I feel as if thrillers lately are getting incredibly dark and violent.

At age 17, Providence backs over her mom using the family car, badly injures her, and goes to prison. Very few people know, however, that she meant to run over her abusive, alcoholic father. Providence is now out of prison, but hasn't seen her family in years. Her mother has been reported missing, and Providence returns to help with the search. This means confronting not only her father but her younger sisters, Harmony and Grace, who blame Providence for their mom's descent into addiction.

The trope of bitter daughters returning to their hometowns to deal with family issues seems to pop up a lot. This debut handles it fairly well, though it is very dark and gritty. The theme of abuse is threaded throughout the story, and there are very few sympathetic characters, starting with Providence's utterly hateful father. We see how the small town closes around him, though, even if it's because they are too scared to stand up to him and prevent the horrific abuse he reigns upon his family.

As an ex-con, Providence is wary and unable to trust, with only a tentative friendship with a fellow inmate, Sara, who lives near her hometown. She's lost a chance to know or have her sisters in her life. Many things in the story feel a bit unfinished--a storyline with Sara's brother Daniel; Providence's childhood lesbian relationship with Zoe, now a local politician; and a lead not followed up on.

If you like your protagonists angry and damaged, along with creepy stories rife with drinking, addiction, and evil, this book will be right up your alley. I will say, despite how violent this book is, it's quite poetically written.

4 stars rounded up. This is an excellent debut novel. Crewson knows how to establish well-rounded, full characters. The suspense was built from the start and was steadily paced. I devoured this book in a single sitting.

I was really excited for this book. However, I struggled with it - it has some pretty dark themes/topics. I knew this going in but it still was tough to get through. Overall I liked the story, and I liked the author’s writing. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Samantha Crewson’s "Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter" is a deeply evocative novel that explores the tension between love and loss, hope and regret, sweetness and sorrow. With poetic prose and raw emotional depth, Crewson crafts a narrative that resonates long after the final page, leaving readers immersed in its complexity.

At its core, the novel thrives on contrasts—the tenderness of love alongside the ache of longing, the beauty of fleeting moments weighed against the permanence of regret. Crewson’s storytelling feels intimate yet vast, personal yet universal. The title itself serves as a poetic reflection of the novel’s themes, preparing readers for a journey that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

The novel’s central character is not just wrestling with external conflicts but battling the inevitability of change. Their inner world is as richly drawn as the novel’s atmospheric setting, making each choice, mistake, and revelation feel profoundly meaningful. Crewson excels at crafting flawed, deeply human characters who linger in the reader’s thoughts, embodying the complexity of emotions we all face.

Crewson’s writing is a symphony of carefully chosen words—lush yet precise, poetic without excess. There is a rhythm to the way she builds tension, releasing it just before it becomes unbearable, only to draw readers back into another emotional peak. The novel’s pacing mirrors the ebb and flow of its themes, ensuring that the reader never feels lost in its melancholy but instead embraced by its depth.

"Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter" is a novel that demands emotional investment. It is not simply a story to be read but one to be experienced—felt in the quiet, aching moments and in the rush of longing. Crewson has crafted a novel that speaks to the fragility of happiness and the resilience of the human heart, making it a must-read for those who appreciate deeply layered and introspective fiction

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and it ended up being pretty middle of the road for me. The writing was descriptive and Crewson's distinct voice came through clearly. The characters were well-developed and sympathetic. There was just something about it that didn't quite hit the mark. I never felt that I was able to fully sink into the book. I couldn't find that piece that would get me to latch in. There's was a lot of conflict overall, but the tension didn't draw me in fully. I'm all for a slow-burn novel, but there still has to be something pulling me through.

This was a tough read - just awful on awful family shit in here. I was rooting for Providence. A few lags in the pacing. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I’d like to see this book adapted into a movie, please! 🎥

Providence returns home after years of estrangement to search for her missing mother. The same person she ran over years ago landing her in prison. 😳

This was a tragic tale of abuse, addiction, and neglect which had a heavy impact on the family.

I really enjoyed the way this story unfolds and the ending made my heart happy. 10/10 would recommend.

