This is a hard review for me. I enjoyed the book but didn't love it. This book sounded so interesting and I definitely thought there was going to be creepy child vibes. It did not disappoint on that front. I felt that the MC's whole side story/back story was not really adding anything to the story, especially when it concluded. I don't feel we really got to know any of the characters deeply enough and it felt like the kind of story you would need to have a deeper knowledge of the characters on. I enjoyed listening to the story, the narrator did a great job bringing it to life. The twists were good and I wanted to keep coming back to it. It just felt a little drawn out at time.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of this story.

Family secrets, deception and a mysterious death along with an eerie house with no glass. Don’t miss out on this amazing new novel from Sarah Pekkanen, who will having you questioning everyone’s motives and wondering who killed the nanny.
Rose Barclay is an 8-year-old girl whose parents are in the middle of a divorce and attorney Stella Hudson has been brought in to decide Rose’s custody. However, this isn’t your average custody issue. Most recently, Rose’s nanny was killed due to a fall from a window on the family’s property, the same nanny Rose’s father had an affair with. The traumatic death of the nanny also appears to have caused selective mutism in Rose, making Stella’s job even more complicated.

Despite Stella never previously meeting Rose, Stella’s own childhood experiences make Stella committed to protecting Rose, even if it means protecting her from herself and her loved ones.

As the story unfolds, this page turner of a novel provides details that make you question the nanny’s fall – was it an accident or was she pushed. Everyone in Rose’s family seems to be hiding something and it makes you question if it is guilt or are they trying to protect Rose or themselves.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#NetGalley #HouseOfGlass #SarahPekkanen

Rose is a 9-year old girl who has trauma mutism after seeing her nanny fall out of a window to her death. Or was she pushed? Or did Rose have something to do with it? Now, she is the center of a difficult custody battle between her parents- her dad who was having an affair with the nanny who was planning to share her pregnancy news with him the day she fell and her mom who had plenty of reason to be angry with the nanny. That is where Stella comes in. Stella is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. Before she makes her recommendation she is determined to figure out if either parent could be a killer, or if Rose is the threat.

I really enjoyed the build of the story. I thought the killer was a little obvious, but it did not take away from that storyline. I also thought Stella digging into her mom's death was interesting, but that storyline felt kind of random (20 years later and now you NEED all the details?) and the way it wrapped up seemed wildy too far fetched with all the connections.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Pekkanen has become a go-to author for me when I am looking to read a fast-paced thriller and this one did not disappoint!

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney assigned to determine who will receive custody of nine-year-old Rose Barclay in her parent's bitter divorce. Rose, however, can't make her wishes known since she is suffering from traumatic mutism following the tragic death (or murder?) of her nanny, Tina. As Stella tries to determine a good outcome for Rose, no one is safe from being a suspect as she tries to solve the mystery surrounding Tina's death and her own troubled past.

My only criticism is that the introduction of a love interest for Stella toward the end of the book was unnecessary and took away from the main plot.

Started out with potential but then just dwindled with Stella and her story which the author tried unsuccessfully to correlate with Rose. The book is all about Stella and her inability to deal with her mother ‘s death on a mature level for a woman in her working position. The Book tried to incorporate some supernatural and darkness but it fell short. Rose was certainly a victim but not sure how so much was overlooked in her home environment by her parents . A meh read.

This was quite disappointing. The spooky, tense atmosphere was well done but that’s about it. The twists were trite and eye rolling, as was the ultimate unsatisfying conclusion. Weirdly, despite Stella being the narrator, she has very little personality.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
HOUSE OF GLASS
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: thriller
📖 352 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 😱🎹🕵🏻‍♀️🚔🐴🔪🩰🏡📖👵🏼👩🏼‍🌾💊💉🐿️🫗
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 8/6/2024

𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱? 👍🏼

🩷𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🩷

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinpress for the #gifted copy!

HOUSE OF GLASS is a suspenseful, wild ride that kept me hooked from start to finish—definitely a bingeable thriller! I enjoyed the supporting characters, & the abundance of suspects kept me constantly guessing. The creepy house setting enhanced the atmosphere, & the numerous motives made it hard to know who to trust! The red herrings scattered throughout the plot kept me on my toes.

