of Rose’s family are home when this happens- her mom, dad, and grandmother. It could have been an accident, as the window was low to the ground, but all the members of the household attest that they weren’t anywhere near Tina, when she fell. To complicate matters, Rose’s father had an affair with TIna and now Rose’s parents are getting divorced. Stella, is a lawyer, assigned to Rose’s case. Her job is to figure out what is best for Rose in regards to her parent’s divorce, as far as who she should live with and what visitation rights should be given. Her job is complicated by the nanny’s death, as she doesn’t want to send Rose to live with a murderer. However, she was assigned to Rose’s case because she also experienced traumatic mutism as a kid and can help Rose get over it. There is some intrigue as everyone in Rose’s family is considered suspect by Stella. However, I liked the first 20% and the last 20%. Everything in the middle was such a slow burn, that I was even bored by the story. Overall, just an okay thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader’s copy.

Format:📱 Ebook

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.4

In House of Glass, Stella Hudson becomes the best interest attorney of nine-year-old Rose Barclay, who suffers from traumatic mutism following the suspicious death of her nanny.

✴️ World building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
It's a slow start, but it does actually work really well in building up this story.

✴️ Writing style/ flow: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Slower-paced, yet intriguing. Some of the flashbacks are long and it makes it hard to go back to what was currently taking place.

✴️ Character development: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a survivor of trauma, I could completely relate to the character of Stella. The description of the emotions she had currently and from flashbacks of the past were depicted so vividly.

✴️ Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
~ The story is unexpectedly spooky around every corner and leaves you wanting more.
* Someone called the cops and said they heard a woman screaming for help, oof! Without spoiling it, this part totally gave me the creeps and I couldn't stop reading!
* When Rose disappears and Stella finds her - okay, this is also creepy. 😅
~ Oooh there's a flirtatious love interest 🤔👀💖
~ The ending! Oh, my heart! 🥹 This book wraps up everything so well.

✴️ Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wow! This isn't an edge-of-your-seat thriller, but it's more of a slower and complex character-driven story that is absolutely captivating!

This is the first book I've read by Sarah Pekkanen, and I will definitely be reading more!


*** Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen begins with ad-litem attorney Stella Hudson, a passionate advocate, who takes on the case of nine-year-old Rose, caught in the middle of her wealthy parents’ contentious divorce and nasty custody battle. Complicating matters, Rose has gone mute after the traumatic loss of her nanny, who fell to her death out of a window at the Barclay’s residence. Stella’s work is made more difficult by Rose’s parents and grandmother, who want nothing more than to have Stella out of their way. Determined to help Ruth, Stella uncovers the family’s secrets and lands in danger’s way. There are many secrets that need uncovering to protect Rose from being placed with the wrong parent. Everyone is considered a suspect. With a lot of twists and turns, the author will keep you on your toes.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #Berkley

A thriller.. a 9 year old caught in the midst of her parents divorce begins acting oddly. Where is the glass in the house? Why? What happened to her nanny. This book gives you chills as you follow court appointed Stella wading though lies and mysteries to figure out the best interest of this possibly murderous young girl!

When a young nanny falls to her death, the family that employs her comes under intense scrutiny. Rose Barclay, the child who witnessed the fall and is caught in the middle of her parent’s bitter divorce, is appointed a best interest attorney in Stella Hudson. With a child who won’t speak and a family hiding a whole host of secrets, Stella must work to get to the bottom of what went on in the house of “glass”.

Although this was technically a buddy read, I could not help but binge this book in a sitting. Oops. Sarah Pekkanen has a way of setting the scene by creating this very ominous, intense atmosphere that adds an extra layer to the story. Small details, such as the lack of glass, are what helped make the house and people in it creepy AF.

Because Pekkanen spends as much time on her characters as she does on her plot line (something many thriller writers do not do), every character ends up feeling three dimensional and life-like. So much so in fact, that I found myself questioning each and every one of them throughout the story. As twist by twist is revealed, I had no idea what the ultimate outcome would be. For someone who reads a ton of thrillers, that is rare these days.

