Families hey! This book made me wonder exactly how much we actually remember of our childhood and how many memories are actually just hidden in a corner? The story of two sisters, family secrets that are never spoken about, mental illness, sexuality, relationships. Couldn’t put it down and read it over a 24 hour period.

I really enjoyed this tale of two sisters whose lives have been affected by an incident one childhood Christmas. Very interesting to see how each sister handles life so differently and as the story is gradually revealed later by later, I found myself pulled into their lives. The idea of the “bottle of tears” is lovely too.

With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The tragic events of Christmas Eve 1976 affected the lives of Marge and her daughter Vicki. On Christmas Eve Marge had a terrible row with her brother Cyril. Shortly afterwards Vicki and her older brother Ed were playing sliding down the banister. Ed slid off the banister on to the hall floor killing him instantly.

In the present day younger sibling Penny was married to once famous artist Sanders. Penny and Sanders had two children Chloe and Max. The family were struggling because Sanders refused to get a proper job and instead smoked pot all day.

Vicki had a wealthy husband called Martin and a son called Bertie. Vicki was suffering from the effects of the menopause, OCD and addicted to valium. Due to Vicki`s mood swings Bertie was unhappy at home and wanted to live with Penny and her family.

Although weak after a stroke Marge was still the matriarch of the family. However behind the scenes she was manipulative and caused animosity between the scenes.

After the death of Marge, Vicki slowly starts to explain what happened that Christmas eve.

The subject matter of The Bottle of Tears was disturbing at times. The plotline was skilfully woven with interesting characters.

Marge was a nasty manipulative woman who didn't deserve her daughters love. She was very clever and she knew what poison to drop to catch a nerve. I liked Penny but I felt like shouting at the page when Penny and Vicki rowed during the family dinner. I also liked Sanders and was glad when he got his artistic inspiration back.

I had to laugh when Vicki cleaned Penny`s kitchen during a bout of insominia. To be fair I could understand why Penny felt insulted by this. I guessed Bertie`s secret and I just wanted to hug him. I also liked Martin who seemed to still love Vicki despite her problems.

I recommend this book and will look for more books by Nick Alexander.

I really enjoyed this book. It was told in a heartfelt, thought-provoking, and continually engaging way by the author (of whom I have not read a novel before but will certainly do so again in the future on the basis of this novel!). Great characters, structure and morality. Thank you!

I was initially attracted to this book by the cover. I admit that quite freely. The book covers the relationship with a mother and her 2 daughters, dipping into the past to help you understand why each one of them ticks and how their dysfunctional relationship developed. I was gripped early on, trying to figure out why each character behaved as they did and trying to second guess the story end. This isn't a heartwarming book but it does provoke thoughts and gives the reader a glimpse of the grief and hurt abuse brings into a family and how that family relationship works thereafter. I felt the LGBT and Assylum Seeker elements were added in to the story to tick boxes somehow - neither seemed to fit in well and the story could have managed without each. That said, it was a very good read. I read it quite quickly and find myself still thinking about it and the characters and wishing them well in their new relationships together.

I have read and enjoyed Nick Alexander's previous books so was looking forward to reading this one. I wasn't disappointed. So beautifully written, I loved this book.

A fantastic story of complex family relationships, sadness, secrets, lies , deceit, manipulation and hidden secrets. A gripping story - I found it difficult to put down. Great characterisation, well paced with twists and turns along the way and a satisfying conclusion. Heartwarming but so sad too, this book did make me cry in places but also laugh in places too.

Highly recommended, I also highly recommend all of Nick's previous books too.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was excellent and felt so real to me. It reminded me so much of my life
The writing style was very good and kept me interested in the book
I wish I was able to give it more than 5 stars

Meet Penny and Victoria, two sisters who are locked in sibling jealousy and rivalry as single mum Marge, now an elderly lady, continues to play one off against the other causing no end of psychological damage and emotional trauma. This started way back in Margate with the girls growing up and when their brother Ed was around. Enter Uncle Cecil who truly does upset the balance one Christmas Eve with devastating consequences.
This story explores the complexity of family relationships the love and ties that bind us and how our memories of the same event can be so very different. The impact of that fateful Christmas Eve leaves one sister with an addiction to Valium and OCD and an adolescent boy struggling with his sexuality in a family who is so caught up in their own issues it is heartbreaking to witness the isolation and despair.
The story alternates between Whitstable and Maida Vale. Throw in the husbands, each very different and each struggling to find their place in the world and you end up with a poignant story that is extremely readable.
I haven't come across Nick Alexander before but I will definitely be looking out for other books he has written.
Thanks again to publisher, author and NetGalley.

Quite slow to start and a lot more emotional than I was anticipating, this is a great read once it does get going. A reflective read about relationships and family. My first read by Nick but I will definitely look out for more now.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Memories and families. Victoria and Penny are sisters who both remember the death of their brother, Ed, when they were children. Now all grown up with husbands and children and a mother, Marge, who likes to play one sister off the other, the sisters are dealing with their fractured relationship. All of the members of the family have their own problems to deal with but how can such a divided family ever find the answers if they don't change?

