This book had everything that I love in a mystery whodunit!

A giant creepy house? Check!
A slew of suspicious characters? Check!
A mysterious death? Check!
A child who cannot speak and may be hiding the truth of said mysterious death? Check!!

I gobbled this story up in a day, fighting off sleep to keep turning the short chapters to find out what happened. A nanny dies, after she falls out of her bedroom window. Was she pushed? Or was it an accident? A child may be the key to the truth, except she can’t talk.

This story was a puzzle with plenty of surprise twists to keep me guessing. The ending blew my mind and left me unsettled. I also enjoyed Stella’s personal journey, in parallel with the child. If you’re in need of a fast paced, fun and creepy story, look no further! Highly recommend!

This book grabbed we at the beginning, just thinking of a stranger deciding whether the child should live with a mother or father after the nanny mysteriously fell out of a window. There a lot of clues which kinda gave it away to me, but a lot of misdirection as well.
Everyone is mysterious with their own secrets, but who should did custody of the little girl?

Absolutely loved this fast-paced thriller! This is my first book by Sarah Pekkanen and I tell ya - I AM HOOKED. This one had me guessing through all the twists and turns, and the killer reveal at the end was brilliantly done. And no, I did not guess the ending! Perfect and engrossing weekend read.

House Of glass was a quick paced, deceptive thriller. This book will keep you guessing who killed the nanny. Just when you think you have everything figured out, bam, guess again.

Stella is called into the Barclay home to determine the best living situation for 9 year old Rose, whose parents are going through a divorce. The Barclay's nanny died tragically and everyone seems to think Rose is the prime suspect.

Do yourself a favor and read this. You won't be disappointed. 4.5 stars.

Rating: 3.75


A nanny found dead. Who did it?

This book was a good thriller. It was a page-turner. I loved the moments of spook I felt when reading. It keeps you guessing and wondering who did it. I will say this might be a predictable read for some. However, I am sure other readers will be surprised by some twists in the book.

House of Glass was a deeply disturbing thriller that had me hoping and praying for a twist- and whew! It delivered!

📚 House of Glass
✍ Sarah Pekkanen
📖 Domestic Thriller
⭐4/5

🙏 Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Sarah Pekkanen for the advanced copy of House of Glass. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: Pekkanen's writing is always propulsive and I couldn't put this down. So much of the book has readers believing one thing is true while hoping for a twist to make everything make sense and the plot twist is well worth the wait. I appreciated that this was as much about Stella's exploration of her own grief as it was about finding out what really happened to Tina De La Cruz and the dual mysteries served the story well without being unnecessarily intertwined.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: There was one strange curveball thrown in towards the end of the story that I don't think served the plot well (once you read this- and you should!- you'll know what I'm talking about) and a few odd things that didn't see a resolution but overall, this was an incredibly well done thriller that I enjoyed until the last page.
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Read if you love:
* domestic thrillers focused on the uber wealthy
* creepy children
* unsolved murders (past and present)
* explorations of childhood trauma
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See also: Hidden Pictures, A Turn of the Key, The Housewife

This is such a good mystery/thriller. Who doesnt love a story with a spooky child? Just when you think you know, believe me, you dont. Amazing!!!

Stella is a lawyer who is assigned by the court in custody cases to represent the child. She decides who should get custody of the child based upon her assessments. She is assigned to analyze Rose, a nine year old who has recently experienced trauma after her nanny fell from a window at her house and suspiciously died. Stella realizes this won’t be a typical case, after visiting the home and discovering that Rose has gone mute and that there is no glass in the house to be found. Who are the Barclays protecting?

Ouuuuuu Pekkanen does it again! I loved the creepy elements of this thriller, with Rose becoming a suspect in the nanny’s murder. Her being mute and the suspense surrounding her fascination with weapons added to the intrigue right from the start. You didn’t know who to trust and I also found the dive into Stella’s own past quite interesting. The ending was a bit far fetched in my opinion, but action packed!

This was a good read, albeit a little predictable. I enjoyed the story and the little clues throughout the book. Not quite a page-turner, but a good read overall.

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

HOUSE OF GLASS
Sarah Pekkanen

We’re reading HOUSE OF GLASS this month in our Amazon Book Club called UNDER THE RADAR BOOK CLUB.

This is my summary and review of the book.

Stella is a court-appointed advocate for children of families going through a dispute over where and who the child should be placed with upon the dissolution of a marriage.

She just received a new client named Rose. Rose is younger than the clients she normally takes on, in fact, Stella has a hard and fast rule against working with younger clients because of her personal trauma when she was younger that left her temporarily mute.

But her childhood experience is exactly the reason Stella’s supervisor thinks she would be a perfect advocate for Rose. Rose also suffers from traumatic mutism and he believes Stella is just the person to bring out a fair decision in Rose’s case.

Who is the most appropriate primary guardian for Rose?

And can Stella help Rose without hurting herself?

I had a good time reading HOUSE OF GLASS. I've read Pekkanen before and my reading experiences have varied in enjoyment.

I always appreciate that her thrillers are psychology-heavy and often talk about the masks people display outwardly and how it doesn't always match what's going on underneath.

I like Stella as a character and would read further books featuring her either as a main or side character.

We’re having so much fun discussing HOUSE OF GLASS over on Amazon Book Clubs. Join us!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

HOUSE OF GLASS…⭐⭐⭐⭐

Unfortunately this one was not a win for me. Main character was unlikable and I just didn’t find myself caring about what happened. There’s a little side mystery too that doesn’t matter at all to the story.

