A little heavy handed and a bit predictable, but with the fast pacing and my need for a definite answer, I was able to read this vey quickly (it helped that I was in the car for 4 hours that day).

There was a part of the story felt out of place just for the sake of adding it -- it has to do with the main character and a romantic interest.
There's also A LOT of side plots. It honestly started to feel like too much.

Stella is a lawyer that specializes in deciding the best interest for custody of children. She's given a case where a wealthy family is going through a divorce and both parents want full custody of their daughter Rose. The family recently lost their live-in nanny after she fell out of the 3rd story window and died on the pavement. Since that moment Rose has stopped speaking; she has traumatic mutism. Stella is perfect for this case because she too experienced traumatic mutism at a young age after she found her mom dead from an overdose. (as I'm summarizing this story I'm really noticing how ridiculous this all is).
There is NO glass in Rose's house. We're told this is because the mom developed a phobia of glass after the nanny died. (This actually makes the title a little confusing).
Not only is Stella a best interest attorney, she's an amateur detective cause she's over here trying to figure out how the nanny died -- was it an accident or was she pushed? Everyone's a suspect and everyone is lying.

I don't recall every saying this before but I think this story would have actually been better if we had less backstory. All of the details and revelations in Stella's life took away from what was happening in the present with the family. I really only cared about what happened to the nanny and if Rose had a deeper issue.

4.5 stars

This was so good!! It immediately hooked me in from the very beginning keeping me awake way past my bedtime. Kids are so creepy to me and this was so creepy. I actually didn't guess the culprit which made this fun though with many creepy kid thrillers I kinda wish the ending were different. But that's okay. This literally had my heart racing at times. Definitely recommend giving this a read.

Thank you netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

A house of glass, except that there is no glass, it is all made of plastic. Murder, lies, secrets. Trust no one. This kept my interest until the very last page.

A perfect family or is it all just for show. When the Barclays decide to divorce things get complicated. The nanny has died and it has yet been determined whether it was an accident or if someone pushed her. Rose the daughter witnessed her death but has remained mute since the incident. A judge has appointed Stella Hudson to serve as counsel for the young girl until things are settled. Stella soon learns that this case is far more complicated than she could have ever thought. She soon begins to uncover secrets but there are more to be dug out. Follow as Stella looks at everyone in the family in hopes of learning the truth. This read had me on edge the whole way through!

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a readers copy of this book. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
A case worker is assigned to determine custody of a young girl whose parents are divorcing. Her nanny fell (or was pushed) through a window of the home and died. She is told the child witnessed the tragic death and hasn’t spoken since.
With a slew of contradictory stories from the parents, grandmother, employees, and acquaintances the case worker will need to parse out the truth to determine what is best for the child. The young girl exhibits some concerning behaviors of her own.

This is a compelling story, as you work through what is truth and who is lying. Definitely a good read for anyone who loves enigmatic characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

House of Glass was nothing special for me. I didn't really care for most of the characters. Nothing intrigued me very much. I strongly prefer her previous novels co-written with Greer Hendricks.

I enjoyed reading House Of Glass a book I had been excited to read since I have loved the Sarah Pekkanen's previous book and her collaborations with Greer Hendricks. This book fulfilled my expectations - a captivating psychological thriller that kept me engaged and flipping the pages, trying and failing anticipate what would be happening next...
This book starts off with attorney Stella Hudson being appointed by the court to figure out the best interest of temporarily mute Rose Barclay. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney who represents children in custody cases. And Rose's case is extreme as her parents' custody battle comes right on the heels of her nanny falling to her death (or was she pushed ?) - as traumatic incidents pile up for reserved and shut off Rose Stella needs to find a way into her life to figure out how not to hand her to a potential murderer.
Being a survivor of childhood trauma herself once Stella steps foot into the Barclay's lives, so many old wounds are opened for her. She usually sticks to cases involving teenagers for exactly that reason. But having overcome trauma induced temporary muteness herself she is determined to figure out who murdered the nanny, to provide Rose with the best possible future. But literally everyone is a suspect, the father, the mother, the grandmother, the boyfriend, the piano teacher and maybe Rose..?
There's a dark and gloomy atmosphere around this house, but what is causing it? Another unsettling discovery is that the family has removed every trace of glass in their house since the incident. Going as far as to replace windows and drinking glasses with plastic.
What are they afraid of? And what are they hiding? Ahh so many twist and turns!!

