Stella is an attorney specializing in evaluations of families involved in custody disputes. She is asked to evaluate an unusual case involving a nine year old girl suffering from traumatic mutism as a result of the mysterious death of her nanny. The parents are divorcing and each is seeking full custody of their daughter. Stella becomes over-invested in the case due to her own similar traumatic past. As Stella tries to get through to Rose, the traumatized child, she also works to evaluate everyone involved with the family including the live-in grandmother and friends of the nanny, thus learning many family secrets that make the custody decision difficult. While her investigation is time-consuming, Stella is also dealing with personal issues such as her own recent divorce and discovering secrets around her own past and her mentor who has been a father figure to her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual thriller, especially the mutism aspect making it difficult to evaluate the child and learn the truth about the family and the nanny's death. I also liked that Stella herself could identify with Rose and we slowly learned about her own traumatic childhood. Stella's investigation was very methodical, giving the reader more and more evidence to try and solve the mystery along with Stella - very well done! There were surprises but no over the top twists and the characters were fairly well-developed. An intriguing and enjoyable read! I listened to the audio version of this book and found the narration to be overly dramatic and distracting. Actually it was annoying at times and I wished that such a good story was better read.

Deliciously creepy! I am a fan of Sarah Pekkanen, who always puts the "thrill" in the phrase "psychological thriller." This was no different. I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I haven't been reading anything that really captured my attention. But with House of Glass, it had me hooked very quickly. Stella is a "best interest attorney" for a girl with traumatic mutism, which came on suddenly after witnessing her nanny's death. Stella is enlisted to decide which parent gets full custody of the little girl, Rose. Stella visits the home of Rose Barclay and her family many times throughout the book, and the house just gets creepier and creepier from the first day. Nothing in the entire home made of glass? No picture frames, no glassware, not even bottles of wine.

I cannot say that this was my favorite book of all time, especially in this genre, but the writing is excellent and the storyline, intriguing. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Laura Benanti. I adored her performance. I know Laura from her work in television, but have never listened to a book narrated by her. I would 100% listen to more narrated by her.

I finished this book today and IMMEDIATELY recommended a friend to put it on her TBR list. This book just makes me want to read the entire works of Ms. Pekkanen. Four stars!

Thank you to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for this advanced listener's copy.

Set in and around Maryland, this thriller will have you guessing the whole time. It kind of gave me Perfect Child vibes which I loved! Our FMC, Stella, is assigned to see if this family’s household is a safe place for 9 year old Rose. How can it be when there was a death right there in the home? Was it murder? Suicide? If it was murder, who was behind it? Those are the questions you have to constantly ask yourself while reading this book. Plus the FMC has her own tragedies to work through along the way. I definitely recommend! Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This one had a lot of twists and turns my only problem was I wanted it to go even creepier or maybe more gothic but still a solid thriller that I highly recommend!


Narrated by Laura Benanti, this was my first book by this narrator and I thought she did a very good job and I would listen again!

Highly recommend this one!

4 stars

I received this audiobook from the publisher Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Wow! I really enjoyed this audiobook and listened to it with every free second. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this!

I was hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. If you like a good thriller/mystery you must read this! Thank you for this arc of Sarah Pekkanen’s newest book!

Author Sarah Pekkanen has a way with making you rethink everything you know. With intense family dynamics, interlaced with a psychological perspective, readers are always in for an interesting read. Her latest then is no surprise as we find ourselves entering a family that is breaking. From extramarital affairs to young prodigies, and a lawyer looking to untangle it all for the safety and security of the child involved. Pekkanen has penned another extraordinary read.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is about a lawyer that is trying to figure out who will get full custody of Rose, a young girl who has been mute since her nanny fell out of the the third story window of their house. Stella must try to get the girl to trust her so that she can make an informed descion for the courts. Everything in Rose and Stella lives are not what they seem to be. Stella has just divorced her husband of 10 years and is struggling with him moving on. Stella is also close to a former judge who has been like a father to her and has been her mentor since the age of 18. Once Stella is close to solving what caused the trauma to Rose, then she must fight her own demons. This is a quick read that has an unbelievable twist that I'm sure every fan of a good thiller will love. I would like to thank both NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for providing me with the advanced copy of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

Thank you @Macmillan.Audio and @netgalley for this wonderfully twisty audio book! It comes out 8/6 so make sure you grab your copy!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen is an enthralling journey into the complexities of family dynamics and the secrets we keep. The narrative unfolds with precision, drawing readers into a web of intrigue and emotion that keeps you guessing until the very end. Pekkanen's skillful storytelling and rich character development create an immersive experience that is both gripping and thought-provoking. Each character feels authentic, their struggles and triumphs resonating long after the final page. With unexpected twists and turns, House of Glass ensures you won't guess what happens next until the climactic conclusion. A true gem for fans of suspenseful family dramas, House of Glass earns its stars with every twist and revelation.

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I don’t read many books from the mystery/thriller genre, but I had been seeing a lot of hype about this book, so I gave it a chance. It did confirm my aversion and was indeed creepy and disturbing.