A well-written novel with sympathy and frustration in equal measure for all characters. A tad overlong in the middle maybe but the ending is well-paced and thought out.

The Bottle of Tears by Nick Alexander is an emotional read about family dynamics, as well as the fragility of memory. Sisters Penny and Victoria experience a childhood trauma differently, and it deeply affects their relationship into adulthood. Envy pollutes their ability to have a strong relationship. The book is slow at times but is a solid narrative.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Penny and Victoria remember the death of their brother Ed in 1976 very differently. One thing they do know is that everything changed after that, especially with and for their mother Marge, who was raising them as a single mom. These sisters have followed divergent life paths and seem polar opposites but they are really a lot alike. Both have unhappy marriages and roiling personal lives they keep hidden behind facades. Marge hasn't helped things- she's a nasty person. There's a fair amount of family drama. It's well plotted and written. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not a light read by any means but a good one.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for the ARC!

If you enjoy some family drama, this is a must read for you. I thought it was a bit slow at first, but I liked it anyway. It's interesting to see how little the sisters know about each other, always assuming that the other one is happier and has a perfect life, when in fact they're both going through personal issues and facing different challenges.

Nobody has a perfect life. And misunderstandings from the past can have such a huge impact in the future. This story definitely makes us reflect upon our relationships and the things we don't share with our loved ones.

I first discovered this author through his 50 Reasons series, way back in April 2011 just after I got my first Kindle. There was something about his style of writing that just gelled with me and that, combined with his amazing skill at characterisation - both male and female - meant that I've read and thoroughly enjoyed every book he has written since. Including this one which is actually a re-titled, re-release formerly called Let the Light Shine. I re-read this new edition for an updated review.
It's the story of Penny and Victoria, two very different sisters. Penny works hard for her meagre money, undervalued but, at the same time, manages to balance work and life well, occasionally struggling to make ends meet but surviving nonetheless. On the other hand, Victoria is a bit of a mess but appears to have everything she wants/needs. They have a very strained relationship for reasons that neither can really explain, just that something happened when they were children. Something they've never spoken about properly even though it has tainted their every Christmas since 1976. But their past is catapulted into their present when tragedy strikes, forcing the sisters to revisit that time and face up to what really happened that fateful day. Piecing together their differing accounts to get to the raw, brutal truth, but at what cost?
This is a beautifully told story with a wealth of really well drawn characters. I should know by now, but it never ceases to amaze me, that this author has the ability to create really great female characters - really get under their skin and expose what makes them tick. There are three such main characters herein - Penny, Victoria and their mother. There is also a great supporting cast who are all just as well described and who all play their parts - both big and small - very well.
It's hard to say much more about what happens as the layers that are peeled back throughout expose things that really need to be discovered and enjoyed exactly as the author intended. Suffice to say that there are shocks and surprises aplenty along the way.
It's not all doom and gloom along the way, there's also quite a bit of humour which keeps the book balanced throughout. Pacing is also good, the book never drags even during the quieter moments and, I'm pleased to say, there's also no superfluous padding, the story gets on with itself quite nicely throughout.
There's also a point in this book where what happens gave me so much clarity and empowerment, even though my personal situation vastly differs from that of the characters, it gave me something special and for that alone, I thank the author.
All in all, a cracking read that I have no hesitation in recommending for fans of the genre. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Great read. The story of two sisters and how they coped with a traumatic experience in their childhood and how that trauma spread into their adulthood. At times I wanted to bang their heads together to get them to talk about it. Then their mother did nothing to help them but instead made things worse by pitching one against the other. A very good read - I loved the concept of ‘a bottle of tears’ itself.

Two sisters with their families have a tempestuous relationship. Their mum, (whom I didn't like), often is the only sink between the sisters.
The sisters live completely different lifestyles but secrets and lives seems to be théir major barrier between them.
A great family saga read.

Enjoyed this book, though it did get a little slow in places. Loved the story and the characters were well developed. Perfect read in one sitting book.

This book is much sadder than I anticipated. I don’t know if I could get through it but I did. Just be careful.

A beautifully told story of family relationships, past events and how differently people can remember the same event in very disparate ways. We can all find something to relate to in this book.

A tale of the complexity of family relationships! Sisters penny and Victoria witness the death of their brother Ed many years ago when they where small children, overnight following their brothers death their lives change so much as their mother Marge attempts to grieve for her son whilst working, running a home and bringing up the girls as a single parent. This life changing event and its repercussions is remembered differently by the sisters and its ramifications are long lasting and far reaching throughout their lives until at last after the death of their mother they are eventually reconciled and able to start dealing with the emotional baggage that has shaped their adults life’s. A tense emotional read demonstrating the ties that bind you!
Thank you net galley for this early read