Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC! I loved loved loved this. From the first chapter, I was pulled in and intrigued by the MC’s and the story the unfolded as the story progressed.
This has all of the creepy “my kid might be a psychopath” vibes, and I enjoyed it very much!

You can always rely on Sarah Pekkanen for a great ride. House of Glass was a real page turner and I couldn’t put it down. I don’t know if it’s a thriller or a psychological suspense story but it had all the elements that you would expect from both.

The story centers around what appears to be a perfect family - wealth, a beautiful home, a nanny to look after nine year old Rose, parents and a grandmother. The one big problem here is that the parents are getting divorced and oh yeah, the nanny has just been murdered. The story is told from Stella’s perspective and she is charged with determining who should get custody of Rose. She acts like a detective, trying to determine what happened to the nanny and who would be the better parent to gain custody. Rose is not much help because she’s in shock and can’t or won’t speak. Interestingly, Stella went through a childhood trauma and was unable to speak, so we learn about what happened to her along the way.

As soon as Stella enters the house, she knows something is off here. There is no glass in the house, including mirrors, and the windows are plexiglass. The characters are all very interesting and well defined. The book grabs you from the first page and literally you won’t be able to put it down. And, if you think you have it figured out, guess again. I thought I did and I was wrong.There are plenty of twists to keep your attention and on the edge of your receipt.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really liked the synopsis and it started off strong and intriguing but the last few chapters including the plot twist dragged on for me. I still liked it and would recommend it but my likeness of the book faltered 75% of the way through.

I found this to be a good book. It was a little predictable but there were enough twists throughout to keep me reading and wanting to know what happens next. If you like a thriller, you will probably enjoy this one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is a highly recommended novel of psychological suspense.

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney (BIA) in Washington D.C. who is appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. Normally she doesn't accept clients under thirteen, but it is believed that Stella is the best choice to help nine-year-old Rose Barclay. After witnessing the death or murder of her nanny Tina de la Cruz, Rose immediately stopped talking. Stella also experienced traumatic mutism as a child after the death of her mother. The police are investigating the case, the parents are in the midst of divorcing, and Stella's job is to interview the family and observe how they interact with each other to determine what would be best for Rose.

The Barclay family seems far more troubled and secretive than Stella expected. They all have motives and are suspects in Tina's death. Ian, Rose’s dad, was having an affair with Tina, who was pregnant with his child when she died. Beth, Rose’s mom, is very guarded and claims to have a glass phobia now so all glass in the house has been replaced with plastic. Harriett, Rose’s grandmother and Ian's mother, has been staying with them while recovering from knee surgery. Even Rose herself is a suspect as she is secretly collecting sharp objects that could be used as weapons.

House of Glass is very well written. The suspense, tension, and sense of dread slowly build as characters are introduced. I appreciated following Stella's actual investigation which further increased the tension as no one is trustworthy, everyone is a suspect. It really is an unpredictable, excellent plot that held my complete attention.

This was a five star rating until the end when a totally unnecessary relationship that added nothing to the plot was introduced. It felt completely out of place, like it was added after the novel was already written to fulfill some requirement. I'll be looking forward to Pekkanen's next novel. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

A who-dun-it type book with a couple of (obvious) twists. A nanny fell/was pushed to her death, and there are multiple witnesses. This goes through the suspects to get to the truth. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

After a nanny plungeing out a window to her death turns into a cold case, attorney Stella Hudson is assigned as a best interest attorney for the youngest family member, Rose, whose parents are going through a divorce. After getting to know the family, Stella can't help but dig deeper into the mystery of who pushed the nanny.

This was such a great book! The plot was quite unique and was pretty fast-paced and kept me hooked. I loved how Stella had her own side story; the background and character development for her was perfect. As far as the culprit, I suspected everyone at some point, and the author did a fantastic job of red herrings and making the ending a surprise. Looking back, everything that led up to the conclusion made perfect sense to me with nothing seeming far-fetched. I finished in less than a day, as I could not put this one down.

Awwww this was such a cute story. I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. It was just so easy to get into these characters lives and you just can't help but fall in love with them. I can't wait to see what's next from this author.

This is one of the best books I have read so far this year. Stella is a lawyer who is supposed to evaluate 9-year-old Rose Barclay and her living situation to see which parent should be granted custody of her after their divorce is final. Rose's Nanny, Tina, dies after a mysterious fall from her third floor window. This accident has left Rose unable to speak. Stella has a lot of issues she has to deal with related to her childhood and her recent divorce. Rose is a strange child who has no friends, the parents are strange and Grandma who lives with them and tutors Rose is also strange. The combination of these things made for a great page turner that I really enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this great thriller.

