House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen kept me guessing until the very end. As a fan of Pekkanen's previous works, I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

One of the aspects I appreciated most about House of Glass was the element of mystery surrounding what happened to Tina - was it murder or was it an accident ? Pekkanen skillfully weaves a web of suspense, leaving readers guessing about what really happened to Tina. Despite having my own suspicions, I was pleasantly surprised when the truth was revealed, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the story because I was way off base.

While House of Glass may be considered a slow burn, I found myself fully invested in the plot. The pacing allowed for a deeper exploration of the characters and their motivations, creating a more immersive reading experience. Pekkanen's writing style draws readers into the world she has crafted.

The main storyline revolves around Stella, a Best Interest attorney tasked with determining the best course of action for Rose amidst her parents' divorce. This aspect of the book provides a thought-provoking exploration of the complexities of family dynamics and the lengths one will go to protect their loved ones.

In addition to the main plot, there is a compelling subplot involving Stella's investigation into her mother's death, which occurred many years ago. This added a layer of mystery to the story and keeps readers eagerly turning the pages.

Overall, House of Glass while it may be a slow burn, the payoff is well worth it. I highly recommend this book to fans of domestic suspense and anyone looking for a captivating read that will keep them guessing until the very end.

I couldn't put this down! Lots of unreliable characters, and then ending was a shocker. Will absolutely be recommending this to those who love psychological suspense.

Another solid thriller by Sarah Pekkanen!

The Barclay’s are a wealthy DC family in the middle of a divorce. Stella is appointed to decide which parent will gain full custody of their daughter Rose. To make things more complicated, Rose does not speak following the traumatic death of her nanny, who fell from the third story of the Barclay’s house.

This book was full of suspense and kept me on my toes. I kept flip-flopping on how I felt about Rose. Stella was a great main character and while I enjoyed her back story, sometimes it took away from the suspense of the current plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

“Everyone has a breaking point…”

Personal review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Creepy little kid vibe, thrill, a cast of compelling characters, and an unknown murderer? Yes. I received this advanced review copy from @stmartinspress and @netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion- and opinion I shall give! Rose Barclay, 9 year old creep kid who is select mute after witnessing…or executing the death of her young nanny, living in a house void of all glass, yes that’s right, the family replaced it all with plastic…to stop Rose from injuring herself or others. Stella the best interest attorney steps in to decide which parent should get custody of the kid after this murder completely upended their family…Stella’s got a sordid past, as well, which is vaguely aligning with Rose’s…then there is the creepy grandma! I’m just gonna leave it at that! If you want a good fast paced thriller, this is a good one to pick up when it becomes available in August 2024.

Synopsis: On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.

A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed? A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying?

A twisty, suspenseful domestic thriller, I could not figure out who to trust in Sarah Pekkanen's latest, House of Glass. The Barclays live a life of privilege, but dad Ian and mom Beth are at the start of a tense divorce - both want full custody of their nine-year old daughter Rose. When their nanny falls out a house window to her death, the police suspect it was not an accident. The incident left Rose traumatized and unable to advocate for herself, so Stella, our protagonist and court-appointed lawyer, must step in and determine the best custody arrangement for her. But Rose collects sharp objects, all glass is removed from the house, and no one wants Stella to be alone with Rose for too long. Stella knows something else is amiss, and she struggles with her own past as she risks everything to find the truth. The ending was so satisfying!

## Book Review: House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is an excellent book that I had the pleasure of reading as an ARC copy. The story is filled with great twists and turns that kept me guessing until the last page. No part felt forced or awkward, and everything was tied up by the end.

The character development in this book is outstanding, particularly the uniqueness of the psychiatrist and the mute girl. Their intriguing plot is something I had never encountered before, which is quite a statement considering I read about 60-80 books a year.

In conclusion, House of Glass is a captivating and well-written novel that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a thrilling and engaging read. This book will definitely be on my top books for the year of 2024!

This started out so well. But it got really slow and dragging in the middle. Felt very dragged out and lost interest .
Story seemed a little too unbelievable.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book

Stella is in charge of determining the best interests of children in nasty divorce proceedings where a decision cannot be made amicably. Her newest client is Rose, a girl who recently witnessed the death of her nanny in her home. The nanny somehow fell through an upstairs window to her death. The circumstances surrounding it are very suspicious and the case is not settled yet. Because of the horrific incident, Rose has become mute and will not speak to anyone. Since she cannot advocate for herself, Stella needs to get to the bottom of what happened and who is responsible for the nanny's mysterious death. She needs to spend time with each family member and determine the relationships that are beneficial for Rose, while Stella is also doing her own covert investigation.