Loved this book! Loved the plot and it kept me hooked highly recommended. Was a quick read for me and hoping to read more from this author.

I just finished reading my second book by Pekkanen, and I have similar feelings about this one as I did about the one she released last year around the same time. The book is a mystery or thriller, although those genre titles are confusing to me. The story follows Stella, a best interest attorney who is trying to determine who 9-year-old Rose will live with after her parents' divorce. Rose has suffered a trauma-induced mutism, which makes Stella's job harder. The trauma in question is the cold case of the death of Rose's nanny, who fell from a third-story window, possibly pushed. During the investigation, nothing is as it seems, and it brings to light Stella's own childhood trauma.

The beginning of the book was great, with a lot of wonderful build-up. It seemed like we were heading into the gothic with creepy house vibes, but that didn't pan out, although the house's creepiness was mentioned quite a bit. I thought I had figured out the whole mystery after the first chapter, as everything was leading to a certain conclusion, but I'm glad that it took a turn and you can't rule anyone out as a murderer.

What dragged the story down is the subplot of Stella's story. While the backstory is interesting, it wasn't necessary and it messed with the pacing of the book itself. Then there's a weird and random romance that was added at the end, and the ending was just a bit off. The character of Stella is great, and it would be a great premise for a series, but adding all the extras to a story that could be very intense instead dragged the story down. It's still quite good and worth the read, and I would love to read more like this because the premise was amazing!

This was such a unique premise - A lawyer determining the best place for a 9 year old to live. The plot has an accident or is it murder and who is manipulating who? Stella’s childhood mirrors Rose’s in eerie ways. Overall a great read and solving a mystery is always a good time!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is another knock out of the park unexpected thriller. The story leaves the reader suspecting a certain character despite it being one that was never expected at all.

House of Glass is a thriller that deals in the psychological vision of the perfect family. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney that helps children find their best suitable environment after difficult situations such as divorces and custody battles. While Stella typically tries not to assist children so young when she is asked to assist the nine year old Rose Barclay, she is unable to turn down the request.

Rose has witnessed the terrible and sudden death (okay murder) of her nanny. When it comes to Rose, Stella knows only that the girl collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. The mutism is something Stella is quite familiar with as after she suffered from a tragic loss of her mother she herself became mute.

However, things are not all that they seem. It is up to Stella to determine who is the murderer and who is a victim. Stella begins to question everything when she begins to realize that a house filled with windows is not a house filled with glass. In fact anything sharp or glass in the house is missing.

Everyone is a possible suspect in a family consisting of Rose's parents Ian and Beth, and her grandmother Harriet. To add to the mix there is the affair Ian had with the nanny, Tina that resulted in a pregnancy and Tina's ultimate demise. Now Stella has to determine who is the true killer while each and every step puts her more at risk and deeper in danger.

While she tries to unravel the mystery, Stella is also faced with dealing with her own traumatic past. Things she saw to be true end up becoming lies and what she thought had happened ended up being not as they seemed.

All together House of Glass was a fantastic thriller with some enjoyable plot twists. The family certainly needs help but the character development was one that makes the reader appreciate the characters more. If you are a reader intrigued by suspected violent children and twisted families then this may be right up your alley. Until next time, happy reading!

