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.

A novel like this is one that sits with you for awhile. So much so that it almost feels impossible to review adequately. It's heartbreaking, moving, complex, tragic, emotional and so so heavy. I would recommend this book as one of my Top 5 reads this year -- and yes, I know that it's only March. It's an incredible debut and I will undoubtedly pick up any book Samantha Crewson writes in the future.

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

A literary fiction novel, Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson (2025) is succinctly captured by its title. Providence Byrd returns to Annesville, thirteen years on from her family’s estrangement. Having grown up in a troublesome family in the Nebraskan sand hills, Providence returns to assist in the search for her missing mother. Confronting her traumatic past and reconnecting with her two sisters, the narrative has a tenderness despite the harsh realities of life and the consequences of Providence’s actions still impacting. Categorised as a mystery thriller, with plenty of twists, this is a difficult read at times. It’s certainly not a book for everyone, given the author’s graphic content warning, yet there is an underlying whimsical hopefulness that makes for a four and a half star rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

Providence Byrd is forced to return to her hometown and reckon with her abusive father when her mother vanishes under mysterious circumstances. She’s hopeful returning home may be a chance to reconcile with her two sisters, which seems near impossible. Because several years ago, Providence put the car into reverse and ran over their mother. Although her mom survived, Providence sealed her fate as a felon in the eyes of the town, who is certain she has something to do with her mother’s disappearance. As the search unfolds, Providence must fast the ghosts of her past.

Ever since reading Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, I have been searching for a book that will give me those same emotions, but can never quite find it, until I picked up this book. I loved every page of this, and found the writing to be a perfect blend of lyrical and gothic. The ending had me in tears. I urge all of you to read this when it’s out on April 22nd!

A slow paced emotional thriller. It's about Providence and her relationship with her sisters Harmony and Grace, She is back in her hometown after thirteen years to search her dissappeard mother. She is thirty years old now. Her father is still abusive and a violent man. Book is all about the impact of her past in her current life and her courage to stop the never-ending cycle of abuse. Suspense bulids up interestingly throughout, and the climax is neatly tied up. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

“I thought I was born unlovable. I grew into it because I was never given a chance to be anything else.” This theme entwined in Every Sweet Thing is Bitter makes me incredibly sad for Providence Byrd, who is so well-drawn, she feels real. And I feel deeply for her younger sisters, Harmony and Grace, too. These are three young women tainted by their upbringing, never given the opportunity to be happy or arguably good. But just maybe this might be a turning point for Providence and her siblings. “People love me. I am lovable.” This is Providence’s mantra. And she is lovable, even though thirteen years ago, she attempted to run over her father with the family car. By a twist of fate, her mother took the impact. Providence was imprisoned for attempted matricide. Her mother survived then, but she is missing now, and Providence returns to her hometown to join the search. Going home evokes some happy memories, gives her opportunities to reconnect with old friends, but overriding that are inevitable confrontations. With her abusive father who Providence believes has done something to her mother. With past hurts. When pulled between revenge and redemption, when desperate to repair her relationship with her sisters, what will Providence do? And of those who survive, can they live with their scars and put the past behind them?
Please note trigger warnings: domestic violence, violence against children, abortion, self-harm.
Every Sweet Thing is Bitter is a haunting small-town noir / suspense novel with a flawed yet incredibly believable main character who is determined to persevere. Highly recommended.

Flawed Providence Byrd has a troubled past. Now thirty years old, she is at last making a decent life for herself well away from the horrors of her childhood and all the traumas that entailed. When she receives notification that her estranged mother has gone missing, Providence decides to return to Annesville, to support her younger sisters and also to join in the search for her mother. When she does return to the family home, she discovers that nothing at all has changed, and that her father is still the monster he always was.

This book starts out with a mystery. Where had Elissa Byrd disappeared to, has she run away, is she still alive? Then it runs into a revenge plot, which somehow lost its way for me.

I think the writing was good, but a little repetitive (chokecherry!!!), and although slow, the story was interesting. I did not especially like any of the characters apart from Sara. I think the reader was expected to root for Providence, but she did nothing for me.

With strong emphasis on many themes, this book certainly gives the reader food for thought. A good ending that tied everything up nicely.

A book I would recommend as I did enjoy it, just not as much as the blurb promised.

3.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books

Say hello to my favorite debut of 2025.

Engrossing, well drawn characters and a compelling mystery.

This book shown in its narrative about going home, our MC hasn’t been home for 13 years and has a sullied past of her own, Crewson captures the nostalgia and pain of a big return.

Though heavy it’s brimming with honest hopefulness and healing.

Brava.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.

When Providence Byrd’s mother goes missing, she returns to the hometown she left, first for a 5-year sentence in prison and then 8 years trying to eke out a living as a felon. The last time she was here, she drove over her mother with her car. But that’s not the only past that haunting her here, from the sisters she abandoned to her abusive father, the adults that betrayed her throughout her childhood and the mother she hasn’t talked to in 13 years there’s a lot of memories to doge her every step.
I really enjoyed reading about all the characters (except the father holy shit), even if not all of their actions are kind, they can be understood in the multi-faceted portrayal of every character. I loved seeing the many ways people here had chosen to survive, even if it means betraying or abandoning another person. In general, the relationships portrayed here were a really strong point. The complicated sibling relationship, the even more complicated relationship to their addict mother, helpless to save her children in any way, Providence’s understandable complicated feelings for the former police officer that never helped her out as a kid and the current chief of police, who is investigating her mother’s disappearance, but judges her for being a felon as well as her old flame Zoe, a former Jehova’s Witness now turned republican congress woman.
My favorite relationships in here was Providence’s connection with her best friend Sara, an Oglala Lakota woman, whom she met in prison and who gives her a place to stay and Gil, a black man, who her father was horrible racist to, but who opened his door as a refuge for little Providence when she needed it (but failed her in equally horrible ways by never trying to actually protect her).
At points reading about the father was tough. When this story deals with abusive parents it really does not pull any punches and the ptsd of the main character (and her sisters) and the way it warps their own relationships to each other and to their bodies plays a huge and heavy role.
The mystery concerning the mother’s disappearance is compelling, but even after it is solved there is still more than enough emotional and interpersonal turmoil happening to keep you reading, desperate to find out if there can be a happy-for-now after all these horrible, horrible events.
All in all, this is a fascinating and intriguing read that functions as both a great character study not only for Providence, but for all the characters we are introduced to (except the father, who tbh, doesn’t need more character. What he’s got is bad enough) and a layered mystery with intriguing twists and turns. I really enjoyed reading it and the end felt satisfying in just the right way.

TW: alcoholism, car accident, domestic abuse (physical, including spousal and against children), emotional abuse, past addiction, racism (discussed), self-harm (graphic), sexual abuse (implied), substance abuse, suicidal ideation, threats of murder, violence