The narrator did a great job of keeping me engaged.

I have been a huge fan of Sarah Pekkanen's books, but this one was not my favorite. I think it is a good one for newer thriller readers. I felt that the plotline was a little predictable and I had deja vu reading about a character running through a house trying to escape a killer because the way it was done has been done that way so many times before.

I absolutely loved Rose's character and how that storyline developed. I love books with creepy children. I don't want to give any spoilers but I liked the plot twist involving her character.

Overall, I would recommend it to new thriller readers, but for people who read a lot of thrillers, it felt repetitive of a lot of things that are already out there.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great listen that kept me guessing! The twist at the end was unexpected and the climax of the story definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! A great summer thriller!

I love this author, so I was really looking forward to this book. This book is a story about an attorney, tasked with making the final call on the welfare of a child in a divorce proceeding. Stella, the attorney, will make the final determination on where the child lives, and how much time she gets to see each parent.

Although the story was very suspenseful, and the author really did point to one of the characters as the one that murdered the child in question's nanny, I felt like the twist left a lot to be desired. I usually am blown away by Sarah Pekkanen books, and although this one was great, it just didn't have the unpredictable twist that we, as readers, have grown used to and expect. For some reason, since all the characters (mother, father, grandmother and even the child herself) were talked about as potential doers of this crime, it didn't come as a huge surprise when we found out who the culprit was.

That being said, it still was an entertaining book, and I would recommend it to friends, especially those who are newer to the genre.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise of House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen was truly intriguing and was completely immersed in the first half of the novel. The pacing is on the slower side, which I did not mind and I loved the sinister vibes, the murder mystery with none of the Barclays, including Rose, above suspicion and the creepy glassless house. However, as the narrative progressed, my enthusiasm dampened. Truth be told, I enjoyed the way the element of mystery was built up and the suspenseful vibe of the novel, but the story lost momentum by including certain unnecessary subplots into the narrative. While I liked Stella and admired her dedication to her profession and how protective she was of Rose, there were certain aspects pertaining to Stella’s backstory that I felt were of no consequence to the plot and certain developments toward the end felt contrived.

This was one I really wanted to love but it just lacked the thrill factor unfortunately. I love this author so much though so I’ll give her another go.

I have recently become a Sarah Pekkanen fan and have really enjoyed each of her books. The audio on this one is great and engaging.

I'm always a fan of Pekkanen's books. This one was another enjoyable read although it did drag a wee bit for me in spots. I still found it to be a good read.

The storyline revolves around the death of the nanny of a wealthy family. There are a handful of possible suspects but they all seem to have an alibi for the time when the nanny fell through a window making it appear to have possibly been an accident. There are just too many other surrounding coincidences to make the reader think it's not an accident. The author points you in various directions and has you thinking you've guessed the culprit a few times only to have that theory disproven.

When the book finally wraps up, I found myself going "aha, I should have seen that." It was well done and a good creepy read. There was a chilling edge to the read because the home the family lived in just felt like a big and cold home that loomed above everything. The attorney who was advocating for the daughter in the divorce often mentioned that she often felt uncomfortable in the home and that there was a sense of danger there. All of that lent to the feeling of uneasiness.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audio was really well done. The narrator for this is superb and really pulls you into the story. It helps with the eerie feel of the story as well because the narrator plays it all up. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

They were the seemingly perfect family on the outside, but their house was built on lies, secrets and dysfunction. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning, and kept me engrossed until the shocking end! The character development in this book was chef’s kiss. I felt as though I truly knew all the characters, especially Stella. I loved getting to know her. The pacing of the plot was excellent. The author’s writing style had me gripped and on the edge of my seat with some of the things that took place in the story. There was this well-written sense of foreboding throughout that had me biting my nails! There was a creepy setting and atmosphere that had my heart racing. Very well written book!

Laura Benanti was perfect for this book! She brought all of the characters to life perfectly and she also helped create a sense of foreboding that fit the story perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Wow! This book keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing till the very end. Just when things are getting strange, a twist to make you rethink if you read that correct! TBR a fast pace thriller that won’t disappoint.


Thanks Netgalley & Macmillan Audio

I loved this! Thank you to my besties at Macmillan Audio for the approval!
Out Now!

