Unpopular opinion ahead:

There’s a lot going on in this psychological mystery.

Rose is a 9-year-old girl who has traumatic mutism brought about by many terrible things that have happened to her or around her. Her parents are divorcing because her father, Ian, has had an affair with her nanny, Tina, who has become pregnant. On the night Tina was to tell Ian she’s pregnant, she falls from an attic window. Or, was she pushed?

Stella is a lawyer tasked with ensuring Rose’s best interests are met and she is placed with the appropriate parent. She herself went through trauma in her own childhood that rendered her mute for a time so she is well-equipped to help Rose.

However, it becomes clear to Stella that everyone in the house is lying and Rose’s behavior is so odd that it leads Stella to wonder if she is the one responsible for Tina’s murder.

My biggest issue is that I’m not a huge fan of this type of first person POV writing style. The story is told from Stella’s POV and is chock full of explanatory self-talk. There’s too much telling vs. showing and the abundance of statements like, “I’m the only one who can save Rose” had me rolling my eyes frequently.

Though the story was interesting, I wasn’t invested in any of the characters and therefore, didn’t really care what happened to them. And, while I could tell suspense was being built, it just fell flat for me. The two plots were promising but the twists weren’t shocking, or even hard to guess.

Had I not listened to this as an audiobook, and able to multi-task, I don’t know if I’d have finished it.

However, I’m very aware that my opinion is in the minority so I know there’s a wide audience for this type of popcorn thriller.

Laura Benanti did a fine job of narrating overall. She spoke clearly and concisely. But, I found the performance to be overly dramatic for my taste.

I received this advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Much like her last novel I read, Gone Tonight, House of Glass is another story that is like starting a puzzle and slowly but surely making your way to completing it. There were so many factors in this novel that had me triple guessing myself and who I thought did it. In every book I’ve read by Pekkanen there is a stressful environment with a high level of psychological tension. Which I love! I’m also always on the edge of my seat at some point during the story and House of Glass was no different. I listened to the audio and finished in a day because I HAD to know “who did it”. This was a very bingeable thriller with an eerie setting and complex characters.

Thank you macmillan audio for the alc via Netgalley!

What is it about rich families and nannies and a crime that make us want to pick up the book?! Because I think behind the fancy cars and the ridiculousness that revolving them, we want to read that everything is not so perfect for them, right? Well, this was definitely one of those thrillers, but oh, so much more. I enjoyed this work, it being my third read from this author, especially when slowly it was built that perhaps the little girl was not your typical little girl.

I don't want to mention more than that because I don't want to give anything away. But this has been a fun listen, and the narration was great. The MC took a bit to get into, and there are actually two storylines alongside each other. I wish there was more about the nanny, but the story moved and kept my attention. It was definitely a thrilling read/listen that lived up to the expectations from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the audio eARC of this great book. All opinions are my own.

Soooooo good! I flew through this. The well written chapters are short and the suspense builds quickly. The twists had me questioning everything. This is a summer must read/ listen.
I was very fortunate to be able to listen to the audiobook. The narration, by Laura Benanti, is very clear, well paced and pleasant to listen to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to very much enjoy the audiobook version of this ARC.

If you love weird, creepy kids this may be the thriller for you. A family that does not own any glass, a dead nanny and a girl that can't talk.

This is a psychological thriller in which an attorney must determine the best living situation for a 9-year-old girl with divorcing parents. The plot twist is that Rose, the young girl, may have committed a murder. House of Glass sounds good and psychological thrillers are perhaps my favorite genre. I just didn't love how this one was executed. Granted, the premise was intriguing and the house was creepy, but I wasn't sold on the character development. Way too many unnecessary details and predictable twists. Also, for an apparently smart woman, Stella wasn't that bright in her blind acceptance of people's behavior. This was my fourth Sarah Pekkanen book, and honestly, they've all been 2 or 3 stars, aside from a 4-star The Wife Between us. I don't think she'll be on my reading list moving forward.

Read if you like:
😬 Suspense
❓ Unreliable Narrator
☠️ Unsolved Murders
🔎 Everyone is a Suspect
🙊 Trauma induced Mutism

This mysterious book truly is a suspense meets family drama with the case of the mysterious death of the live in Nanny for young Rose.

We find out that truly everyone in this family is a suspect as Stella is trying to do her assessment to determine who Rose should live with on the heels of her parents filing for divorce after the death of their Nanny, who, was pregnant with the husband’s baby.

The main players aka suspects in the Nanny’s death are:
The Wife- who is a bit sketch and afraid of glass
The Cheating Husband- who is also sketchy
The Grandma- who is sketchy AF
Rose- sketchy and has some anger issues

So basically they are all sketchy and to add to it, our narrator is a bit (a lot) too involved and crosses some boundaries that are sketchy, all because of her backstory of being home when her mother died when she was a young girl under suspicious circumstances which led to her having trauma induced mutism too- so her tie to Rose is strong with this connection.

But as Rose’s behavior along with the rest of the family’s behavior gets more and more alarming and weird things begin to happen, Will Stella get to the root and come out alive?

I really enjoyed this book and I felt like the audio was well done, unfortunately it felt like other domestic/suspense/thrillers and didn’t feel like it brought something new to this plot type that hasn’t been done before so while entertaining it will be a more average read for me personally.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC and ALC in exchange for my review!

Rose Barclay, a nine year old girl, witnessed her nanny’s death and suffers from mutism due to the trauma of the incident. Stella Hudson, whom equally suffered childhood trauma that led to mutism, is the best interest attorney tasked to identify which parent should have primary custody of Rose after their divorce.

As Stella spends time assessing the family, she starts noticing odd behaviors and quickly suspects Rose had something to do with her nanny’s death. The family goes to odd lengths to protect Rose and come up with all sorts of excuses for her behavior, leading Stella to question everyone’s part in tragedy and finding herself in danger.

