A dead nanny, a 9 year old girl who hasn’t spoken since, parents in the midst of a custody battle over her, and a lawyer who’s tasked with deciding what is best for the child while trying to figure out what exactly happened to the nanny.

I ate this up, I finished this in a day or so and I was genuinely UPSET when it ended. I ended up purchasing the hardcover copy so I could re-read the physical copy - it was THAT good.

The ending lost me in this one. It seemed random and not at all what I expected. Kinda ruined it for me!

House of Glass is an intense and gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from the first chapter. The audiobook format made the suspense even more palpable, with excellent narration that brought the characters to life and heightened the tension. Pekkanen's sharp writing and well-paced twists create an unsettling atmosphere that keeps you guessing until the very end. If you're a fan of thrillers, this one is an absolute must-listen!

This is one of my favorite thriller authors and I really enjoyed this one! I thought the twists were surprising and the characters were compelling. I think this is my first time listening to Laura Benanti as a narrator and thought the performance was perfect for this story! Highly recommend if you enjoy twisty domestic thrillers! 4⭐️

This book had some definite creepy vibes to it. Stella begrudgingly accepts a job as best interest council to young nine-year-old, Rose. Rose is the only witness to the death of her nanny; however, Rose is no longer speaking. At all. Meanwhile, Rose's parents are on the brink of divorce and the grandmother is super protective of Rose. When Stella arrives at their estate for her first meeting with the child, she notices that everything seems strange, especially the fact that all glass has been removed from the house. The more time she spends with the family and trying to get to know Rose, the more intrigued she is. She cannot seem to get Rose alone to have some one-on-one conversations. She keeps finding strange things around Rose. The parents and grandmother all seem to be covering something up. Things just don't add up and Stella begins to wonder if she is in trouble. The audio was super well done. Laura Benanti does a great job with narration that only increases the creep factor which gave me chills.

This was a good thriller that kept me guessing until the end. The psychological mix with the aspect of who did it really worked. If you are looking for an overall creepy novel with family drama this is a great pick.

This audiobook was awesome! It was a new narrator for me but I really liked her. I did laugh at the voice used for Charles but I loved the other voices she did for the other characters.

I really enjoyed this story! I loved the unique idea of having the story be from the POV of the lawyer. It felt like we (the readers) were part of unravelling the mystery.

This story had me on the edge of my seat, questioning every character we encounter. No one was trustworthy, and yet everyone had a side I felt sympathy for.

I've read other books by this author and I have to say, she continues to top my enjoyment of her novels every time.

This one is a great read for October because it has a bit of a spooky feeling to it. I highly recommend picking this one up if you are looking for a great fall thriller!

Full Review:

I don't really recommend this book because I don't recommend books that are ableist. However, there were things I liked about this book so if you don't care able disability and mental health representation,  you might still like this one.

Reading Notes:

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. Dang I feel so bad for Stella after the first couple chapters! I love when writers use the pathetic lead. When it works, and it does here, its a great way to get readers to invest early.

2. The main character has an interesting career. I don't know if I've ever read a novel with a POV character being a child advocate. I'm looking forward to fascinating character work! *edit Unfortunately the narrator's instability and lack of professionalism interfere badly with her role as advocate. I don't feel like this is a good example of the profession.

3. Pekannen is d*mn good at laying red herrings!

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Pekannan is working too hard to give this girl (young Stella) a rotten childhood for her to have this 50-year-old woman conservatism. It's not that she chooses saving over mascara; it's the snide remarks she makes about the expense of college. Kudos that she's saving for tuition. Not okay that she posits this as the better option to student debt in some weird and completely unnecessary battle of piety.

2. I don't like the audiobook narrator, as she somehow manages to emphasize every single word. I never think it turns out when  publishing companies hire high ticket actors instead of professional readers.

3. I'm 20% of the way in and I think I called the plot, thanks to the suddenly mystical therapist.

4. Yikes, this is horribly sanist. And didactic. I mean, is this a thriller or an ableist soapbox?

5. Ugh so much new plot info in the last 5% of the book, I hate it.

Rating: 🏢🏢 /5 glass houses
Recommend? Not really
Finished: Sep 15 '24
Format: Audiobook, NetGalley, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🏡 domestic thrillers
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories, family drama
🧼 soap boxes

Thank you to author Sarah Pekkanen, publishers Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advance audio copy of HOUSE OF GLASS. Read by Laura Benanti. All views are mine.

