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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Absolutely loved this book. The characters, the plot, the pace and the humour as well as the emotion....just everything.
Fantastic debut novel. Will definitely read more by this Author
Fantastic debut novel. Will definitely read more by this Author
I debated between 2 and 3 stars and ultimately landed on 3 only because I was captured enough to want to finish, but only just barely.
Merit and Jane, the two main characters, are likable. Their budding friendship is enjoyable to read. The evolution of their love is believable.
Cory, the only supporting character is as unlikable as he’s meant to be. You will roll your eyes at him and he will also feel sorry for him.
Honestly, one of the main things that kept me going was that I just really like this narrator’s voice
Merit and Jane, the two main characters, are likable. Their budding friendship is enjoyable to read. The evolution of their love is believable.
Cory, the only supporting character is as unlikable as he’s meant to be. You will roll your eyes at him and he will also feel sorry for him.
Honestly, one of the main things that kept me going was that I just really like this narrator’s voice
I enjoy a book that makes me yell out loud at the characters and their bad decisions
Like a house on fire was a profound novel to read. The premise seemed fascinating, a literary fiction novel surrounding Merit, a woman lost in her own life, struggling with her marriage and two young children. In an attempt to save herself from her misery, she applies for a job at an architecture firm where she is immediately hired by the older eclectic woman jane. Thus begins a saga of events taking place over numerous years detailing their friendship and eventual romance. My thoughts on this novel are not linear, I was entrapped by it one moment, deep within the confines of Merit and Jane’s relationship, then dulled by the task of completing the novel next. Reading this was an experience, one that I’m not sure I can put in words.
Merit and Jane’s rapport was the best part of the novel. While it was not exceptional in any way, I still felt myself enjoying reading it. Though I cannot say that’s how 37 and 56-year-olds actually text in real life, I suppose I’ll let it pass for the sake of it being literature. If I’m being completely honest, I enjoyed their friendship more than their romance. The romantic developments didn’t come till the second half of the novel and it happened quite fast. You spend the first half of the novel seeing how much they care about each other, in the way most truly healthy female friendships do but are thrown into Merit’s feelings for Janes quite quickly. I didn’t feel like there was enough time in between merit realizing her feelings and acting on them. I wish there would’ve been more on-screen development shown, as we got to learn about this new part of her as well. Aside from that, the development from the second to last chapter to the last chapter was very sudden. Everything there happened completely off-screen and we were given no context from what happened in between them. It made the ending seem rushed and undeveloped, leaving too many loose threads and unanswered questions.
I feel another one of the novel's failings was the lack of context given into Cory and Merit’s relationship. I truly do feel like this novel would have benefitted if the characters were studied more, both in the past and the present. I want to understand these characters, feel for them, and get to know them. It’s the same with Jane. We received facts about her, who she is, what she likes, but I never felt like we truly got to know her. She felt strangely distant the whole novel as if she wasn’t a main character. She was truly just words on a page for me, not a whole constructed person.
I went into this novel expecting discussions on marriage, womanhood, and sexuality but none of those expectations were really reached. While they were somewhat discussed, I never felt like they were anything besides surface level. I wish these things could’ve been studied and dissected more considering the novel revolves around these things.
Like a house on fire, despite my criticisms, it was still a compelling read. It is still a wholly readable experience despite me not having enjoyed it as much as I wanted too. I think truly that this novel may be incredibly impactful on someone and I am in no way in a place to discredit that. Maybe that’s you, we’ll see.
Merit and Jane’s rapport was the best part of the novel. While it was not exceptional in any way, I still felt myself enjoying reading it. Though I cannot say that’s how 37 and 56-year-olds actually text in real life, I suppose I’ll let it pass for the sake of it being literature. If I’m being completely honest, I enjoyed their friendship more than their romance. The romantic developments didn’t come till the second half of the novel and it happened quite fast. You spend the first half of the novel seeing how much they care about each other, in the way most truly healthy female friendships do but are thrown into Merit’s feelings for Janes quite quickly. I didn’t feel like there was enough time in between merit realizing her feelings and acting on them. I wish there would’ve been more on-screen development shown, as we got to learn about this new part of her as well. Aside from that, the development from the second to last chapter to the last chapter was very sudden. Everything there happened completely off-screen and we were given no context from what happened in between them. It made the ending seem rushed and undeveloped, leaving too many loose threads and unanswered questions.
