This was a great, fast paced thriller that kept me glued to the page. I loved Stella's dedication to helping her child clients, and the amount of gaslighting and creepiness in the book made for a taut atmosphere. I also appreciated the emotional elements of the story; Stella's backstory and her close friendship with Charles. There were times there I felt like there was a bit too much focus placed on Stella working through her own issues, because I was more invested in the mystery of Tina's death. And the out of nowhere romantic angle with the detective felt a bit strange and not particularly relevant.

These small grievances aside though, I really enjoyed the book and was glad to see Stella and Rose both begin a process of healing in the end.

Thank you to St Martins Press & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a long time fan of any thriller written by Sarah Pekkanen, and House of was did not disappoint! No one does suspenseful, edge of your seat, crazy plot twists like Sarah!

Highly recommend picking this one up, to all my Thriller girlies!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is a chilling gothic thriller that captivates readers with its expertly crafted portrayal of fragile psyches and razor-sharp suspense. The novel's ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats, constantly questioning every mysterious bump in the night, is truly remarkable.

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review.
I loved the author’s writing style and the twists. Sarah Pekannen is always so good at providing shocks to her readers.
The only thing I would change is the length: this book could’ve been a lot shorter.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Laura Benanti does a wonderful job with the narration on this book! She is clear and concise and covers all the characters perfectly! I really enjoyed this story! The characters were intriguing and it was hard to figure out the mystery behind what was going on in the house and with the entire family. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers and family drama!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

My rating:
3.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️

A young nanny Tina is dead. Stella is assigned to protect a young girl named Rose who witnessed the nanny fall to her death. She must decide who has custody of Rose and ultimately tries to figure out what happened to Tina.

This one started off so good and then slowly I started to lose interest. I had an initial theory early on and dismissed it because it felt so obvious in my head. Sadly, what I predicted was what ended up happening.

I think the writing in this was great but at times it just felt a little lengthy and predictable. This was the first book I had read solo from the author. I have read two other books that she co-authored with Greer Hendricks and I really enjoyed those!

There were two main plots that happened in this book and the author tried to tie them in together. I think she did a good job with that but there wasn’t a crazy twist like I was expecting with the similarities in the plots.

Overall while this wasn’t my favorite, I did still enjoy it! I would recommend if you like a slow burn thriller!

Thank you St Martin’s press and netgalley for the ARC!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

Sarah Pekkanen’s previous work such as her novel Gone Tonight have been favorites of mine so I was eager to read her latest mystery thriller release, House of Glass.

Pekkanen portrays a disturbing atmosphere in this book with a dysfunctional family, a character that can be described as a “creepy kid” and a meddlesome grandmother. Stella Hudson, the main character, is a best interest attorney whose job is to decide the future best interests of the child concerning custody, visitation, schooling, and therapy. Stella spends time with 9 year old Rose who is traumatized when she witnesses her nanny falling to her death from a window. As Stella gets deeply involved with Rose’s family she starts to uncover secrets especially regarding the death of the nanny.

When reading this book, I personally appreciated that there were no unbelievable twists in the story. It was mysterious while also not being too insane or unrealistic. Sarah Pekkanen was able to create a mystery thriller that was both captivating as a story as well as having an ending that wrapped up well. It was a page turner that made me anxious for what would happen next. 4 stars! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

#houseofglass #NetGalley

This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be the last. This is a great psychological thriller that I couldn’t put down. I had no idea which direction the story was going to go. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Rose Barclay is a little girl who witnessed the death of her Nanny fall out of a window. She immediately quit speaking. Suspicion of her death fell on Rose. With her parents filing for divorce, a case worker was assigned to recommend who should get custody of Rose. A number of suspects for who killed the Nanny. A deception of a family member tries to control Rose. An exciting conclusion

I really enjoyed this story! Everyone seems to have secrets and be lying in this perplexing whodunit mystery. Add in sinister atmosphere and an engaging, smoothly flowing narrative style, and I couldn't have been happier with this newest book by Sarah Pekkanen.

Stella is a best interest attorney appointed to represent children in custody disputes. She's sent to interview the Barclay family and determine which parent should be awarded custody of 9 yr old Rose in the wake of her nanny's shocking death, an event Rose witnessed and that traumatized her to the point where she's unable to speak. The case brings back memories of Stella's own childhood trauma that closely mirrors Rose's experiences. Both story threads weave throughout the book and form a cohesive, multi layered story of mystery and childhood trauma in both the past and present.

This book was a page turner from start to finish with an engrossing mystery, a cast of unreliable/suspicious characters, an ominous atmosphere, and a child that'll check all your creepy child trope boxes. The plot was unique and nicely paced, maintaining suspense and dropping just enough hints and curve balls to keep me needing to know more.

Sarah Pekkanen has become one of the most reliably satisfying thriller authors I read, and at this point, I don't even read the plot synopis before picking up her books. 2024 has been an outstanding year so far for thrillers, and House of Glass is another awesome addition to the list.

Thank you, St Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Another knockout by Sarah Pekkanen!

This one kept me guessing until the very end! A kind of spooky thriller.

I really enjoyed learning about the main characters back story and how it played into the current story happening.

Definitely add this to your TBR!

What an amazing read! I was not expecting this book to be this good! We follow the story of Stella Hudson, a guardian ad litem, to Rose Barclay. She is a 9-year-old girl who's parents are determined to keep her after they've chosen to divorce after an incident that happened at their residence with Rose's nanny, Tina. As a part of Stella's job is getting to know family members as well as others who've dealt with Rose whether it be a teacher or a tutor. As she interviews family members, Stella just had a feeling that there's more to the story. In fact, she did doubt Rose to be a killer as her demeanor changes from being flat to devious. She would find missing items in her purse after being in the Barclay residence. As the story gets halfway, I could not stop reading. I wanted to know what happens next. Stella starts to pick up pieces that she's missed during her investigation, which made her believe that Rose may be innocent and that she's being framed. They say it's always the husband... but was it? Ugh! This was such a good read! Fast-paced and the twists just kept coming. If I thought I figured it out one chapter, the next.. I'm not so sure again anymore.

