Review: Like a House on Fire – Lauren McBrayer

Posted April 20, 2022 by Andi in Books, Review / 1 Comment

Review: Like a House on Fire – Lauren McBrayerLike a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Published: April 26, 2022
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What would you do if you found the spark that made you 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?

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.



Women’s fiction is not usually a genre that I gravitate towards. Not for any particular reason, just not something I reach for. But certain authors will sway me and that is what happened with Like a House on Fire. I have been a fan of Lauren Miller’s books Parallel, Free to Fall, and All Things New for years so when I heard she was writing under a new name and writing adult I was sold. This book is everything that is messy about life and it was amazing!

Like a House of Fire is about Merit, a married mother of two that feels trapped in her life. She feels like she no longer has an identity. She is no longer the person she was. She is now either a wife or a mother and Merit is so much more than that. When she decides she wants to go back to her career Merit meets Jane, a beautiful Danish architect, that sees Merit as more than a wife and a mother. And as Merit and Jane’s friendship evolves Merit starts to think of the possibility that maybe she wasn’t meant to be a wife to her husband of 12 years. Just maybe she was meant for a life with Jane.

I’m going to tell you exactly what I told Lauren when I DMd her. Like a House on Fire is messy and beautiful and just life. Because life is messy and beautiful. Merit is not a character you will fall in love with. She isn’t the person that is going to always make the choices readers wants. She starts a relationship while married and that is not something all readers will enjoy. And as much as I don’t love cheating, it is sadly a part of some peoples lives and Merit had to make the choices she did to destroy her life and get closer to the person she wanted to be. Jane was igniting a spark in her that she thought was gone forever and Merit didn’t think of the consequences of her actions and what it met for the other people in her life. And honestly Merit’s husband, Cory, was not a bad guy. He was just comfortable in his life and became apathetic to his wife and took her for granted.

In the end Like a House on Fire is not the book for everyone. If cheating is not your cup of tea, that is your CW right there. But it is a gorgeous book of finding a life that fits you better when you realize what you had isn’t what you need.

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One response to “Review: Like a House on Fire – Lauren McBrayer

  1. I can’t believe this was a debut novel like middle-aged women who are brilliant architects slow burn coworkers to friends to lovers ft. cheating and incompetent but lovely husbands and fathers…

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