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!

3.5 but I rounded up to 4 since the first half started off really strong for me and only died off a little come the second half!

I do understand why it slowed down a bit, the author was really building up that eerie and claustrophobic vibe that the book was totally giving me! I felt the urge to keep checking over my shoulder while listening to this one so I’d say the author did an awesome job at creeping me out ahaha. I truly couldn’t figure out who did what in this book but the child was creeping me out A LOT lol. There was also quite a bit of the MC’s past which is definitely what was propelling her to figure out what was going on with this little girl that was seemingly harmless… but was she really?

There’s nothing but secrets and liars in this house missing glass, but it’s our MC Stella’s job to sort through the mess and discover who’s the biggest liar and why.

I am still reeling from this fabulous audiobook! The unique characters, setting and circumstances were the perfect ingredients for an edge of your seat thriller! Sarah Pekkanen is a master story teller and I absolutely devoured this book. It kept me guessing until the end and the narrator was wonderful. WOW!

Stella, a best interest attorney has been assigned to work with 9 year old Rose to determine which parent she should live with as her parents are divorcing. The reason for the divorce is nanny related, and the nanny is now dead, and it happened at their house. Who did it? Why?

I do believe that this was a bit drawn out and could have included some additional thrilling aspects throughout the first 3/4 of the book.

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

Amazing. Absolutely loved this book.

The characters. The story line and plot. It was all great. I didn’t see anything coming and loved the personal aspect of Stella and her past.

Definitely recommend this book. Audio was done fantastic also

"House of Glass" by Sarah Peakenen is a mesmerizing tale that intricately weaves together the lives of three generations of women, each grappling with their own secrets, desires, and the haunting legacy of their family's past. From the very first page, Peakenen's storytelling prowess draws you in, putting you in a world where past and present collide.

I'm sad to say that I didn't love House of Glass. I have enjoyed other books by this author. I thought the book went on too long. I didn't enjoy the storyline of Stella and Charles although I understand why the author included it. I just felt it made the book too long. I didn't love the narrator. It just wasn't my favorite

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 listen!

I haven’t read any of the other books by this author but I hear good things. This book was very good! I was very invested in the plot and characters. I will say I felt there were too many characters in the book and hard to keep track of who’s who but I still enjoyed it. The ending really surprised me with how abruptly it ended. Will recommend

✦ 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 ◡̈

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy.

I really enjoyed this book even though I knew “who did it” within the first few chapters. The audiobook was excellent. I highly recommend the book and the audio.

This is a interesting slow burn psychological thriller for fans of mystery and creepy kids. I liked it. Although I don't know if it is one I'll remember or reread, it kept me engaged throughout. The audio narrator was great, I always like her work and she did excellent with the pacing and inflections of this one.

A big thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook. Several suspects, if in fact it was murder. A gripping, thrilling, shocking, and suspenseful novel with an interesting premise that will keep you guessing from the start.

The House of Glass is a psychological thriller that kept me on my toes trying to unravel its mystery. Stella Hudson is a best-interest attorney in custody cases. She does not usually work with young children, however, due to her unusual connection to the child, she makes an exception. Rose Barclay is a 9-year-old girl who stopped speaking after her nanny fell to her death. Now her parents are in a bitter divorce and Stella must recommend custody arrangements. To make her determination, she needs to know what really happened to the nanny. Was it a tragic accident or was the nanny pushed? More troubling is who could have pushed the nanny.

The narrator, Laura Benanti, did a good job conveying Stella's growing emotions and concerns as the story progressed. The story unfolds slowly, giving the reader time to question who to trust. I had no problem staying invested and enjoyed the slow build-up of the tension. With an unexpected twist, and our main character having surprising revelations in her own life, the ending payoff was worth the wait.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

Who killed the pregnant nanny? Despite husband and wife throwing suspicion on each other and filing for divorce, the police rule it a cold case. Child interest lawyer Stella is assigned to represent the 9 year old child who is now suffering from traumatic mutism in a contentious battle for full custody of Rose. But what if it was actually Rose who killed the nanny? Stella must try to gain the trust of a child who won't speak and has a weird habit of collecting weapons. She also has to navigate her divorce and learning the truth about her own mother's death, which resulted in her own case of traumatic mutism.

Pekkanen cleverly weaves Stella's past trauma into Rose's current situation. She infused sinister and haunting details into the story and it had me hooked.

I really enjoyed this book as it unraveled, and the audio was really good. Thank you the publisher and netgalley for the ARC!

I loved the mystery in the book and how it relates directly to the main character. I also loved how I really thought it was the little girl who did it the entire time!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney who looks out for the children in custody cases. She is assigned to work with Rose Barclay who witnessed the death and possible murder of her nanny. Rose hasn't spoken since the death and has been collecting sharp objects. Stella also had gone mute for months after the death of her own mother when she was a child. Lots going on as Stella works to figure out what is in the best interest of Rose while also untangling her own history.

Laura Benanti did an excellent job narrating.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
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After reading and loving Gone Tonight, I was super stoked to get an early copy of House of Glass! I was able to listen to this one while simultaneously read it on my kindle which is a huge favorite of mine.
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Stella a best interest attorney is working with Rose Barclay during her parents' divorce after the death of Rose’s nanny. Here’s the catch, Rose is now mute, and this has “creepy kid” vibes written all over it and I really enjoyed following this story. Throughout the entire book I didn’t know who to trust and I was constantly shifting suspicion as to what I thought really happened.
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Told in a dual timeline, the reader gets a glimpse into Stella’s past and in the present day with Stella and Rose. I really loved how much I couldn't figure out what was going on with the Barclay family. They were all so strange and shady. The entire thought proves behind the "glass" was a great little touch. House of Glass is more of a slow - steady paced book. It held my attention throughout. The ending is more fast paced and thrilling. I really did not see that coming, not one bit though once I thought about it, it wasn't overly shocking either.
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I listened to this one via audiobook. It was narrated by Laura Benanti. I though she did a phenomenal job at driving home the eeriness of the house and really nailed those suspenseful moments out of the park. I am highly recommending listening to this one!
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House of Glass will release on 8/6, be sure to get this one - it is very very good! Mystery / thriller fans will be loving this one. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen, MacMillan Audio and St. Martins Press for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank You NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the audiobook. The narrator did a good job on this book. But, To be honest I did not really enjoy this one. I had it figured out within the first 25% of the book and though it was a short 350-ish pages, it felt like it was never ending. I’ll give this author another shot, hopefully I like the next.