Wow! This book was so unique and such a great story with so many twists and turns. I suspected everyone at some point!

Unevenly paced psychological thriller left me disappointed.

I started this book with high anticipation. The premise was intriguing — a female attorney, Stella Hudson, is assigned as guardian ad litem for a nine year old girl in the center of a custody battle because her parents are going through a contentious divorce. The situation is complicated by a few things that immediately start setting off some alarms for me: the girl has traumatic mutism (same as our MC did as a child) and recently her nanny died from a fall out of a window of the family home. Right away I start thinking that somebody murdered the nanny and am on the hunt for the culprit.

All of a sudden there are like twenty different things going on that start to irritate me. I don’t care about the MC’s past or her mother. I want to know the deal with Rose, the child, and if she’s being sheltered or if she’s like the bad seed. So many uninteresting side plots that involve Stella that I honestly didn’t care about. When things start to become way to coincidental and unbelievable is when I start to turn off. All I wanted was to read about Rose’s situation and the role of a best interest attorney in a custody case. Now Stella’s trying to solve the murder, meanwhile she’s fixating on her mother’s death, and also starting to doubt her relationship with Charles. And then her flirtation? It was all just too much.

My main problem with this story was that it meandered all over the place and Stella’s behavior and responses just seemed too much over the top. All these tangents that had nothing to do with anything and just drew out a simple straightforward plot. I didn’t like any of the characters. And I really don’t enjoy reading about kids and nasty parents. So many cliches in the book. The last couple of chapters were completely ridiculous. Glad I never have to hear about any of them again.

I listened to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC. The narrator was OK but some of her voices for characters didn’t work for me. I think I should have just put the audio aside and read the book and could have been done that much faster. Definitely not a favorite.

Like with all books by Sarah Pekkanen you will be LOCKED IN from page 1! This is the type of book you stay up until the wee hours of morning to finish and will leave you with a whopping hang over.

House of Glass - Sarah Pekkanen
⭐️⭐️½ | 🏠 Gothic thriller that lost its way

This one started with ALL the delicious thriller vibes! A possibly murderous 9-year-old? A house where every single window is plastic? GIVE ME MORE!

The tropes we're tracking:
🤐 Creepy silent child
🗡️ Hidden "weapons" stash
🏛️ Rich family with dark secrets
👻 Gothic mansion but make it modern

BUT... halfway through, this thriller said "psyche!" and morphed into a completely different book about our protagonist's trauma. The creepy house setup? Basically ghosted us. That wild plastic windows premise? Barely relevant.

It's giving "great first date, terrible relationship" energy. Sometimes the most disappointing reads are the ones that show so much promise! Skip unless you enjoy books that switch genres faster than the suspicious nanny fell out that window... 😬

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney who works with children to help determine custody arrangements in a divorce. When she accepts the case of Rose Barclay, a 9-year-old girl who stopped speaking after watching her nanny fall to her death from the third floor window of their home, Stella finds herself in danger.

House of Glass is a fast-paced psychological thriller that had me gripped from the very beginning. I was invested in Rose's story and what happened to their nanny. It moved at a good pace and really built the suspense as more information was revealed. The story takes place in the Maryland suburbs outside of DC, near where I grew up, so it was especially fun for me to visit that area through the book.

This was a fast and good thriller. About 40% of the way through i guessed the "who" of the "whodunnit". But itnwas still a great ride! I havent read a thriller, that i can think of, with this concept as far as the reactive mutism.

"House of Glass" is a suspenseful and unputdownable thriller. I was hooked from the start and could not put it down. I thought I had it all figured out, but I was wrong. The first half of the book was more compelling, while the second half seemed a bit slower. But I was fully invested in the story and had to find out what happened next. It was certainly a bingeable book, especially with its short chapters, and I finished it in just a few sittings. This was my first Sarah Pekkanen novel, and I will definitely be reading more!

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

Thank you to the publisher for an earlycrelease copy in exchange wo*&h=Unsettling in ]the best way possible, Sarah Pekkanen’s 2024 nl)House of Glass, is a slow-burn thriller that’s suspenseful straight out of the gate. Part psychological study, part meditation on the nature of evil, the novel skillfully made me question who and what to believe. If you love creepy-kid horror but don’t want a scare—this is the book for you..

