"House of Glass" is a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning pages to uncover its secrets. This electrifying story follows Stella, a newly appointed Guardian Ad Litem (Attorney) for Rose, a young girl suffering from traumatic mutism. As Stella delves into Rose's complex family dynamics, the plot thickens with shocking twists and dark secrets.

Rose’s father stands accused of an affair with the nanny, who has mysteriously turned up dead. Now, amidst a bitter divorce, the question looms: did Rose kill the nanny, or is the culprit someone closer than expected? Stella's encounters with Rose are filled with tension and raw emotion as she tries to unravel the mystery and determine which parent deserves custody. The suspense is palpable as the narrative dives into the lengths parents will go to hide their truths and protect their fragile world inside the House of Glass.

Every character is a potential suspect in this tantalizing whodunnit, making for a rollercoaster of suspicion and revelation. While the writing can be overly descriptive at times, complicating the dialogue, it doesn’t detract from the relentless pace and heart-pounding moments that define this psychological thriller. "House of Glass" is a must-read for anyone who loves a story that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

4.5 rounded up

Ok. I have read every Sarah Pekkanen from her early days in women's fiction. I can honestly say I have enjoyed all of her books.

As for her thrillers, they have been really good. The Wife Between Us was a massive hit and I felt when she separated from co writing her book Gone Tonight from 2023 was her best since then. Then she writes House of Glass and I can honestly say I have found my favorite SP thriller book.

I was absolutely hooked from page 1. This fast paced thriller was well written and characters to cheer for an despise. Stella was fleshed out enough as a main character that you felt for her in every situation, and she was not one the protagonists you yell at the whole time. The Barclay family is dysfunctional, which just made the story that much better. But they were not so dysfunctional that you had to suspend belief, which for me tends to be a turn off sometimes.

About 75% of the way through the book, SP did throw something in for Stella's life that honestly just felt forced. Like it's fine and it didn't really change the story. It just felt like "where did that come from"?

I obviously recommend this one highly!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the book #HouseofGlass by #SarahPekkanen. This book is drama, murder and lies and I absolutely loved it! Stella is a best interest lawyer and is assigned to a divorce case in lieu of a 9 year old girl, Rose. But recently there was a nanny that died on their premises. Stella starts looking into things because they are all acting strange and Rose hasn’t spoke since it happened. Can Stella figure this out? Is Rose responsible?

A solid, claustrophobic thriller.

Stella Hudson serves as guardian at litem (best interest attorney, BIA) for children involved in some of the most brutal custody cases. Her latest client is Rose Barclay, a nine-year-old girl who suffers from traumatic mutism: she stopped speaking after her nanny, who‘d had an affair with her father, fell to her death at the family home. While trying to gain Rose‘s trust and determine the best custodial outcome for the girl in her parents‘ pending divorce, Stella cannot help but see the parallels to her own traumatic childhood. Even more chillingly, everyone, even Rose herself, could be involved in the nanny‘s death…

The author is great at writing nail-biting, fast-paced mysteries, and this is no exception. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the family mansion where there are no sharp objects or glass to be found is eerie, and literally everyone Stella comes in contact with has a motive for murdering the nanny, which makes for an engrossing, thrilling read.

That being said, both the whodunnit and the reveal about Stella‘s personal life felt very obvious, despite attempts at red herrings. And I‘m quickly tiring of a certain type of protagonist, namely grown, professional women who never worked through their own childhood traumas and then react unprofessionally when those traumas are triggered at work. Finally, the ending was a bit too „wrapped in a bow“ for my taste - I actually kind of hoped for a certain last-minute twist that never came.

All in all, an enjoyable and gripping, if not terribly surprising, thriller - not the author‘s best, but nevertheless a solid, engrossing read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin‘s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

„House of Glass“ is slated to be released on August 6, 2024.

Ohhhh I loved this one! I loved the whole premise of the book. I was instantly hooked by the plot of Stella having to decide who should be granted custody of Rose when not knowing if either of her parents murdered her nanny. I can't even imagine! Adding in that Rose is currently mute, but might also be evil and the murderer herself?! Sign me up! This was so bingeable! I ate up the audio which was very well done! My only small complaint is that after the resolution, the book kind of felt like a brief book summary. rapidly explaining away the red-herrings. BUT if that wrap up wasn't there then I would have felt like there were some plot holes so I guess it would rather have that! 4.5, rounded to 5.

Thank you @macmillan.audio and NetGally for my ALC/ARC.

HOUSE OF GLASS by Sarah Pekkanen

Compelling, unsettling, horrifying and so very twisty. Stella is determined to do her very best for Rose, a young child who has been mute since nanny fell to her death. Rose is brilliant, but troubled, with changing moods, and a worrisome collection of sharp objects. It’s hard to determine what would be best for Rose, and the atmosphere of danger in their strange house is fearsome. I was tempted to skip to the end to reassure myself, but I didn’t, and I’m glad. I recommend holding out, forging on, and enjoying the conclusion of this web of secrets. (There, I think I’ve avoided spoilers, even omitting reference to a movie I watched when very young. Whew! I wouldn’t want to diminish any of the surprises and breathless suspense).

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I didn’t connect with the characters. I was waiting to be shocked by the mystery elements, but I felt unsatisfied at the end.

This one took me way too long to finish. It started off so good and I was all for the creepiness and trying to figure out who killed Tina. However, the middle felt like there was too much “fluff” and just kept prolonging the story. This one definitely could’ve been quite a bit shorter. I guessed the “twist” so that was a bit disappointing, but figured there’d be some other twists later on.

