I listened to this book on audio. The narrator did a superb job. LOVED this story. I've read other books by this author and this was one of my favorites. It was full of intrigue and twists and I thought I had it figured out at times...I was still surprised at the turn of events. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone. Thoroughly enjoyed it. There are a couple different storylines with our main character and the author did a great job writing her backstory along with her involvement investigating the mutism of a little girl. I was not bored with either as the book shifts from the little girl to the woman's personal story/history. Loved this book.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is a tense, fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps you hooked from the start. Ava and her family move into what seems like the perfect home, but it quickly becomes clear that something isn’t right. As the secrets of the house and its past start to surface, Ava’s life takes a dark turn, and you’re left guessing who can be trusted.

The story is suspenseful and full of twists, making it a real page-turner. While the characters could have been developed a bit more, the plot keeps you engaged with plenty of surprises along the way. If you love domestic thrillers with plenty of intrigue and mystery, House of Glass is a great pick!

I had no idea where this was going! This book had me hooked and it was such a good read. It is fast paced and kept my attention. Rose is mute due to a traumatic experience. The unraveling of family secrets will have you guessing!

I was super excited to get this ARC in the mail and even more excited when I got an audio copy as well! It worked out well, as I didn’t want to stop reading this one when I had to go to work. The audio fixed that!

What I liked: I really enjoyed this one! I felt like I had it figured out a couple chapters in, but then the twists started happening and I was dead wrong. I was just along for the ride after that! The ending was strong and wrapped everything up nicely.

What I didn’t like: it was a little slow in some parts, but that was it.

Read if you like: fast paced domestic thrillers
Would I recommend?: yes! It was a strong thriller
Star rating: 4 stars

DNF at 21% because this is SO. BORING. The premise is really intriguing but I just do. Not. Care. About any of this. It’s too slow paced for me and so far the characters are just..flat? I feel like there’s no reason to be attached to any of them. Rose is fine, I don’t think she’s creepy at all (at this point, maybe I just didn’t get there?). The parents feel more like caricatures and I can’t find any reasons to be care about stella either. It’s taken me a month to get through 20%. That should say enough. I’ve dreaded picking this up every night.

Before anything, I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader’s copy. The book was published on August 6th.
This was a reliable thriller/mystery, but it's not my favorite book the author wrote. It was an ok novel and it kept me entertained.
I thought I had the culprit figured out, but for a good part of the story I had the suspect wrong. Which is what I appreciated about this book. I liked the fact that the author managed to surprise me, but there was something I can't quite pinpoint that irked me about this book.
Maybe it was the damaged child trope, or the way all the characters were behaving. And they were all shady and weird. To me, that was the downside to this book.
Having said all that, it wasn't a book I will remember in a couple of months.

Stella Hudson is a 'special interest' attorney. It is her job to represent the best interests of the child or teenager in court cases. Though she usually favours teenage clients, this time she has made an exception because of the request of her friend and mentor, a judge named Charles. Having experienced a traumatic event in her own young life, this new case closely parallels Stella's own personal experiences. She deeply empathizes with Rose's vulnerability. It is up to Stella to recommend custody arrangements that will best serve Rose's needs and wishes.

On a personal note, Stella is 38 years old and recently separated from her lawyer husband, Marco. She remains close to him and his warm Italian family. They parted ways because he wanted children and Stella couldn't provide them, nor did she wish to... She has few people in her life other than Charles, a retired judge, and Lucille, an elderly neighbour.

Rose Barclay is only nine years old. She witnessed the tragic fall and subsequent death of her nanny, Tina. Now she is suffering from traumatic mutism. Rose's parents are in the midst of divorce proceedings, so soon she will be moving away from the opulent home she shares with them and her paternal grandmother. She is a unique child who dresses quite formally and has the demeanour of an adult. She is an 'old soul'.

