I'd give House of Glass a solid 4.5! I really liked Stella and appreciated the parallel between her childhood and Rose's. I was hooked from the very beginning and struggled to put it down. I also didn't see the twist at the end coming. The short chapters and the fact that it was so easy to binge made it a quick read! I would definitely recommend this one if you're a thriller lover.

This psychological thriller had me holding my breath at every page-turning. Stella Hudson, a Best Interest Attorney for children who are the subject of custody battles, finds herself breaking one of her rules and taking on a young child’s case. Stella, with a deeply traumatic childhood, steers clear of clients under the age of twelve, but her mentor, a judge by the name of Charles who took her under his wing right out of high school, believes Stella is the only person who can help Rose.

The Barclay family imploded in spectacular style when their nanny Tina, pregnant with Ian Barclay’s child, fell through a window from the historic Barclay mansion to her death. Rose discovered her nanny and hasn’t spoken since.

Pekkanen weaves intriguing parallels between Stella and Rose, all while undermining all of the Barclay’s credibility. Was Tina’s death an accident? Or did someone in the house push her. Rose’s parents, Beth and Ian, and her grandmother, Harriet, were all home. All four of them had reason to want Tina, with her inconvenient pregnancy, gone.

Now Stella must help decide who will have custody of Rose. And could that person be a murderer? Or could Rose be the murderer?

This book kept me guessing the whole time. I honestly did not see the big twist coming. Pekkanen’s story is well-written and propulsive. Pekkanen amps up the chills with a setting, the House of Glass outside Washington, DC in fall that is foreboding and pitch-perfect.

Five out of five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

Talk about an eerie read... HOUSE OF GLASS had me feeling the creeps from the beginning as the main character Stella tries to find out both what happened to Tina (the nanny who fell to her death) and what is best for the child Rose. Rose, the little girl who won't speak after this traumatic event, was such an interesting character as Stella tries to advocate for her without being able to communicate with her. The setting of the mansion with no glass in the house at all was so creepy. I liked how Pekkanen made you question everything about the entire Barclay family throughout the book. Everyone had something to hide. It kept me on my toes until the end. I also liked the sub-plot about Stella's childhood. It was perfectly woven into the story and I never predicted all the twists and turns. This is definitely a new favorite thriller and I highly recommend grabbing a copy when it comes out on August 6th!

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 344 / Genre: Psychological Thriller
Release Date: August 6, 2024

Stella is a best interest attorney who’s sent to evaluate Rose, a nine-year-old girl whose nanny died under questionable circumstances. She lives with her parents who are in the middle of divorce proceedings (since it came out that the dead nanny was pregnant with the husband’s child) and her grandmother. Did one of these people kill the nanny (including Rose) or was it an accident?

This was a classic whodunit where everyone is a suspect. A good story with interesting characters. I especially liked the creepy kid!

Thank you @NetGalley, @StMartinsPress, and @SarahPekkanen for my gifted copy.

I loved this premise & that every character was unreliable & suspicious. The pacing was steady & kept me intrigued the entire time; I was thinking about it constantly when I wasn’t reading it. Our MC & point of view is from the lawyer covering the case, who originates suspecting the 9 y/o daughter as the murderer- the biggest hinderance is, the child hasn’t spoken since the accident. Rich family with large estate, spooky vibes, featuring a subplot that ties in well! I did hope for the ending/reveal to be a bit more wild & shocking, which kept it from being a 5 star, but I still loved it!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Stella is a best interest attorney who devotes her time to children going through divorce and determining the best custody path for them. When she is introduced to a new family, the Barclay's, Stella can instantly feel that something is off. Maybe it is her own personal trauma from her childhood, which we will slowly learn more about, but the child does not speak post a traumatic incident, making this situation hard to unwrap. Stella does her best to get time with each family member but she does not know how to believe. She picks up on little hints, such as there is no glass anywhere in the home, but why? What happened to the previous nanny? so many questions and twists up until the very end. Could not put this one down!

HOUSE OF GLASS had such an interesting and compelling plot but ultimately fell flat. The book started quickly by diving straight into a mystery containing great characters and lots of open questions. The revelations came quickly and deepened the plot until about midway through, when the pacing started lagging and the twists felt contrived. The ending didn’t feel realistic and some of the relationships came out of thin air. That said, would not hesitate to read this author again as Sarah Pekkanen has previously delivered many hits; hoping this one is an exception.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review HOUSE OF GLASS.

Thriller set in my hometown with my niece's name as the main character? I'm sold! I absolutely loved this thriller and cannot wait to recommend to anyone and everyone. I read it mostly in one sitting - just could not put this down!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stella is an attorney who has to decide who 9 year old Rose will live with after her parents', Ian and Beth's, divorce. The family lives in a big old house where their nanny, who was pregnant with Ian's baby recently fell to her death. The police can't determine if it was murder or an accident. Rose has been mute since the death and Stella has to spend a lot of time with the family to make her determinination. But everyone is acting like they have something to hide and Rose clearly doesn't want Stella around. To add to the strangeness, they have removed every bit of glass from the house and removed it with plastic.

I really liked this author's collaborations with Greer Hendricks and I enjoyed her previous novel Gone Tonight, so I was excited to read this one and I got through it pretty quickly. I enjoy her writing style and find it very easy to get immersed in. There weren't as many twists and turns and shocking reveals as I would have liked, but it was still a solid read that I enjoyed. I look forward to her next novel.

This book was so good and I couldn't put it down. I read it in one day! A juicy divorce, a suspicious fall from a window, and a young girl with a hidden world – it had all the ingredients for a captivating story.

Stella Hudson, a determined lawyer, dives headfirst into the case, determined to uncover the truth behind the nanny's death. The opulent Barclay mansion holds secrets, and Rose, the daughter at the heart of the custody battle, seems to harbor mysteries of her own.

