🎧 Macmillan Audio Review 🎧

Stella Hudson doesn’t know what she’s getting into when she decides to take on her current case of a young nanny’s suspicious death at the well-off, Barclay residence. Did she jump or was she pushed? And either way, what was her motivation?

Part of Stella’s investigation heavily involves around Rose Barclay, the sullen nine year old who has become a selective mute since the horrific incident. Everyone assumes Rose is the key witness-and the key to finding out the truth. Even if this is true though, Rose remains tight lipped. Stella is their last hope, her own troubled childhood both drawing her to and away from the mystery.

But the deeper Stella digs into the Barclay family, the more she uncovers information that makes the harrowing case even more complicated. Then there’s the case of the house itself- encased in plastic wear glass used to be. As Stella’s past memories intermingle with the present, the facts grow murkier. Now it’s up to Stella to find out the truth before anyone else’s world is shattered.

House of Glass is a fast paced thriller with only so many suspects. Because of this, I was able to suss out the perpetrator with a fair amount of precision. I also found the commonalities between Stella and Rose to be a bit far fetched. That said, it was still well narrated suspense that held my interest, even if I was able to put together the pieces.

In this twisty family drama and mystery, Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney who is tasked with deciding what is best for a young girl, Rose Barclay. Rose's wealthy parents are going through a challenging divorce. There are a lot of factors for Stella to consider: a mystery behind the nanny, Tina De La Cruz's fall to her death, Rose has become mute as a result of witnessing Tina's traumatic fall, and now the entire house does not have any glass. All glass has been replaced with plastic. Why? How did Tina fall to her death? Did someone want to kill Tina? Who should be the caregiver for Rose?

As the story goes on we learn more and more about each character and Stella has to determine who may or may not be telling the truth. This book does a good job of keeping the reader guessing as Stella works through determining Rose's best interest. This is a fast read and the descriptions of the house add an eerie feeling to parts of the story.

This is the third novel I have read by Sarah Pekkanen. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this novel. This book comes out on August 6, 2024.

4.5 stars
House of Glass, by Sarah Pekkanen, is an engrossing, addictive thriller and a favorite read of the month. It’s the kind of story that adds pieces of the puzzle, bit by bit, drawing the reader into the story with every passing page. Each element is vital to the overall plot and fascinating on its own.

Attorney Stella Hudson is an advocate for children, assessing and ultimately determining who to award custody to in contentious divorce cases. She normally focuses on cases that involve teenagers and avoids working with young children since she was traumatized by a tragic childhood event. But when her mentor and longtime friend asks her to make an exception and take on a young girl’s case, Stella reluctantly agrees. She soon learns that it is a very unusual situation and Stella sees far too much of herself in this child.

Things at the Barclay house feel off from the start and the longer Stella spends with the family, the more eerie and mystifying things become. Shortly before her arrival, Rose Barclay’s nanny fell to her death from a third story window. Rose found her nanny and is now mute from the ordeal. The police have not been able to identify a perpetrator, and with the impending divorce, and Mr. and Mrs. Barclay awaiting the verdict on who will get full custody of Rose, tensions are running high.

Stella finds herself caught between the two distinctly different, rather peculiar parents, a grandmother who has out-stayed her welcome and become deeply invested in the family, and Rose, a young girl who acts more like an old soul than a nine year old girl, and has wild mood swings that border on alarming. Stella feels compelled to determine if someone in the family was responsible for the death of the nanny in order to place Rose in the safest custodial arrangement. Simultaneously, Stella is at long last investigating her own personal history which is long overdue.

There were a few elements in the story that didn’t make a lot of sense, such as why the parents weren’t willing to share custody of their daughter, and why the police weren’t doing more to look into the death of the nanny. That said, House of Glass, which has a very interesting title tie-in, is intense, intriguing, captivating and cleverly plotted. I was highly invested in each stage and subplot of the story and found the writing to be cohesive, clear and compelling. I’m definitely a fan of Sarah Pekkanen’s stories and will autobuy anything she writes.