I am a big fan of Pekkanen’s work and her newest is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat as it did me. It read equal parts whodunnit mystery and suspenseful thriller. I was captivated by the premise involving Rose, a young girl who witnesses her nanny’s murder and then proceeds to go mute as Stella, her lawyer, starts to investigate.

With only the immediate family on the premise at the time of the murder, you naturally begin to suspect-which if you’re a seasoned thriller reader, you know not to trust any red herrings or obvious clues. Because of that I suspected the culprit early on but was hoping to still have some kind of shocking twist at the very end which unfortunately I didn’t get. That and the only other twist in the book was also easily identifiable for me. That combined with much of the book exploring the lawyer’s own trauma, which at times slowed the plot down for me, I decided on my rating (still a 4 star and I still absolutely recommend this book)! With that said, I think many others will find the reveals shocking and will thoroughly enjoy this twisty mystery.

Overall I really enjoyed and will continue to eagerly anticipate all future books this author puts out! Thank you so much to St Martins Press and NetGalley for this #gifted eARC!

2.75 ⭐️

The premise sounded so intriguing…

Nine-year old Rose stops speaking after her nanny (who is also her father’s pregnant affair partner) plunged to her death through a window. Attorney Stella Hudson is hand-picked by her legal mentor to represent Rose’s best interest in her parents’ custody battle because she herself suffered from traumatic mutism following the death of her mother.

Is her creepy but bright voiceless client a traumatized witness, or did she push the nanny herself? If only Rose could communicate!!

Except… she can. She could WRITE the words she cannot say. Whether she’s a secret psychopath or a girl in need of help, surely she’d want to write down her own version of what happened. But nope. Wouldn’t a child prodigy at least carry around a notebook so that at family dinners, she can ask someone to pass the salt? Instead, Rose’s communication in all forms is minimal, terse or vague. In reading other glowing reviews, I seem to be the only nitpicker that this bothered. But one of my biggest pet peeves in the thriller/mystery genre is when a character’s inaction serves to draw out the plot.

Overall, the writing and plot seemed a bit scattered, like throwing darts at multiple dartboards at once. While a particular plot twist hit the bullseye, many of the other storyline tosses bounced off the wall.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rose is nine years old and suffers from traumatic mutism as a result of witnessing the death of her nanny Tina, in the midst of her parents acrimonious divorce.
Stella is a best interest attorney who represents the children in custody cases. She usually refuses to take on cases of children under 13 because of her own traumatic past-she also suffered from traumatic mutism as a child which makes her the best person to try and reach Rose and determine who is the best parent to be awarded custody.
But there are details surrounding Tina’s fall that make the police have doubt about whether or not it was an accident that makes everyone a suspect, even Harriet, Rose’s handicapped grandmother who lives with them. The Barclays have removed all the glass from the house after the fall after the discover that Rose has started sneakily collected sharp objects and hiding them. But even more troubling is why the Barclays are so hesitant to allow Stella to spend time alone with Rose.
I really enjoyed that this didn’t go overt the too with crazy twists and the resolution was satisfying. There’s not an overwhelming amount of characters to have to keep up with and they were developed enough that you could get to know them and the plot was original! Hallelujah!!
Thanks to St. Martins Press for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This book was a change of pace for me for sure but I loved every minute. You won’t regret picking this one up!

I found myself really into this at first but by the end it just didn't hold the same thrill factor. It was giving me Turn of the Key vibes but the ending was not as shocking or as satisfying. I like the premise but I don't feel like enough time was spent with the family in question. A lot of it was about Stella and her background instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and listen an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love thrillers and this did not disappoint. I have read others of this authors books and I will sure read more from her in the future.
The story is both creepy and suspenseful and the narrator did an excellent job.
4/5

Wow, this book was interesting. I haven’t read a book like this before. Loved how original the story was, and I found the writing kept me super engaged. I can’t wait to recommend this book to some friends!

Another suspenseful Sarah Pekkanen book. This took me just several sittings to finish- it was that good. It is a story about a mysterious death and a child who becomes mute as a result, leaving the reader to wonder how the tragic event unfolded. Leading the charge is Stella, a court guardian who has to figure out what is best for the child. This, however, requires her to understand what happened and what caused a many to die. Throughout the story, the reader never knows who to trust, who is lying, and who is telling the truth. The end is satisfying, though. This is definitely worth the read.
Thank you NetGalley for a ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

I love this author and was very excited to get a #gifted e-book (thank you @stmartinspress)!

This was a quick thriller with a wild premise. I devoured it in a few days and was hooked from the very beginning. I’m a sucker for a “bad seed” premise so loved this one. I will say that some of thing revelations at the end were a little much/too coincidental, but I still liked it overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen will be released on August 13th, 2024.

Normally I am immediately hooked by any book that includes this author - but House of Glass just didn't hit the way that her books usually do. I'm not going to say the book was bad because it wasn't. The story, the concept, the writing: it was all great and I can't really pinpoint my exact issue other than I just didn't connect to the characters, but that could also be because I was in a bit of a reading slump and had other things going on in my life that took priority. I found myself struggling to keep focus on the story until about 75% of the way through, and then it was like her other books.


Rating this book is hard. I would definitely recommend the book.

Thanks so much to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I did not like this book. I felt like the characters were annoying and I just didn't care about the plot at all. I found the twists obvious and I just didn't care.

I hope others enjoy this one but it wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed this book! There were several twists, and I never guessed the ending! The plot was great and I felt connected to Stella. Definitely would recommend this read! I always love reading a book and finding the part where the title makes sense.