Read this if you like:
-complex family dynamics
-small town settings
-mysteries
-books with sisterhood
-great writing
-resilient/strong FMCs
-themes of redemption
-heavy topics done well

🗒️:
Make sure to check the triggers found in the author’s note before reading if you have any.

4.5 ⭐ rounded down

WOWWWW Y'ALL 🤯 this was gooooood

I went into this not entirely sure what to expect--lots of Bible verses and church phrases being thrown around. I think Crewson was simply trying to set the stage for a small southern town and that was the framework she was using. That ended up not really being a huge overarching theme throughout the book, but I can see how it was important to some of the themes throughout now that it's all over.

This book covers a very short period of time (I think it was maybe a week or two), but it's FILLED with turbulence that propels you forward. It's told by Providence Byrd--daughter of Tom and Elissa Byrd. Tom is incredibly abusive in many ways and Elissa is an addict. So, when Providence learns that her mother is missing, her mind goes straight to blaming her father. This is the story of the search, case, and aftermath of Elissa's missing person's case, yes, but it's so much more than that, too. Providence's feelings toward her mother are complex and built very well throughout. Her relationships with her sisters are also complex and it makes them really enticing to read and propels you forward.

I don't know how to share too much in this without giving too much info away and spoiling it. I'd highly recommend and encourage others who like thrillers and whodunits to check this one out. Fair warning, there are some explicit and gore-y parts, but they didn't bother me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson is an unflinching, poignant debut.
The storytelling in this debut was masterful - a real page turner that kept me hooked from the moment I opened it.
This thriller and mystery had so many plot twists and the ending I did not see coming.
The book is well-written, the story never letting you go completely.
I can’t wait to see what Crewson writes next!

This is not an easy read as there's a lot of heartbreak, broken relationships, child abuse and domestic violence. Providence is back in order to help find her mother and maybe repair the relationship with her family. However, she strongly believes that her father is the culprit and he's certainly capable of violence. Their family is broken and even though she wants redemption she also wants revenge. Well-written, with a good plot, Every Sweet Thing is Bitter is about family, resilience, surviving and making amends after bad choices in life.
I thank Ms. Crewson, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was everything I wanted and more. This book had a mystery and thriller element, but also was such a great introspection on the main character. This book dove into so many heavy topics, but did it with such grace. This tackled alcoholism, abuse, self harm, addiction and somehow it all felt well addressed and not just unnecessary trauma. Every element in this story felt necessary and true. I also loved how this book examines found family, and what family means. There’s a quote about love in this book that really struck me: “that the only thing that matters at the end of the day is having people who love you.” This quote encapsulates a big piece of the main character’s journey to self discovery in this book. I loved so many things about this novel: the setting, the characters, the themes and the use of the choke cherry as a physical object reflecting elements of the book.

Providence is looking for her mother and for redemption in this novel about a deeply toxic family. She went to prison for running over her mother but it was her father she meant to hit. Her sisters Harmony and Grace are equally at sea. This does merit the upfront trigger warning- there's abuse self harm, and so on- but it's all part of the stew that Providence must climb from. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good debut.

This was a great thriller! The stakes were high, and the subject matter serious & heavy at times (seriously - check trigger warnings if you need to), but the consistent pacing really helped move everything along.

Providence is an excellent flawed narrator: she has strong morals, but even when she goes against them (thinking or acting), it’s not out of character and you definitely end up rooting for her anyway. I like that, even at the end of her journey, she isn’t miraculously fixed or cured - she’s still learning to survive, one day at a time, but now there’s one less thing to worry about.

Overall an excellent thriller with a lot of great twists!

Thank you to NetGalley, Samantha Crewson, and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I truly had high hopes for this book. Great premise and a bit of mystery involved. However, I felt disconnected from the MC. I didn’t much care what happened to her in her story after a while.

THIS SHOOK ME TO MY CORE!!!!!!!!

There is so much I want to say but I don’t want to allude to or spoil a single thing. I went into this mostly blind. I knew the vibes, but wasn’t super familiar with the synopsis & it made the first few chapters evoke a bigger emotional pull from me.

