House on Fire is an incredible new debut by Bonnie Kistler. After reading this I will definitely be on the lookout for her next novel. This story reminded me of two things: the moral struggle of right and wrong similar to that in All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin and the alternating voice/storyline style of Liane Moriarty.

Leigh Huyett and Peter Conley have the perfect blended family until one night when their son has a wreck with their daughter in the car and she dies less than 24 hours later. Suddenly the children stop being “theirs” and become Peter’s son and Leigh’s daughter.

At times I found myself yelling at the book for the main characters to “just talk to each other!” And there were a couple of subplots that I felt were hurried and unnecessary to the overall story which could have just focused on the morality of lying and been strong enough for me. However, it was a fast paced read that made me feel strongly enough to yell at a book, so I would recommend this one.

This novel started with so much potential. I was pulled in by the promise of an intense legal drama and a family tragedy. However at some point I felt that there were just too much going on. There were so many complex subplots that I’m thinking it would have been better if the author just did a series dedicated to the main character Leigh’s adventures with her clients. Perhaps I was expecting too much out of it because I truly loved Little Fires Everywhere and I was promised a Celeste Ng experience. I don’t know why I always fall for that.

I am still giving this a 3⭐️ rating because the novel did succeed in portraying the rewards and struggles of being a part of a blended family. It’s also effective in terms of discussing themes of loss and coping with grief. I seriously think this could have been a great book if there was more focus on just one or two topics. I felt the author just forced some of her advocacies into multiple subplots like gun control, women’s rights, etc. (all in good intention, I’m sure) but it just ruined the experience for me.

What a strong debut from this talented new author. This book had me hooked from the beginning pages until the last sentence was read. With a cast of well drawn characters and a plot full of twists and turns, I read this book practically in one sitting, yes, it was that good! At the heart of this book was the death of a daughter, caused by the negligence of a stepson. Could this blended family survive, or would this tragic accident ultimately tear them apart? A story of love, grief and forgiveness, mixed in with court room drama, along with some other dramatic law cases and a kidnapping! Quite the mixed storylines, that tied in nicely by the end with only a couple of loose ends. Can’t wait for more from Kistler!!

I enjoyed this book and was invested in the story but was disappointed with a couple of the side stories going on for Leigh's cases. The main story was good enough, I did not think the story about the embassy was necessary or even engaging. I found myself rushing through those pages. I enjoyed the relationship with Stephen but at the same time when that subplot took a twist, I was disappointed. I felt that should have been left at what it was.

Overall, I would recommend this book because the writing, plot, characters, and emotions are good.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this book started out with real promise. But somehow the plot seemed to drag on and on. There were various sub-plots that I thought were a little much in the same book. There were tangents of other stories that spread like a spider's web. Decent read. But could have been better I thought.

This book had me from the very beginning. The story of this blended family will pull at your heart strings considering the tragedy they're facing. The book got a bit dull in the middle when you start to follow the other story lines but if you hang in there it gets better and you can see how they tie into the main story whether back to the plot or to one of the characters. Overall this is a great read and I highly recommend you pick it up.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGally for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book I’ve read lately that deals with the loss of a child and how the family members adjust to the situation. I have to admit this one was much, much better than the other one, but toward the end of the book some of the circumstances go beyond believable and the book lost a lot of credibility for me. That being said, if the author would have stayed on track with just the family accepting the loss and how they were moving forward, this would have been an awesome story.
Unfortunately we are taken on several tangents dealing with situations that really could have been left out completely, one entire chapter dealing with a sexual scene had basically no relevance to the story other than showing us the bad choices of one of the main characters. Just because you are a war hero does not always make you a good person, and not sure an attorney would plop you on the stand not knowing what you are going to say, their main rule is, don’t ask the question if you don’t know what the answer will be.
The feelings of the mother, the step-father and step-son were done very well, it was easy to drift into the story and become involved, until it got a little far-fetched. On the other hand, the ending was excellent. I loved the way she wrapped up the story and gave us an insight and hope for the family and for Chrissy. This book had the makings of a great story, it just fell a little short.
I found this to be a quick read, was read to me by voice view on my Kindle and was allowed an advanced copy from Atria Books through Net Galley for my honest review, this one gets 4****’s.

