I absolutely devoured this book in two days! It took me wholly by surprise. Honestly, I went in expecting a popcorn thriller that I’d enjoy but not remember, and instead I got this gem of a five-star read. I was totally hooked on this story. The psychological suspense was so gripping, with a shocking conclusion of events. It has creepy atmosphere, untrustworthy characters, easily absorbed writing. The pacing kept me turning the pages and unable to stop. A definite must-read thriller of the year! If you’re looking for an immersive, nail-biter read, this is the one.

House of Glass, a riveting novel by Sarah Pekkanen, is a captivating tale that explores the complexities of family, secrets, and the fragile nature of relationships. The story revolves around women whose lives become intertwined in unexpected ways, leading to a series of revelations that threaten to shatter their carefully constructed worlds.

Pekkanen's writing is both elegant and suspenseful, drawing readers into the lives of these characters with vivid descriptions and emotional depth. The narrative effortlessly shifts perspectives, allowing us to delve into the thoughts and motivations of each woman, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected stories.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its ability to address complex themes with sensitivity and nuance. Pekkanen tackles issues such as infidelity, betrayal, and the lingering effects of past traumas, exploring the ways in which these experiences shape our choices and relationships. The characters are flawed yet relatable, their struggles resonating with readers on a personal level.

The plot unfolds at a steady pace, with each chapter revealing new layers of secrets and hidden truths. The suspense builds gradually, culminating in a series of shocking revelations that leave readers breathless. Pekkanen's ability to maintain tension while delving into the emotional complexities of the characters is a testament to her skill as a storyteller.

While House of Glass is undoubtedly a compelling read, it does have a few minor shortcomings. Some readers may find the plot twists predictable, and the ending may feel somewhat rushed. However, these flaws do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the novel.

In conclusion, House of Glass is a captivating novel that explores the complexities of family, secrets, and the fragile nature of relationships. Sarah Pekkanen's writing is both elegant and suspenseful, drawing readers into the lives of these characters with vivid descriptions and emotional depth. While the plot may have a few minor flaws, the novel's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. If you're looking for a thought-provoking and emotionally engaging read, House of Glass is definitely worth picking up.

Don’t get me wrong, my 3⭐️ rating doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book; I did. But, overall, it was a bit underwhelming. I had the ending pegged from nearly the beginning, and kept reading in hopes that I’d be wrong. But the big, dramatic, sinister twist that was supposed to drive the storyline in an entirely different direction only confirmed my initial suspicions. This book had the potential to be incredibly dark, and while it was a twisted story, the ending didn’t follow through in the same ways.

Not every book is for everybody, and if you enjoyed the author's last book, I’d say this one is worth reading. It just didn’t blow my mind like I thought it would.

Nine year old Rose stops speaking after witnessing the tragic death of her nanny. On top of this, her parents, Ian and Beth Barclay, are in the midst of a divorce and both have petitioned for full custody. Stella is a best interest attorney appointed to the Barclays to determine Rose’s best interests. Rose’s grandmother, Harriet, lives with the family and is quick to share her opinions with Stella on whom Rose should live with. But the more Stella learns about this family, she wonders whether Rose is safe with any of her family members, and if she may even be a danger to herself. You see, Rose collects sharp objects, is angered easily, and there’s evidence to suggest she may have had a hand in her nanny’s death. Soon, Stella finds that her role as Rose’s advocate has forced her confront her own dark past, and it isn’t long before her past and present begin to intertwine. Stella isn’t sure who needs protecting in the Barclay family, but just as she’s determined to move forward in her own life, she’ll stop at nothing to find the truth. Even if that means admitting that anyone of the Barclays could be a killer.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Publishing and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review will also be shared on my Instagram page in the coming days.

I devoured this book! There’s something so creepy about children sometimes, especially Rose, so I really wanted to get to the bottom of the situation alongside Stella. The book was full of misdirections and I loved that about it. I couldn’t trust my own thoughts and opinions and by the time I got to the end I realized that I had been manipulated, just like Stella! What an excellent use of the characters to create a certain perspective/narrative.

