Short synopsis: Stella is hired as a best interest attorney in a divorce case involving a nine year old girl who witnessed the death of her former nanny.

My thoughts: This was fun bingeable thriller that had me constantly guessing who was responsible for the murder of the Nanny. I honestly went back and forth in my guess for almost the entirety of the book.

The traumatic mutism added a fun complexity to the character Rose, and also increased the suspicion with her collecting sharp objects.

Pekkanen does such a great job at weaving a puzzle like thriller that in completely bingeable and makes the reader second guess their natural instincts.

Read if you love:
- Unexpected twists
- Untrustworthy characters
- What’s hidden behind a perfect exterior
- Family psychological thriller

One of my favorite authors and this book is now a favorite too. Do yourself a favor and go read this book. I was hooked from the beginning and devoured it in 2 days.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

The seemingly perfect Barclay family is in the headlines when the nanny who works for them falls to her death. Or maybe she didn’t fall… Stella is a best interest attorney in charge of the case. She writes a recommendation to the judge on the placement of the child in custody cases. The more Stella gets to know the Barclay family, the less sure she is that what happened to the nanny was an accident.

This was my first Sarah Pekkanen novel. The premise sounds so intriguing. The first 30% I flew through, but then the plot started slowing down and nothing major happened till the last 80%. The Barclay house was described so vividly, I was able to picture everything happening in the house as I was reading.

Unfortunately I was not a fan of the side plots, I either found them very predictable (Stella’s mentor) or thought they didn’t add much at all to the story (the random romance thrown in at the end).

I’m still interested in reading more by Pekkanen in the future because this was so promising in the beginning, and had a pretty unique premise.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is a creepy, almost claustrophobic story about a family hiding some secrets and the lawyer who is determined to figure out what is going on.

Here we have the Barclays - husband Ian, his wife Beth, his mother Harriet and his nine-year-old Rose. Ian had an affair with Rose's nanny Tina, who just found out she was pregnant when she mysteriously fell from the attic bedroom window to her death. Each person in the Barclay family has a seemingly perfect alibi. The police haven't been able to pin down a suspect and the case is cold. Now Ian and Beth are divorcing, but both want full custody of Rose. But there's another problem - nine year old Rose witnessed her nanny's fall and is now experiencing traumatic mutism, meaning she hasn't said a word to anyone since the accident. This is where Stella Hudson comes in. Stella is a best interest lawyer, sent to determine which housing arrangement would be best for Rose. Stella must interview each member of the household, and really get to know Rose to see where she should be placed after the divorce proceedings. As Stella investigates, she gets a lot of pushback from each member of the family, including Rose, whose behavior is becoming noticeably more and more strange. But Stella is determined to help Rose - mainly because she herself suffered from traumatic mutism after her own mother's death, making her very sympathetic to Rose and her situation.

I thought this was an interesting mystery where each character could be a suspect. At one point I thought each one was the guilty party until I read a little further and thought someone else was for sure guilty. I enjoy books like this with the slight misleading mixed in. Once I got to a certain point it was pretty clear if it was an accident or murder and who was responsible. Everyone was creepy and even the Barclay estate was a creepy character in this story. I enjoyed getting to know Stella and my heart hurt for her while reading about her childhood. I enjoyed some side characters, including her mentor Charles and that storyline. Overall this was a great suspense novel and was easy to read and kept my interest!

I've read a number of Pekkanen's novels that were written with Greer Hendricks and look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I appreciate Sarah Pekkanen's storytelling prowess, which shines through in this book. The atmosphere is vividly crafted, featuring a chilling mansion and a peculiar family living within its walls. The protagonist, Stella, is an attorney specializing in advocacy for children during divorces. She is called upon to evaluate a young girl named Rose, who suffers from traumatic mutism—an inability to speak following a traumatic event, serving as a psychological shield against further trauma.

Stella takes on Rose's case, feeling an instinctive sense that there is more to the situation than just a divorce. She quickly finds out that the previous nanny died after falling out of an upstairs window. As a result, the house is devoid of anything made of glass. As she delves into Rose’s placement and her parents’ custody battle, she finds herself revisiting her own traumatic past. Stella had witnessed her father’s fatal car crash and endured the emotional fallout on her mother. The trauma deepens when she hides in a closet during her mother’s death, unsure of the cause.

Pekkanen skillfully intertwines these narratives, creating a gripping and atmospheric read. This book is a compelling page-turner, and I highly recommend it to fans of stories about rich people behaving badly and lovers of mystery-thrillers.
#HouseofGlass #Netgalley #StMartinsPress

Love this author way of writing a story. The plot was great. It’s definitely a weekend read and would be great for a book club.

This was another predictable thriller with a very anti-climatic ending, but it was still a fun ride.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i loved all of pekkanen's previous work and this kept the streak going. the pace started off as a page turner and got a bit slower towards the last third of the book. however, i thought the ending was rushed, predictable and could have gone bigger.

I loved this book! I found it suspenseful and it kept me on my toes until the end. My perception of the characters was constantly changing due to the author's cleverness. A page turner!

Meet the Barclays: landscape architect Ian; philanthropist Beth; mother-in-law Harriet; and nine-year old Rose. Following what seems to be an "accident" with their live-in nanny, Tina (perhaps an effect of her pregnancy-inducing affair with Ian), Rose is suffering from trauma-induced mutism, Ian and Beth are divorcing, and it's up to Best Interest Attorney Stella Hudson to determine which parent Rose should live with. As Stella's investigation furthers, and keeping in mind her own childhood traumatic mutism, familial secrets are uncovered and danger lurks around every corner.