House on Fire drew me in immediately. Bonnie Kistler managed to create characters that I was invested in fairly early on in the story. To be honest, I haven't had the best attention span for books lately, but this one definitely captured my attention. It felt like a family drama along the lines of Celeste Ng's novels - which I love - and I was so excited to find a new contemporary author that I really enjoyed.

But while this book started off strong, it didn't exactly end that way. Which is a shame, because I truly enjoyed the first half of this novel. I thought the characters and story were really compelling. And while the writing was good throughout the novel, the story lost me. This felt like two different books mashed together, and it was kind of disorienting. I really liked the main family drama - the storyline covered in the synopsis - but then this book turned into something completely different, with quite a few different characters. I honestly had trouble seeing how the two connected other than that some of the characters were involved in both. They just didn't go together. Honestly, I might have even enjoyed what I can't help but think of as the second book within this one had I not been blindsided by it. Surprise! This book has a twist ending! And by twist, I mean a completely new story.

I think this had the potential to be a great contemporary family drama. I did really enjoy Bonnie Kistler's writing, I just feel like she attempted too much, and it didn't really work. </p>
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All of us have seen the difficulties of blended families. Parents who struggle to treat their step children the same as their own. Step-siblings that don’t get along and always feel the other side is getting a better shake. So, I loved the premise of this book. Here, the family has blended well, the kids get along, the parents do right by both sets of children. That is, until a car accident causes one child to die and her step-brother to be changed with the crime. Kistler takes her time setting up the cracks. I loved that Leigh tried so hard initially to keep her grief from overwhelming her desire to keep her family together. But little by little, Leigh can’t help but drive both husband and stepson away. “It was the worst sin a stepparent could commit. She made him choose between her and his son.” Soon, all sorts of battlelines are being drawn and everyone is choosing a side, even the dog. So much for the big happy, blended family.

Kistler also does a great job exploring grief in all its different permeations. Not just Leigh’s, but Pete’s and the step-siblings.

Kistler, a first time author, is a trial lawyer, so she’s got the background to write this. We get not only family dynamics but the whole legal situation and how it plays out.

When she started bringing in the subplots, my first thoughts were that they were an unwanted distraction. And then, what had been a really interesting story went completely off the rails. I mean, here was this beautiful family drama and it was hijacked by an action thriller. WHAT. A DAMN. SHAME. This could have been a really good piece of fiction if not for the desire to add some action to it.

My thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

House on Fire is a tense, emotional family drama. Leigh Huyett is a divorce lawyer, and she knows better than anyone how easily marriages fail. She’s five years into her second marriage with Pete, and they are beating the odds. Their blended family is what many would aspire to.

Leigh and Pete are out for the night celebrating their anniversary, while they left Kip, Pete’s biological son, in charge of Chrissy, Leigh’s daughter.

As Leigh and Peter drive home on a rainy night, their phones blow up. Kip has been out for the night at a big party celebrating, and he crashes his car on the way home…with Chrissy inside. Chrissy later passes away, and Kip is charged with manslaughter.

You can imagine the conflicted feelings Leigh must be working through. At first, she sides with Kip and Pete, until Kip changes the story. He says that Chrissy was driving, and there a witness to that fact. Leigh believes he’s lying; Pete believes his son and continues to back him. All the while, Pete and Leigh must walk the tightrope that is their marriage as they navigate their feelings about Kip and what happened, along with the grief and loss of Chrissy’s passing.

How does it all end for Kip? And will Pete and Leigh’s marriage survive this tumultuous time?

Overall, I found House on Fire to be immersive and psychologically engaging. This is not a “thriller,” but it is fantastic at what it is: a study on family, and a blended family in particular. The topics make you question your own morality and what you would you do if you were Pete- or Leigh. It also left me thinking about these characters long after I turned the last page.

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

What an incredible and thought provoking story House On Fire was! This book was so well written and so very sad. I can’t stop thinking about the story and how realistic it was, and wondering how I would react if I were in the same situation. It truly is a powerful story about love, blended families, and how strong the human spirit can be in times of trial.

I really wanted to like this book but there was just too much going on.

The book follows a married couple, Leigh and Pete, and their blended family as they deal with a tragedy. Kip, Pete’s son, and Chrissy, Leigh’s daughter are involved in an accident and 12 hours later Chrissy dies. The rest of the book is spent on what happens after. The major problem is that the book doesn’t know if it wants to be the story of a grieving mother, or a family drama, or a courtroom drama, or a mystery. There are so many plots and sub plots (Devra, Jenna, a kidnapping...the list goes on!) and most are so ridiculously contrived that I started skimming pretty quickly.