This book was absolutely amazing!!! I have loved the books that Sarah Pekkanen has co-written and I am a huge fan of hers individually too. This story gripped my soul from the very beginning and did not let go until the book was finished. The story is phenomenal and well-thought-out. There are so many suspicious characters that it is hard to know if anyone is being genuine. The writing is perfection and a complete thrill. I highly recommend this book!

When Stella, a child advocate, is assigned the job of deciding custody and visitation rights for divorcing parents, there are a lot of factors to consider. In this case, there is a father who had admittedly had an affair with the nanny, a wealthy mother who spends most of her time doing volunteer work, and Rose, a disturbed child. Oh, and the pregnant nanny died, either by being pushed or falling out of her bedroom window.

When Stella first sees Rose, Rose picked up a shard of glass on the street. When she goes to Rose's house, all of the glass - mirrors, picture frames, etc. is gone. The parents and the grandmother that lives with them seem to be concerned about Rose, but appear to be covering something up.

I listened to the audio book of this and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are a few sub-plots that keep everything interesting and even a little romance that was a surprise.

I definitely recommend this.

The Barclay’s nanny fell out of the attic window and is now dead. But was she pushed, or did she fall of her own accord? Meanwhile, nine-year-old Rose Barclay has stopped talking because of the traumatic experience and everyone is worried about her. At the same time, Rose’s parents are getting divorced, and her grandmother is living with them, recovering from knee surgery. Now Stella, a best interest attorney, swoops in to determine the best placement for Rose when her parents divorce. Stella quickly learns that things are not what they seem in the Barclay household. To start with, the house has no glass anywhere within it. Stella is determined to find out what is happening in the Barclay household and the best placement for Rose.

Sarah Pekkanen has done it again! Just when I thought I knew what happened, the twist came, and I was shocked. I really enjoyed the ending as it wrapped everything up perfectly. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! I give this one 4/5 stars.

Stella Hudson is assigned as nine-year-old Rose Barclay’s counsel in her parent’s bitter custody case. Stella only wants to determine what’s best for Rose but it’s difficult as Rose is refusing to speak resulting from the traumatic death of her nanny. The more time Stella spends in the Barclay house, the more unsettled she becomes. Was the nanny’s death an accident or was she pushed. And one thing Stella is sure of is that the Barclay house is a house of lies! She surely doesn’t want to award custody of young Rose to a murderer. Or is Rose, a young prodigy who collects sharp objects and steals mementos, the disturbed one? With each clue Stella gathers, her life becomes more endangered – or is she imaging it? The house definitely seems to play tricks on her mind! She took on this case as a special favor to her mentor, but finding the similarities to her own childhood becomes almost too much for Stella to bear!
I read/listened to this book in one night! It was definitely an edge of your seat page turner with all the twists, turns and creepy vibes you would expect from a classic thriller! Almost everyone was a suspect at some point with the clues constantly pointing to different characters.
Expertly narrated by Laura Benanti who brought such a distinction to each character! I actually double checked to see if there were multiple narrators, because she did such a phenomenal job differentiating between voices.

Sarah Pekkanen is quickly becoming one of my auto-buy authors. House of Glass is a psychological thriller about Stella, a best interest attorney who takes the case of Rose, a 9 year old girl whose parents are divorcing after her nanny, Tina fell to her death. Rose is unique, in that she is also suffering from traumatic mutism, similar to Stella when she was young. As she looks into what transpired in Rose's household, she encounters more questions every day.

This was a fast-paced thriller and I literally couldn't put it down. I read it in one go while at the pool and really enjoyed it. I think that it was a very unique thriller and Sarah Pekkanen captured my attention once again. The story was well done, I think that the character development was a little lacking but overall it was suspenseful and kind of creepy - but in a good way. I think the development with Stella was a little out there and forced but overall it was a solid, quick read. There were so many great twists and I always love it when I don't guess the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sarah Pekkanen for the eARC of House of Glass in exchange for my honest review. Publication date for House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is 06 August 2024.

House of Glass is a psychological thriller about an attorney called in to help determine the best living situation for Rose, a nine-year-old child caught in the middle of her well-off parent's divorce and custody battle. Unfortunately, getting close to or answers from Rose is no easy feat after she witnessed a murder in her home and is now suffering from traumatic mutism.