I feel another one of the novel's failings was the lack of context given into Cory and Merit’s relationship. I truly do feel like this novel would have benefitted if the characters were studied more, both in the past and the present. I want to understand these characters, feel for them, and get to know them. It’s the same with Jane. We received facts about her, who she is, what she likes, but I never felt like we truly got to know her. She felt strangely distant the whole novel as if she wasn’t a main character. She was truly just words on a page for me, not a whole constructed person.
I went into this novel expecting discussions on marriage, womanhood, and sexuality but none of those expectations were really reached. While they were somewhat discussed, I never felt like they were anything besides surface level. I wish these things could’ve been studied and dissected more considering the novel revolves around these things.
Like a house on fire, despite my criticisms, it was still a compelling read. It is still a wholly readable experience despite me not having enjoyed it as much as I wanted too. I think truly that this novel may be incredibly impactful on someone and I am in no way in a place to discredit that. Maybe that’s you, we’ll see.
Arc received from Netgalley
Like a house on fire was a profound novel to read. The premise seemed fascinating, a literary fiction novel surrounding Merit, a woman lost in her own life, struggling with her marriage and two young children. In an attempt to save herself from her misery, she applies for a job at an architecture firm where she is immediately hired by the older eclectic woman jane. Thus begins a saga of events taking place over numerous years detailing their friendship and eventual romance. My thoughts on this novel are not linear, I was entrapped by it one moment, deep within the confines of Merit and Jane’s relationship, then dulled by the task of completing the novel next. Reading this was an experience, one that I’m not sure I can put in words.
Merit and Jane’s rapport was the best part of the novel. While it was not exceptional in any way, I still felt myself enjoying reading it. Though I cannot say that’s how 37 and 56-year-olds actually text in real life, I suppose I’ll let it pass for the sake of it being literature. If I’m being completely honest, I enjoyed their friendship more than their romance. The romantic developments didn’t come till the second half of the novel and it happened quite fast. You spend the first half of the novel seeing how much they care about each other, in the way most truly healthy female friendships do but are thrown into Merit’s feelings for Janes quite quickly. I didn’t feel like there was enough time in between merit realizing her feelings and acting on them. I wish there would’ve been more on-screen development shown, as we got to learn about this new part of her as well. Aside from that, the development from the second to last chapter to the last chapter was very sudden. Everything there happened completely off-screen and we were given no context from what happened in between them. It made the ending seem rushed and undeveloped, leaving too many loose threads and unanswered questions.
I feel another one of the novel's failings was the lack of context given into Cory and Merit’s relationship. I truly do feel like this novel would have benefitted if the characters were studied more, both in the past and the present. I want to understand these characters, feel for them, and get to know them. It’s the same with Jane. We received facts about her, who she is, what she likes, but I never felt like we truly got to know her. She felt strangely distant the whole novel as if she wasn’t a main character. She was truly just words on a page for me, not a whole constructed person.
I went into this novel expecting discussions on marriage, womanhood, and sexuality but none of those expectations were really reached. While they were somewhat discussed, I never felt like they were anything besides surface level. I wish these things could’ve been studied and dissected more considering the novel revolves around these things.
Like a house on fire, despite my criticisms, it was still a compelling read. It is still a wholly readable experience despite me not having enjoyed it as much as I wanted too. I think truly that this novel may be incredibly impactful on someone and I am in no way in a place to discredit that. Maybe that’s you, we’ll see.
Like a house on fire was a profound novel to read. The premise seemed fascinating, a literary fiction novel surrounding Merit, a woman lost in her own life, struggling with her marriage and two young children. In an attempt to save herself from her misery, she applies for a job at an architecture firm where she is immediately hired by the older eclectic woman jane. Thus begins a saga of events taking place over numerous years detailing their friendship and eventual romance. My thoughts on this novel are not linear, I was entrapped by it one moment, deep within the confines of Merit and Jane’s relationship, then dulled by the task of completing the novel next. Reading this was an experience, one that I’m not sure I can put in words.