I loved the setting of this book. I grew up in DC and definitely could picture all the author's description of areas mentioned. That is another piece that I really enjoyed about this. Thank you for my advanced copy!

I actually really enjoyed this. I really felt is was predictable at times, but alas, the twist got me.

I felt it could have been shorter because there was just a lot of back and forth, but overall, it was very enjoyable.

"Have you ever tried to read a novel and not enjoyed it, then gone back at another point in time and loved it? The story didn’t change. But you did."

I LOVE SARAH PEKKANEN, she never misses. I love a thriller about a disturbed child... but I can't say too much more on that without spoiling the plot!! When Rose witnesses her Nanny's death, she becomes traumatically mute... can we solve what REALLY happened?? Loved.

Another thrilling family drama by Sarah Pekkanen. This book is primarily centered around the custody battle of Rose, a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny. While the best interest attorney, Stella, works to determine who should have primary custody, she starts to unravel the truths around the nanny's death and the secrets the family tries so hard to hide.

Sarah has done an incredible job with this story, but I expected nothing less after enjoying many of her other books. The way that she crafted the twists and turns had me on edge throughout the entirety of the book and the ending did not leave me disappointed.

Definitely will recommend any of Sarah Pekkanen's books!

Wow!!!! 4.5 ⭐️ I stayed up way too late, finishing this thriller. It had the perfect mix of everything you want from a story. So many twist and turns, I didn’t know who to trust or who not to trust. The character development was so good and the parallels between the main character and the little girl blew my mind. I highly recommend this book.

House of Glass is definitely one of the best thrillers I have read this year! This was such a fast-paced thriller that takes you on a wild and crazy ride.

Stella, a lawyer, meets with the Barclay family to determine who should receive custody of 9 year-old Rose as her parents divorce. Rose is traumatized after witnessing the sudden death of her nanny Tina and has stopped speaking. As the police investigate if Tina was actually murdered, everyone becomes a suspect, Rose's parents Beth and Ian, her grandmother Harriet, and even Rose herself and Stella question why every piece of glass has been removed from the house and if something more sinister is going on.

I listened to this one on audio, and highly recommend it. Laura Benanti is not only one of my favorite actresses, but is a phenomenal narrator. I was on the edge of my seat as Stella is discovering things about Rose that make her believe she could be harming others and that she could be faking her trauma-induced mutism. I loved all of the twists and reveals throughout the way and was truly satisfied with the ending.

AN INTRIGUING AND GUT-WRENCHING THRILLER READERS WILL LOVE

SUMMARY
Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the murder of her nanny. The trauma has left Rose unable to speak. Stella Hudson is an attorney assigned to assist Rose during her parents' bitter divorce and custody battle. Stella typically doesn't accept cases as young as Rose due to her traumatic childhood, but Stella's mentor convinced her to take the case. Stella struggles to decide whether it’s in Rose’s best interest to stay with her mom or her dad since Rose can’t or won't communicate with her.

As Stella gets to know the wealthy Barclays family, she realizes that the circumstances are even more complicated than she imagined. Why has all the glass been removed from the Barclays' mansion? Why is everyone in the family a suspect in the nanny's murder? Who pushed Beth, the nanny, out the second-floor window? Why is the family acting so strangely and keeping secrets about the glass? Could Rose be the killer? Is Stella in danger?

REVIEW
HOUSE OF GLASS is an intriguing mystery thriller. Readers will love the challenge of trying to identify the nanny’s killer.

Author Sarah Pekkanen's writing is suspenseful and gut-wrenching. She keeps you engaged for the entirety of the book, skillfully transporting us into the gorgeous home of a very rich but very troubled family.

Stella’s character is delightfully well-developed and serves as the pillar of the story. I appreciated her willingness and determination to stick with this frustrating case despite all the obstacles she faces and her own past trauma. Rose, because of her lack of communication and suspicious behavior, is a little hard to appreciate, and you can't help but think she just might have pushed the nanny through the window. The rest of the family was also acting cagey, and it was not hard to believe that they also could have done it. Everyone in the family had a strong motive and opportunity.

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillian Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Publisher St. Martin’s Press/ Macmillian Audio
Published August 6, 2024
Narrated Laura Benanti
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I LOVED THIS BOOK! In fact, I loved it so much I did not want it to end, but was also dying to figure out what was going on!

The story picks up after a nanny is murdered. The couple she lived with decide to divorce, and our main character, a lawyer, is sent to figure out who their only child, Rose, should live with. Rose is not an ordinary child though, and let’s just say some of the things that happen in this book are very unsettling. Chilled me to the bone unsettling.

I felt like I was in a trance reading this book. I loved the character development, and thought it was a solid read all the way through. I’m so sad it is over, but also feel like I got the closure the story needed!

Stella is appointed as Guardian Ad Litem, when 9 y/o Rose’s parents file for divorce. Her nanny was found dead, and the courts don’t know which parent should get sole custody

Stella is a strong woman, with a troubled past which gives her the empathy to help traumatized children

She realizes quickly that Rose and her family are not quite right - for a start, their manor house contains no glass!

I was really intrigued and excited for this read, but somehow it didn’t click with me. Rose and her family are all pretty unlikable and although we got to know Stella really well, I didn’t feel empathy for her

The writing flows and it was an easy read, and although I liked the resolution, I wasn’t wowed

Thanks to Netgalley and St.Martins Press for access to this eBook ARC in exchange for my honest review