Overall There were too many characters and plots and it was hard to keep them straight. Leigh and Pete and their former spouses who are now remarried, and kids and step kids just make it confusing and didn’t add anything to the main plot bc they were not well developed enough to be meaningful..

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher got an advanced reader copy. This novel surrounds a family that is hit with a devasting disaster that threatens to break them apart. This book started off really strong, and I thought this is my perfect book. Then there was the introduction of other side stories that to me did not enhance this story. Also it could have been quite a bit shorter. In the end the main plot was worth the read.

This was….just not good. There was just too much going on. Four subplots, and our main one gets lost among the bunch. This originally appealed to me based off the synopsis of a family drama. I love family dramas, and this looked to be a hard hitting one. And I was into it. But then three other stories got brought into the mix, one which didn’t need to be there, one that made absolutely no sense, and one that could have been explored a bit more. And the last 80 pages? So unrealistic. And the ending, just was rushed and wrapped up into a perfectly neat HEA.

This book was longer than it needed to be, filled with things that didn’t need to be there. It had potential. If only it would have focused more on the core story. I would have enjoyed it more if it had.

Thank You to Netgally, the author Bonnie Kistler and Atria Books for the ARC.

I really enjoyed House on Fire by Bonnie Kistler. This is a story about a family that experiences an awful tragedy and how the family splinters apart in the wake of it. The characters that she has written about are incredibly realistic as is the situation that they each find themselves in. I am looking forward to reading more by Bonnie Kistler.

I loved the premise of the book - and I really liked the book. The original plot line about second marriages and blending of families was a great read. The entire parts about her two clients - completely worthless and had no point being in the novel. I loved that every part of the grief process was shown for Lynn - the hallucinations, the hatred, the numbness, the blame..

I’m thankful to Atria and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title before it hits book stores in March of this year. Credits go to the author for keeping all the characters well defined and differentiated because there were many. Leigh, a divorce lawyer, and Pete, a construction company owner, are well into their marriage, a second for both of them. They both feel like their blended family is a resounding success. Then Kip, Pete’s son, celebrates his birthday and getting into the college of his choice, at a raucus, out-of-hand party. Somehow, Chrissy, Leigh’s daughter, winds up at the party, too. Then there’s a car accident and both Chrissy and Kip are in the car, but who was driving?

As they say on “Chopped,” “This was not a cohesive dish.” Plot lines zig-zagged through the pages, but they didn’t seem to have anything in common. Then suddenly, near the end, the story and the guilty party were all tied up in a neat, little bow. That should not have happened.

Because I’m a thriller aficionado, I don’t tolerate manipulation in the books I read. You may have a different take, so read “House on Fire” and decide for yourself.

This book is an interesting one with a unique premise: what would you do if your beloved stepson was (possibly) behind the wheel during an accident killed your daughter?

This story follows the main characters of this book around the event that shatters everyone around it in different ways.

For the first 2/3rds of the book I was completely drawn in and didn't want to put the book down. The bits about the accident and the aftermath are GOOD. However, there's one storyline that jumps the shark for me and I think that seems to be the sentiment from everyone. I think that whole element could have been removed and the story would have been stronger and less weird and required less suspended disbelief.

4 stars for the bulk of the novel, -1 for the WTF storyline.

It’s a modern day Brady Bunch for Leigh and Pete. The second marriage for both, they bring their children together to create a beautiful blended family. They go away together to celebrate their anniversary, leaving high school senior Kip in charge of 14 year old Chrissy. On the way home, they get a phone call that there has been an accident and Kip has been charged with drunk driving. The next morning, Chrissy has died and Kip is charged with manslaughter. Until his story changes and he claims Chrissy was the one driving that night. This puts their family, their marriage, and Kips future to the test. House on Fire starts off strong and then starts to converge into different side stories. While these stories do eventually merge together, it detracts from the original purpose of the book. This book could use a lot of editing, as it’s much too long and needs to be streamlined. One of the side stories could have been removed completely. This could have been a solid 4-5 stars until it derailed. For me, House on Fire was ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Thank you @atriabooks for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Net Galley and Atria for an early release of House on Fire. It was very catching in the beginning, then you were confused with too much going on and then WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Couldn't see what happened happening. Roller coaster of a ride. Great book because in life a concept like the main story could happen.