House of Glass is the kind of psychological thriller I really like. The character development is well-done, and the main character has a back story that is interesting and relevant to both her personality and the current plot. The sense of foreboding is well-developed and the twists are ones of emotion and psychology as the MC learns more and starts to fit the pieces together. I appreciated that there weren't a ton of subplots and red herrings, but the suspense was still maintained. The writing is excellent, and the author is especially good at developing a sense of dread that exists in the house. I listened to half of this, but the narrator sounded so desperate all the time, I switched away from the audio. This is definitely a book I'll be recommending to readers who like psychological thrillers, and we'll probably use it as a selection for our store's thriller book club.

This was a quick read! Ther Barclay family’s nanny has fallen through a third story window and died… was it an accident, or was she pushed? Everyone in the family is a potential suspect in House of Glass.

When nine-year-old Rose’s parents file for divorce, attorney Stella is assigned to the case to help determine what custody arrangement would be in Rose’s best interest. The kicker: Rose hasn’t spoken since the incident with her nanny.

This was a very intriguing story and an interesting premise. To be honest, the level of intrigue in the set up (e.g., a mute girl and a house with no glass) didn’t quite have the level of payoff in the end that I would’ve hoped. There was a lot of telling vs. showing in the final 10% of the book as the story wrapped up.

I did thoroughly enjoy it, nonetheless. I also enjoyed portions of the book via audio, and found the narrator did a great job imparting the right amount of emotion into the read.

This is akin to a fun spin on The Silent Patient, if you enjoyed that book. Good read!

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s press, and the author for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Stella Hudson is an attorney appointed to represent children in contested divorce cases to help the court make custody determinations that are in the best interest of the child. Her most recent case is hitting a little close to home. Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl suffering from traumatic mutism after seeing her nanny fall to her death at the family home. After spending some time with the family, Stella starts to suspect that the nanny's fall wasn't an accident and everyone in the creepy mansion is a suspect—including Rose. But Rose's situation is especially fraught for Stella who also suffered from traumatic mutism as a child after discovering her mother dead in their home. Rose's case brings up questions from Stella's own past and she struggles with making the right recommendation for Rose and working through her own traumatic past.

I liked the character development in this book, especially Stella. And I liked how Pekkanen wove together the past and present story lines. I also liked the general who-done-it theme which kept me guessing until the end—even when I thought I had figured it out, turns out I was wrong. The narrative was compelling, and I love a troubled child theme. I also liked the short, fast-paced chapters, which made the book a quick and easy read. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
House of Glass
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Thriller
ARC review! Thank you so much Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC! I loved every second of this one! Stella is a best interest attorney and she is assigned to a case of a nine year old with trauma induced mutism, whose parents are going through a messy divorce. On top of it all, the husband had an affair with the nanny who also suffered a mysterious death in their home… Rose, the child, also has a strange fear of glass. This book was super creepy, and had me sweating as I was reading. I loved it so much. The characters were all super interesting and reading Stella’s past and her own trauma around her mother’s death kept me intrigued. All of the family members are suspects in this one. A classic who done it murder mystery. Sarah is one of my favorite thriller authors. I started reading her books back in 2019 (Anonymous Girl was my first!). Shes absolutely amazing and I can’t wait for more of her work. This book releases on 8/6!

It should come as no surprise that Sarah Pekkanen’s latest thriller HOUSE OF GLASS is a wild ride of psychological suspense.

When Stella Hudson, a “best interest attorney” (guardian ad litem) Is tasked with finding the most suitable custody arrangement for Beth and Ian Barkley regarding their nine year old piano child prodigy, Rose, she believes it is just another case. Ian and Beth are divorcing after Ian had an affair with Rose’s nanny, Tina Dela Cruz, who becomes pregnant and then falls (or is pushed) from a third floor window at their estate. Since Beth holds the very affluent purse strings in the family, Ian is worried about losing his money source and the home for his family, including his disabled mother, Harriet who has a very close bond with Rose.

Stella has had a very tumultuous upbringing with a mother who apparently overdosed when she was a child and a father who died in a car wreck. She was then raised by a cold, sinister aunt. Rose has also had an unstabled upbringing. A piano prodigy, she is now homeschooled and is continuing to hone her craft and even learning to speak Chinese. Unfortunately, she saw her nanny fall and was so upset by the event she is now traumatically mute. AND there are very strange things happening in this creepy home. There are no sharp objects immediately available and the windows do not contain glass but plexiglass. Stella cannot seem to put her finger on it but things are not as they seem. Some of her things are disappearing, she is receiving warnings and threats and she is now having flashbacks of what happened when her mother died. While she still has a loving and supportive ex-husband in Marco, her biggest supporter is and has been Charles since she was about 19 years old. An issue of trust brought them together and he has acted as a father figure in her life ever since. As Stella continues to dig into Rose’s family life, more inconsistencies become apparent, like why she is homeschooled, what’s up with the glass and what really happened with the Nanny. After meeting with the various people in Rose’s life, Stella becomes even more convinced that all is not right in the Barclay home. She and Charles come up with a plan to try to get to the truth. Then, at the 12th hour, Beth and Ian decide not to divorce and call off the entire divorce/custody plan, but Stella can’t let go as she feels a visceral connection to Rose.