4.5 stars

Main Characters:
-- Stella Hudson – 38-year-old attorney who lost both of her parents at a young age, her father died swerving to miss a deer in the road, her mother died of a drug overdose, works as a best interest attorney assigned as counsel for teenage children in custody cases
-- Charles Huxley – a judge and the closest thing Stella has to a father, he gave her a job after high school and has been her support system through her adult life, he asks her to take on the case for 9-year-old Rose Barclay because of her own traumatic history
-- Rose Barclay – 9 years old, presumably saw her nanny fall to her death through a window, hasn’t spoken since, diagnosed with traumatic mutism
-- Beth Barclay – Rose’s mother, comes from an extremely wealthy family and filed for divorce when she discovered her husband was having an affair with Rose’s nanny
-- Ian Barclay – Rose’s father, a landscaper, came into his marriage to Beth with very little wealth
-- Harriet Barclay – Ian’s mother, moved in with Beth and Ian after knee surgery and stayed permanently because she has not recovered full mobility and still walks with a cane, started home schooling Rose after the nanny’s death

I will always seek out Sarah Pekkanen’s new releases. Always. I discovered Pekkanen when I received a physical ARC as a Goodreads giveaway of The Wife Between Us, co-authored with Greer Hendricks. With Hendricks or as a solo author, Pekkanen is a powerhouse.

Told from the first person perspective of Stella Hudson, the story begins with Stella deciding whether to take on Rose’s case in the midst of finalizing her divorce. She considers the case mostly as a favor to Charles, who has been a father figure to her. She feels pulled to the case because of Rose’s traumatic mutism, similar to what Stella experienced as a child when her mother died of a drug overdose.

Stella’s task? She has to submit a recommendation about custody when Beth and Ian’s divorce becomes final. While she spends her time talking with Rose’s family members, she also talks with Rose’s former school teachers, a language teacher, a piano teacher, even the detective investigating the death of Rose’s nanny. Her job is made more difficult by the fact that Rose can’t (or won’t) speak and clearly doesn’t want Stella around.

In the midst of her investigation into the Barclays, Stella relives her own experience with mutism and starts thinking about her own mother’s death. She wants to know what happened, and delving into both Rose’s situation and her own starts to really mess with her emotions.

That’s all I’m going to give you in terms of the story. Pekkanen’s pacing here is perfect. She provides nuggets of information that make you want to keep reading. You will question the characters but not necessarily know why. They just feel off a little bit, which is clearly intentional. You will be suspicious, and when the reveals come, and they do come, you will think to yourself, “I knew there was something, but I was not expecting that!”

This is a great read. You will not regret picking this one up.

Overall, this is a well-written, gripping mystery about a little girl who stopped talking after a traumatic event and the Best Interest Attorney who suffered from the same affliction as a child. The author does a great job of creating a creepy, chilling atmosphere. The secondary plotline of the attorney's backstory is fairly easy to guess, but it keeps the attorney off-kilter enough to feed her anxiety regarding the child's situation.

For some unknown reason, the author chose to throw in a romance at the 11th hour with no lead up to it. It does nothing to add to the story, and in fact, distracted from the story for me.

This was a good read that turned disappointing.

Not family friendly due to subject matter.

This book was so good! If I didn't have kids I would have finished it in one sitting. I love that this is only in the pov of Stella as it keeps the Barclay's a mystery and helps keep you on the edge of your seat to know what is truly going on. I loved this one.

Stella’s job as a child advocate is to ensure children of divorce end up in the best possible custody situation. Rose Barclay, a child who went mute after the tragic death of her nanny, is one of Stella’s clients. As Stella attempts to access the situation, she realizes there’s much more to the family than she initially thought.

This thriller was really well done. So well written and full of interesting twists. I’ve enjoyed Sarah Pekkanen’s other books and this was no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins for the ARC!

Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny - in the midst of her parent’s bitter divorce - and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella’s mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help.

The setting is eerie, the family is sketchy, Rose is creepy, an overall interesting story line. It’s Stella’s job to figure out who Rose should live with after her parent’s divorce. But something is suspicious, and it’s Stella’s job to find out what. She spends a lot of time at the house getting to know the family - they have a lot of drama and no one is really likable. There were several parts of this story I found to be unnecessary. This wasn’t an action packed, edge of your seat sort of read I was hoping for. I found the majority of the story to be slow moving (minus the bit of excitement in the end). Just seemed like the author was trying to cram a lot into one story. This was has its fans - just wasn’t for me.

I binge read the first probably 60% of the book. I was completely hooked and the story just pulled me right in. I love a book when everyone is unreliable. It had spooky house vibes and everyone was a suspect.

The book was engaging for me until the last third or so of the book. There was a subplot that kind of slowed everything down for me. I was invested in the main storyline, but would have enjoyed a better development there than throwing in an extra storyline that really didn’t do anything for me by adding it in. I thought the ending was wrapped up way too conveniently and I wanted some excitement and didn’t really feel that from this ending.

This was a nice sort of gothic feeling thriller. Rose was as described, pretty darn creepy. Stella was a well written character that was looking for the truth about the nanny’s sudden death. I really enjoyed this book. It almost reminds of of Phyllis A Whitney books. I’d definitely like to see more from this author.