I alternated between the book and audiobook and fully enjoyed the experience that the audiobook narrator provided. I found myself up half the night listening and unable to turn it off!

I loved this book. Didn't want it to be over, yet I couldn't put it down. Family dynamics, evil kids, it's all intriguing. Is Stella getting in over her head, is her own childhood clouding her judgement? Great read from Sarah yet again.

4⭐️

As I absolutely loved Gone Tonight by the same author I was keen to read this book asap.

This is the second book I’ve read about child protective services, Here is court appointed best interest attorney Stella who is investigating where Rose the appointed child interest lies after her Nanny died in suspicious circumstances. The previous book concentrated more on the court procedure (Between the Lies Louise Tickle for anyone curious) This one is more investigative than court based.

Of course there are plenty of secrets, lies and twists it wouldn’t be a psych thriller without. It’s got a good pace. It kept me entertained, there’s a couple of dodgy decisions (to be expected). There’s characters to love, hate and be suspicious of, sometimes all three at once.

I didn’t love it as much as Gone Tonight, but I enjoyed it.

Phenomenal.

From the beginning to the end, I was hooked. Stella’s background and personal experience really tied it all up for me. This author wrote each and every one of these characters so well.

From Rose to Beth. And every character in between, I was hooked and devoured this book / audio version in hours!

4.5 stars
Stella takes an assignment to protect the interests of a child who has gone mute after the death of her nanny. The nanny appears to have been murdered but the police can’t figure out what happened. Stella is determined to solve the mystery for the sake of her ward. As she pushes for more information, the family dysfunction unravels. Anyone and everyone is a suspect! This book hits hard right from the start and keeps you theorizing and guessing whodunnit until almost the very end. So well written and narrated. Definite recommendation!
*Thanks to St Martin’s Press, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance reader/listener copies

This is a great book to add to your summer reading list. I was hooked from the very first chapter and the plot just kept getting more and more interesting with each chapter. I really liked how there were multiple layers to the mystery; it made for a fast and interesting read!

House of Glass was amazing! When a young nanny is pushed to her death, the police begin to investigate. But her young charge, Rose won't speak. She has been diagnosed with traumatic speech loss. A child behaviorist is hired to come interview the family and get some insight into the events and also who Rose should be living with since her parents are divorcing. But everything in the house is made of plexiglass, and all sharp objects are hidden from Rose. Is Rose the one who pushed her nanny or is something more sinister at play?

An eerie and bone-chilling novel about Stella, the best interest lawyer, taking on a new client, The Barclay, in regards to who would be best to take care of Rose, a gifted and exceptionally bright 8-year-old who is suffering from “trauma mutism” after witnessing her nanny’s death. Was Tina, the nanny pushed, or had she committed suicide? The parents and everyone in that family are not as transparent as they want everyone to believe. They are covering up something. A strong possibility is that Rose isn’t as sweet and innocent as she would like you to believe.

In each chapter, we are led to a different conclusion of who would make the better parent, and all the while, we see how Stella and Rose are similar and yet very different. We start to wonder if Sweet Rose is the devil incarnate.

An absolute must for those who love a good thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book!

I have always loved Sarah Pekkanen’s books and started reading them when she first wrote Rom-Com. Her ability to write on another genre is fluid and incredible!! I loved House of Glass and did not see all the twists and turns. I highly recommend this novel and that you go in blind!!

5 STAR QUICK READ

The first half of this book was good with wind up moments and moments of de ja vu that kept me interested and guessing

I had good expectations from the book but there were parts of the sub plot about Stella and her trauma that took away from the mystery of who killed Tina De La Cruz that slowed down the book a little bit. Ultimately the end cleaned up too nicely and I wish there was some more ambiguity about the ending and who did it. I think it would have been better as a cliffhanger ending leaving the reader with some suspense and doubt in their mind.