My thoughts:
I really liked the plot of the book — a creepy kid and a strange family is a pretty solid backbone for a book but the ending didn’t have that jaw dropping factor I was hoping for. I did, however, keep listening to find out about Rose. I was fascinated by her character and kept hoping to see more of her story.

This was the first time I listened to narrator Laura Benanti and felt she did a great job bringing the characters to life.

Pub Date: August 6, 2024

Thanks so much to @macmillan.audio & @stmartinspress for an ALC and e-ARC of this book!

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!

Let me start by saying, I loved Rose as a character and I longed for more interactions with her. All of the other characters were interesting in their own way, but fell a bit flat for me. The book was fast paced enough to keep me engaged, especially via audiobook. The revelations in the story left me a bit unfulfilled because they weren't quite interesting enough for me to care. Overall it was a fast paced, easy listen.

I’m not sure why this audiobook didn’t grab me but the only word I can think to describe it is “meh”. Looking at the reviews it appears I’m not in the majority. It may be due to the narrator, Laura Benanti, who didn’t convey the right tone for me.
There was a storyline that added absolutely nothing of value to the plot and which only served to prolong the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy.

House of Glass is a psychological thriller/mystery follows a best interest attorney, Stella Hudson, as she assigns custody guidance for her charge, Rose Barclay. Rose's wealthy parents are undergoing a nasty divorce after Rose's father has an affair with the former nanny.

But, the former nanny died in the house. The reason is unknown. And, Rose won't speak after the trauma.

Short reviews are the best for thrillers, but suffice to say, this one went a few places where I didn't think it would. I enjoyed the story and Stella's personal backstory as the book progressed.

I'm not a huge thriller fan, but I liked this one and would recommend to anyone.

Great thriller! Sarah Pekkanen's books are sooo easy to get invested in.


About the story itself, it was not the most original - I saw the plot coming from page 10. Very similar to a couple other domestic thrillers I've read. The audio version was awesome and really well done!

Even not being mind-blowing, I was into the story, and that's what matters :)

The House of Glass, by Sarah Pekkanen is a perfect thriller. This audio book sucked me in and kept me riveted all the way to end. I stayed up all because it was that good. The narrator did a fantastic job voicing each unique character. Give this one a listen.

What I loved:
This was a very fun, quick read. If you want a thriller you can binge read, this is worth a try! While the plot of a murdered nanny and creepy child isn’t necessarily the most original out there, I still found it very interesting and engaging. I was intrigued by the discussions of grief, traumatic mutism, and how to get help. I listened to this on audio, and enjoyed the narration.

What I didn’t love:
The pacing. I felt like the first 25% was a whirlwind of information and discoveries, then nothing terribly interesting happened again until the 80-85% mark. Also, the separate plots. I was interested in the Barclays and the potential murder, but the plot line about Stella’s past felt completely separate and never really felt that relevant to the current storyline. I would have liked to get more suspense and development in the current investigation and cut out most of the past.

House of Glass
Sarah Pekkanen
Pub: 8/6/24
4.5☆

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

I love thrillers that completely throw me for a loop, and House of Glass did that in spades!

Sarah Pekkanen absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one! It was a well written, all consuming, slow-burn read that had me furiously flipping pages, and not wanting to stop the audio because I just had to know the truth. I loved how Pekkanen had me questioning and second guessing every single character (including Rose) to the very end! Such a well developed and utterly suspect cast of characters.

I also really enjoyed the unique perspective of a best-interest attorney and found the topic of traumatic mutism really interesting.

What I loved;
✨ Twisty Thriller
✨ Atmospheric Mystery
✨ Tense & Suspenseful
✨ Past/Present Storylines

Absolutely would recommend.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review. Laura Benanti did such a fantastic job building the suspense and bringing this story to life with her outstanding narration. Such an immersive listen.

I enjoyed this audio so much.
The story kept me engaged and invested. The narrator did a great job keeping my attention. I enjoyed the author’s last book. So glad she is keeping up with the well written stories.

This book will keep you guessing. After Rose Barclay's nanny falls to her death and her parents announce their divorce, a child advocated Stella Hudson is sent to determine what is in the best interest of the child. Was the nanny murdered or did she fall to her death? Is one of the adults in Rose's life responsible for the nanny's death or is this a case of "the bad seed". As Stella gets more involved in the case, issues in her own life threaten to interfere. Just as I thought I had everything figured out, the book would take a twist. I listened to the audio version and Laura Bennati's narration is pitch perfect.

HOUSE OF GLASS by Sarah Pekkanen ✨
ARC/ALC review • pub date 08.06.24

I devoured this book! After the nanny plunges to her death, a lawyer is sent to the home to help figure out what happened, and also who the young girl in the family should go to live with since the parents are getting a divorce.

She immediately notices something eerie about the house: there is no glass inside it whatsoever. She’s on a mission to figure out the truth.

This one was truly a page turner, and the narration was great! Would absolutely recommend for suspense/whodunnit fans!

4⭐️

Thanks so much to @netgalley, @stmartinspress, and @macmillan.audio for my advanced copies!

#MacAudio2024

Can children be born evil? Nine year old Rose Barclay witnesses (or causes) her Nanny’s death. After the incident, she develops traumatic mutism. Attorney Stella Hudson is a Guardian Ad Litem and is called to work with Rose. Stella has suffered her own childhood trauma. She will discover the truth of what really happened to the Nanny and unravel the mysteries of her own childhood. Lying, cheating, twists and turns, this is a fast paced thriller! Audio narration performed by Tony award-winning Laura Benanti. Sit back and listen to the story unfold. Pub date is August 6, 2024.