I have enjoyed Pekkanen's work with Greer Hendricks and HoG is the second of Pekkanen's solo ventures that I've enjoyed as well. I think HoG is stronger than her first solo work, Gone Tonight, as far as character dynamics. The Barclay's home is a character in and of itself, and combined with the family's own creepy tension, I found myself thoroughly engaged throughout. Stella in particular was a complex character, whose history with her own mentor Charlie provided an additional layer of complexity and intrigue. This is a solid psychological thriller that will keep fans hooked, even if it can at times be bit presumptuous.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great suspense thriller. Sarah Pekkanen weaves a lot into this story. A nanny dies. The couple who live at the house are divorcing and a lawyer is sent over to help decide who should get custody. Oh, and dad's mom lives with them as well and it's the wife's money that supports their living style. On top of all this, the nine year old is no longer speaking after the trauma with her nanny. And, is it possible that the assigned lawyer was assigned because of the trauma she witnessed in her own life? There's lots to unravel is this story and I enjoyed every bit of it. Aug 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

I had absolutely no idea where this book was headed. It hooked me immediately and did not let go. WOW.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 8/6!

This was my first book by this author but it for sure won’t be my last. This was a fun read that interested me from the start. I think the characters were well-developed even though readers follow one POV throughout and I did not see the twist at the end coming! Giving this one 4 stars because I did find there to be a bit of redundancy in the plot’s middle; however, this did not distract too much from my reading experience. I would definitely recommend this book. If you do decide to pick this one up though, please check any relevant trigger warnings.

I really enjoyed this book, was an easy binge read. I felt the first half was better than the second half , but still kept me interested.
Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Read this if you enjoy:
- Domestic Noir
- Suspense
- Psychological Thriller

This is a solid thriller, following attorney Stella Hudson. Stella has taken on the custody case of Rose Barclay and determined to uncover the Barclay's secrets and give Rose the best placement. That's easier said than done - she's determined to find out what really happened to Rose's former nanny, and Stella quickly realizes the family is not being honest with her.

This was a fun one to read- I really enjoyed the main mystery. Stella's backstory was long and -ultimately for me - a distraction to the main plot. I liked the idea, but in the end it just didn't work as well for me. Otherwise, this one is a real page turner!

Just like with any of her other books, Pekkanen draws you into the story right from the beginning. Another masterfully woven mystery!

Stella, a best interest attorney, takes a care to at is outside her general scope of practice - a younger child, who collects sharp objects & is currently not speaking. Stella is tasked with figuring out the best interest of the child, Rose, when it comes to her parent’s divorce proceedings. But, what Stella enters into is deeper than just that - as the family nanny has recently fallen from a three story window in the family’s home & no one is quite sure how or why.

The storyline thickens as Stella’s own upbringing and trauma history infiltrate her work & the way in which she sees this specific case. I feel as though Sarah Pekkanen did a great job with portraying the complexities of the different characters in this book, as well as making them all equally suspicious and sketchy! In writing the book this way, I was kept guessing a lot, which I do love in a thriller! Not to mention the shorter chapters that left off on cliffhangers are also something I enjoy & this book had just that.

I was able to flip between the ebook and audiobook of this book - and I have to say, the narration was well done! The emotion of various situations was clearly conveyed & present through Laura Benanti’s narration - which I also enjoyed!

After the nanny of a wealthy family is found dead near the garden, three stories below her attic guest room, the family immediately begins to remove glass of all kinds from the home. Did she really fall through the window on her own, or was she pushed? Rose, the child she cared for, has suddenly gone mute. Is this a result of witnessing this trauma or is she hiding something more sinister? Enter Stella, the casework assigned to the family to determine the best possible placement for Rose. As it turns out, Rose’s parents will be divorcing due to the fact that Ian, her father, was caught in an affair with the nanny that resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. Did he push her to get her out of his life? Did Rose’s mom, Beth, seek revenge on her husband and her deceptive employee? Stella has a troubled past of her own. As a child she herself went mute after hiding in a closet for hours only to discover the dead body of her mother laying in their apartment. Will she be the one who can reach Rose? As Stella gets to know Rose better, she is more and more troubled not only by Rose’s well beyond her years intelligence but by what she finds hidden in the nine year old’s room: a book on serial killer, Ted Bundy and sharp objects like broken glass and a box cutter hidden in her jewelry box. Has Rose been hurting herself or others? Stella quickly begins to discover that this house is holding a dark secret and it is up to her to figure it out to save Rose, either from herself or from someone else!

Thrills, Chills, secrets and revelations
Oh. My. Word! This book had me looking over my shoulder at every little noise. This book was the kind of scary that made me keep reading so I could prove to myself I could do it. And, extra plus for the book, I did not figure out who did what, until it was revealed. As much as I like to figure out who the culprit is, I love it when the author structures a story so well that what was plausible was wrong!
Sadly, the story is centered on Rose who is a brilliant 9yo but who appears to be quite troubled. She has a hoard of sharp instruments in her jewelry box. Why? Her parents are getting a divorce and the courts have assigned lawyer Stella Hudson to be Rose’s Guardian ad litem. It will be Stella’s job to determine how custody of Rose will be arranged when her parents, Ian and Beth finalize their amicable divorce. The fly in the ointment is that Ian had an affair with their dead nanny, Tina. To make her determination Stella thinks she must find out if Tina’s death was accidental or murder. And we are off…from that point, this book will cause thrills and chills. Well-paced, written and edited, this book will keep you reading well into the night. If you like spine-tingling thrillers, you will want to read this book. Put on your mental running shoes, you will need them. I volunteered to review an ARC of it through NetGalley.