I literally couldn’t put this one down, listening to the audio book and then picking up the eBook version at times when I couldn’t listen.
With HOUSE OF GLASS, Sarah Pekkanen kept me guessing with multiple twists. Laura Benanti does an excellent job with her narration and keeping me engaged. The characters were well written, Stella has a lot going on in her life, her past influences her present and her career choice. As the Barclays and their daughter, Rose, come into her life, she starts to uncover secrets in her past, while trying to untangle what’s going on with Rose.
Pekkanen kept me on the edge of my seat until the unexpected end of the novel.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#MacAudio2024 #StMartinsPress

House of Glass
By: Sarah Pekkanen
4 stars


I am such a big fan of how Sarah Pekkanen sets up her stories and this was so exception. We are introduced to Stella Hudson, a Best-Interest Attorney who has been tasked to handle a high profile custody case between a wealthy family whose nanny was found dead at their home. The nanny who died was pregnant with the husband’s child and throughout this book you’ll suspect every single family member of being capable of causing harm. The couple Beth and Ian reside in this huge home with their daughter and Ian’s elderly mother. The daughter of the couple, Rose who is 9 years old, has since gone mute after the death of her nanny, called traumatic mutism, and has been experiencing some creepy behaviors.

I’ll start off by saying that anything that has to do with creepy kids ALWAYS gets me. It’s why I am such a fan of Ashley Audrains novel “The Push” ( read it if you haven’t!) and this child had me on edge the entire book. I will say that I loved this main story of this one but there was a subplot revolving Stella and her traumatic childhood that didn’t offer much to the story for me. Stella also suffered from traumatic mutism after her mother’s death as a child, so she can relate to Rose in a unique way. But the constant bringing up of her past didn’t do much for me and I just wanted to know more about the present case.

The last bit of this book was action packed and the way Stella connected the dots between bits and pieces of conversation she previously had had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The majority of the book was a slow burn mystery as she spent several days with the family and a few moments here and there with Rose. I really loved this one and did not see the twist that came at all!

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martains Press for this highly anticipated ARC!

Look no further for your next spooky thriller. Sarah Pekkanen does not disappoint in her newest novel that has twists and turns that will keep you turning pages until the end.

The nanny falls to her death through a third story window. Several people are in the house at the time. A 9 year old girl who has traumatic mutism. Her parents who are going through a divorce because he had an affair with the nanny. And the child's paternal grandmother who walks with a cane. So, was the death a tragic accident or murder? Stella is an attorney whose job is to determine the best custody placement for the child. She suspects everyone but her own life seems to have parallels. Excellent mystery.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one. The beginning kept me pretty engaged but then I just found that there were too many side characters to keep track of. The ending was super lackluster and it could have been about 100 pages less.

This book haunts me, in the best way. Rose, the child, creeped me out. The whole family did. The house did. And that’s just what the author intended. As a social worker, I could somewhat relate to Stella’s work with Rose. You want the best for the child, but what if the child is the danger?

I found the main character’s personal growth to be a compelling subplot. It was strange for her life to be so disrupted mid-story, almost as if it took up more space than just a side plot. Her mentor/father figure gave the reader much to think about, though some parts of his relationship with her felt unbelievable. Also, the relationship with her ex-husband felt underdeveloped.

I also appreciated reading an interview with the author, where she explained the inspiration for the novel came from meeting a Best Interest Attorney.

This was a fantastic thriller that had me hooked. I loved the twists and turns and the eerie vibes of the book. So much is going on you won't know what will happen next.

This was just an okay mystery thriller that did not have as many twists as I was expecting. The premise was interesting and I was waiting for it to get more creepy and dark than it did so I was a bit disappointed that it kind of seemed to play it safe. Overall it was an ok book and a good one for the beginning of the fall season but it just was a bit underwhelming.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The setting was very creepy, and the Barclays themselves were super intriguing. The book constantly held my attention, and the multiple storylines were easy to follow and tied together in the end. I would highly recommend this book, and this author is becoming one of my auto-buy authors.