Creepy kid
Creepy House
and seriously messed up adults
=
A recipe for a fun twisty thriller!

Sarah Pekkanen sucked me in on the first page when Stella, a women who is appointed as counsel to Rose Barclay-a 9 year old who witnessed her nanny's death and whose custody is being determined-witnesses her pocket a shard of glass as she is in the streets with her mother. Talk about chills up your spine.
This book is as complex and creepy as they come. You never know who to trust or what is truly going on in the Barclay home. The mother is petrified of glass, the dad had motive to kill the nanny, and GrandMa is an overbearing control freak. So how can Stella figure out where Rose will be safe....or better yet, which of the adults needs protection from her?

As I was reading this book I felt like the little ball in a Pinball machine, being whacked around side to side (in a good way) She really had me losing and gaining trusts in each of the characters. With such a small cast, you would think it would be obvious "Who Done It", but in actuality unless you were an 80's mall rat and hung out at the arcade you arn't gonna win this game of pinball.
Many authors in this genre strive to create an atmosphere to match their book. I honestly felt like I needed to read and constantly look over my shoulder and when there was a scene in the house I got chills.
I was deeply invested in how this story played out and loved the thrills. The conclusion however did leave me a bit dissapointed with how obvious Pekkanen played into needing to "check some boxes". My question is , why did we need the "diverse" relationship.

Overall if I could block that one thing from my mind, I really enjoyed the fast pace of this book and was eager to find out what happened.

Side note: I would have loved nothing more than to sit down and hate a tupperware of Stella's mother in laws baked ziti and chat with Charles. Those two made the best side characters and helped cut the slow burn tension throughout the novel.

Thank you Netgally for this advanced copy read of "House of Glass". I was not influenced or paid for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Gotta love reading a psychological thriller while stuck inside during a snow storm! So many suspects (everyone) and side stories that basically prove just how awful people can be to those they claim to love.

I did not expect the ending. It was a little too tidy, but not in a way that took away from my overall enjoyment. Kudos on the psychological aspects!

4 out of 5 stars and my respect to the author

2.5
tragically this one was not at all for me.
I've been seeing Sarah Pekkanen everywhere, forever, and I've always thought her books sounded so intriguing. I wanted to finally pick up her latest.
Unfortunately, while I clearly love her plots, I don't think her writing style is for me. My main issues...

1: Clunky introduction of details
-I think it's important to work in information about the main characters early on, but some of the phrasing was just awkward to me. Early on, there's a line from the MC around the lines of "I'm not some naive 26 year old" which is how we learn her age. But the phrasing of that just made me laugh—it was like, "I'm not a naive 26 year old, I'm a cool one!"
-Some things also just felt over-described. There's a scene where the MC is like "... I said, while unloading my groceries. I put my green juice, which I use for the base of my smoothies, on the shelf." Okay?? Pop off health goddess.
-I swear it felt like product placement was used at some times, although I don't know if that's even a thing for books. But I will not be downloading the Waze navigation app or—get this!!—starting a Book of the Month subscription

2: Formula/reveals
The short chapters and their formula helped the book move quickly, but it didn't do much for the plot. Each small chapter tries to end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it ended up having moments that were not ~that~ dramatic written as if they were big reveals.

3: Lack of trust in the reader
Ultimately, it felt like Sarah Pekkanen didn't trust the reader to be picking up what she was putting down. We get a lot of the MC's inner monologue, which immediately summarizes the significance of certain reveals/clues. I think Sarah also did some clever things throughout the whole narrative but just wasn't confident enough that we'd notice. There were a few times when the main character was literally like, "Wow, this moment is a great parallel to this earlier moment!" And I was like... let me cook Sarah. We'll notice the fun things you're doing!

Obviously I enjoy Sarah Pekkanen's plots and brain, but I just don't think we're a match stylistically, and now I know! Other early reviews for this one seem to indicate that I'm in the minority, so I'll just shut up and drink my green juice (which I use as a base for my smoothies).

Everything you think you know, you don’t.

Good writing and plot with a creepy vibe. Intriguing characters and relationships. I enjoyed how the main story of determining a child custody case evolved into Stella, the main character, deciding it was finally time to solve the death of her mother. The intertwining of the two stories played well off of each other.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

Stella Hudson is a best interest lawyer who is called to look into the case of nine year old Rose Barclay. The parents are divorcing due to the dad’s affair with the nanny who winds up dead from a fall from an attic window. Weird, creepy things was happening to the nanny before she died and the same things begin happening to Stella.
This is a good creepy story that kept me guessing till the end.
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this eARC that will be released August 6, 2024!