Rose's mother has a severe phobia about glass since the incident where the nanny fell to her death out of a third floor window. Now, she has replaced all the glass in their home with either plexiglass or plastic. Meanwhile, the extremely intelligent, musical prodigy, Rose doesn't talk, but she does collect sharp objects - which she secrets away in her room.

When events in Stella's life begin to mirror those of the nanny Tina's before her death, the line between paranoia and threat blurs, and Stella faces imminent danger.

At about the one quarter mark I believed I had everything figured out. However... the author cleverly made me then question my ideas. None of the Barclays seemed trustworthy. The mother, the father, the grandmother... not even Rose herself.

"I believe evil is a natural force, like a hungry virus, perpetually swirling through the air and seeking places to infiltrate. Most of us bar the door against it. Others welcome it in."

Set in an opulent Washington, D.C. suburb, this novel was vividly described. The characters leapt from the page and the tension escalated toward the denouement. Essentially a murder mystery (who killed nanny Tina), it could also be described as a slow-paced psychological thriller. Recommended!

Sarah Pekkanen has done it again! This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I was so excited to get a copy of this author's latest mystery/thriller! I think this novel had the perfect amount of twists, I truly wasn't able to predict what happened and I'm usually pretty decent at detecting these things. This book left me with chills and one of those that will stick with me for quite a bit!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion on this story.

This book definitely took me by surprise! I wasn't expecting such a chilling and unsettling read, especially going in blind. There were parts that genuinely creeped me out, so much so that I couldn't read it before bed – which, honestly, is a testament to the author's ability to create a truly disturbing atmosphere.

However, while the unsettling aspects were a highlight, I felt some elements of the story didn't quite hit the mark. The resolution, in particular, felt a bit convoluted and strange. I also think the focus on the troubled child and the social worker, while interesting, overshadowed the marital dynamics between the husband and wife. I would have loved to see their relationship explored more deeply, as that seemed to hold a lot of potential for tension and intrigue.

Finally, the ending felt somewhat predictable, which was a bit of a letdown after such a gripping and unsettling build-up.

Overall, this was a mixed bag for me. The unsettling elements were incredibly effective, but the plot and resolution could have been stronger. If you're looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and maybe even give you a few chills, this one might be worth checking out. Just maybe don't read it right before bed!

After a young nanny plunged to her death, a lawyer tries to uncover a family's secrets and determine who should get custody of their nine-year-old daughter.

This was an intriguing story as Stella tries to figure out who in this picture perfect house may be a murderer or liar. Everyone in the family has secrets and evades the truth, keeping you guessing as to who is truly to blame. I love Pekkanen's ability to make you question everything and everyone. It's an easy, quick read, but not a super memorable or shocking thriller for me.

Thank you Net Galley for having sent me a copy of House of Glass for review. I have always enjoyed Sarah's books and this one was pretty good as well. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The story def had me intrigued from the start. From the get go, Stella, an attorney was assigned the case to find out who had killed a Nanny. Since both Stella and Rose (the daughter to whom the nanny watched) both had something in common which was " traumatic mutism" so being assigned this case, Stella feels she had some knowledge behind her background to help her solve this case. There were many different suspects to who might have killed the nanny so this story definitely had you guessing throughout most of the story! Rose, man her character was crazy for her being such a little girl. She definitely had a evil side to her!

Overall this was a good read and good thriller if you want a pretty quick read!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the midst of a divorce and custody battle, 9 year old Rose witnesses the death of her nanny. After witnessing the traumatic event, Rose becomes mute. Stella Hudson, a best interest attorney is assigned to their case to decide who will have custody of Rose. Was the nanny’s death an accident or murder? Rose, her mom, dad and grandmother all act very suspicious and they have motives for killing the nanny so they could easily be suspects.
This one gave me creepy vibes and had me jumping from one person to the next as suspects. Kept me on the edge of my seat and full of twists.
Thank you to @netgalley for this advanced ebook by from @stmartinspress @sarahpekkanen #netgalley #books #noseinabook #booklover #bookstagram #thriller #mystery #dogstagram #girlsbestfriend  #stmartinspress
#sarahpekkanen

I love a book that keeps you guessing and you have no idea how its going to end. This one was that for me.