Merit and Jane’s rapport was the best part of the novel. While it was not exceptional in any way, I still felt myself enjoying reading it. Though I cannot say that’s how 37 and 56-year-olds actually text in real life, I suppose I’ll let it pass for the sake of it being literature. If I’m being completely honest, I enjoyed their friendship more than their romance. The romantic developments didn’t come till the second half of the novel and it happened quite fast. You spend the first half of the novel seeing how much they care about each other, in the way most truly healthy female friendships do but are thrown into Merit’s feelings for Janes quite quickly. I didn’t feel like there was enough time in between merit realizing her feelings and acting on them. I wish there would’ve been more on-screen development shown, as we got to learn about this new part of her as well. Aside from that, the development from the second to last chapter to the last chapter was very sudden. Everything there happened completely off-screen and we were given no context from what happened in between them. It made the ending seem rushed and undeveloped, leaving too many loose threads and unanswered questions.
I feel another one of the novel's failings was the lack of context given into Cory and Merit’s relationship. I truly do feel like this novel would have benefitted if the characters were studied more, both in the past and the present. I want to understand these characters, feel for them, and get to know them. It’s the same with Jane. We received facts about her, who she is, what she likes, but I never felt like we truly got to know her. She felt strangely distant the whole novel as if she wasn’t a main character. She was truly just words on a page for me, not a whole constructed person.
I went into this novel expecting discussions on marriage, womanhood, and sexuality but none of those expectations were really reached. While they were somewhat discussed, I never felt like they were anything besides surface level. I wish these things could’ve been studied and dissected more considering the novel revolves around these things.
Like a house on fire, despite my criticisms, it was still a compelling read. It is still a wholly readable experience despite me not having enjoyed it as much as I wanted too. I think truly that this novel may be incredibly impactful on someone and I am in no way in a place to discredit that. Maybe that’s you, we’ll see.
Merit is in her late thirties, has been married for over a decade, and spent the last five years at home with her two young children while pursuing her art. She is ready to reenter the workforce as an architect and lands a job at a bustling architectural firm. Merit is dazzled by the distinguished older woman who interviews her, Jane, and two immediately hit it off. Their feelings for each other evolve over time which causes Merit to seriously reevaluate her life. Reentering the workforce and meeting Jane gives Merit the push to rediscover herself after motherhood. She realizes that being a mother wasn’t enough to sustain her and she is unhappy in her marriage. LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE explores the complexities of relationships, gender roles, motherhood, and societal expectations of women. It’s about a woman at a crossroads finding her true sense of contentment where she least expects it.
Happy belated pub day & thank you so much @putnambooks for my #gifted copy!
⚠️: miscarriage, infidelity
Happy belated pub day & thank you so much @putnambooks for my #gifted copy!
⚠️: miscarriage, infidelity
Book Review in a Flash ⚡️
1 word to describe this book:
⚡️ Arresting
2 kinds of readers who’d enjoy this novel:
⚡️Mothers and/or caregivers
⚡️Those seeking a story that intimately explores the nuances of female friendship
3 things I loved about this book:
⚡️McBrayer’s ability to let the reader sink into main character, Merit’s, psyche felt so true for me as a mother
⚡️The dynamic between Merit and Jane was unlike anything I’ve read in current fiction
⚡️The ending! It was unpredictable, yet totally plausible and left me feeling quite satisfied as a reader
Interested in more of my book world? Let’s connect on IG! @jeanstehle_
1 word to describe this book:
⚡️ Arresting
2 kinds of readers who’d enjoy this novel:
⚡️Mothers and/or caregivers
⚡️Those seeking a story that intimately explores the nuances of female friendship
3 things I loved about this book:
⚡️McBrayer’s ability to let the reader sink into main character, Merit’s, psyche felt so true for me as a mother
⚡️The dynamic between Merit and Jane was unlike anything I’ve read in current fiction
⚡️The ending! It was unpredictable, yet totally plausible and left me feeling quite satisfied as a reader
Interested in more of my book world? Let’s connect on IG! @jeanstehle_
First off, thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book!
This book… was just not it for me.
I never liked Merit, which I think connecting with Merit is important piece to getting through this book without losing your patience with her. I didn’t love Nash and Jude either, which was unfortunate. I liked Jane well enough, though I thought some of her decisions were uncharacteristic, simply to move the plot faster. I liked Cory for the most part too, aside from the things that were included in his character just to make him seem like an incompetent dad. But overall, I liked Cory far better than Merit, and let me tell you, for me to go into a sapphic book and come out having the straight man as one of my favorite characters? Something is not working.
I also felt that there were odd time jumps. The book as a whole takes place over two years (sans the epilogue), but if you told me the whole thing took place over a few months, I’d believe you.
