This might be my favorite listen of June! It kept me on my toes the whole time and was definitely engaging. I listened to it in two days (which is quick for me), and felt satisfied by the ending and how everything wrapped up (which hasn’t happened in QUITE a while for me!)

This was an entertaining new release from Sarah Pekkanen. It had an eerie vibe to it, and anything with a creepy child gives me shivers. The beginning definitely hooked me right away as it starts off strong. I'll say that the middle of the book did drag quite a bit unfortunately. It did keep my attention enough, but at times, I would find my mind wandering quite a bit. Towards the middle, I started to get a theory of the "whodunnit" and I wasn't shocked at the end with the big reveal. It felt pretty obvious and was hinted at, so my mind was not blown at the twist. I think a lot of others will enjoy this one, but it won't be a memorable one for me.

I totally thought that this story was going to end differently. Sarah Pekkanen did a great job making me think I had it all figured out. Looking forward to reading more of Sarah's work in the future.

Laura Benanti did a great job narrating, she kept a great pace and an even tone. I wasn't a huge fan of the voice Laura assigned to the mother (Beth) but the rest of the voices were great.

While I enjoyed this book, I found that it was a little slow in the beginning. The resolution was worth it, but getting to the last hundred or so pages was a chore. I enjoy Sarah Pekkanen's writing: her characters are always top notch and well developed.
The narrator for this title was very good.

4.5/5

I found this one quite enjoyable! I was confident that I had it all figured out half way through the story. However, I started doubting myself, and although some of my suspicions were right, I did not anticipate the ending.

Eight-year-old Rose Barclay remains silent following the tragic passing of her nanny during her parents' bitter divorce. Attorney Stella Hudson is assigned to determine the best custody arrangement for Rose. Stories don’t add up, Stella is determined to help Rose find her voice and uncover the truth. Delving into the Barclay family's hidden truths, Stella uncovers a collision of past and present with startling outcomes. In this murder mystery, everyone is a potential suspect, including young Rose. Could the one Stella is meant to defend be the very person she needs protection from?

The characters were well-developed, each with their own distinct personalities and motivations. The plot twists were masterfully executed, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. The author’s ability to weave suspense and emotion into the narrative made for an unforgettable reading experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller/murder mystery!

If you enjoyed The Silent Patient, you would definitely appreciate this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reading copy of House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen. I can't wait to start this book.

Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve a nine year old girl named Rose Barclay. Rose comes from a rich and highly established family. Rose has what would seem to be the perfect life, two devoted parents and a caring grandmother. That is until Rose goes mute after the trauma of being the only witness to the death of her nanny. Stella has to battled her own childhood trauma, after the tragic death of both of her parents, in order to help uncover the truth of what really happened to Rose’s nanny.

I love Sarah Pekkanen’s atmospheric writing style and perfect descriptions. This book quickly grasped my attention from the first page. I can’t wait to read the next Pekkanen novel. This is so full of twists and turns.

When 9 year old girl Rose Barclay witnesses the death of her nanny falling through a window, she immediately stops speaking. Did her nanny jump? Fall? Was she pushed? Stella Hudson is the lawyer who's job it is to figure out the truth and which parent Rose should live with amidst their bitter divorce. But how can Stella know who the real victim is? And who, if anyone, is the murderer? And why does Rose continue to collect sharp objects?

I liked the premise of this book and I was looking forward to it. But it just didn't hit the mark for me. I can't quite put my finger on what was missing, but it fell flat for me.

I did enjoy the emotions that each character was feeling and found them to be very well written. I just didn't find myself connecting with them or feeling what they were feeling.

Overall, I'm glad I read it and think many will really love this book! It was just a miss for me.

