A solid domestic thriller. I loved the connection and flashbacks to the main characters own childhood as she worked with a child client. There were many twists and turns, every character was hiding things and had secrets, you never knew who to trust. I love a book where I'm kept guessing until the very end and House of Glass was definitely that. While there were some spooky elements, I did not find this one scary at all. It was an interesting look at grief and family dynamics.

After hearing great things about this book, I went into reading it with high expectations, and this may have been my first mistake. While an interesting premise, House of Glass had moments that just fell kind of flat for me.
First the good: Because the plot primarily centers around a custody agreement, not a murder, the author is given a chance to introduce small morsels of information about it that the reader can easily digest, because let’s face it, we’re all reading this book to find out who killed the nanny. And the murder itself is a really interesting whodunit…it had me guessing a few times before I got it right myself.
Now the bad: The suspense was not there for me in this story, which was made worse by how forced the author tries to push it. At one point the FMC’s pen is missing and she almost has a panic attack. Anything odd was described as terrifying, but just because you call something scary doesn’t mean it is. It had me rolling my eyes less than halfway through the book. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the FMC’s voice…she was almost too cocky in the way she described things which came off unlikeable. Lastly, the author tries to cram too much into this book that was just not necessary. Scary thriller family dysfunction…wait, we still don’t have a random romance so let’s throw that in there too at the last minute? Sometimes less is more.
If we just look at the mystery portion alone, I think this book had potential. While somewhat predictable, that part was also interesting and had enough detail to keep a reader happy. For me, the other pieces just didn’t work and didn’t keep me turning the pages as quickly as other books do. 2.5 star read/rounding up to 3 for Goodreads.

**Thank you to St Marten’s Press, NetGalley and Sarah Pekkanen for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**

This was a slow-burn thriller but I read it in a day! Stella is appointed a case in a custody battle for the Barclays' divorce. When she takes on the case, the daughter's nanny, Tina, has just died. Stella is trying to figure out what happened - if it was an accident or did someone kill Tina. If someone murdered her, then Stella wants to make sure Rose doesn't end up in the hands of a killer.

This was so interesting. There weren't a lot of suspects and the book has you believing different people could be capable. I love how we are in the thick of it with Stella, trying to discover what happened. While we are trying to figure out what happened, Stella is also dealing with her past and it comes into play in this case.

I thought this was an entertaining read. I enjoyed the ending and I thought the suspense and twists were perfect for a thriller. Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own. 4.5 rounded up.

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

Sarah Pekkanen is back with another mind bending, psychological thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat with your heart racing. I was sucked into this novel's orbit from page one and I just couldn't get to the next page or chapter fast enough. Sarah's writing flows effortlessly and paints a perfect picture for the reader that grabs you into it's pages and implants it's emotions into your core like a virus.

Come along for the ride when best interest attorney, Stella Hudson, is assigned to serve as custodian to Rose Barclay, the nine-year-old daughter of Ian and Beth Barclay. Rose is a more than curious case for Stella as a young girl stuck between her parents divorce, and a possible witness/murder suspect in the sudden death of her nanny who plunged from the families third story window in their breathtakingly historic DC home. At the hands of her nanny's accident, Rose is suddenly rendered speechless and diagnosed with traumatic mutism, a condition that almost exactly mirrors Stella's condition as a young girl when she too stumbled upon the corpse of her mother, which impacted the trajectory of her life forever in more ways than she could have ever possibly imagined.

The deeper Stella gets into the Barclay family, the more quickly she realizes literally everyone is lying to her, including grandma Harriet, who also lives at the residence. As the family rallies to gather around Rose and support her and her condition, the more suspicious of the family Stella becomes and the more she fears she will share the same fate as Rose's nanny. Everything about the Barclay house feels twisted and wrong from it's complete lack of glass anywhere, to the strange noises and nagging sensation that you are always being watched. This is literally the last place Stella wants to be, but knows she will do anything to protect Rose from her family, that house, and possibly even Rose herself. Is the one person that Stella is required to protect at all costs the one person looking to get her out of the Barclay residence by any means possible? Can she hold on long enough to find the answers to all of her mounting questions before a second body is discovered on the Barclay residence?

I cannot urge you enough to pick this one up for yourself and come along on this twisted tale of loss, trauma, and healing. Everything about this books just pulls you in until you realize you are racing to make it to the end and six hours have passed and you are still sitting in the same spot with a much higher than average heart rate. House of Glass has so many thrilling twists and turns, you eventually won't know which way is up, but you do know everyone has something to hide and you will stop at nothing to figure it out. The question is, why? Run, don't walk to pick this one up August 6th!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is one of those books that will keep you on the edge of your seat while you are reading. I was so sure I had it all figured out as to what happened to the nanny. Oh, the author did a great job of throwing a twist into what was happening.
The only one who saw what happened was Rose and she is nine and she stopped speaking when she witnessed what happened.
This is a book you need to get and then settle in because this is one book you are not going to be able to put down.
Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen and St. Martin's Press for the copy of House of Glass. This is my personal review.