ESTIB is a sharp novel that is character driven, heavy on the emotions, & paced perfectly to pack a heavy punch straight to the gut. Samantha does a great job exploring the relationship between daughter & mother as well as the relationship between grief & guilt. ESTIB is much more than a crime suspense novel. It explores the way our identities are shaped through both generational & religious trauma, our family dynamics, cycles of violence, & the way our community supports us through trauma. The grittiness, rawness, & depth to this novel is something that’ll haunt my bones. I can see myself thinking about this story for a LONG time.

ESTIB has
- Self-harm in a method I’ve never seen represented, & I deeply appreciated the care with this topic
- A lesbian MC
- Indigenous representation
- Layers, layers, LAYERS!!!
- Complicated relationships that are NOT sugarcoated

After everything that is uncovered and developed in this story, there is still so much hope for Providence.

This is an INSANE debut that showcases Samantha’s talent for writing. I cannot wait to read another book from her.

A major thank you to Crooked Lane books for the ARC review in exchange for my honest review.

Gorgeous, gritty, carefully developed. I love love love this debut. Very, very heartfelt and suspenseful all at once. I love Samantha's voice and the way she developed atmosphere so perfectly. Read it!

Providence hasn’t been back home since before she went to prison at the age of 17. But when her mom goes missing, she knows she has to go back, at least for her sisters. Though they’re more strangers than sisters now, Providence return is met with resistance, suspension, and welcome. As the town searches for their mom, Providence and her sisters will be forced to face Providence’s felony so many years ago, the family they were given, and the anger of being left to their own devices.

I still cannot believe that this is a debut. Masterfully written, Crewson has delivered an amazing coming of age story without complicating the plot. While I wasn’t exactly a fan of the ending, this story is all about the journey and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the complexity of who Providence was versus how others saw her, especially on her return to town. Providence wasn’t the only character with depth, every single character we meet has flaws and a complication relationship with who they are. I felt that Crewson did a phenomenal job of creating multiple sided characters that you can’t love or hate.

This slow burn contemporary mystery is less of a mystery and more of character driven novel about family dynamic. With beautiful and insightful writing, this book is perfect for fans of Jane Harper and Tiffany McDaniels. With this being Crewson’s debut novel, I cannot wait to see what she puts out next.


Every Sweet Thing is Bitter comes out April 22, 2025. Huge thank you to Crooked Lane Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my:
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The setting of this book was so vital and familiar to me. A small prairie town, linked closely to other towns, the nicest building being the church, full of small minded people and people trapped. I had to cringe at points seeing Providence have so many vices and sabotage herself in order to deal with being back in the place that damaged her so deeply. But I was glued to the page at the same time - hoping Providence could rise above, hoping she could salvage relationships with her sisters, and that her father gets what he deserves. An insular, emotional, challenging read about the effects of substance abuse, physical abuse, and generational trauma. It felt like a mini Demon Copperhead - all of these troubled characters and you were still rooting for them.

So incredibly good. The trapped feeling permeates every page of this book. It's both compelling and with a sense of dread of what is coming next. The main character is dealing with her life in a realistic way with small insights peeking through.

Providence is fresh out of jail (for nearly killing her mother) and is actively rebuilding her life. Her days as the abusive Tom Byrd’s oldest girl are years behind her, and things are looking up. That is, until her mother disappears, forcing Providence back into the small town that nearly destroyed her.

While the local sheriff plays nice, it’s clear that Providence is being watched closely by her former neighbors. Under scrutiny, she attempts to reconnect with her two younger sisters, Harmony and Grace, who have grown up largely without her.

As the case into their mother’s disappearance develops, connections to the family begin to emerge, and not the ones Providence suspected. Is it possible that Providence is not the only one with a violent streak? And could the Byrd girls be more than anyone bargained for?

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter is a thriller through and through. It’s packed with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Full of heart and rebellious spirit, I found that it got better and better as I read on. Thriller isn’t usually my genre, and so it did take a minute to acclimate myself, but once I did, I enjoyed following this story down its twisty rabbit hole.