sapphic_library 's review for:

Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer

4.0

emotional funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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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.