In an effort to prevent my views from being skewed, I generally wait to read reviews until after finishing a book-- and boy was I surprised to see the high scores on this one. Now, many books are far better in print, so I'll leave room for the possibility that I just didn't connect with the melodramatic vocal performance of the audiobook. But the book felt overcooked to me and under-seasoned to me, like it was churned out rather than rendered with any attempt at artistry, with one-dimensional characters, predictable twists, pacing issues, and a plot that was giving Lifetime Original Movie.
I know Sarah Pekkanen is a talented writer, and I know she can deliver a better book. I will still read her next release, but I'm hoping the literary-industrial complex hasn't gobbled her up and that she is still allowed to take the time necessary to put her work through a rigorous development process.

2.5 stars, rounded down
Sarah Pekkanen writes slow burn psychological thrillers which I usually like. But this one was a big miss for me. I spent way too much time rolling my eyes and utterly disgusted noises.
House of Glass concerns Stella, a young lawyer who acts as a “best interest attorney”. In other words, she works to determine what’s best for a child in a custody case. This time, she’s representing a nine year old precocious child who lost her ability to speak after witnessing the death of her nanny. A death that remains unresolved as it’s unclear if she was murdered or had an accident. Stella is uniquely qualified for this assignment as she also lost her ability to speak for a time after the death of her mother. Although I kept thinking she was exactly the wrong person for the job, as her own experiences would naturally bleed through (especially as the circumstances around her mom’s death remains a mystery). My major problem with this book was that Stella seemed determined to go way above and beyond the constraints of her job. She acted more like a detective than an ad litem attorney. And I am so tired of main characters making idiotic decisions that knowingly put themselves and others in danger.
Pekkanen moves the plot along at a brisk pace which helped somewhat. She does her best to keep the reader off balance as to who was behind the suspicious death by throwing in plenty of red herrings. But I thought it was obvious from early on. And the ending was way too OTT for my taste.
There is also a subplot concerning the death of Stella’s mom. This one was also obvious from early on.
I listened to this and Laura Benanti did a fine job as the narrator other than she made the mid60s grandmother sound like she was in her 80s.
My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book.

the audio was very good, thanks to the publisher for my free copy. Maybe I’m an outlier but this was fine, not as good as her last one. Some mystery/tension but not enough IMO. Easy enough to listen to, but if you have dozens of books on your tbr I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to the audiobook of this story in exchange for an honest review. I really liked the narrator for this one and she did a good job bringing some tension to the story. Overall I enjoyed this book as I do most books for this author. Though some parts were a little predictable I loved seeing how things turned out. Definitely would read more by this author.

I'd call this one a decent beach read. House of Glass has a well-constructed and interesting plot, a couple significant but predictable twists, and features a surprisingly likeable attorney giving the main POV for the story. At the end, it comes together wrapped in a highly satisfying package, which I always appreciate.

This wasn't the best book I've read this season, but it's enjoyable and a fast, easy read, despite the taboo topic of evil in child form. I give it three and a half stars, rounded up. I'm sure I'll see plenty of women reading it at the pool and on the beach this summer.

Whatever the audio equivalent of a page-turner is, this is one of them! I was hooked from chapter one of this whodunnit (or did someone even do it?). Narrator Laura Benanti's reading was well-paced and well-performed. I was completely swept up in the mystery of who, if anyone, killed 9-year-old Rose's nanny, as well as what happened to main character Stella's mother years ago. Author Sarah Pekkanen had me completely in her narrative clutches as I tried to solve the cases alongside Stella. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, BAM! Here come the twists. I found the ending to the mysteries and the extended epilogue very satisfying and would heartily recommend this novel to thriller fans!

It was my first time reading Sarah Pekkanen. A twisted family with secrets, I found House of Glass a dark and twisted story, well-paced, chilling, creepy, full of taut, suspense-filled, riveting moments and had me on the edge of my seat. l liked how the author let us see the insightful thoughts of a 9-year-old girl with secrets and uncontrollable dark impulses that are downright creepy and terrifying. I paired my e-ARC with ALC, which Laura Benanti narrated. It was my first time listening to her. She did a fantastic job narrating, bringing a distinctive voice to the main and supporting characters.
I look forward to reading more of Sarah Pekkanen's books. I highly recommend you grab a copy; you won’t be disappointed. The author's prose was so vividly descriptive that I felt like I was right there as an observer watching the twisted story unfold. I had difficulty putting it down— I stayed up all night listening spellbound.

