What an emotional rollercoaster, lots of triggers child abuse, alcohol abuse, mental illness but this book is so beautifully written I was compelled to read on, my heart broke for Sonia and Tommy and I can’t help but feel they both need looking after. I felt like I’d been immersed in a gritty world, where mistakes happen, errors are made and no one seems to take responsibility for this broken sole.

I really struggled with is one and tried to get past 25% in but it was so depressing and slow . I could only see the story of her decent into madness and alcoholism getting even darker . No sorry not for me

Sonya was a very troubled, complex character. With a dark past of abusive relationships, unloving father, alcohol abuse and the constant inner turmoil and voices she faces makes for a dark, yet moving novel.

You will laugh, you will cry, you will feel sorry for Sonya, you will feel sorry to Tommy, you will scream at Sonya, you will root for her and you will wonder at times who Tommy is better off with. You will feel all the spectrum of emotions and feel emotionally exhausted at the end. By going through Sonya’s life you see every layer and what happens when you strip off some of the vices such as the alcohol. She is a damaged woman with a big heart and will do anything to keep her kid.

I really enjoyed this novel. I did feel it was too slow at times. It isn’t an action packed novel but I felt that some events could have happened at a faster pace.

However, I did feel a bit let down by the ending. I won’t give any spoilers but I felt that I would have liked a bit more of a resolution and it felt like it was left hanging to some extent. In particular I would have loved to found out more about Sonya’s childhood and mother. However, saying that, it was more realistic this way as life isn’t often about neatly tied up plots and we don’t always get the answers you want. So, from this perspective it did add to overall emotion and complexity of the novel.

On the whole, it was a good read, the character development was well executed. You see Sonya go through a whole variety of emotions and face events which will challenge her and push her to her limits. As events unfold she will need to evolve and change which as we all know isn’t the easiest thing to do.

I found this book very slow going, until the last few chapters. Now I’ve finished it, there are a number of this left needing answers. I’m kind of hoping there will be a follow up to answer this questions, and also to follow Sonya on her journey.

I tried, I really tired but after about 20-30 pages could stand this no more. I don't think I'm the target audience for this book at all so it would be unfair to say anything further.

I had no idea what Bright Burning Things would be like when I first picked it up. What it turned out to be was an intensely raw and heartbreaking depiction of addiction and the long, tumultuous road to recovery.

The way in which Lisa Harding conveys Sonya’s conflicting emotions through not only the intense imagery but also rhythm and pace is exceptional. I was swept away to join Sonya on her journey and felt very much in for the ride. Heartbreaking at points and frustrating at others, our eyes are opened to the profound reality of dependency and addiction.

Will be recommending and posting reviews on Instagram, Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon one week before the publication date.

Thank you very much for the ARC.

Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding - what a book! It sucked me in straight away. The style gives that sense from the beginning of eavesdropping on someone's life, helplessly, with sympathy and increasingly with understanding. It's a story of a mother who's battling alcohol addiction and trying to raise a son she loves but who she knows might be part of the reason she leans on alcohol. Her background comes to light in little glimpses and her struggles make sense even as we despair for her and Tommy and cheer her on in her attempts to recover enough to give him the life she wants for him. Sonya's relationship with Tommy is so well drawn and the world they inhabit, desperate and sad even as it's filled with love and good intentions, really comes to life. The surrounding cast of characters all play their part and you'll love some and perhaps despise others. It's sad and hopeful, at times gritty, and it's a book that will certainly linger in my mind for a while.

Thanks for #NetGalley and #Bloomsbury.

Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding

Wow, just WOW! This book had me completely engrossed right from the very start. I read a third of it in one go and was completely unaware of what was going on around me. It's so rare when that happens and reminds me of reading as a child and being totally absorbed in another world. I raced to the end of the book in another sitting and lived every moment along with Sonya, her son Tommy and their dog Herbie, rooting for them throughout the entire story.

Alcoholism, mental health, child neglect, toxic relationships and dysfunctional families are all difficult subjects but there's something absolutely dazzling and magical about Lisa Harding's writing which I found completely immersive and always honest without being grim for the sake of it. I'd like to see this book win awards... absolutely and totally recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This was such a powerful read, I couldn't put it down.

A haunting and often painful account of one mothers battle against addiction and rage. The writing is both lyrical and poignant and the issues raised are very real. At times, this was a difficult read, but the author did such a wonderful job in making Sonia such a well-rounded and believable character. I felt as if I was battling her journey with her. As for little Tommy - he just made my heart melt!

Highly recommended, one of the most moving reads I have enjoyed in a long time.