I will say, there were a handful of chapters that really had my attention and were well done. And I’ll also give it that the straight woman falls in love with a woman for the first time and cheats on/leaves her husband for her is at the bottom of my list of tropes I enjoy. The cheating thing is never enjoyable for me to read, and while I certainly see the value in adult women characters exploring their sexuality, I have a hard time connecting to it. So all that said, maybe this book just wasn’t for me, but could be the perfect book for someone else. But for me? I was frustrated, annoyed, and bored most of the time.
This book… was just not it for me.
I never liked Merit, which I think connecting with Merit is important piece to getting through this book without losing your patience with her. I didn’t love Nash and Jude either, which was unfortunate. I liked Jane well enough, though I thought some of her decisions were uncharacteristic, simply to move the plot faster. I liked Cory for the most part too, aside from the things that were included in his character just to make him seem like an incompetent dad. But overall, I liked Cory far better than Merit, and let me tell you, for me to go into a sapphic book and come out having the straight man as one of my favorite characters? Something is not working.
I also felt that there were odd time jumps. The book as a whole takes place over two years (sans the epilogue), but if you told me the whole thing took place over a few months, I’d believe you.
I will say, there were a handful of chapters that really had my attention and were well done. And I’ll also give it that the straight woman falls in love with a woman for the first time and cheats on/leaves her husband for her is at the bottom of my list of tropes I enjoy. The cheating thing is never enjoyable for me to read, and while I certainly see the value in adult women characters exploring their sexuality, I have a hard time connecting to it. So all that said, maybe this book just wasn’t for me, but could be the perfect book for someone else. But for me? I was frustrated, annoyed, and bored most of the time.
There was a lot in this book I liked, but I really struggled with the main character. I think because she didn’t know herself very well, it was hard for her to communicate what she wanted and needed with those around her. It felt like the reader is supposed to find her husband to be the problem, but I think it was just a lack of understand and productive communication. I struggled with that.
Also the ending was strange. It happened quickly and really without exploration or clarity. I did not love that.
Also the ending was strange. It happened quickly and really without exploration or clarity. I did not love that.
“There is beauty and loss in every direction.”
This was wonderful; really hit the spot for me in so many ways. Coming out later in later is a narrative that will always appeal to me, and while I'm more used to reading it in romances, it was a great theme to this contemporary novel that's also about motherhood, juggling kids and a career with a partner who's well-meaning but oblivious, and finally being able to realise the kind of life you want for yourself.
I really really liked Merit and Jane's relationship. Even when they were just boss and employee, the author did a great job of making their perfect compatibleness really shine, even when they were bickering or yelling. I really loved a lot of those early moments, where it's clear to the reader that they're falling for each other, but neither woman can parse it as that. The building of a friendship was super strong. I wish there had been a couple fewer time skips, but still, a lot of important moments were captured. I just loved seeing them be there for one another; there were some moments that full on made me cry. Their banter was great. Sometimes the snarky humour didn't really work/made me roll my eyes, but ultimately it came together. Merit's journey of realising that her life isn't what she wants it to be isn't the most original thing, but the way it was written definitely captured my heart. I loved her relationship with her kids, imperfect as she was. I usually avoid reading about infidelity, but it didn't bother me so much in this? Not that I hated Corey as a character; he was annoying in the way society teaches men to take up space without asking for it, but he was ultimately not a bad person. IDK, the book just did a great job of convincing me that Merit and Jane were soulmates, so I wanted them to be together more than anything. I half fell in love with Jane myself.
I read an interview with the author and apparently the original draft of the book ended with the last chapter, and didn't contain the epilogue. I'm really glad she decided to include said epilogue, because it changes several things, but I did feel a little cheated that we didn't get to see what happened in those five years, how certain decisions were made, what certain conversations looked like. It felt very abrupt.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Marin Ireland, who has suuuuch a fantastic voice. It's been a while since I've listened to anything she narrated, so I forgot how much I really enjoy it. I loved her accent for Jane, the way she delivered humour, and she has really realistic, non-annoying kid voices. Great performance. With a little polishing, this could have been better, but as it is, I liked this book so much. Really impressive debut, just for the way emotions were handled.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
on page miscarriage, parental death, discussion of death by cancer and AIDS“It’s not the water that changes you. Only love can do that.”