The premise for this story is How Far Would You Go to Keep a Promise?

The promise is one that a family make to a father that if the time comes he would not be put in a nursing home.

The promise was made when the children were small - and does it stand up when Bernie's father is disappearing into his one Alzheimer's world and his elderly wife - his sole carer - cannot manage any longer.

Would you rather kill your father than break a promise which he clearly cannot remember?

This theme is morally debated between main protagonist Bernie and her sister Colleen. Bernie is an ICU nurse and sees death every day. Sometimes welcoming it for her patients. Colleen has religious views about killing and how its God's decision when someone dies. Brother Adam takes the practical view in that he seems not to have one except in that you cannot beholden to a promise you were asked to make when you were a child and could not decide otherwise.

This debate is big part, but it is only a part of this thoughtful and entertaining family relationship drama. Bernie has her own issues and her own tragedies to deal with. But at the heart of it is what is best for her father - the one person we have no idea what is thinking as we are never told.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for an advance ARC in return for my honest review.

Actual Rating: 2.2

This book had one of the most intriguing first lines that I’d seen: “My mother asked me to kill my father on Christmas.” Right off the bat, it establishes so much tension into the character dynamics. The tone is immediately serious, and I was curious what kind of mother would request this of her children, even one that recited it as nonchalantly as our narrator did.

House on Fire starts on Christmas Day. Bernadette, an ICU nurse, is pulled aside by her mother and asked a favor: euthanize her dementia-ridden father. Their family is burdened by an age-old promise to never put him in a nursing home, but his condition continues to worsen. What follows over the next two weeks is Bernadette’s emotional turmoil — coupled with a bunch of really really bad things happening.

I think the earlier parts of the book were my favorite. We saw Bernadette’s internal conflict and learned about her dynamic with other characters through flashbacks. The book did a very good job making it feel like the clock was counting down.

Gradually, however, the book introduces more and more side plots and events — Bernadette has to deal with a mentally ill son, a tragedy, relationship issues and more. These are both more interesting tangents but they also feel like random external forces that were used to push the story along.

I honestly would’ve been fine if there was none of that and if the book was instead filled with more conversations between characters with different moral perspectives. That dialogue is really where the book shines.

By the end, everything felt pretty anticlimactic. It’s difficult to feel emotionally invested in everyone’s perspectives on the euthanasia issue when the plot had swerved so far away from it as a source of introspection. When the original plot resurfaced at the end, it felt more like a reminder.

Overall, I just think the novel tried to insert too much drama instead of really digging its claws into the one plot that already had enough moral questions to cover.

Honoring her promise to never put her father into a nursing home, Bernadette finds herself torn between this promise and the effects her father's dementia is having on her mother and the rest of her family. Poignant and sensitive, this novel presents a picture of dementia and how it not only affects the patient but also caregivers. Well written.

The reader will go along with Bernadette as she struggles with issues involving her son, her job, her pseudo-ex, her mother, her sister, her brother, her father, Occasionally following Bernadette's somewhat disconnected troubles gets a tad boring. Overall, it was an enjoyable read even though I never really connected with the main character. who somehow seems to be able to keep putting one foot in front of the other and powering on. I was disappointed with the ending as it was totally unbelievable given how the stage had been set up to that point. I do recommend reading this one. There are several themes in this story: family relationships, mental illness, pagan lifestyle, assisted suicide, friendship,.....

A House on Fire is billed as a contemporary family drama which is on point. The marketing for the book leads with Bernadette's dealing with her mom's request to relieve her dad's suffering from dementia. I found the story to be even more complex as it was the story of Bernadette who is living this life and facing so many challenges, one of which is her dad's dementia. I felt a lot of empathy for Bernadette and was engaged in her journey as well as the challenges posed by her father's illness.
All in all an engaging read!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of House on Fire in exchange for an honest review. House on Fire is on sale now.

Such a heavy read! Lots of heavy topics like dementia, death, euthanasia and mental illness. This book was well written and deep. I definitely feel for the main character and her struggles.

Wow! This novel dives deep into family dynamics and the impossible choices we need to make. I don't know anybody that enjoys thinking about their own mortality or that of their family members, but it is in inevitable discussion and ultimate reality. Out main character, Bernadette, is faced with the hardship of caring for an making decisions regarding her father with dementia, all while also caring for her own special needs child. Hot button topics such as assisted suicide and health care in America are covered delicately by the author, and I felt invested in this family from the beginning of the story. I'm still thinking about it after it ended! This book would be perfect for book clubs!

Wow! This book was beautifully written! It contained heavy subject matter such as dementia, euthanasia, youth mental illness and death and the complicated family relationships that can evolve from that. I was pulled in from the first page and felt so connected to Bernadette.

A very complicated, debated subject portrayed with feeling by a writer/ nurse who sees the difficulty families can face when trying to do what's best for their loved ones. D Liebhart does an excellent job of showing both sides of the impact quality care can make, even when facing an irreversible medical diagnosis. When Bernadette is confronted with her Father's failing health, both physical and mental, she receives so much advice it is hard for her to see her way to make a decision.

this was a very heart rending story written with skill and understanding.

I loved everything about this story;
Friendship, love, heartbreak, mental health and unconditional love.

As a nurse who worked in an assisted living/memory care unit for over 10 years, I found myself being able to relate through many parts of the story.

Thank you for letting me read!

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an arc of this book in an exchange for an honest review.

