Former actress Sonya is struggling with a drink problem a dog and a 4 year old son Tommy.
Sonya has to make contact with her estranged father to get help to go into rehab and with childcare.

I found this book sad and thoughtful ..It made me think about how many children are growing up with alcoholic parents and living erratic childhoods.
Poor Tommy thinks his life is normal until he goes into foster care and he sees a proper family life.
Parts of the story were a bit disturbing especially when therapist David who looked like he might keep Sonya on the straight and narrow and be a loving partner becomes very controlling and and a bit creepy.
Maybe things will turn out fine in the end?

Raw, powerful and heartbreaking story that for anyone who loved Shuggie Bain would enjoyed reading too!

‘Where parenthood is at once your jail and your salvation, it is almost claustrophobic - but in the most glorious way. ‘

Not my review of this book but Lisa Taddeo and it is the perfect description of this book and how parenting can sometimes feel.

‘Being Tommy’s mother is too much for Sonya. Too much love, too much fear, too much longing for the cool wine she gulps from the bottle each night. ‘

This book is dark, sad, but I really don’t think we talk about parenthood honestly at times. This is the story of one woman’s lonely battle with addiction and fighting to be a better parent and being kinder to herself.

One of the best books I have read recently, I only have one gripe with it; how is it not on the Women’s Prize long list? I don’t know but it should have been there.

With knowledge of what addiction can do to families I found this book riveting and insightful. The deep love of Sonya for her son and how her mind told her she was doing the best for him. The harsh reality of rehab. How things can be overcome with love, hope and sheer bloody mindedness. Fantastic read.

This is quite a hard read as it is very hard hitting. Sonya is a difficult character to like even though I could feel sympathy for her. But all your concern has to be with Tommy. It is just heart breaking and all the more so because there are children going through this every day.
A very raw, realistic portrayal of an alcoholic battling her demons.

Mental health is prevalent in all our lives wether we have experienced our own woes or supported a loved one, Bright Burning Things was like a microscope that got up close and very personal to ex actress and single mother, Sonya. You knew straight away she was vulnerable, completely enveloped by voices that rang in her head, her ability to reason to think clearly rendered totally inept. You weren’t sure if you felt sorry for her or just frustrated when you knew she should be asking for help.
The one person you did feel sorry for was her young son, Tommy, his dog Herbie the one constant in his life that he could count on as he clung to him like a life raft. You could sense the tension in his small body as his Mum sought the solace of the bottles of wine, of her erratic behaviour as she swung from one extreme to another. When the inevitable near tragic event arrived the author ramped up the narrative to another level as she crawled deep inside Sonya’s mind, portrayed her resistance to the therapies, to the treatment in the rehab centre. Yet there were the occasional chinks of light, the slow lifting of the mist in which she resided briefly cleared and offered her hope of what could be.
Her one focus was Tommy, to get him back and the author pulled us through the emotional mill as we wondered if they would ever be reunited.
The mental health issues, the reliance on alcohol to block out the bad memories and indeed the real world were narrated in such a way that you did wonder if the author had been through a similar experience.  Bright Burning Things wasn’t a joyous read but definitely a a very very good read.

This is a book that has been completely impossible to put down I have literally devoured this book from start to finish in just one sitting.

This is a book which is very real and hits the reader right at the core. Tommy is a gorgeous character and one I’ve just wanted to pick up and cwtch, keeping him safe from the world.

I’ve thought about this book long after finishing it. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. Harding has taken addiction and created a very realistic yet harrowing novel.

We meet Sonya and Tommy. Sonya has frustrated me no end and on times I have wanted to shake her to wake her up. My heart has hurt reading certain elements of this book but as a reader it is extremely thought provoking.

This is a well- written and addictive read. My first read by Harding but absolutely will not be the last, I have definitely been converted as a fan.

This is without a doubt a five star read. I have loved it so much and already eagerly anticipating more from this author.

A story about a young struggling single mum to a four year old. She is an alcoholic and neglects her child, often not feeding him or her dog. It’s a hard story to read. Well written.

Whilst the book was well written I found it very very uncomfortable to read and struggled to finish.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

Sonya, a former actress with a dysfunctional childhood herself, struggles as a single mother to 4 year old Tommy and turns to drink in order to cope. When her alcoholism and the danger it represents to her child starts to become evident to others, she is forced to enter a rehab centre, and must try to get her life on track. Sonya is a complex character and the rawness of her emotion comes across really well- deprived of a happy family life herself, she tries to give Tommy a happier life, but smothers him with her neediness and her wild ideas of fun put him at risk. In the first part of the book, I was terrified her neglect was going to harm him- she doesn’t feed him properly, passes out when in the park with him at night and leaves him on the beach alone while she swims in the sea. She longs to do the right thing for him, but fixates on things like his diet and him not going to school, and did not convince me that she would ever be able to be a responsible enough parent. The writing style was very much first person, and quite fractured, which made it quite hard to read, but fitted well with Sonya’s disordered mind and alcoholic thinking- it really felt like being inside her head. Not a pleasurable read, but a thought-provoking one, quite unflinching in its portrayal.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.
I am sorry but I cannot find anything worthwhile to say about this book.