I found this a really difficult read. Maybe it is the times we're living in: perhaps for me, it just wasn't the time to read something like this.
It's very raw and very skilfully written. You can really feel the mother's desperation. But I found myself not really empathising with her, not rooting for her. It is very hard to put my finger on why.

Bright burning things is an emotional raw account of Sonya, an ex actress and mother to her young son Tommy and her struggle with alcoholism, motherhood, mental health, relationships and everyday life.
Sonya is now a single mother on benefits to four year old Tommy and a shaggy dog called Herbie, both of whom she loves dearly.
After interventions by her estranged father and, as she feels, herbusy body neighbour, Sonya goes into rehab to help herself and to keep Tommy safe.

The narrative is told from Sonya's point of view and highlights her fragility. The author has captivated the reader with the raw emotion, chaos and heartbreaking truth of an alcoholics journey and the impact on others, especially her young son who is too young to process what is going on. The dialogue was vividly descriptive and I felt part of Sonya's journey as the author highlighted the emotional and true side of addiction.
The book ended well but I felt left wanting a little bit more. I would have liked to know more about Sonya's unresolved childhood trauma and this was not fully disclosed in the book. I loved each and every character and their unique way they were part of Sonya's story.
At times this was a difficult read, an emotional roller-coaster, particularly when reading about some of the decisions she makes with regards to Tommy. I wanted to keep reading to find out Sonya’s journey and that of Tommy. The author definitely capitavated her audience with this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for allowing me to read this in return for an honest review.

The aptly titled “Bright Burning Things” is a highly intense story about a single mum who’s struggling with alcoholism, motherhood, relationships and her mental health. The reader follows Sonya’s journey gradually from rock bottom to some semblance of normality and the descriptions of her struggles are honest, realistic and painful. Sonya’s fragility is apparent throughout the book and all the time I was reading it, I was rooting for her to succeed and at the same time worried for her that she wouldn’t make it. Not the usual type of book to keep me on tenterhooks, but that was exactly what I felt when reading this. Thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy.

What if you are a young, single mum with a four year old son, what if you live an imaginative, creative life together, what if you are trying to keep the monsters inside suppressed, what if they are released...
A sad, touching tale, with characters so alive you can feel their wretchedness

This story about one woman’s struggle with alcoholism is Lisa Harding’s second novel. Her first, the critically acclaimed Harvesting (which I haven’t read yet), was about sex workers and trafficking, so she’s not afraid to tackle difficult and sensitive issues.

Sonya is a former actress, now living in Dublin and a single mother on benefits to four year old Tommy and a shaggy dog called Herbie, both of whom she has a “surfeit of love” for. This phrased is used repeatedly through the book and you get a very strong sense of just how consumed by love she is for them both.

Unfortunately though, Sonya is also completely consumed by alcohol, which she uses as a crutch to cope with her own unprocessed childhood trauma and her inability to cope as a mother. A couple of events lead to an intervention by a neighbour and her father, who sends her to a convent for a 12 week rehab stint.

The story is told in the first person, which means that the reader is very much in Sonya’s head throughout the book, living every chaotic vulnerable moment and infiltrating her manic thoughts. It makes for a tense and sorrowful read, but is an incisive and insightful glimpse into the mind of an alcoholic.

It’s so difficult to read at times, watching her life unravel and her beautiful son caught in the crossfire, too young to be able to process what is happening. It is so impactful though, and not entirely without hope, though it did leave me feeling heavy-hearted.

I didn’t love the character David in the book, or the convenience of how he pops up in a couple of different places (I don’t want to spoil the plot so won’t say anything further on that). Leaving that aside, this is a devastating and powerful story, beautifully told. One of my boys is Tommy’s age, and honestly my heart broke for him reading some parts. If your heart can take it, I’d recommend it. 4/5 ⭐️

This book will be published on 4 March 2021. I read an advance digital copy courtesy of the publisher @BloomsburyPublishing via @NetGalley. As always, this is an honest review.

Sonya is a single mum, living an isolated life with her four year old son Tommy, rescue dog Herbie and alcoholism. The book follows approximately 6 months of Sonya’s life, although you do get some insight to her past but it very much is focused on the present and the downward spiral Sonya is stuck on. When her alcoholism starts to endanger her son, something needs to drastically change.

My main reason for giving this incredible book 5 stars was due to the fantastic writing skills of Lisa Harding. The raw writing is all from Sonya’s point of view and it jumps and sparks like she does. It’s erratic and chaotic at times, anxious and lively, musing and remorseful. How she explains the feelings of addiction as a black winged creature was so visually powerful. It reads with the pace of a thriller as your heart is in your mouth worrying about poor, vulnerable Tommy and also deeply concerned for Sonya. The writing quality meant I couldn’t put the book down, it’s totally immersive.

This is a tough read at times as it’s brutally raw, you also pick up so many things that don’t all get explored or answered but this reflects the point in time writing, and allows you to draw your own conclusions on certain things.

TW - alcoholism, addiction, child neglect, child abuse

The reader is drawn into the world of Sonya and her 4 year old son Tommy as they navigate the daily struggle with everyday living. For Sonya this is particularly difficult as she has an addiction to alcohol. She has impulsive and at times very child like personality. Lots of very descriptive language which brought the book alive. I felt like I was there with mother and son. The struggle to keep her inner demons just that - in was very real. We are led on a journey with Sonya battling addiction in rehab as well as the distant relationship with her father and step mother hoping that eventually they will make up. it seems to be a bewildering world for her son Tommy who is taken away from all he knows - his mother and faithful friend Herbie the dog. It is a difficult time for him on being reunited with Sonya to begin to trust her again. There were lots of ups and downs. It drew out lots of emotions being sad, being happy, anger, self berating, manic and poignant. Such a rush of emotions that it was so hard for Sonya to contain them all. A great story. Thanks for the free read netgalley.

A different read for me for a change and it was a breath of fresh air.

The start was a bit slow but it soon got going.. We got an insight into a mother’s addiction and how she won her boy back.

I loved each and every character but the ending slightly disappointed . I maybe just wanted a little bit more

Overall fab read and thank you netgalley for my e copy in exchange for a review

Bright Burning Things is a story of Sonya a used to be actress but now a single mother to her young son Tommy, they both live in Ireland. The story is told from Sonya’s point of view and this choice was definitely perfect for this novel, it allows the reader to really emerge themselves into Sonya’s life and struggles with her alcohol addiction.

This was such an emotional, raw story that I couldn’t put down. Sonya is so broken, and struggling and all I wanted to do as the reader was to reach out to her and help her. One thing that Sonya doesn’t struggle with, or was there any doubt of anything less when reading this book was her love for Tommy and their dog Herbie. But what was clear was that she needed help with her addiction, so when her absent father steps in she is sent to a rehabilitation centre and Tommy is sent into care.

I found myself rooting for Sonya from the beginning, I wanted her to get better and to be united with her son, I wanted her to become a better mother. At times I found her attitude slightly annoying but I know that is just her addiction taking over. I really enjoyed this book, a lot more than I thought I would, but I feel like the ending left me wanting more. We finally get to a point where Sonya is doing well, and her relationship with Tommy is starting to rebuild, not only that her estrangement with her farther seems to be resolving itself. There’s also the mention of her mother and what her illness was but I didn’t feel like this delved into enough information for me. I felt like a cat with a piece of a string that I could never quiet reach or grasp, we were simply left with the though that we would find out this information at a later date, but obviously never did. I was also a little bit disappointed to have followed Sonya on this long and challenging journey for it to end so quickly. However this was a truly gripping read, that took me by surprise. I can’t wait to share this review with my fellow followers and recommend this book to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for allowing me to read this in return for an honest review.

Bright Burning Things is bold, powerful and extremely emotional. Sonya’s story brings out so many emotions in the reader: anger, sadness, frustration and empathy.

I felt that it gave me a real insight into what it is like living with an addiction. Never before have I considered the strength of addiction and how it is so consuming. I never doubted that Sonya wanted to be a good Mum and I could see that she did strive to do her best but sometimes it just wasn’t good enough. It made me consider the impact positive relationships could have on your recovery, something Sonya was sadly lacking in. Being judged and feeling inadequate really seemed to heighten her stress and anxieties making the road to recovery ever more difficult.

At times this was a difficult read, particularly when reading about some of the decisions she makes with regards to Tommy. Nevertheless, it is captivating!

Sonya Moriarty is a non-functioning alcoholic with a 4-year-old son. Told from her view, her addiction is a furious, raw monster devouring her, only letting her come up for air briefly to show the all-encompassing love for her son Tommy. She rages against “interfering” neighbours and spirals further and further out of control until she is coerced into rehab.
You will go through a whole mountain of emotions with Sonya: You will hate her for her selfishness, pity her for her sadness, love her for her absolute devotion to her son, condemn her violent outbursts, scream at her for making the same mistakes, want to hug her and tend to her when she is so utterly powerless and desperate. Where “Shuggie Bain” talks about the desolate, this book talks about rage. It will tear into you, leave you bereft, but hoping.