I loved this. I loved that we never know who to trust. I loved the 'police procedural' feel with interviewing everyone in the family but with a twist as the FMC is a lawyer, not police.

There were times I got the most creepy vibes from Rose and wondered if we were dealing with a tiny psychopath; but then, grandma is super sketchy too, what's her deal? and ALSO the dad has a lot to lose, so maybe he's the Big Bad?

The uncertainty around each character was one of my favorite parts of this story. The way Stella has to unwind this mystery was interesting to read. It has the same vibes of police procedural as she's interviewing the family members as well as people in their lives but she isn't police so this felt like a fresh (to me) twist on that familiar trope. Another favorite aspect was the way Stella found her answer, sneaky and tricky and I loved it. ALSO absolutely adored the budding romance towards the end (heart eyes)

I thought the narrator did a great job of bringing each character to life.

The audiobook was just as good as the book! I'm so glad I was able to also listen to the audiobook while I read House of Glass. The narrator did a wonderful job and had me even more on the edge of my seat. Usually, it takes me 3-7 days to finish a mystery/thriller but I could not put it down. Again, so glad I was approved for the audiobook because it allowed me to work while listening to the story. Thanks, Netgalley!

If you're a fan of mystery/thrillers, you won't be disappointed. It has everything you want in a mystery/suspense/thriller novel.

House of Glass is a mystery thriller about 9-year-old Rose, who is mute after witnessing the possible murder of her nanny. Best interest attorney Stella, who has experienced her own childhood trauma, is serving as counsel for the child during her parents’ divorce. The closer Stella gets to the family, the more everyone seems like a suspect with their own personal motives.

I found the premise to be intriguing. The atmosphere is disturbing & eerie, especially the fact that all the glass in the house has been removed & replaced with materials that cannot be used as weapons. Rose is creepy as hell. I was extremely interested to find out who the killer was, & I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book. However, as I read on, the book went from a 5 star to a 4 star, & then a 3 for me. It felt like the subplot of Stella’s past took away from the meat of the story (who the hell killed the nanny) & interrupted the eerie vibes. Additionally, the chapters with Marco & his family just felt like they served no purpose to the story. There is a shocking revelation about 80% into the book. After that, the twists & turns come hard and fast, & I felt like it began to become a little bit of an over-the-top eye roll situation. The relationship that begins between Stella & another character in the book at the end felt very random, forced, & exploitative. That being said, I did enjoy the book overall, & it does have many 4-5 star reviews on Goodreads.

I listened to the audiobook with narration by Laura Benanti. The narrator’s speech was clear and steady, however, I found it to be a bit nasally. Listening to her voice at 1.0 sounded like she was talking in slow-motion, so I listened at 1.5 speed. Unfortunately, her voice was even more nasally with the increase. The change in tone when she narrated the grandma was a little annoying, making a 60-something year old sound like she’s in her 80’s. The narration wasn’t terrible, but I think I would have enjoyed the physical book more.
Thank you @macmillan.audio for allowing me access via @netgalley All thoughts are entirely my own- instagram.com/bookslug_

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
House of Glass
By: Sarah Pekkanen
Narrator: Laura Benanti
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Pub Date: 8/6/24

Stella Hudson is an attorney whose clients are children going through divorce and custody battles. It’s her job to assess the situation make a recommendation to the court as to whom the child should live with. She has her own trama from her childhood both her parents dying at different times and her moms struggle with drugs.
When Stella’s mentor Charles reaches out and wants her to work with 9 year old Rose she decides to meet with the family and that’s where things start to go off the rails.
The Barclay’s are an extremely well off family whose nanny was killed on their property by their 9 year old daughter. Rose hasn’t spoken since the accident. She’s doing odd things like hiding weapons and reading books that aren’t meant for a 9 year old. Her father had cheated with the nanny and gotten her pregnant which is the cause of the current turmoil in the family.
Rose’s grandmother Harriet lives in the home and helps out with Rose. Rose has been pulled from school and is being taught at home. Her life is very secluded but Stella is starting to see cracks. What really happened when the nanny was killed? Where was each member of the family really? I promise you won’t see the twist coming with this one!
The narrator Laura's voice really becomes Stella during the story. She really drags you in. Definitely one of my top thrillers of this year!