Amazing book. It grabbed me by the throat and held me in its grip until the final page. The story lived up to the term psychological suspense that was unrelenting. The characters were complex and engaging. A very satisfying read.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

The synopsis for House of Glass alone had me hooked, so it was no surprise that the book itself was just as entertaining. Suspenseful, nail-biting, and brilliant. I loved it.

Before I read this book, I really liked this author. I still feel that way, very strongly.

Stella is a lawyer and serves as a Best Interests Attorney in difficult divorce cases. She’s accepted the case of the Barclays, specifically the custody arrangement pertaining to their daughter Rose.

Stella has some complicated baggage of her own with the loss of both parents when she was young. She exhibited traumatic mutism, the inability to speak after a shocking circumstance, and Rose has the same condition.

What a family the Barclays are! And what a mess the whole case is! Stella’s thoughts and opinions change several times before the case is resolved, and we’re wondering all along about a certain death that’s shrouded in mystery and lies. Someone isn’t telling the truth, but who is it?

Also swirling around is the matter of the death of both of Stella’s parents and what really happened to them. The suspense builds throughout, with the surprises revealed at the end, but not too late for a satisfying conclusion.

I definitely look forward to the next offering by the author. My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the gifted digital ARC of the book. My review is voluntary.

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

I read this book in one sitting. I'm not kidding- I started reading it around 8 PM and finished just before 2 AM. The plot was paced well and had me invested from the first chapter. I wanted to find out what would happen to Stella, Rose, and her family. I thought I knew where this book was going- and honestly, I wasn’t upset about it because the book was so interesting and creepy. The climax made my jaw drop, and the other twists that came about also left me stunned.

Reading this book from the POV of the main character- a best interest attorney who represents children- was super unique. I thought Stella was a fleshed-out main character who I could easily root for. My heart ached for her over what she's been through, and I can tell that she wants to work through her trauma- especially for Rose's sake in order to do a good job for her.

The other characters were also three-dimensional and easy for me to connect with. Even though Rose, the child, doesn’t speak, I was still able to understand her thoughts and feelings in every situation. Seeing how she interacted with Stella, her parents, and other characters was also fascinating.

Finally, learning about Stella’s past and why she is the way she is was heartbreaking but also really intriguing. That subplot was explored thoroughly, making it feel like you, the reader, were investigating Stella’s past. The climax of that was well done and made for a great read too.

This was a strong domestic thriller full of strong twists and turns. I highly recommend it!

House of Glass is full of spine tingling suspense. Explore the maze of intrigue and surprises with heart pounding anticipation. This book will not disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I was pretty excited to receive this arc. I love the author”s prior works, but I’m sad to say I was a bit let down by this one.

The book centers around a young girl named Rose, who witnesses her nanny falling to her death out of a window. The investigation brings Stella, Rose’s attorney, to become untwined in finding out what happened while she attempts to protect Rose from this questionable family as she fights her own childhood demons. The first few chapters grabbed me, then I struggled with boredom until I got to about the 75% mark……until the ending which was pretty anti-climactic.

I didn’t hate this book, but I certainly didn’t love it either. As always, I feel fortunate to be given the opportunity of an arc from one of my favorite authors. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for allowing me to read and review this book!

Stella Hudson is a BIA lawyer for Rose Barclay, a 9 year child whose nanny was discovered killed at her home, having been pushed from the attic through a thin glass window. The Barclays are divorcing due to a affair between Rose’s father, Ian, & her late nanny, Tina.

Rose is suffering from traumatic mutism & can’t communicate by speaking, & Stella is determined to do right by her young client and choose which parent Rose will be better off with custody wise. She’s also determined to figure out the cold case involving the nanny’s sudden death, since it reminds her of her own childhood trauma with her mothers death & her own subsequent traumatic mutism- was it murder, suicide or an accident?

But things are not what they seem- every piece of glass in the house has been removed or replaced with plastic. And there seems to be something sinister going on when Stella first lays eyes on Rose before their meeting- and sees her picking up a shard of glass and hiding it.