Told solely from Stella's POV, the narrative delves into her personal struggles & growth, which I found compelling. I appreciated how Stella's own experiences paralleled the case she takes on with Ruby, adding layers to the story.

Although I guessed the ending, the eerie journey was thoroughly enjoyable. The twists & turns 🌀, combined with Stella's development, made this a binge worthy read.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ single POV
◽️ creepy house setting
◽️ PTSD/ flashbacks

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: The Barclay family appears perfect, but they hide dark secrets. After their nanny dies under suspicious circumstances, 9 year old Rose, who witnessed the event, stops speaking. Lawyer Stella Hudson, despite her own past trauma, takes on Rose's case to uncover the truth. Inside the Barclay's grand home, Stella discovers a twisted web of lies & danger. As she delves deeper, everyone, including Rose, becomes a suspect in the nanny's death.

WOW! What an incredibly tangled, twisty story; I couldn't put it down! The author, Sarah Pekkanen is one amazing writer and you should definitely keep an eye out for her books.

The characterization was top notch in this one. I could feel the tension building up in the characters by their actions. and words. Pekkanen also managed to have a secondary story involving the main character, Stella, that slowly unraveled along with that of the young girl she was sent to help. In the end, all the questions were answered, but the author skillfully made me doubt what I thought I knew all along the way.

5 stars!

I liked the way the author had the FMC's past intertwined with Rose's past. I thought the depiction of childhood trauma was done well.
The book felt a bit long at times and it did take me longer than usual to finish it. But, it still kept me interested enough that I wanted to finish it and find out what would happen in the end. It kept me guessing and trying to figure out the twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen. This is my first book by this author and let me tell you it won't be my last! I loved this suspenseful story. It was brilliant! Stella became alive for me and I felt like I really got to know her. This was probably due to the sub-plots in the story. I feel like I would like to read another book about Stella. This book was unpredictable and it all made sense in the end! I gave it a 5 star rating and highly recommend it!

I absolutely love Sarah Pekkanen books. House of Glass did not disappoint.
Multiple characters, unexpected twists, and kept me on the edge the whole time.
I will always recommend this author. And can't wait for her next book.

After the death of her nanny, 9 year old Rose becomes mute. In wake of her parent’s divorce and the death of Tina, Stella (a best interest attorney) is called in to help decide the custody of Rose. Stella immediately starts to notice there’s something off about this family that appears to be picture perfect. The family claims Tina accidentally fell to her death, but is that actually what happened?

I love a good domestic thriller and this one did not disappoint. From marital problems to a suspicious death, House of Glass has it all.

Even though I guessed who was behind it all quite early on, I was still flipping pages to see if I was correct. I also found myself questioning everyone because this is a story where no one can be trusted. Not even 9 year old Rose.

This was an enjoyable, fast paced read that kept me on the edge of my seat.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is a very intense, emotionally dark book, that you just can't put down. I enjoyed this author's writing style, as it flows very will, making reading easy. The story has many layers, that just build upon each other..

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio (#MacAudio2024) for the ARC/ALC!

“Evil isn’t just a word; it’s a tangible, dimensional thing. It slithers through the air, shifting molecules and displacing energy as it considers various hunting grounds…”

Sarah Pekkanen is one of those authors I will always drop everything to read! Seriously every book of hers is better than the one before. With “House of Glass”, I was especially grateful I had the audio too because I did not want to put this book down! The story started off strong, with a mysterious feel to it and did not let up til the end. I loved Stella and enjoyed trying to figure out what the deal was with Rose. And a house literally with plastic in place of glass (windows, mirrors etc) and a child hiding sharp objects had me thinking I knew where this story was going…but I actually had no clue!

”I believe evil is a natural force, like a hungry virus perpetually swirling through the air and seeking places to infiltrate. Most of us bar the door against it. Others welcome it in…”

”House of Glass” releases August 6, 2024! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

This book was definitely compelling -- I finished it in less than 24 hours, because I wanted to know who committed the murder and what on earth was going on with Rose. After finishing it, though, I realized that the book was lacking in a couple of areas.

First, I really liked Stella's character. She's personable and sympathetic. However, at times I found her anxiety to be a little over the top. For someone who deals with children/teenagers enduring awful situations, she's really jumpy. I realize the point of the book was that this case made her more so. But at times it was a little hard to buy that she didn't have a thicker skin, considering the fact that she's the lawyer responsible for making sure children are safe after seeing the terrible things their families put them through.