Very well written. Page turner. I did not guess the big twist, which is rare. I found the ending of the book very rushed and some of the characters making unrealistic changes at the end of the book. Could of cut out the last few chapters, it felt pretty resolved before time.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin for allowing me to read this arc.

What happened to Tina the nanny? Did she really fall out the window of the Barclay mansion ,where she was employed watching young Rose Barclay? And why has young Rose suddenly stopped talking? Was she involved? Did she witness something? Enter Stella Hudson from the courts to see who should get custody as her parents divorced.

Really enjoyed this book. Got elements of the movie the Bad Seed and loved the twists and whodunit!

3.5 stars. This story has a lot of really fun thriller elements--creepy child, ominous incidents piling up, absolutely everyone casting suspicion on themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a popcorn thriller, but it did drag a bit for me near the end, and I found some of the stories about Stella's personal life were a bit too drawn out for my interest.

A quick read that I didn't want to put down! Twists and turns that I never expected that lacked a punch!

Another quick and twisty thriller from Sarah Pekkanen! Her books are always interesting and keep me wanting to read well into the night; House of Glass was no exception as I finished it within a day! This thriller tells the story of a mute girl, Rose, who has become silent after witnessing the death of her nanny. Her parents are divorcing and a lawyer, Stella, is assigned to the case to represent Rose's best interest in the aftermath of her parent's divorce. Complicating things are Rose's parents' relationship with her grandmother, Stella's past, and the fact that the nanny's death remains a cold case with no confirmed outcome on murder vs accident.

Overall, I enjoyed this thriller! There were multiple storylines that worked well together and helped add to the complexity of the choices that Stella has to make throughout the novel. While some of the twists seemed easy to spot, others were more hidden and developed slowly. As always, I am looking forward to the next release from Ms. Pekkanen!

I am a big fan of Pekkanen when she writes with Greer, but her last solo book left me wanting. House of Glass was a very pleasant surprise and felt very unique from most other stories I have read. She did a wonderful job, developing the characters and making everyone feel like a suspect at different points. There were also few different storylines/background scenarios going on, which can sometimes feel like the author try to do too much, but it really worked this time.

I like to mix up my reads and this book fit the bill--a mystery/thriller.

The setting: Tina, a nanny dies--pushed or an accident? A "golden family" but now on the brink of divorce. The child--so traumatized she no longer speaks. Enter Stella Hudson, a "BIA"--best interest attorney--appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases, She doesn't accept clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood [a LARGE part of the story], but is convinced by her mentor, a judge, to take Rose Barclay's case. Rose, a nine-year old only child, is now being homeschooled by her paternal grandmother, Harriet. Her mom, Beth, is quite wealthy [family money; doesn't work]. Her dad, Ian, is a gardener/landscaper.

Stella is disturbed by many {physical] things in the house, senses many secrets, suspects everyone. The house is another character in the novel.

I was hooked at the start because this was an easy read and the writing was NOT nails on the chalkboard, That said, this was a story, not literary fiction.

At first a 4, then 3.5, ultimately 3. Reason: it became melodramatic and I was derailed. Ultimately, the last 15 percent or so was just "OY!" Started out so promising but the end surely did me in.

I had been really looking forward to this book. This author writes my kind of books. The mystery in this one held my attention. It did slow down a bit in the middle, but really picked up the last 25%. All the suspected characters were shady and I had multiple theories in my head. It took a while before I figured out what was actually going on and in the epilogue it was explained in detail, some of which was over the top. Though I don't think this is her best book, anyone who enjoyed her others will like this one too. A 4 star read for me.

Stella Hudson becomes the best interest attorney for a young girl named Rose Barclay. Rose has seen her nanny's body after an accident and her parents are divorcing. From the first moment she enters the Barclay house she knows something is very wrong. Having dealt with something as traumatic as a child, Stella knows it is up to her to keep Rose safe.

Sarah Pekkanen always writes an amazing thriller with dark components. She creates a rather creep charactr of nine year-old Rose. She actually makes you wonder what a child could be capable of. This is a fun summer thriller that will be a quick read when enjoying some time in the sun.

After a young nanny jumped or was pushed to her death Stella, a children's advocate attorney, is assigned to Rose, a 9 year old child. Rose hasn't spoken since the tragic event. This is a twisted case and Stella finds out The Barclay family is far more troubled than she thought. Everyone is a suspect, even Rose until Stella finds the answer. This is a fine thriller that I highly recommend. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed it.