"How to Start a Fire will keep you captivated from beginning to end."--Town & Country

"Excellent . . . Over the course of the novel we come to know intimately these three complicated women."--Chicago Tribune

"Whip smart and cunning, deeply funny and profoundly moving . . . A knockout."--Megan Abbott, author of The Fever

When college roommates Anna and Kate find Georgiana Leoni passed out on a lawn, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later, they gather around a campfire at a New England mansion. What came between--the wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and one night that changed everything--is the witty, poignant story of our strongest friendships, the people who know us better than we know ourselves. Anna is the de facto leader, as fearless as she is reckless. Quirky Kate is the loyal sidekick, until she's pushed too far. And stunning George is always desired, but just as frequently dumped. Alive with Lutz's crackling dialogue and propulsive storytelling, How to Start a Fire pulls us into the tangled bond shared by three intelligent, distinctive, and deeply real women and pays homage to the abiding, irrational love we have for the family we choose.

"Lutz joins the ranks of authors who write deeply and sensitively about the shadowy yet life-affirming terrain of female friendship."--Globe & Mail

"Lutz hits a home run in this glorious exploration of friendship . . . [she] portrays three fully drawn, flawed, and compelling women with fresh insight into the mysterious terrain of female friendships--a mix of shared experiences, affection, empathy, jealousy, anger, and love."--Publishers Weekly, starred review