Manipulation, trauma, and murder revolve around a young girl. The vision of the perfect life is deceptive. Do we ever truly know the people we are related to? Good narration, quick listen that keeps you guessing until the end.

House of Glass was great read by Sarah Pekkanen. From the outside, the Barclay’s seem like the perfect family, but they have built the perfect lie. A young nanny of theirs plunges to her death. Rose Barclay is a nine-year—old who witnessed the possible murder. She now refuses to speak and collects sharp objects while her parents are going through a bitter divorce. Stella Hudson is an attorney who is appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. Stella suffered her own trauma and never accepts children under thirteen. But her mentor, a revered judge, believes that she’s the only person who can help Rose. Stella immediately realizes that the case is more twisted and the family is more troubled than she thought. The house itself is eerie, as it’s a plastic house with not a bit of glass. Unfortunately, the further she digs, the more danger she is in. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by the author.

This is a wild ride! It’s a little futuristic mystery combined with domestic thriller. I enjoyed this book more than her last and it’s a great escapist read.

This book had a really interesting premise and the author did a good job in making me think that any one of the four family members could have reasonably been responsible for the death of nine year old Rose's nanny, Tina, with whom her father had been having an affair. The house itself was a major character and the mystery was a slow burn, but the author lost me a bit with the main character's past storyline, as well as what I thought was an unnecessary romance (and that has no bearing on with whom the character had the romance with; I felt it was unnecessary regardless). I also really wish that authors in general would let their characters be who they appear to be without pulling a bait and switch (deliberately vague to avoid a spoilers tag, but if you know, you know).

I really like Laura Benanti as an actress and was looking forward to the audiobook, but was a little let down by her narration.

This was an intriguing book. I would recommend to both regular mystery readers and novices to the genre. It was a whodunit, but had a unique start and “detective”. As a person with one foot in psychology and the other in law, Stella’s process was as interesting as the mystery. The child and her avoidant behavior kept me turning the pages. Also, the cover definitely sets the mood.

Plot 4.0
Narration 5.0

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC. I listened to the audiobook on Libby.

Solid 3 star read as some of the storyline felt like it didn’t match. It had a very creepy setting in the beginning especially. I thought it was going to be a lot better but I think it was over hyped by social media.

What a ride! The mounting tension kept me on the edge of my seat, and the richly crafted characters felt vividly real—and I trusted not a single one of them. Just when I thought I’d figured out the culprit, another thrilling twist took me by surprise - which of course I have come to expect from Pekkanen's books!

This gripping story flowed effortlessly, filling me with a mix of fear and emotion. With a heart-pounding climax and unexpected twists, this delightful read kept me captivated from start to finish!

A twisty family drama!! The narrator has a traumatic past and at times she seems unreliable as well. Overall great thriller! Thanks to MacMillan Audio for the early copy. #macaudio2024

I literally couldn’t put this one down, listening to the audio book and then picking up the eBook version at times when I couldn’t listen.
With HOUSE OF GLASS, Sarah Pekkanen kept me guessing with multiple twists. Laura Benanti does an excellent job with her narration and keeping me engaged. The characters were well written, Stella has a lot going on in her life, her past influences her present and her career choice. As the Barclays and their daughter, Rose, come into her life, she starts to uncover secrets in her past, while trying to untangle what’s going on with Rose.
Pekkanen kept me on the edge of my seat until the unexpected end of the novel.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#MacAudio2024 #StMartinsPress

I NEVER miss a Sarah Pekkanan new release!

Twisty, psychological, fast paced - her thrillers have everything I love about the genre! Her latest is a super unique twist on a whodunnit mystery and I ate it up. I was guessing until the very end!!

I finally finished listening to this audiobook that I was so fortunate to get through netgalley. I loved this book. The narrator did a terrific job, one of the better books I've listened to. The story is about a woman who is assigned a job to investigate the circumstances that led to a little girls mutism. She also has a backstory herself which is very interesting and I did not feel disappointed reading her own history and how it relates to what she does for her job in the present. Both story lines were well written and interesting and I thought I had things figured out but I was wrong. This was a very entertaining story, full of intrigue and twists and I'd highly recommend the book and audiobook. I've read other books by this author and this one was one of my favorites. Thank you netgalley

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for advance access to the listener copy!

I really enjoyed House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen. This book had me hooked from the beginning. I would think I had it all figured out, but nope!

Publication date- August 6, 2024