I did root for Stella, the child advocate in a divorce custody case, herself a victim of childhood trauma, who is trying to find answers to help her client, Rose, who cannot speak up for herself due to being rendered temporarily mute. Rose has been suffering from this silent condition since she supposedly witnessed her nanny fall to her death from a third-floor window of their home.

The case was never solved on how the nanny fell, or if she was pushed, and there are many members of the household that raise suspicion. Throughout the investigation of this unusual case, Stella dredges through her own painful memories of losing her parents and the unanswered questions surrounding their deaths.

When Stella notices Rose collecting sharp objects and behaving erratically, she contemplates if someone her age could be capable of such violence, and she even talks to a detective who specializes in cases of children that he believes had a natural predestination for evil. Could the angelic piano prodigy, Rose, be capable of murder? And would she try to hurt Stella who was hired to look out for Rose’s best interest.

3.5 Stars ⭐️✨⭐️

The twists and unraveling of this mystery had me captivated and had to keep listening (audiobook).

The pros:
- the addition of backstory of main character Stella
- character development of nine year old Rose
- pace of ending
- some of the scenes were written so well I could picture the exact room/house

The cons:
- plot got murky and slow in the middle which was hard to stick through at points
- while the major twist was predictable, the way it came to be was still a page turner

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of House of Glass!

“Evil isn't merely a word. It's a tangible, dimensional thing. Once it homes in on a target its malevolent arc of electricity affixes to its prey.” Was evil behind the death of the nanny, or was it an unfortunate tragic accident? If evil was the force behind the horrific event, who was the catalyst? All is not as it appears in the Barclay household, Divorcing parents, a feeble grandmother, and a traumatized mute child live in a world of secrets and deception. I enjoyed the protagonist, Stella as she navigated this mysterious family. This character-driven story kept me intrigued throughout. The narration expertly added elements of emotion, intensity, and suspense. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my audiobook.

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?

This was a solid 3.5 for me, rounding up to a 4. This is my second Sarah Pekkanen, solo author book. There were parts where the writing felt a little slow and repetitive but I was vested to know what happened to the little girl and her nanny. There were a few twists and red herrings well laid out for the reader to be thrown until the very end. I mean it’s Sarah Pekkanen I will always pick up one of her novels, solo or written with Greer. She knows how to write a thriller.

Thank you MacMillian Audio for this advanced audio. This book is out on shelves August 6, 2024.

The story was solid but for one who has read many mysteries this wasn't all that twisty. Though the backstory of the main character is solid with her own vat of issues--that certainly adds to the story line. But, the story wants you to lead to the obvious but you know ultimately, the villain will be someone else. It did have a decent wrap up..not leaving any loose ends.
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 with the death of her mother, but Stella's mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help Rose, who possibly witnessed the nanny plunge to her death as well as being a pawn in her parent's bitter divorce. As a result, she has gone mute. The house is a strange one as is Rose..always picking up weapon like shards while the house has is eliminating glass. strange.
As Stella probes, weird occurrences begin to take place, almost to scare here off and as she also probes the death of her own mother, there is too much for Stella to process. Can she trust her instincts? Cold this child actually pushed the nanny to her death?

This book starts out really strong. It does, however, lose momentum in the middle and end. I will say Laura Benanti does a good job narrating. The premise is a good one, I just lost interest. This isn't a horrible story, it just missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen and MacMillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I want to just go ahead and say that Sarah Pekkanen is one of my auto add to my TBR authors. I love the way she writes whether by herself or paired up with Greer Hendricks. So when I saw House of Glass I grabbed it so fast. This was another audiobook and I usually enjoy them and this was no exception. I was really caked right in and needed to know who dunit! I was lead astray for most of the book I 100% thought it was someone else but I don’t want to spoil anything and I was like well that was easy to figure out ahhah then bam that’s not who it was at all. And it was sad because I really disliked who I thought it was then when I found out they didn’t do it I felt so bad for them. Lol oh those fictional characters pulling at heart strings. I didn’t mind that there was a single narrator either. It flowed nicely. The only thing which is bad but she did talk slower so I listed at 2.0x speed and probably could have bumped it up even more.
I would recommend this read the mystery/ thriller lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the review copy.

3.5 Stella, a woman who determines who gets custody of the child in a custody dispute. Nne year old Rose deals with a great deal of stress, her nanny has supposedly jumped out a window, and Rose is now mute. Stella has no idea what she is getting herself into, because there is much going on under the surface. Appearances can be deceptive.

This did pull me into the story, mostly because of young Rose, wanted to learn what the final decision would be. Something that I felt could have been better is to make me feel how the house was scary, cloying. It didn't, it was tell not show.

"The parts of ourselves we keep hidden are the ones that are most in need of sunlight."

"Everyone has abit of darkness inside."

I would honestly give this one 4.5 stars if I could. I really enjoyed the plot and thought the twist was so good. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming. I loved Stella and thought the parallel between her childhood and what Rose is going through now was so well developed. The audio was really well done and the short chapters made for a decently quick read. It was pretty fast paced as well which I love in a thriller.

I didn't want to put this one down! It grabbed me from the very beginning, and I couldn’t finish it fast enough. I’m already looking forward to Sarah Pekkanen’s next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was a great thriller. I did not see the twist coming. A bit shallow on the story depth, but that’s what I would expect. This was a great fluff read.