Unfortunately I was not a big fan of this, some plots I questioned why they were in there, and a lot of unbelievable circumstances.

A child advocate is trying to decide what's best for the child, while her parents are going through a divorce, in the wake of a nanny falling to her death. A case of who done it. Our child advocate also delves into her past to figure out what and how her mother died.

Solid 3 stars!

Thanks to St Martin's press and Net Galley for this ARC! Humbled and blessed
HOUSE OF GLASS OUT AUG 6TH!!!!!

💥 Pub Date: 8/6/2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

• domestic suspense
• secrets & childhood trauma
• lively narration

This story kept me guessing left and right! It did come to a thrilling and action-packed climax, but I still wanted a little more out of the ending.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio Books for the opportunity to read and review this book via both gifted eARC and audio! All opinions are honest and my own.

This was my first book by Sarah, and I can confirm it will not be my last. I couldn’t put this one down. I was on the edge of my seat, heart racing, waiting to see what was going to happen. If you’ve ever watched the movie ‘Orphan’ those were the type of vibes Rose was giving me at one point. Safe to say, this one did not play out like I thought it would. There were several plot twists that just kept me so invested in this story. I was dying to see how it would all unfold.

The House of Glass is Sarah Pekkanen's latest novel -- a thrilling and psychologically twisted story around a very wealthy family on the verge of divorcing, fighting for the sole custody of their only child, Rose. What makes things more complicated is that the nanny, Tina, has recently died from a fall at the mansion. No one knows if it is an accident or an intentional push out of her bedroom window. Rose is suffering from traumatic mutism. So Stella, a Best Interest attorney is hired on this case to figure out what would the ideal way to handle custody of the child. Stella is a complex, interesting, and relatable character that I really enjoyed getting to know. Her background story was so heartbreaking (she lost both of her parents which led her to become mute also, and this condition makes her relate to Rose and wanting to help her). There some other story threads that were each so interesting and brought something extra to the story! A great summer read! Pekkanen has become an auto-buy at this point; I loved The Golden Couple and now The Glass House. Her psychological prose is so cool and I feel like I learn new things on the way humans function every time that I read her.

🪻𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦
𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋: 𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝟼, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
⭐️𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟜.𝟝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤! ★★★★✬

🤏𝗧𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗯𝗶𝘁...Danger & lies surround this perfect little family and everyone(which includes their 9 year old daughter) is suspected of murder

🌻𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆...BEYOND BINGEABLE READ! 🙌This one has so much I love..domestic drama, slow burn..then quick twists & turns 🌀& the best ending!! 🎀Oh & have you ever heard of someone who can’t have glass in the house? 🤯Like, they have a severe aversion to it? I never realized how much glass is in a house until this book! Like how do you get ready without a mirror? 🪞 That random fact stuck with me for who knows why & really isn’t a large part of the book, but also very intriguing, right?!? 🧐 I was creeped out in the best way while reading & on the edge of my seat with this one! Thanks @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress for my copy and thanks to @sarahpekkanen for the fun! 😆🥳

I was lucky enough to receive both a NetGalley arc as well as an advanced audiobook of this one, so I read this one in both formats. Although this won’t be making my favorite books of the year list, I think it is a pretty solid thriller with some interesting story elements and an interesting mystery at the center of the story. The audiobook narration was really well done, so if you are a fan of audiobooks, I definitely recommend this one in that format.

The mystery itself is really interesting with our main character, Stella, trying to find out what happened to a nanny named Tina and what should be done with the little girl involved in the family drama, Rose. As far as creepy kids go, Rose was pretty good. There are definitely scenes where I was very disturbed by her behavior. With her parents and grandmother also acting suspicious, it is a pretty good cast of suspects as to who killed Tina. I have a couple of issues with the reveal at the end that I will not get into to avoid spoilers, but I think overall it is a satisfying ending that most readers will enjoy.

My biggest issue with this book was the author’s telling and not showing a lot of the time (such a pet peeve of mine). With the story told through Stella’s perspective, she was often telling us that the house felt sinister and claustrophobic, but the descriptions didn’t really fit that to make me feel uneasy alongside her. A lot of the story is also focused on Stella’s own childhood trauma in relation to the death of her mother, which I thought added an interesting element to the story particularly with how she related to Rose and her own trauma in the wake of seeing a murder. But there were a few chapters in the second half all about Stella investigating the death of her mother that kind of slowed down the pace of the story and took too much away from the central storyline in my opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@sarahpekkanen knocked it out of the park with this one! I didn't predict this ending correctly!