Sarah Pekkanen is a wonderful writer, leaving me satisfied with every book I've read. This book was paced well and read like a movie. It left me wanting more, even at two in the morning as I struggled between sleep and reading. Another thriller knocked out of the park.

When I started reading House of Glass, it reminded me of the movie "Orphan" and I wasn't sure I really cared for what I thought to be the plot of this book. I will admit that I am glad that I stuck this all the way through and finished the book.

Stella had her moments; she was brilliant but then there were moments where she just seemed a bit dull and foolish. Like girl, think things through a smidge before you just hop to it and land yourself in the grave. I will say, the plot twist of this book, had me screaming. I definitely did not see it coming nor did I expect it. This book was definitely suspenseful and crafted the "perfect" picture of family disfunction and manipulation.

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley for review.

I seriously love Sarah Pekkanen. Her writing is unmatched and her twists are impeccable. I found myself with my jaw on the floor and recommended it to several friends!

I love this author so much I drop everything to read her books. This was a 3.5 rounded up to 4 for me. I didn't love this one as much as her previous ones. The story itself just didn't grab my attention. A lawyer works with a small child who isn't speaking to try to decide which parent she will end up with meanwhile investigating what happened to the family's previous nanny. Thank you to St Martins Press for my copy!

“House of Glass” by Sarah Pekkanen is a compelling psychological thriller that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. The story weaves together suspense, family secrets, and emotional depth in a way that feels both gripping and thought-provoking. Pekkanen’s writing is immersive, drawing readers into a world filled with tension and unexpected twists. While some plot points may feel predictable to seasoned thriller readers, the strong character development and atmospheric storytelling make up for it. A well-crafted, engrossing read that will keep you turning the pages late into the night!

This was my first Sarah Pekkanen book and definitely not my last. This was a great domestic thriller that had me hooked from the start. If you loved “The Push,” you will love this one. Although this book is mainly about the Barclay Family, it went off in little side stories that slowed it down a bit. The story would have been fine without them but they helped tie loose ends.

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, sent to represent 9-year-old Rose Barclay in her parent’s divorce. After witnessing her nanny fall to her death, Rose immediately stopped speaking. While Stella works to figure out who Rose will best be suited with, she starts to wonder if the nanny’s death was truly an accident after all.

Thank you to NetGalley and its publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What's the saying about glass houses and throwing stones? In this case, it is throwing bodies. When the nanny is thrown out of a second story glass window, only one person really knows what happened, and is not talking, literally. With parents divorcing, Stella is called in to help decide who Rose should live with. Rose hasn't talked since the accident, so Stella gets no hope in that regards. As Stella begins to really investigate. As her case unravels, so do many clues of what happened many years ago to her mother. A really good suspense story that kept me on my toes. Great book!

I loved the who-done-it novel "House of Glass" by Sarah Pekkanen. The novel begins with Stella, a passionate attorney, who was assigned for a mute nine-year old Rose, who just experienced the traumatic death of her nanny and is in the center of her parent's bitter divorce. As Stella begins digger into the family, secrets begin to emerge. "House of Glass" was very well-written and had me at the edge of my seat the entire time.

This thrilling and suspenseful novel is a must read!

4.25 stars!

Thank you Sarah Pekkanen, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This thriller was so hard to stop reading. There was always something around the corner that jumped out and surprised you. It was a great time.
Stella Madson is a lawyer who advocates for the child in divorces. When she meets Rose Barclay a 9 year old girl who hasn't talked since her nanny fell from her upstairs bedroom and plunged to her death. Stella needs to decide which of her less than honest parents should have custody, the mother who thinks she's better than everyone else or the father who was sleeping with the nanny.

***Spoilery***

Fairly standard issue thriller. I was waiting for a big twist and never really felt the payoff. It was clear the author was setting one up with the use of Rose as a suspect. The Charles twist was also meh for me. Good for a brief brain break.

I love this author and will read anything she writes. I liked this one. I think the first half was better than the second but I was definitely bought in so much that I read with anticipation in that second half. I liked Stella and the mystery and the moments from her past that informed my guess for the ending. Solid thriller.

This was a very unique thriller for me! I loved the way the child was used as a plot device, and not in the way we thought. All the characters were perfect thriller archetypes yet had interesting complications that kept me wanting more.