Also, Sarah Pekkanen did such a good job of putting doubt in the reader's mind about Rose's intentions that the "back pedal" (for lack of a better term) that happens later feels inauthentic to the character Pekkanen herself has created. At times, readers are supposed to believe that Rose might, in fact, be capable of horrific crimes. Pekkanen crafts such a compelling argument that readers may have a hard time believing anything else.

Third, the romantic element feels unnecessary to the story. It just doesn't fit with the rest of the book. I wonder if this is a way to try to make sure Stella gets some resolution as far as her love life is concerned, but I wasn't concerned at all with her love life. I was only worried about the case with Rose. So the romance just felt completely out of place.

The reveal of the guilty party was well done, though, and I really liked that Pekkanen gave Stella a lot of agency. This character is a lawyer, but she's not walking into a situation blind. She takes precautions to protect herself and make sure she protects Rose too, and she does so over and over again despite her doubts and fears about what might actually be happening.

If you're looking for a fast read, this one definitely fits the bill.

Looooved the premise of this one! The character position (Best Interest Attorney) was a unique plot point that worked fabulously in this book. Add in a creepy house, a mute child, and interesting family dynamics and you’ve got yourself one heck of story! I enjoyed the red herrings placed throughout the book and was genuinely surprised by the ending because of them. The lead characters back story was an interesting one and in my opinion, it enhanced the story. I’m hopeful that setting up the character in this manner means sequel, because I found her job fascinating. My thanks to the publisher for the advanced reader in exchange for my honest review!

Sarah Pekkanen's new book, House of Glass, should really be called House of Red Herrings becasue she takes the reader on a wild ride.

"Nine-year-old Rose Barclay watched her nanny fall to her death. Was she pushed or was it an accident? With her parents also in the midst of a divorce, Rose stops speaking. Stella is an attorney assigned to custody cases to look out for the children's best interest. She finds a family where every one is deceptive. She has no idea who to trust and wonders if she is the one who needs protection."

Stella is there to help Rose and keeps looking for answers but cannot zero in on who is responsible for the nanny's death. She doesn't want to recommend custody for a murderer. Pekkanen spends a lot of time in Stella's head, especially with her similar backstory. There is a lot of misdirection. You will not guess the killer or the ending. Pekkanen throws in a couple of extra twists too.

I like Pekkanen's writing style. Psychological thriller fans will enjoy this one.

Oh man, Sarah Pekkanen does it again. This book hooked me from the very beginning. From untrustworthy characters to twists and turns (but nothing overly outrageous), this book is a must-read for me. The sinister premise is spine-tingling without being outright scary, making it the perfect thriller. I found myself thinking about it constantly and picking it up every free minute I had. If you're looking for a gripping read that keeps you guessing, add this one to your list. 4.5 stars!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Sarah Pekkanen for the ARC!

This is a story about an attorney, Stella, who is investigating a divorcing family to determine who should have primary custody of Rose, their nine-year-old child. This child, may or may not be evil. And, to complicate matters, a questionable fatal fall from a window has occurred in the house. Stella, herself, has childhood trauma that she has never been able to thoroughly process.

The plot is not straightforward. A lot is going on. But, it is well-written and easy to follow.

I found the process that Stella uses to determine the custody recommendation interesting. The smallest detail could be meaningful. I had no idea that so much would be involved. Because of Stella's own childhood, she throws herself, heart and soul, into the investigation.

The other characters, mother, father and grandmother, are all multi-layered. They seem to want the best for the child but they also have their own agenda. It's hard to decide who is trustworthy and who is truthful. Things are not always as they seem.

The last part of the book was very intense. There were a few surprises for me, some explanations that I needed. Everything is tied up neatly. I prefer that, as opposed to endings that leave the reader wondering.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Oh so quickly I thought I was smarter than the author and knew where this was going! Oh so much by the end of the book I found out I was wrong! The assumptions made and the twists combined for a story where the reader is at the mercy of waiting the story out. One thing I didn't really like was all the extra stuff after the end of the main storyline. I don't really feel like I needed it and dragged down the ending. Again, me of the anti-tied-up-with-a-bow ending club! But until that point, it was a stellar book and I loved that there were always several possibly ways the story could have gone.