4 stars. This book was absolutely page turning and left you on the edge of your seat- and something unique in this thriller I feel like you don’t encounter often is the fact that you actually get to know the main character, Stella, very well!

I was very pleased by this thriller, although the big reveal was a little lackluster for me because I was hoping for it to have been someone less predictable that killed Tina. But it’s okay because this book truly messed with my psyche & made me feel creeped out and paranoid, which is what I look for when reading the mystery/ thriller genre.

Thank you to netgalley & st martins press for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

After Rose has witnessed the traumatic death of her nanny, she develops mutism. Her parents are going through a divorce during the same time, and Stella is the custody attorney appointed to the case. Stella has her work cut out for her trying to determine what is in the best interest of Rose.
Stella quickly realizes that things are not as they seem and the family is hiding many secrets.
I enjoyed this fast paced, twisted book. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

I found this to be an interesting read. I was biased by the fact that I figured out very early on that someone from Stella's life would be intertwined with her need to find the answers regarding Rose.

I found the characters to be very bland and somehow it lacked intrigue for me. The plot was difficult to follow, and I found that I didn't care for any of the characters much.

The motivation for the crimes was also very underwhelming. I can see that some people might find it interesting, but as always when children are involved it is important to give readers a reason to care.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley in return for an unbiased review for which I am grateful.

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love anything Sarah writes and i’ll read it. This is probably gonna be one of the best thrillera of this summer. I’m calling it.
I didn’t expect anything that happened. I love all the characters whether they be unlikable or not. Obssessed.

I want to start by giving thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.

With that being said, I liked this book. I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it, I simply liked it. It was a pretty good book but I felt myself wanting and needing more from it. In my opinion, the book didn’t start to get really really good until chapter 50 (72% in).

I will say, I was unable to predict what happened in the book and normally I can! Not being able to do that kept my very invested in the book because I couldn’t wait to figure out what happened. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

Do you ever find yourself reading books that randomly have things in common? Generally, for me at least, it comes in the form of a song I haven’t heard in a billion years being referenced in back-to-back reads or a not often used city somehow being the setting. This time it was the plot itself – the whodunit surrounding the death of a nanny. (In case you are curious/are a sufferer of the FOMO like myself – the book I read before this was The Other Mothers - and it was a winner).

I snagged this copy without even taking a gander at a blurb when it was offered up as a Read Now on NetGalley and didn’t pay attention to the fact that Sarah Pekkanen had not partnered up with her usual other half Greer Hendricks for this one - but it REALLY felt like it was co-written. I loooooooooved the storyline regarding the dead nanny and the potential suspects (should her death be proven to be intentional and not merely a horrible accident). The rich wife, the adulterer husband, the silent (yet oh so creepy) daughter and the doting granny ALL had my hinky meter going off. And the divorce proceedings which brought our leading lady Stella in as an advocate for Rose to determine which custody arrangement would be in her best interest was excellent. But then there was the subplot regarding Stella’s dead mother and . . . . . yeah. Not only was it completely unnecessary, it really derailed a quality murder mystery for me (and felt like it was written by someone else and merely spliced together). 3.5 Stars, but rounding down. (Oh, and it should go without saying I really do not like the cover – good thing this was a known-to-me author so I overlooked it ha-ha.)

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

I loved this book! I read a lot of mysteries, and this one was slightly unique in a very refreshing way - it felt like a classic "who dun it" but with a real human/psychology lens into a family dynamic. And the main character, who becomes a detective of sorts, has her own journey and trauma she is working through as well. The human element to this mystery is what I loved most about it; it wasn't written to shock with dramatic twists and turns, but rather to intrigue and provoke thoughts around the REASON why characters may act the way they do, and how their life experiences have impacted their actions and behaviors. 10/10, one of the best books I have read this year!

Set in the DC metro area, House of Glass is a nail-biting thriller that I had trouble putting down. While other early readers have complained about the pace of the plot, I thought appropriate pacing was used throughout the story. I really enjoyed that the revelations at the end of the novel were ones that I did not suspect, but also made logical sense. There is a fine line that thriller authors must tiptoe with plot twists and Pekkanen nailed it.

I will read anything Sarah writes, whether by herself or with Greer Hendricks. I love her characters, you can get inside their mind and see their intentions. They aren't always likeable but it keeps you turning the pages.