Thanks to NetGalley for my early copy! OUT on August 6, 2024

I flew through this one, reading and listening late into the night. House of Glass hooked me from the beginning: who killed Rose's nanny? Was it the family Tina worked for, or is her young charge, Rose, the culprit? This was such a unique psychological thriller because the protagonist/investigator is a child advocacy lawyer working for Rose's interests. Stella, Rose's lawyer, had a traumatic childhood herself, which makes her uniquely suited for helping Rose. There were so many secrets in Rose's and Stella's families, and the unraveling of them makes for some exciting reading. This is a wonderful, quick read with an early autumn setting--highly recommended as a book or on audio! Thank you to Netgalley, Libro.fm, St. Martin's, and the author for the librarian preview copies.

I have an unpopular opinion about this book. It just wasn't for me. I have enjoyed other books by this author however, this one just didn't hold my interest. I didn't like the characters and I felt the book was too long. I thought the storyline of Stella and Charles could've been left out.

Stella is working with the Barclays, a rich DC family, on their custody battle that is following their nanny dying from falling from the top floor of their home. Their daughter, Rose, has gone mute and that is similar to what happened to Stella as a kid. Stella has an uneasy feeling every time she is at their home and the grandmother that lives there as well gives her the creeps. Something else she finds strange is that anything that is glass has been replaced with with thick plastic. Although they look like the perfect family from the outside, they are farm from it.

This book had me guessing the entire time! As soon as I thought I figured out who did it, something would happen that made me second guess myself. There are a good core group of potential suspects to keep up with and I did not think that there were too many, just the typical suspects. The mom, the dad, the boyfriend, the kid, and the grandmother who also lived in the house. I did think the relationship between the dad and his mom was weird with how much she was going to bat for the mom to have sole custody instead of her own son. Overall, it was a great read!

WOW! This page turner grabbed me from the beginning and would not let me go! Sarah Pekkanen has written another great thriller and she dials up the creepy factor on this one. Creepy kid, creepy parents, creepy grandmother, creepy house! House of Glass was fast paced, full of twists, had captivating characters and was simply a great read. I'm still thinking about it! Highly recommend!

This book is amazing! I finished it days ago and I cannot stop thinking about it. Our girl works as a guardian ad litem for teens (basically an attorney for teens, a very important and complicated job. When her "godfather" asks her to take on a case with a 8/9 year old girl who has gone mute she reluctantly agrees. On her first observation she sees the little girl pick up a sharp piece of glass and hide it in her pocket.
Oh and the girl's pregnant nanny was recently murdered or fell at their house. So she's got to look into that as well.
It starts to look like the child might be evil but she keeps at it. Love that for her.
Our protagonist is unpacking her own traume throughout the book as well. This was very compelling. I was hooked all the way through.
The ending was amazing!

✦ House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen ✦
★★★★★ 5/5 stars!
Pub Date : Aug 6, 2024

✦ Read if you like :
-nail biting suspense
-creepy houses
-creepier kids
-traumatic mutism/weird phobias
-DC setting
-everyone is a suspect- literally EVERYONE
-short, bingeable chapters
-Books that would make great bookclub or buddy reads
-The Turn of the Key but 100x better!

✦ My Thoughts
Sarah Pekkanen was one of my first favorite thriller authors. Am I her biggest fan? Probably😍 I have read everything she's written (both solo + co-authored) & her 2023 title Gone Tonight was one of my top reads last year. Excited is an understatement when I got this new release!

Eerie, unsettling, & so so good. I couldn't put this book down. I DEVOURED IT.

With short, binge worthy chapters that kept me on the edge of my seat, palpable suspense & writing that gets you completely invested- this is the recipe for a perfect page turner.

I love how this book was like piecing together a big puzzle - you just have to keep reading to see how the big picture comes together.

House of Glass is a 10/10! I am only sad that we have to wait until August for it to hit the shelves! Add this to your TBR RIGHT NOW! This is a must read for thriller lovers - trust me, you aren’t gonna want to miss this one!

thanks to @netgalley, @macmillan.audio , @stmartinspress, + @sarahpekkanen for the opportunity to read this arc ◡̈

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen was a really good book. I found myself staying up late to keep reading to try to figure out what was happening and where the story was going. There was plenty of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I overall enjoyed this book and would recommend to others.

Thank you so much NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.