This book was a real page-turner! The suspense builds slowly, but it keeps you guessing until the very end. Two thumbs up!

I was so excited to read this book. I took it on vacation with me and I gotta say I was up into the wee hours of the night as I got further into the story and couldn't out it down.

I found the story intriguing and engaging. The plot unfolded nicely and the characters were developed and I enjoyed every minute.

Sarah Pekkanen kills it again 👏🏻👏🏻 whether she writes a book alone or with Greer Hendricks, she always writes an exciting thriller. This one gave me the same vibes as Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (which I loved also). You have a house with off putting vibes, a family with secrets, and a creepy child (this one who has gone mute since the death of her nanny). A perfect whodunnit mystery with an array of characters who really make it hard to piece the puzzle together of what happened to the nanny when she fell out the window.

I really had a hard time putting this one down. So many suspenseful moments and eerie scenes that’ll give you goosebumps. I’m still shocked at the turn of events at the end. Definitely one to look out for when it releases!

3.5 Stars

Pekkanen does a great job here making you wade through the lies and half truths to try and figure out what really happened to Tina, Rose’s nanny who fell out a third floor window, and who, if any, of the Barclay’s should be trusted. Stella knows they’re all lying or hiding something, but I was right along with her trying to figure out exactly what that was.

Stella’s backstory provided good depth to the story and her character. It allowed for this to be more than just a psychological thriller as I stayed engaged even when Stella wasn’t directly working on Rose’s case.

I hovered around the truth for a large part of the story, but I loved that I could never quite pin down what was going on in the house void of glass. It made me continue to turn the pages in hopes of finding it out before Stella. The ending was satisfying and I enjoyed that we got a final glimpse into Stella’s story and future as well.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
This was a fun, quick, and easily bingeable read. I found it to be creepy at times, and all of the characters seemed suspect and questionable. Pekkanen captivated me from the first chapter and kept my attention throughout. There were plenty of twists and turns, suspense, and drama to keep me fully entertained and wanting to devour this book. The first half of the book is a definite slow burn, but the second half of the book definitely makes up for it! I love how Pekkanen weaves in the themes of complex relationships and family drama throughout this book. This is a book that has you trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together until the very end, and trust me….that ending did not disappoint!


𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦A creepy and disturbing child
✦Plenty of mystery, twists, suspense, and drama
✦A great slow burn
✦Themes of complex relationships and family drama weaved throughout
✦An ending that does not disappoint!


𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5

I love everything Pekkanen writes and I quickly finished this one! I did not fully guess many of the twists. One star taken off because the ending felt s little rushed and far fetched.

This book was so good!! I was intrigued and on the edge of my seat for almost the entire story. I also loved that it was a little bit spooky!

This was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last because I did have such a good time reading it!! I expected a little bit more of the ending but it was still a great read.

This book is psychological thriller that unravels the dark secrets of the Barclay family, who outwardly appear to have the perfect life. When their nanny falls to her death under suspicious circumstances, young Rose Barclay, who witnessed the incident, stops speaking and starts collecting sharp objects. Enter Stella Hudson, a lawyer with her own traumatic past, assigned to determine the best custody arrangement for Rose...but ends up potentially biting off more than she can chew.

From the moment Stella steps into the opulent yet eerie Barclay home, where not a single piece of glass is found, she realizes the case is more complex and the family more troubled than she anticipated. As she delves deeper into their lives, she finds herself entangled in a web of lies and deceit, and maybe even danger. Each family member is a suspect, including the little girl that is now her client.

Pekkanen masterfully weaves a tale of suspense and intrigue, where everyone has something to hide, and the truth is elusive. "House of Glass" keeps readers on the edge of their seats, blending psychological depth with a chilling mystery that culminates in a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

Thank you Sarah Pekkanen, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I liked this one ok, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite of Pekkanen's novels. Overall, I didn't like our MC, but I can't quite identify why. The red herrings almost got me but weren't quite convincing enough that I couldn't see through them. It wasn't entirely clear to me why Rose's parents were treating someone, whose recommendations about who would have custody of their child would hold a lot of a sway, with quite so much hostility. The ending, while not disappointing, was a bit messy and dramatic for me. Not a bad thriller, but I've read much better from Pekkanen.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Loved this one!!! I read a ton and this was something different! Always a fan of this author and will continue to be.

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney for a 9-year old girl named Rose Barclay who watched her nanny, Tina pushed out a window and killed in front of her. Is Rose the victim or the murderer? She has been collecting sharp objects, is suffering from traumatic mutism, and her family members including her parents and grandmother are all under suspicion. AND they have removed all glass from their home!

Positives:
This one was suspenseful and kept me guessing
Twists I didn't see coming
I enjoyed all the minor characters and side plot storylines
I enjoyed this from the first page and couldn't stop reading,
An original plot


I give this one 5 stars and have already recommended to many others as something different. A great twisty thriller.

This captivating story is about a lawyer who is assigned to determine the best custody solution for a wealthy divorcing couple and their daughter. The family has just experienced a traumatic and mysterious loss of the child's nanny which has left the child mute. The female main character is Stella, an attorney tasked with finding the best arrangement for Rose, a traumatically mute little girl who brings up memories of Stella's own childhood where she also experienced a period of traumatic muteness. As we dive into this world, we learn more about what led to Rose's situation and the mystery of the nanny's death and Stella is forced to deal with her past as well. This is a fast-paced psychological thriller that was easy to get sucked into and read quickly. I can't say I was surprised by the ending, however, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read and I was invested in the characters. I gave this a 3.75 stars overall, rounded up to a 4 star. I enjoy Sarah Pekkanen's books and this was another great read from her. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.