This is a hard one for me to review. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed all the secrets, lies, and twists. And I think the author did a great job creating suspense and suspicion around a few of the characters, but I was left wanting/needing more depth from most of them. I think the author threw way too much into this book, slowing the plot's pace way down at times. However, the biggest drawback for me was the narration. I do not think the narrator did this story any favors. She either came across too flat or too dramatic. It really did not work for me. Having said this, I'm still excited to have been selected to read and review this book, and I am still a Pekkanen fan and will continue to seek out and read her work.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, Sarah Pekkanen, and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- 9 year old Rose Barclay is anything but ordinary. When her nanny, Tina, falls to her death and questions arise as to whether or not this was intentional, Rose becomes even more unique: suffering from traumatic mutism and stewing in complete silence. As her parents file for divorce, a "best interest attorney," Stella Hudson, is coerced into taking the case. Though Rose is younger than her typical clients, they have something important in common: Stella, too, has suffered traumatic mutism in her past. As Stella imbeds herself into the complicated family dynamics, she starts to uncover missing pieces of the puzzle. Why isn't there any glass in the Barclay home? Why does Rose seem to be determined to get her hands on a weapon? And what really happened to Tina?

This was a fast-paced and unique thriller! The premise was super interesting and I loved the perspective of a best-interest attorney! We don't usually get thrillers with such insight into a child's psyche, and this was a cool approach to take. The Barclays were a twisted family, and this was a twisted story. There were some GREAT twists, while some were more predictable and a bit of a let down overall. I was truly on the edge of my seat for this entire book; it was tense and suspenseful and riveting. The unexpected side story added a ton of dimension to the book, as well as to Stella's character. I think this could have a bit more succinct and had a little bit wilder of a twist, but overall it was a solid thriller that I really enjoyed reading!

Looking for a fast paced read you won’t want to put down? I got you. House of Glass is the book you’re looking for.

Beth and Ian Barclay are getting a divorce and fighting over custody of their 9 year old daughter, Rose. Stella is a best interest attorney - it’s her job to recommend the best custody arrangement. To determine this, it’s important for her to learn all she can about the family - and as she starts to investigate the Barclays, she quickly realizes this isn’t a typical case.

Creepy and compelling, I didn’t want to put this one down! Thank you to St Martins Press, Netgalley, and Macmillan audio for the free ebook and audiobook to review!

dnf at 50%

i tried. i rlly tried but this is insufferable. i simply could not go on. the characters are so shallow and superficial, it's so excruciating to read about them. this is so incredibly unoriginal and unimpressive. i struggled with the writing and dialogue. i didn't like a single thing about this book. the main character is supposedly a lawyer but is she really? she read like everything else BUT a lawyer. a detective, a therapist, a broken woman with a savior complex. this might have worked if it was written convincingly enough to suspend my disbelief, but it wasn't. i immediately looked for spoilers im reviews and gauged some of the ending and decided that it wasn't going to be for me at all. this makes me so sad because i was so excited to read this because of the glowing reviews, but clearly, i'm in the minority. However, you might still enjoy it, so definitely check out the positive reviews to see if it's for you!

thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for an e-arc of this book. all thoughts are my own and not influenced in any way.

Kept my attention but got a little too “out there” at the end for me to rate this any higher. But it was overall a fun read.

3.5⭐️ The wealthy, picture perfect family isn’t always what it seems. Stella is an attorney who is tasked to advise on the best living situation for a child named Rose, whose parents are going through a divorce.

I was intrigued by Rose’s story from the start. She is a child who experienced some unknown trauma leaving her mute, without a voice. She also has the need to collect sharp objects…

This story had a very interesting premise, and every meeting with Stella and the Barclay family left me with more questions. The ending had a good amount of thrill and everything wrapped up very well! I do wish I heard more about Rose and her thoughts. It would be nice to dig more into her mind even more. Overall, great psychological thriller!

Okay this was so good! I found myself constantly wanting to pick it up and never put it down. I really liked the idea of the book and haven’t read anything similar in the “thriller” genre. I love the premise of a best interest attorney trying to decide which parent to give custody to and I love the non-verbal aspect to Rose, the child in her case. There was also a side storyline about her mother and the ending ties everything together so nicely in a full circle moment. It was a very satisfying ending to a very good read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital copy for review.

Oh my goodness, this book was so good! It had me on the edge of my seat, I was genuinely freaked out at times, and overall I just could not put this book down! Stella, our main character, has been tasked with becoming best interest lawyer for Rose, a nine year old whose parents are going through a divorce. However, Rose suffers from traumatic mutism ever since her nanny fell to her death from a three story window. Communication is difficult and Rose is completely closed off. However, the more time Stella spends with Rose and her family, the more she realizes that this is far from the perfect family and everyone is a suspect in the nanny’s death, right down to Rose herself.

I don’t say this often, but this was a book that I could not put down. If you like scarier, more disturbing thrillers, then this is not one to miss. I wish more could have been done with characterizations, but that is a nitpick and did not detract from the main story, which was compelling enough to have me reading well into the night. Would highly recommend if you like thrillers!