As with most previous Sarah Pekkanen novels, I could not put this down. It had me by the throat on page one and did not let up until all the secrets came to life. I could feel myself creeping through the old estate as I tried to put the pieces together. My blood was racing and my heart was in my throat.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. This was a good, fast-paced thriller that I read in just a few hours. I don’t always love a thriller that centers an “evil” child, but I am glad this one turned out the way it did. Probably a 3.5 star read for me.

Was there ever a time in your childhood when you just couldn't tell anyone what was wrong?

That’s Rose Barclay’s problem: She suffers from traumatic mutism after witnessing the death of her nanny. With her parents both angling for sole custody, the court appoints Rose a BIA (Best Interest Attorney) in order to make the best recommendations on her behalf. Stella Hudson became a BIA partly because at one time she suffered from traumatic mutism after finding her mother’s dead body. Rose is a little younger than Stella’s usual clients, but no other BIA is as uniquely qualified to represent her.

House of Glass is a really entertaining novel with a lot of page-turning fun. The front half of the book is really engaging and compelling, but the back half felt a little messy to me. It didn’t feel as suspenseful or as compelling. The pacing was also tidier in the front half than the back.

I enjoyed most of the characters. There were a few that came across as a little transparent in their motives, but that could possibly be due to it being close to the end of summer and it’s thriller season. Rose and Stella were especially fun to read, especially when they were in a scene together on their own. I also enjoyed Charles as a character, especially earlier in the book.

The story is a good one, but I felt like the ending could’ve been done better. I felt like the motive behind the murder was there but was still pretty murky when Pekkanen could’ve made it a clearer point. I also didn’t like the ultimate ending too much. Overall, this is an entertaining summer thriller with a lot of themes around stolen childhoods, grief, absent parents, surrogate parents, childhood advocacy, deceit, and the dissolution of marriage.

I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Domestic Thriller/Murder Thriller/Psychological Fiction/Suspense Thriller

House of Glass

Y’all. This one was a WILD ride. I’m not a regular thriller reader but I enjoy trying one every now and again. A great, trust-no-one adventure that I could not put down because I had to know how it all played out!

Stella is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve Rose, a traumatically mute 9-year old girl reeling from the tragic death of her nanny, caught in a custody battle between her divorcing parents. Stella navigates all the relationships around Rose as she tries to figure out what’s best for Rose and what really happened to the nanny.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a fast paced family drama thriller!

I alternated between the ARC and ALC. The narrator did a fabulous job building suspense and suspicion with all the characters.

Thank you to Macmillan audio and St. Martins Press for this ARC/ALC! House of Glass is on shelves August 6, 2024! My opinions are my own.

I'm withholding my review of House of Glass in solidarity with the #SpeakUpSMP boycott. Please visit https://r4acollective.org/about/ for more information.

I’ve always enjoyed Sarah Pekkanen’s collaborations with Greer Hendricks, so I was really excited to receive this ARC. I actually ended up getting a copy from BOTM as well and am glad to own a physical copy since it was so good!

This book was so easy to get into from the beginning. The main character’s career was a plot point I’d never read before and it was very interesting.
I loved the sinister feeling that was created around the Barclay house and its inhabitants, the implication that none of them were what they seem and were hiding big secrets.
As much as I love a twist, I really liked that this was a straightforward plot with just a few surprises along the way.
The resolution was great and I loved that not only the main character’s case was solved but we got to see some of her personal life as well.

This was my first solo book by Sarah Pekkanen and it definitely won’t be my last!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC through NetGalley, as well as the author.
Publication date 8/6/24

This is one of my go to authors. In a wealthy house, a young nanny plunges to her death. With not enough evidence, no one has been charged with her murder – maybe it was an accident. Now the parents are getting a divorce and Rose, the minor daughter, is appointed an attorney to look out for her best interests. Stella is that lawyer; and this is what she does for a living. She learns about the child, their environment, the people around them, and anything else she can learn so she can give a report to the judge about a custody arrangement. As soon as Stella steps foot into their door and their world, she knows something is off. There are deep secrets in the family, and even stranger, there’s no glass in the house; it’s all plastic.

I enjoyed this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat and it certainly kept me guessing! These characters were all complex with a lot of depth to them. Each one had their own voice and were developed really well. Discovering what happened to the nanny while Stella was doing her investigation of the circumstances made me guess all the wrong people. I should have known better!

There was also a subplot in this book. Stella was a victim of trauma as a child as well. She never sought out any answers in regards to what happened to her mother. She does her own investigating into what happened to her mother. She got the answers she was looking for but was also given a huge shock. I didn’t LOVE the subplot, but I did understand why it was there. It gave insight as to why Stella had this particular job and why she cared for kids as much as she did.

Overall, a great read that any thriller reader will enjoy!