Stella is a caseworker trying to determine when Ian & Beth get divorced, who their daughter Rose will live with. She wants to put Rose's best interest above all, but everyone seems suspicious of murdering the nanny.

Charles is like a father figure to Stella! He is always there for her. Is he keeping a secret from her too?

Stella has so much on her mind! Will she make the correct decision for Rose?

This was such a rollercoaster ride- one of the best thrillers I have read recently! I thought it was so interesting how distorted the author kept all of the characters throughout the whole story. I spent the whole book going back and forth about who I thought the villain of the story was, and was actually surprised by the ending! There was also some interesting twists added that definitely kept me on my toes and deepened the story in a really great way. Great read- highly recommend!

Excellent story that kept me on my toes! I wasn’t expecting the twist and I thought Sarah wrote Stella and Rose’s story very well.

This book was super fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. I read the entire thing in two sittings. It's unputdownable. I figured out the ending relatively early, but I still enjoyed the ride. I will say though that I thought the romantic arc for Stella was unnecessary- the book would have been fine, if not better, without it.
I will recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

I liked this one, but didn't love it.

Stella is an attorney that helps with child custody issues during divorce proceedings. She evaluates the situation and makes suggestions regarding custody to the judge. Rose is a very unique case. Her parents, Beth and Ian, are getting divorced but there are some extenuating circumstances; like the fact that Beth is extremely wealthy and Ian owns a landscaping company, or the fact that Rose's nanny Tina recently died, after falling out of the third story window in their home, or the fact that Tina was pregnant with Ian's baby. There is also the fact that after the accident Rose has become mute, or the fact that she hides shards of glass in her pockets because there are no sharp objects kept in her house.

I can't resist a creepy kid story and this had it for a good long while, and then the middle just began to drag and I wasn't as invested anymore. This was a good story, it just wasn't my favorite.

I've said it before and I will say it again - I really wish authors would stop shoving in LGBTQ agenda right at the very end of a book where it doesn't make any sense. The ending really irked me because of this seemingly random inclusion. Include the details and make them a story line throughout, or don't. Other than that, this was a good read. I did see where it was going from the start, but I also read a lot of thriller and suspense novels. It still kept me intrigued until the end to see how it would all finally play out.

You know who writes a good book? Sarah Pekkanen. I think I’ve read everything she’s written with Greer Hendricks, but haven’t done a thorough job at reading her solo stuff. This one will make me check out her other ones because I loved it! It reminded me of one of Agatha Christie’s (I won’t say because even though the conclusion isn’t the same, I feel like there would still be some spoilers).

Stella Hudson has a challenging job as a best interest attorney – someone who is appointed by a judge during particularly brutal custody cases. Stella breaks her typical rules, and agrees to representing a nine-year-old girl named Rose. Rose is suffering from traumatic mutism after witnessing her nanny’s, Tina, death; who, according to reports, was pregnant by Rose’s father. But when both of Rose’s parents refuse to take a lie detector test, it’s hard to rule out the possibility of murder. Now, Stella needs to find a way to ensure Rose doesn’t end up living with a murderer. And when things start happening to Stella that mirror Tina’s final week, Stella can’t help but panic.

I don’t know how many twists there really were in this one, but it kept me on edge and excited to see what was going to happen next. A great read!

I adored this tight, twisty psychological thriller! Stella is such a finely-nuanced character, and her dark past revealed itself gradually and believably throughout the novel. The tension didn't let up, and I was racing through the story all the way to the final pages. All of the Barclays are excellent characters also, and it was difficult to guess which of them was the malign intelligence behind the sinister happenings, This is hands-down the best mystery I’ve read this year.

I LOVED this suspenseful novel by Sarah Pekkanen! We meet Stella who is a guardian ad litem appointed by the court to evaluate Rose, daughter of Beth and Ian and granddaughter of Harriet. Rose has experienced severe emotional trauma due to the death of her nanny, Tina. Stella's job is to determine who should have custody of Rose since Beth and Ian are divorcing. Everyone seems to have Rose's best interests at the forefront. Or do they?

I have to admit I was not familiar with Sarah Pekkanen and her previous work. I am going to correct that now as several of her titles sound right up my alley. I really hope this will develop into a series of Stella and Natalia working together again. I highly recommend this novel if you like the genre of "Domestic Suspense". I could not put it down!

Many thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review!