I want to thank St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing an e-ARC and ALC of House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

Sarah Pekkanen never disappoints.

I love a book about a possible psychopathic child, and the is she or isn’t she throughout House of Glass had me gripped.

I really enjoyed the dynamics of the Barclay family. Stella’s quest to figure out little Rose and solve who murdered Tina was filled with twists and turns I did not expect.

The side plot of Stella’s own family history tied the story together perfectly.

The parallel between Rose and Stella’s selective mutism was something I’ve never seen done before and I thought that was so interesting.

4.5 ⭐️

🎧📖 note: Laura Benanti did a fantastic job with all of the characters and bringing House of Glass to life with her narration.

Stella Hudson is the attorney who has been assigned to 9 year old Rose Barclay’s case to determine the custody agreement during her parent’s divorce. This, of course, is after the unsolved murder of her nanny and resultant traumatic mutism.

“House of Glass” is a fast paced twisty thriller. The primary character is well developed and her own back story weaves through the plot helping you understand her drive. The secondary characters are only developed as far as the Pekkanen wanted to you know to keep the suspense high. The mystery was solved to my satisfaction, but the ending felt a little too buttoned up. Overall a binge worthy listen for a couple of days.

I really enjoyed this audiobook version of House of Glass. This was a perfect domestic thriller read. A whodunit murder mystery, this book kept me guessing until the very end. I also really enjoyed the dual timelines, and interconnected storylines. I would recommend this book to any lover of mystery, thriller, and suspense books. Excellent narration.

I'm a huge fan of Sarah Pekkanen. The first time I read one of her books was Anonymous Girl which she wrote with Greer Hendricks who I also love. I have yet to find a miss from here, and this book is no different. It started out a little more like a detective novel, and I'll be honest that I was hesitant if this one was going to be another hit, but not even a quarter of the way through I realized how wrong I was, and it's not another detective novel. Stella is a children's attorney and man is she a badass. Growing up her life was no cake walk, but she came out of it a reasonably unbroken person for everything she struggles with. Rose, the child, is such a conundrum, and you unwrap her layers chapter after chapter, and I truly couldn't put this book down. If you're a thriller fan and haven't started reading Pekkanen's books yet, you're missing out. I highly recommend this one!

The audiobook is also incredible. With so many details, I didn't have any problem keeping up with where the story was going or with the difference characters or anything. The narrator is the incredible Laura Benanti Tony award winning actress and singer so I would expect nothing than the best from her anyways. Definitely check out her other audiobooks as well!

3.5🌟
Stella Hudson is an attorney assigned to nine year old Rose. Rose's parents are going through a bitter divorce, both demanding sole custody of their beloved daughter. Stella has the most difficult task of determining what’s in Rose’s best interest.

Just to complicate things further, there is an additional issue.
The family’s nanny recently fell out of a second-floor window with dear Rose looking on. And she hasn’t spoken a word since.

As Stella digs deeper into Rose’s life she realizes this is a family harboring a host of secrets and she needs to tread carefully as she continues uncovering more lies!

I’ve been a huge fan of this author but this latest just failed to capture my interest. Was it the storyline? The characters? Though I had both digital and audio copy I chose the audio for the majority of the book. I wasn’t overly impressed with the narrator's performance and perhaps that distracted me from the book itself.🤷🏻‍♀️

Since I’m such a dedicated fan of this author I will be watching for her next offering. Maybe I’ll just stick with a digital copy!

A buddy 🎧 with Susanne

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio (less)

Wow! What a wild ride! This book makes you doubt your own thoughts. I loved this one. The psyche of children as well as adults is so complex, that what you see may not be at all.