A very thought provoking book about mental illness either hereditary or through childhood drama. Sonya is living on the edge of alcoholism, mental issues and trying to bring up a little boy with no help either not given or not wanted. Sonya is encompassed with demons who transcend from her verbally and the worst possible times and causes her son, Tommy to be scared often. Eventually due to her drinking and way out behaviour she is forced to go into rehab for three months with her neighbour, she thought, looking after her son. Her father eventually, when allowed, visits her and she is stressed to find that her son has been placed into foster care short term. This makes her feel she really needs to improve her behaviour and stick to the rules. She sees a counsellor which has mixed results. Eventually she is allowed home, Tommy is returned to her and the story continues in a fractured way. One of the things not explored in the book is David. David is the counsellor from the rehab centre who becomes entwined with her life. I would have liked to know more about his history which I think would have helped his character for me. Sonya and Tommy carry on their lives but I feel Sonya is concerned that Tommy is following the same path as her with his night time demons albeit minimal is fury and is worried about his interest in fire. I found this book really difficult to read due to the sadness of the story but it is well worth reading – the ending, however, left me unfulfilled but I am not sure why I feel this as not everything is tied up in a pretty bow.

A young mother , Sonya , is putting her young son Tommy's life in danger due to her alcoholism , which she is in denial of . Her son should be in school but has not been enrolled , Sonya wanting him with her at all times. Her neighbour keeps her eye on them sometimes feeding Tommy and their pet dog Herbie, Things have got to the point where the neighbour has to inform Sonya's . virtually estranged since getting a new partner after the death of Sonya's mother. father about what is happening.
She has to confront her alcoholism after her father tells her she will lose Tommy without going in to treatment ,which she does .When she comes out Tommy has been fostered out and she has to go through Social Services to get him back . Unfortunately the story although relevant could not hold my attention enough for some reason as it seemed slow to unravel to it's ending,

I don't know how to review this book to give it the credit it deserves.

Burning Bright Things is a thought provoking, tense and compelling read about an alcoholic mother, Sonya, and her four year old son Tommy.

It is a powerful, gripping and well written book about addiction and recovery. Some people might struggle with the writing, it is raw, frantic and emotional but is needed for the reader to enter into the mindset of Sonya.

Don't go into this book expecting a happy read it is a harrowing and dark story but I totally recommend it!

I was sent a copy of Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding to read and review by NetGalley. This novel was intense from the very first page! Full of emotion and swirling, conflicting thoughts and reasonings, the reader is immediately immersed within the mind of protagonist Sonya, a young mother fighting alcohol addiction whilst trying to care for her four year old son alone. The writing is visceral and totally compelling. Whether you like or identify with Sonya or not the story sweeps you along urging you to feel what she is feeling. I don’t remember reading a book quite so adept at making my whole being react to what is written in such a physical way. Either the author has some experience of Sonya’s predicament or is just an absolutely brilliant writer, I hope it’s the latter!

Tommy's mother is too much for Sonya. Too much love, too much fear, too much longing for the cool wine she gulps from the bottle each night. Because Sonya is burning the fish fingers, and driving too fast, and swimming too far from the shore, and Tommy's life is in her hands. Once there was the thrill of a London stage, a glowing acting career, fast cars, handsome men. But now there are blackouts and bare cupboards, and her estranged father showing up uninvited. There is Mrs O'Malley spying from across the road. There is the risk of losing Tommy - forever.

I received a copy of this from the publisher Bloomsbury Publishing, and Negalley in return for an honest review.

I requested this book as soon as I saw someone compared it to Shuggie Bain, which is my favourite book ever, and although it is similar, it stands its own and is brilliant.

The story is based on Sonya, and is all told from her point of view, and her 4 year old son Tommy. Sonya is an alcoholic, and is living alone with Tommy and their dog Herbie. She loves Tommy, that much you can tell and feel from the pages, but the pull of the alcohol is too much and it takes over, the bad fairy comes out and it makes things seem more important than her son, or herself.

A neighbour and Tonya’s father intervene, and she goes to a rehab facility which is ran by nuns. You can see how much she wants to succeed and live a good life, Tommy by her side, but it’s not going to be easy, and the pain I feel for her was real.

Poor Tommy, growing up in such a bad environment, bringing his drunk hungover mam water in the mornings, not eating enough so much that his tummy hurts. But boy when he visited her, did my heart break for him.

This book will pull at your emotions hugely, feel anger and sorrow for Tonya, and probably make you cry, I did.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and Netgalley for the advance ebook, and as always the author, Lisa Harding.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this text in exchange for a fair and honest review**

A young mother raising her son while coping (or not) with the collapse of her personal relationships and the career she loved. So well written that you can't help but empathise with her growing dependency on alcohol in an attempt escape her darker emotions and impulses.

A beautiful, searing journey through alcohol-dependency and recovery. Leaves you feeling hopeful.

This was a seriously heartbreaking book, gripping though and uplifting in parts;, a tale of addiction and love and trying to muddle through. I don’t think Sonya was a bad person and my heart ached for her and Tommy (and Herbie), I just wanted to reach in and help and I couldn’t but she wouldn’t have accepted my help anyway probably 😔 very difficult to read in some parts but honestly a book I will remember for a very long time and has a huge impact on you there after, I thought it was hard hitting but bloody brilliant

5 stars all day long ⭐️

This book tells the story of Sonya and her battle with alcoholism and her fight to keep her son. Some parts of this book are really hard to read but that is an absolute testament to the authors skill to write a story that draws you so closely and clearly into the moment that it is uncomfortable for the reader.

This book really made me think about addiction and the help and support, or lack there of, that is available to people and how society judges peoples for their addiction. I think it is telling that the support networks get Sonya only so far and then kind of melt away and that apart from the Sister Anne most of it comes with painful judgement which in mind makes it less effective.

This is an exceptionally well written book in my opinion that tackles a subject in a way that is both honest and raw but also sensitive and human. Well done Lisa Harding.