Sonya is an alcoholic single mom who loses her son and dog to foster care while she checks herself into a rehab program. Bright Burning Things is the story of Sonya's struggle with her addiction, and her road to recovery. It's intense and sad. The story is well written, and I read it in record time, looking for a bright ending, but was left wondering so many things, especially about her relationship to her parents. I don't really have a sense of resolve after reading the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Bright Burning Things.

Thanks to HarperVia and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a very sad story with a lot of well-written characters and it reminded me a lot of Shuggie Bain. It's a story about a woman struggling with alcoholism while being a mom to a young son. She doesn't have much of a support system, so she struggles on a daily basis. I would read more by this author in the future.

Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding showcases the realness, rawness, and overwhelming consumption of need as an alcoholic. Sonya has many demons that she chooses to silence with alcohol. This would be an acceptable solution if not for Tommy. He is her son and just four years old. Unfortunately, even with the love she professes for Tommy the call of alcohol is stronger.

Her long estranged father gives her no choice and takes her to a recovery program that requires a 90 day commitment. Sonya obviously denies the need to go despite the pattern of neglect her alcoholism has resulted in for her son. What follows is a real journey to find healing but it is not an easy road for anyone involved.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from HarperVia in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

Sonya is a moth drawn to flame.

A washed-up actress living on the knife's edge of poverty, Sonya, her four-year-old son, Tommy, and her dog, Herbie, exist under the intermittent neglect of her mental illness and substance use disorder. And while there's love among them, it's unreliable. Codependent. Threatened by paranoia and spells of angry, repressed memories.

The frenetic narrative is also an exploration of a failed social safety net, where the only "help" is the church, an estranged father, and the overburdened Child and Family Agency.

But even knowing that Sonya is putting herself and her family in danger, it's still difficult to read what comes next. The only way Sonya's father can force her into recovery is by threatening her parental rights. Although the intervention is theoretically with Sonya and Tommy's best interests at heart, it still creates a cascade of betrayals that prey upon her vulnerability. In many ways, her life is a broken promise she's assuaged with a bottle.

At its heart, Bright Burning Things is a novel about control: what it looks like to wrangle it back into one's grasp and what happens when you're left with only the frailest tendrils of trust.

Deeply uncomfortable while simultaneously impossible to put down, Bright Burning Things is an unflinching narrative of a woman inching toward redemption.

Thanks to Bloomsbury for providing me with a copy for review.

Bright Burning Things is a difficult book to review as it is undeniably well written yet simultaneously dreadful to read. The language is such that it is meant to be gently sipped, appreciated, allowed to settle on the tongue, but I found the only way to ensure I’d finish it was to devour whole chunks, one after the other, swallowing the words down dry rather than savoring them.
The main character here— there is no protagonist, really— remains at a distance, despite the book being written from her point of view. While I don’t require a MC to be morally ‘good’— in fact I prefer messy, morally questionable women— I do think it’s important to be able to like them, even if it’s more of a hate-to-love variation. With Sonya, I found myself ranging from frustration to indifference, unable to connect or find anything either endearing or diabolical enough to be invested in her or her journey. Same goes with Tommy, who was meant to be the heart of the story, though was eclipsed, in my opinion, by Herbie the dog.
I really struggled through the first third, but kept reading when David was introduced. I thought, ‘the writing is good, and finally there will be some plot, or some redemption, or some romance’, but as with the rest of the book, nothing spectacular ensues. There is little emotional or actionable development; this is a character study, painted with painful realism. Literary types will likely praise this book and find it admirable in its rendering of a bleak portrait, in the author’s bone cold approach to alcoholism and child rearing and her willingness to write a book that could’ve been a blockbuster had she ‘given in’ to the pull of plot and made it a thriller.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I needed some time to process this story after I finished reading it!
Bright Burning Things begins as the story of an alcoholic single mother to a young son and her attempts to parent him. The main character, Sonya has an abusive past and very few coping skills. It is hard to read the scenes when she neglects and endangers her son. But since the story begins at her low point you know that it will only get better for the son and for Sonya.
I couldn’t put it down because I needed the resolution but I would caution anyone who has experience with neglect, addiction or sexual violence before they started it.

I loved this book, it addresses addiction through the lens of the person addicted. I could feel through the words how Sonya felt….anxious, jittery, hazy, darkness and also the guilt. Lisa Harding does a wonderful job of making the reader feel exactly what Sonya was going through. Also the way she portrays Tommy… , his innocence and everything a 4 year old is going through in this book is so heartbreaking. I recommend this book bc it talks about hard conversations that we all should be having.

This is not at all what I was expecting, but I’m so glad I read it! It was powerfully written, in a gripping, emotional, and what I believe an honest way. It was very intense, because it dealt with such an emotional, real, and powerful subject. It had me feel so many emotions when reading, because the author developed the characters so flawlessly. It was a break from my thrillers, but not really a reprieve, since it dealt with such a real and emotional subject! Would definitely recommend to those who want a powerful story, of a mom in the midst of huge changes struggling with addiction! It’s quite riveting and will definitely tug at all emotions!

Will buzz around platforms and use my top Amazon reviewer number on release!

I wanted to like this book but I just didn’t. I found it hard to read right away and just had a hard time finishing it. I did reviews on Instagram & goodreads under enjoyingbooksagain. Also Amazon under a different acct
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this.
Kelly
Enjoyingbooksagain

I loved this book. The writing, the emotion, everything about it. I wanted to step into the pages and hug Sonya, or shake her. About a mom with alcohol addiction, the subject isn't light, but the story was so multi-dimensional and told in such an enjoyable way.

This was such a thought provoking and complicated novel about a mother’s love for her son and her struggle with alcoholism. This is a topic that is not talked about enough in today’s society- that you can both love your family and be helplessly addicted to something you know isn’t good for you. The way Lisa Harding is able to write about these things is thoughtful, challenging, and powerful. I was intrigued by the topic and entertained by the story.

As a psychologist I think this book portrayed the struggle to recover from alcoholism authentically. How complicated the life of a single mom can be—distant father, cold step-mother, invasive and controlling men. Sonya’s love for her Tommy, her son shines through, a light in the story. Also lighting the way were Big Jimmy, a chronic recidivist to the program, Sister Anne who teaches Sonya and the reader to think of prayer “as a bridge between longing and belonging.” The title alludes to the son’s attraction to fire and burning things and the author skillfully uses that to bring mother and son together. If you want a book where you can cheer for the protagonist and for a mother’s love, this is a good choice. You will end with hope.

This is a story about Sonya, a single mother who's an ex actress with an addiction, Tommy her 4 year old son!
Sonya has to face her demons, her drinking problem before she loses everything she holds dear.

This book is beyond amazing! And I can't thank NetGalley Publisher and Author for this advance ebook!

First I have to say I loved these characters! Sonya is a very relateable, real, raw character! Maybe some.out there who reads this can relate! And that's what I loved most!
This story is for sure going to a a favorite of mine!

Book Review for Bright Burning Things
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!