This book peaked my interest with the plot but I found myself rarely WANTING to listen to it more. I was interested in finding out what was really going on; however, it took me much longer than usual to get through the audiobook in its entirety.
The narrator did do a good job!

After a nanny fell to her death, a lawyer/child advocate interviews the nanny’s employers to decide which parental home would be best for the 9-year old mute Rose. The nanny’s death and preceding affair has lead to DIVORCE. Stella senses danger around her and questions if Rose is as innocent as she seems. You see, Rose is precocious and she can relate to Rose in her muteness. As a child, herself, Stella witnessed her mother’s death and became mute herself.

After spending time with Rose and her family, Stella stars to unveil a some secrets. Will Stella discover the family’s deep, dark and deadly secret before it’s too late?


𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: Spoiler Alert!
☁️☁️☁️

Mysterious and suspenseful, this domestic thriller was full of secrets and had a TWISTY ending! I enjoyed reading this! Fans of Michelle Campbell and Rachel Hawkins will like this one!

House of Glass hooked me from the very start. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book and then it honestly started to stall out. I did enjoy it but was not surprised by the twists at the end. I found it to be pretty obvious as to what was going on. I am still excited about anything Sarah Pekkanen writes. She will always be an autobuy author for me!

Nine year old Rose has been witness to something that no one ever wants to see; Rose witnessed what appears to be the murder of her nanny. Ever since that horrible event Rose won’t speak, not one word. To make matters worse, her parents are going through a divorce and a custody dispute. Enter Stella, a lawyer who fights for the children that she represents, vowing to place them in the safest and healthiest environments. Stella has her own trauma to deal with, which is why she never accepts clients so young, but when she is asked by her mentor, who is also a judge, to take Rose as a client, Stella reluctantly says yes. Now she finds herself immersed in the drama of the Barclay’s, drama that includes not only the suspicious murder, but an overbearing grandmother, a house that is void of any and all glass, and a young girl who has so much to say but can’t. Oh, and Rose likes to collect and hide sharp things, but why?

House of Glass is a novel full of twists and turns that I rather enjoyed. There are a lot of chapters that make up this novel, and I do mean a lot, creating a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat novel; the chapters were like potato chips, I couldn’t read just one. I was also pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns throughout the story, not seeing many of them coming until they were there. The ending was a little odd though, and didn’t quite fit with the story and the characters in my opinion.

I went back and forth with the audiobook. My biggest issue was the pace of the narration. For a novel that is supposed to be a thriller the narration was way too slow; it was almost like Stella, who is the narrator within the novel, was sleepwalking through the story, even with the inflection used by Benanti. Once I sped it up quite a lot I was better able to enjoy the audiobook, and it did add to my enjoyment of the narrative. I also liked that Benanti didn’t use what I think of as ridiculous voices for the male characters.

House of Glass is a thriller that will keep you guessing; go check it out. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for gifting to me early audio and electronic copies of House of Glass, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own. House of Glass is out now.

An enjoyable and fast-paced thriller/mystery. After the suspicious death of their nanny, who was having an affair with the husband, the Barclays are divorcing and each wants custody of their daughter Rose, who has become traumatically mute after the horrific death. Stella Hudson is Rose's best interest attorney -- she tries to get to know Rose and her parents and grandmother to determine how custody should be arranged. She also does some digging into the nanny's death and deals with her own childhood demons.

This story moved quickly and kept me guessing: is Rose an innocent victim of trauma or a secretly deranged mastermind? Plenty of creepy vibes and thrilling bits. Laura Benanti's narration was very good as well. This is a solid thriller.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

This one was just okay. I felt like i had read something similar before, nothing really stuck out to me

On the surface, the Barclay family seems perfect, but beneath the façade they are hiding some dark truths. When a young nanny falls to her death, nine-year-old Rose stops speaking, and lawyer Stella Hudson is brought in to uncover the truth. With everyone lying, it’s hard to tell who’s the victim and who’s the murderer.
I really enjoyed this one! The mystery kept me hooked, and the tension between the characters and the eerie atmosphere of the house made it hard to put down. The characters are all deeply flawed, and just when you think you’ve figured out who’s lying, Pekkanen throws in another twist that makes you second-guess everything. The way she blends suspense with psychological drama had me questioning every character’s motive. It’s a gripping, twisty read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
If you’re into thrillers that make you think, this one’s a must-read!