House on Fire by D. Liebhart revolves around Bernadette Rogers and her family. Her mother takes care of the father, who slowly disappears into the abyss of dementia, and asks Bernadette for help to put him out of his misery. Bernadette, who also works as an ICU nurse struggles to make a decision.

First things first, this book is not an easy read for sure. It talks about a lot of heavy topics like assisted suicide for example. People have mixed feelings and opinions about this so it might not be a book for everyone. It was really easy to get into the story and it kept me on edge. Especially since I am a nurse myself so if my mother would ask me the very same question I would struggle too to be honest.

Well, the characters are actually not that really likeable and I did not really connect with them like I wish I could have. But they also have all their own flaws and mistakes, which make them authentic.

I enjoyed this book and I think it's an important topic to talk and read about. The story kept me interested through everything with a ton of twists and turns.

Glued to the Page
The characters in House on Fire seem so real and so imperfect that the novel feels almost like a memoir. The writing is excellent; I very seldom feel as glued to the page as I did reading this. I didn’t want to stop reading. This is a story about a family and a world with plentiful dilemmas and no easy answers. The father in the story made his family promise years ago not to put him in a nursing home. He said he’d rather go out in the backyard and shoot himself. But now that his dementia has taken hold, some of the family are considering the unthinkable. At the same time, the narrator of the story is struggling with her son’s mental illness and expulsion from another school for violence. Yet, it isn’t a bleak story. Despite the trauma and heartbreak, there are moments of humor and love. Maybe the universe doesn’t give a *** about them. They still care about each other. And I think that ultimately makes this an optimistic book. I felt enriched by reading it.
My favorite quote: What if this was the day that I became a stranger to him? Every person’s last moment was coming. Each of us was being erased, vanishing neuron by neuron. One day he wouldn’t know any of us. And that moment, when it came, would happen without fanfare, without a goodbye. (6%)

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love the premise of this book but found the execution a little sophomoric. There's lots of ruminating in this tale - which is kind of the point - but it makes for dull reading at times.

I received this for free from NetGalley to read and review. Boy was I happy I did! This was such a heart-wrenching, relatable story of something all of us children, partners and such dread - what to do when your parents are ill. Recognizing their wishes or putting the rest of the family first. This got my brain going and I loved every second of it.

House on Fire is a touching and thought-provoking novel that explores the challenges of caring for an elderly family member. Liebhart tackles the sensitive issue of humane euthanasia and delves into the question of when a family member can decide to discontinue care or assist in death.

The story follows a family struggling to provide care for their father, who has dementia and has become violent, putting himself and others at risk. He had made his family promise never to put him in a care facility, and they believe he wouldn't have wanted to continue living in this way. When Bernadette's mother asks her to help end her father's life, Bernadette is faced with a difficult decision. Should she assist in euthanizing him, or force her family to put him in a care facility against his wishes?

Liebhart offers a commentary on the complex decisions caregivers must make when an elderly loved one's quality of life has significantly deteriorated. While most families want to care for their aging parents and grandparents themselves, the novel delves deeper into the complexities of caregiving and raises important questions about our responsibilities as caregivers and the difficult decisions we may have to make.

Overall, House on Fire is a powerful and challenging read that opens the dialogue on what care is appropriate now with the medical advances and abilities available to us. As I read, I often found myself in tears or feeling quite distraught, knowing that these are decisions we all will likely face. I highly recommend this novel, especially as it prompts us to consider the difficult choices that may lie ahead.

Thank you NetGalley and Liebhart for this ARC!

Thank you to the author, 9:25 Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew going in that this would be heavy - issues addressed include dementia, euthanasia, youth mental illness, death, dysfunctional family relationships - so definitely not a light read. The author writes beautifully, and draws us into this family, their everyday and their history, and squares up to the central question: How far does a promise given in childhood, with no idea of what it actually implies, reach and commit oneself in adulthood? The patriach of the family is suffering from dementia, slowly becoming aggressive with it, and his caregiver wife is in way over her head and beyond her capabilities, but in vehement denial most of the time. Bernadette, the younger daughter and the character from whose POV this story is told, is barely hanging on, working hard as an ICU nurse and trying to stay afloat, but facing challenges on every side and she can't seem to catch a break. At the beginning of the book, Bernadette is asked by her mother to help with an assisted suicide for her father. This is of course illegal, and catapults her into a moral and ethical dilemma. Unfortunately, I found the ending and resolution much too rushed and unsatisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for this read. Wowza is what I have to say about this book. I was a good read. Dementia was shown well in this book (with what I know about dementia) . This book was well written and had many twists. I suggest to not read too much of the synopsis before reading.

This story is so beautifully written! I felt connected with the story and the characters. The way it capitalized on dementia hit close to home but was executed perfectly. I couldn’t help but wonder what I would have done in Bernadette’s situation.

This book is a page turner with unexpected twists! Highly recommend!

Thank you so much for allowing me to have my very first ARC in exchange for a review!

There is a lot going on here but the author manages to keep everything in line and doesn’t let the heavier aspects drag the book into a state where it is burdensome to read. Instead, they shine a light on things which need to be discussed and which so many people defer thinking about until they have to. A respectful account of some tragic conditions, this book does not shy away from the real impact on families.

This story was heavy and real. It shows how life has a way of throwing punches all at once. At the same time, it reminds you that you are never the only one going through something. As alone as it may feel, there are others who could understand. It was hard because it hit close to home in a lot of unexpected ways, but it was a good read and something that a lot of people will identify with for many different reasons.