Will try another book by this author but as for this one, I didn’t love it.

⭐️⭐️

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller! There’s murder, family drama, trauma, and suspense! What’s not to love? The main characters, a custody lawyer and a nine-year old girl, have connected trauma that is explored through both past and present experiences. The plot is somewhat predictable, but that doesn’t necessarily turn me off to the story. I was hooked from the start and appreciated the extra twist thrown in towards the end.

Thank you to Sarah Pekkanen, MacMillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Well well well…Sarah, you’ve knocked it out the park with this one. 🏟️. I stayed up all night to finish it.

This book has a ton of characters that all had a suspicious vibe about them, yet I liked all of them, a rarity for me. I was intrigued by everyone, because they all had their own story…and motives. Plus you’ll want to find out why Beth doesn’t allow glass in the house (I never knew a fear of glass was a thing).

There was a surprising amount of character depth packed into these 352 pages.

Love that Stella is a Miranda Lambert fan too! I don’t really like country music that much but I love her music.

The twists were fun and easy to follow too which I loved. I hate when authors write something so twisty that it becomes convoluted and ruins the book. You won’t have any of that in this book.

Added bonus - I live in Maryland and love taking day trips to DC and since SP lives in my neck of the woods it’s always a treat to have places I’ve been referenced in her books.

Read this if you like mysterious books with odd/creepy kids. It’s got a similar atmospheric vibe to Baby Teeth.

A totally twisty thriller that I loved! The writing is phenomenal and completely sucks the reader in from beginning to end. The suspense was crazy and I could not put this down!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-ARC.

I enjoyed the house of glass thoroughly. It took a bit to get into the storyline of the "who dun it" and I was almost convinced the baby (Rose, young child, but all children are babies to me) was guilty as charged, but wow was I shocked at the ending.

Sarah did a great job of keeping my engaged once the book picked up and kept me guessing. This is a very readable story about relationships, the destruction of them and the children who get caught in between.

Definitely recommend!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for sending me this ARC of House of Glass. I've come to enjoy Sarah Pekkanen's work over the years and I was grateful to get my hands on this book early.

The story centers on Stella Hudson, a best interest attorney. She is hired to give her recommendation on who should have custody of nine year old Rose Barclay. Not only is Rose in the middle of her parent's bitter divorce. She also witnessed the death of her nanny and since then has been mute.
I thought the plot was well written as was the character development. I also liked how the Barclay's mansion was a character in itself. Through Sarah's writing, the house had an ominous feel to it and even at times felt like maybe it was haunted.
It's been a while since I've liked a MC in a book. I really appreciated that I never questioned Stella's motives while she was doing her job. It all felt very genuine and it made her a very likable main character.
I really enjoyed this story. This had me guessing up until the end with a very satisfying ending. That doesn't happen often. Looking forward to her next book already.

Expected publication: 8/6/24

The nanny for a wealthy family plummeted to her death from her third-floor bedroom window. The case has turned cold as everyone who lives in the Barclay’s house could be culpable but there is no evidence pointing to anyone specifically. Best Interest Attorney, Stella Hudson, has been assigned to assess the living condition and relationships of 9-year-old, Rose Barclay, who has suffered from traumatic mutism after witnessing her nanny plummet to her death. Stella has quite the task as everyone begins to look like they could have caused the death of the nanny, even Rose. Stella has her own traumatic past which helps her relate to Rose. Stella must provide a recommendation of who Rose should be assigned custody upon the divorce of her parents. Stella must uncover mysteries within the Barclay case and also her own personal life.
This mystery thriller captured me from the first chapter. I accused each character of the nanny’s death at different points of the book. I somewhat expected the twist that was to come but not overly early in the book. I found it hard to put this book down as each chapter left me on edge to what was to come. I enjoyed and despised the characters. I struggled between giving this book 4 or 5 stars. Had the story twist been unexpected or maybe had other twists that made my jaw drop, it would have been a 5 star. With that being said, I still really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to mystery thriller readers.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this advance digital reviewer copy and allowing me to provide my honest review.

This book has a creepy house where the murder of the nanny takes place and the child is a possible suspect as well as the parents. Then enters Stella who is appointed by the court to represent the best interest of Rose (the child). Stella is also determined to figure out what happened to the nanny. Stella also is seeking answers in the suspicious death of her mother.
This book had me from the very beginning, it is a gripping whodunnit thriller. Highly recommend this one. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

3.5, rounding up. A beyond creepy psychological thriller focused on Rose, a young girl who can't speak following the trauma of witnessing the death of her nanny. This death is at the center of the novel and everyone - including Rose - becomes a suspect in the death. Stella, a successful lawyer, is assigned to the case and becomes embroiled in the family drama. The ending left me shooketh (hence the rounding up to 4 stars.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

House of Glass is a binge-worthy thrilling family drama, with a touch of “spooky” thrown in. I easily devoured this book in one day.

Rose, 9 years old, has been mute since the day her nanny died. The question has always been: what truly happened? Was the nanny pushed, or did she fall out of the window? And if pushed, who is responsible? Not only is Rose not saying anything, but she now seems to collect sharp objects in the pockets of her dresses.

Stella is a lawyer who’s assigned to deciding which parent will get Rose in a custody battle. Throw in the fact that a very overbearing grandma lives in the house, and this will have you on the edge of your seat!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Pub Date: 06 August 2024