🎧 This book is phenomenal on audio, narrated brilliantly by actress Laura Benanti. I would suggest doing an immersive read of this book, using both the physical/ebook and the audiobook together for the best reading experience.

Read if you like:
• psychological thrillers
• whodunnits
• large casts
• atmospheric reads
• quick reads

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies.

House of Glass is another suspenseful book by Sarah Pekkanen. I have read several books written by Pekkanen and enjoyed them all. This book has plenty of twists that kept me guessing how this story would end.

(3.5⭐️) This book was a wild ride. It drew me in from the first chapter, and kept a thread of suspense the entire way through, making this an easy one to binge. Creepy little kid characters are such a draw in a thriller setting, and it worked well here. I do think it was a pretty slow burn for a thriller, and there were times in the middle where it dragged and things felt a little repetitive, and I wanted the story to move more forward than it was. However, the last section of the book really picks up, some things are revealed (not shocking to me but a little surprising), and might’ve been my favorite part of the whole book.

I switched between Audio and E on this and I really enjoyed both. I loved the dynamic between the characters. I found it difficult to trust them all and did not like what they had to say (or did not have to say) through most of the book. There were creepy and chilling scenes that definitely had me on the edge of my seat. I figured out the ending pretty quickly, but it did not stop me from enjoying how the book played out. I liked the story line - a nanny falls (or is pushed) from a window and dies. The child she is watching becomes mute from the trauma. A lawyer is assigned to figure out which parent should have custody in their divorce. The Grandma was with the child when the Nanny died. The lawyer has her own traumatic past, which adds to the drama of the book. Overall, this was really well done and enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The author is the reason I wanted to read this book. Sarah Pekkanen has become a favorite of mine over the years. I really liked the premise of this story. It is about a best interest attorney for a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny. The child doesn’t speak and her parents are going through a divorce. While reading, I didn’t know who to trust and considered everyone a suspect at some point. And I mean everyone! There were so many layers to this story and I liked how everything tied together. I thought this was a great psychological thriller and really enjoy Sarah‘s writing. I recommend checking this one out next time you’re in the mood for whodunnit that will keep you guessing until the end.

This psychological thriller starts out with the mysterious death of Tina, the nanny to Rose Barclay, the 9 year old daughter of a wealthy New York couple. Tina falls to her death from the 3rd floor attic window of the Barclay mansion, Rose witnessing it all. Ever since then, Rose will not speak and is diagnosed with 'traumatic mutism'. 'Omen' vibes anyone???

As the Barclays' are already in the throes of a divorce proceedings, Stella Hudson is brought in to work with Rose. Stella is a 'best interest' attorney, the type of attorney that is hired to represent the best interests of the child during such cases. This was interesting as I didn't know these types of lawyers existed before.
She usually works with teenagers, but her boss assigns this case to Stella since she had a similar childhood episode when her mom died, that rendered her mute.
Everyone is a suspect at this point when it's discovered that Tina was pregnant with Ian's (Rose's father) baby.
Did the wife kill Tina, the husband, or was it just an unfortunate accident? Rose is creepy incarnate as she sulks around the house, avoiding Stella. Rose collects sharp objects, Rose is reading books about Ted Bundy, and Rose spies on people in their bedrooms.
Could Rose herself be a suspect or just a traumatized innocent?

Stella is on the case and hopes to soon find out, but is haunted by her similar past and dysfunctional relationship with her mother. We go back and forth between the present day and flashbacks from Stella's childhood. There are long stretches like this when the author abandons the original plot and digs deep into Stella's past and the causes of her fears of abandonment and insecurities, all which prevent her from being loved in adulthood. This becomes tedious at times, and drags out Stella's investigation. She runs through the timeline of events again and again in her head until things start to come together. The true conclusion is anti-climatic but there is a good twist with her boss who ended up having a past relationship with her mother, which explains a few things. This is really a story about 2 little girls with similar pasts/conditions that end up being thrown together, like it or not. It wasn't that suspenseful, thrilling, or scary, but an entertaining read.