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney for children who find themselves in custody battles. She typically represents teenagers but when a dear friend of hers asks her to consider taking on Rose Barclay a 9 year old who witnessed her nanny tumble to hear death and has now gone mute, she can't say no (even though she wants to). Since Stella herself experienced something very similar to Rose at the same age, she is hoping she can connect with her in a way others can not.

However, the moment Stella enters the Barclay home, something seems very off. Was her nanny's death an accident? Do her parents have her best interest at heart or is she a pawn in their bitter divorce? As odd things begin to happen to Stella, she can't help but think, is Rose dangerous or is she the victim in all of this?

This book kept me guessing until the very end. As we dive deeper into each character and their story, I found myself wondering if they were the ones pulling the strings and causing the chaos. I just could never tell. You so badly want to trust what they are saying but the author really makes you question and feel leery of everything being communicated. I was hooked from the very beginning and really had no idea how it was going to end, which I loved.

I thought it was a great read.

Evil lurks in many forms and this author had me convinced that a nine year old red head was the devil incarnate. But given more time in the book, the list of suspects grew.
    Rose Barclay witnessed a tragic "accident". Her nanny fell to her death from a window in her house and the incident left her with "traumatic mutism".  Simultaneously, there was much upheaval in the Barclay family: her parents were getting a divorce and waging a custody battle. Because she was unable voice her wishes in regard to who she would live with, the court appointed a lawyer to observe the family and offer her suggestions as to what was best for Rose.
    What better lawyer could there be but one who also had traumatic mutism as a child....she could relate to her anxieties, evaluate her behavior in the home and make a recommendation on her behalf. Stella was meant for this job but it brought back her own trauma and it was crippling at times. Stella struggled with doing the right thing for this child while dealing with her own baggage.
    It was hard to sympathize with the dominating mother, easy to be disappointed in the wandering husband and to question the motives of the doting grandmother.
    The author provided reasons why all the characters would have cause to kill the nanny but, as in all good mysteries, the final chapters just flew by with surprise after surprise.
    Couldn't put it down.

The House of Glass is full of tension and twists. It's eerie and uncomfortable. The story had me guessing until the very end. Stella works to determine which parent should have custody of Rose, but there are many factors to consider. This case also hits close to home and awakens painful past memories. I really enjoy Sarah Pekkanen's writing and she will continue to be an auto buy author for me. .

This was a super solid thriller! I really enjoyed the role of the best interest attorney, as I felt like that was something I hadn’t encountered in a book before. I also loved how creepy the house was, almost a character itself.

I have read and enjoyed a number of books written by Sarah Pekkanen, so I was excited to dive into House of Glass. I was drawn in immediately and when I was done, I even went back and listened to the last hour and a half of the audiobook again because so much happened! Author Pekkanen crafted an an excellent ride full of interesting characters with plenty of dysfunctional family dynamics and secrets and so much misdirection, and I absolutely loved it!

I really liked this one, can’t give it a full 5 stars because I was able to figure out the ending but the lead up was incredibly intense and nail biting. Definitely would recommend!

A thriller full of twist and turns with an ending, I didn’t see coming! I didn’t want it to be over because I was enjoying it so much. If you like The Push, you will enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A perfect thriller for fans of THE PUSH, Sarah Pekkanen’s new novel revolves around the death of a nanny, the family dealing with the aftermath, and Stella, a guardian ad litem (best interest attorney) tasked with figuring out the best custody situation for Rose, the highly intelligent and emotional child who was one of the last to see her nanny alive. In order to figure out what’s best for Rose, Stella may just have to figure out whether this was foul play or just a terrible accident while navigating a household full of untrustworthy characters, including Rose herself. This one had some twists and turns I didn’t see coming. 3.5/5 stars.

Pub Date: 8/6/24
Review Published: 9/15/24
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.