Name: Latitude Tamarind's review of Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer
Item: Like a House on Fire
Rating: 4
Author: Latitude Tamarind

Lauren McBrayer

An electric and seductive debut novel about a woman at a turning point in her life, and what happens when she discovers the spark that makes her feel whole again. After twelve years of marriage and two kids, Merit has begun to feel like a stranger in her own life. She loves her husband and sons, but she desperately needs something more than sippy cups and monthly sex. So, she returns to her career at Jager + Brandt, where a brilliant and beautiful Danish architect named Jane decides to overlook the “break” in Merit’s résumé and give her a shot. Jane is a supernova—witty and dazzling and unapologetically herself—and as the two work closely together, their relationship becomes a true friendship. In Jane, Merit sees the possibility of what a woman could be. And Jane sees Merit exactly for who she is. Not the wife and mother dutifully performing the roles expected of her, but a whole person. Their relationship quickly becomes a cornerstone in Merit’s life. And as Merit starts to open her mind to the idea of more—more of a partner, more of a match, more out of love—she begins to question: What if the love of her life isn’t the man she married. What if it’s Jane? Compulsively readable and shrewdly observed, Like a House on Fire is a razor-sharp look at love, motherhood, marriage, and identity. It pushes us to wonder what it really means to have what you thought you wanted, and yet come to realize that there’s still so much more.

Like a House on Fire

Jels

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Latitude Tamarind

I really expected this to be a “fucked up woman makes fucked up decisions for 400 pages and then you’re mad about it but also can’t stop thinking about it” book, and it is kind of that but also like, in some new and different ways. I recommend it! It’s also sapphic. Four stars.

Brian Walborn

Revelatory. A pure joy to read from an amazing author and clearly written from the heart. While this is a work of fiction, this is everything that Glennon Doyle's Untamed failed to capture.

valentina

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley and I am so glad this was my first book because I absolutely loved it. I mean, it's gay and there's MILFs, so it's very much up my alley. Going in (and based on the summary), I was expecting the falling-in-love bit to go much faster, but I can honestly say I'm glad that it was developed right and it took its time to unfold because the payoff was worth it (especially toward the end). I loved Merit as a narrator, I thought she was so funny and relatable but I also really empathized with her at times. And every other character was both lovable and unlikable at times, which is something I really appreciate in books—people aren't perfect, and characters shouldn't be, either. This especially applies to Cory, Merit's husband, who might have been a terrible husband and a very stereotypical heterosexual male, but he was a good person and I'm glad he wasn't vilified. My only real criticism of the book is that the ending felt really abrupt and confusing and I think it could use some clarifying. We leave off thinking that Jane and Merit have ended things for good and we pick up again with Merit, her kids, and Cory, so it was really confusing and not entirely clear until the very end whether Merit was with Cory still or whether she eventually went back to Jane.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer