The Other Son by Nick Alexander is the second novel that I have read by this author and, like the first, I found it to be a fascinating character driven story that speaks, with much wisdom, to the human condition. What I love about a Nick Alexander story is the fallibility and vulnerability that is so fully fleshed out in each and every character.

Alice has been ticking along for years with her husband, Ken, until one day her friend Dot decides to leave her own marriage, and Alice realizes that the time has come for her to drop the facade that she has hidden behind for so long. The dysfunction of the family has been glossed over for years, and Alice and Ken's two sons, Tim and Matt, have each carved out new lives for themselves. Having a distant relationship with her boys, Alice awkwardly reaches out to them in her time of need, but is it too late to begin healing the hurts of the past, particularly with Matt, whom Alice has always considered to be 'other'? This is an emotive and engaging domestic drama that showcases the author at his best.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC.

If I was only given one word to describe this book that word would be lovely. Although the storyline is about a dysfunctional family and the affects this has on the entire family it also shows that it is never too late for.change. The characters are so well drawn I was totally invested in them and found myself wanting them to get it together! This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

An easy book to read, full of everyday domesticity. It starts slowly but quickly becomes thought provoking. Alice seems quite placid and long suffering but Ken, the husband, he's a real piece of work. Overall a good read.

It's the first time that i have read any of Nick Alexander's books and judging by 'The Other Son', it will not be the last. I very much enjoyed reading about Alice, her husband and two sons. A well written book that i can recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have voluntarily given.

This book did the one thing that can make any book a success - focus on the family dynamics and avoid over the top theatrics to lure in readers. I enjoyed this immensely because I felt invested in the characters.

I loved the first and third sections of this book, but the middle dragged a bit. It was so lovely the watch Alice and Matt's relationship grow, and while Tim's section was interesting as well and served as a good contrast, it dragged on a bit for me.

The story was well written and pitch perfect in terms of slice or life, coming of age, and learning to leave behind what is comfortable.

I've been reading this author since my early days of kindle when I discovered his wonderful 50 Reasons series. I've devoured each and every book ever since. So, imagine my horror when I saw this was a re-pub of a book from 2015 which I had missed! Oh my!
Anyhoo... normal service has been resumed and calm has been restored...
In this book we meet Alice. Married with two grown up children we get a glimpse into her life and, what at first appears to be ticking along nicely, swiftly starts to become more exposed, and the truth hiding behind her many masks becomes evident. Something has to give, and as no one else in her life (best friend aside) is flexible, she soon realises that her happiness is all down to her. But can she make that break, that bid for freedom. And is the grass really greener on the other side...?
What I really love about this author's books is that they are always very character driven. He has this knack of making every single character burst off the page, oozing with life, and realism. He must spend his days people watching as his variety and accuracy both astound me at times. So much so that I really dread finishing one of his books as I fear that I will miss the people that I have almost come to consider as friends.
But characters, even ones so good as the ones he creates, don't make a book great on their own. They need a story to play out. And here too this author excels. As with the majority of good, character driven novels, they are often slow burners. But this doesn't mean they lack depth and action, on the contrary, there is plenty of both, just in a more subtle way. There are no tricks to dupe the reader, no major plot twists that other authors rely on. No, this book, as with all his others, creeps up on you, envelops you, and spits you out at the end exhausted (emotionally) but wholly satisfied.
All in all, another winner from this author and... joy of joys, I've just discovered that there is a short follow-up to this book available too. Guess what I'm reading next...!
My thanks go to the Publisher for the chance to read this book.

This is a good read. I have read several books by Nick Alexander and have enjoyed all of them. The other son is written with empathy and feeling. I wanted to find out what happened to the characters. I liked most of them and got caught up in their world. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Alice is sixty-nine years old. She lives with her over-powering husband Ken. She's not happy and a can't remember when she really was happy. She has two sons, who are completely different, two grandsons she rarely sees but she knows it has a lot to do with her relationship with Ken.
Ken has always been aggressive towards her and sometimes the boys; but she's always got an excuse for Ken and his actions.
When her best friend Dot, leaves her husband it makes Alice think about no the the past and the future. Can she finally put herself first?
An enjoyable read with believable characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy. I have come across Nick Alexander novels previously but hadn't read any so I was especially delighted to come across this one on Netgalley and was intrigued by its premise. I love that the story is told from each character's perspective and the addition of third person narration added an extra dimension. I love how the story slowly unfolded and read it in a day.

I found this a really interesting book. Slow in places but engaging and a nice message overall. It surprised me a few times with the direction of the story, and it was interesting to see how we don't really know others, and what goes on behind closed doors.

An engaging read and one well worth a look at

Alice is not happy. Her husband is abusive and her sons don't want to spend any time with her. Alice is her own worst enemy. One of her sons is married and doing well. The other son is away travelling the world.

This is about as dysfunctional a family as you can get. It covers some delicate subjects: a use, human trafficking and prostitution to name a few. The story is told from multiple points of view. The characters are not likeable. None of them are happy in their situations. It did take me a little while to get into this book but once I did, i couldn't put it down.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author Nick Alexander for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Nick Alexander for the opportunity to read and review this book - loved it. I read this book on the heels of another of his books, The Bottle of Tears, and have determined that Alexander really gets people's emotions - the good, the bad, the ugly. 4.5 stars!

Alice stayed married to Ken, an abusive husband/father, because she didn't see another way to live and thought it was best for their two boys, Tim and Matt. But now in her 70s, Alice is starting to wonder if there could be another kind of life for her. Both boys have suffered their upbringing in different ways - for Tim, a successful banker, there is never enough things to surround himself with - the perfect wife, the always bigger house and sound system. Matt never followed through on anything - dropped out of college right before graduation and ha been traveling the world not communicating with his family much at all. What will happen if Alice decides to make a new life?

Spot on with emotions, this book is hopeful and wise. Another great read from this author!

Excellent story with gripping plot. Character driven and emotive topics covered with sensitivity. I was compelled to finish this quickly due to needing to did over the outcomes of each character. A good deep story with a lot to think about in terms of how people perceive others, and how characters are driven by events in their past.

You don't initially like the characters but as the story evolves, you begin to like them ore and more. It little slow to start with but soon draws you in. The subject it deals with is emotive, and strikes a chord in many ways. A good read.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A woman lives in an abusive marriage and becomes negative and bitter. She makes a decision and is reconnected with her youngest son. After meeting his friends and getting to know to know both him and them, she makes positive changes in her life and finds peace.

I love the plot twist at the end. Great characters.

I took a little while to get into this story, I think due to the main character Alice being in her late 60s and so at a different stage in her life to me (having grown up children, attending funerals for her friends etc.) but once I did I really enjoyed it!

The book follows Alice as she finds herself stuck her marriage with a husband who, if she is being honest with herself, she doesn’t love (and isn’t sure she ever did). This is worsened by the fact that she is becoming more and more disconnected from her two grown up sons.

The story is almost split up into three sections, a focus on Alice, a focus on her eldest son and finally a focus on “The Other Son”.

Alice’s eldest son is a high achiever, with two beautiful boys and a “trophy wife”, however, as is the case in this book, not all is well. He is struggling with the need to be enough and his wife Natalya is struggling with her own demons from the past. At first I found Natalya to be annoying and I really disliked her, however the more I read the more I began to understand her and felt more towards her. I would really like to read more about this character!

The final section was my favourite and where the story all begins to make sense and come into it’s own. Matt is “the other son” who all through the book is referred to as being the failure of the family and he is aware this is how they see them so has made a conscious effort to distance himself from them. However, when he hears that his mum has finally left his dad he feels it his duty to step up and help her (with a little encouragement from those around him). 

Although, as I said I struggled to get into this book, once I did I really enjoyed it and I think it is a really beautiful story of family. The characters are so well written and for a time I wasn't sure if there was going to be a story line or if it was more just going to focus on a time in the characters life (I mean this in the best possible way!). 

Trigger warning: the book describes scenes of domestic violence, drinking, prostitution, human trafficking.

Family relationships can be quite complicated, especially when domestic abuse is involved. Is it ever too late to heal relationships torn by abuse? This well written book is thought provoking, heart wrenching and ultimately satisfying.

This was an interesting book to read. It is about Alice and her marriage to Ken. It is also about Alice and her two sons. Tim, who was a successful banker and Matt who traveled all over the world and she called him, the other son. I was so sorry for the way the boys had to grow up and as an adult, we saw the flashbacks of the memories that he had lived through as a child. His brother, Matt had built a new life on another continent and he was happy. He inspired a lot of people where he was living and he was happy. When his mother came to visit, the book started turning around. We saw her changing her viewpoint on different things. I cried when Marr finally got what he had always wanted and had given up on, his mother's approval, and she gave it to him when she told him how as he was younger she had felt disappointment in him bus since coming there to his new life, she saw everything and was so proud of him.
The book gave us a glimmer of something and I am hoping there will be a book that takes us on a journey starting with the glimmer. I received an ARC from NetGalley and when I read what the book was about, I thought so many people, including me, would understand this book because so many have lived through some of what they did. We have choices, carry on as we learned or blaze a new trail. That is my kind of book.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book as I have done with all the other books this author has written. Well worth a read.