Charlie is twenty three and working as a publicity assistant when she begins a relationship with fifty six year old, Richard, a famous author defining his generation.

It took me a bit to get through this one. It’s a very character based story. I did appreciate the view of mental health and how our relationships can directly affect it. The middle slowed down a lot for me and I was just so tired of the relationship by the end.

“It must be a small club to be part of, to have loved and then lost someone whom the whole world has a piece of. Maybe that’s why no one ever warns you.”

Bitter Sweet comes out 7/8.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the chance to read this before publication! This book was so well-written, engrossing, and heartbreaking. Every sentence came with a sense of doom but I couldn’t stop reading or hoping for a moment of clarity from Charlie. All of the supporting characters were well-done and prevented the book from becoming frustrating. Overall, enjoyed this (in a deeply sad sympathetic way) and would recommend.

I got emotionally involved in this. While it is a story I've heard before I was and was not rooting for Charlie. Sure, she should have known better to get involved with a married man especially when all the warning signs there. But there were times where she chose Richard over her friends that just made me so angry with her.

Richard... I hated from the start. Everything about him. The author wrote this in a way that felt real. Opehlia was an amazing supporting character. I found myself rooting for her happiness even though she wasn't a main character.

Overall I found this engaging, heaertbreaking and hopeful all at the same time.

Wow. This book was such a gut-punch. Books on this topic are always tough reads but Bitter Sweet was so crushingly realistic that it hurt a little extra. We as readers can sense the impending doom whilst our narrator, Charlie, is falling into his trap ….and there’s nothing you can do to stop her. It’s anxiety inducing waiting for the inevitable fallout. What starts as a girl grieving her mother and exploring something that helps her feel connected to her turns into a downward spiral into a miserable, all too familiar reality. Regardless of all of the supportive, loving people around her, Charlie still ends up in that place. I think that really adds to the real-world reality of stories like this. (Rot in hell, Richard).

Bitter Sweet is an evocative and emotionally layered debut that takes a bold, unflinching look at grief, vulnerability, and the blurred boundaries of power and desire. Hattie Williams writes with confidence and emotional clarity, pulling readers into the mind of Charlie Turner—a 23-year-old editorial assistant who falls into a complicated, secretive affair with Richard, an older, celebrated author. From the start, their relationship is charged and quietly unsettling, built not just on attraction but also on Charlie’s unresolved grief and her craving for approval in a world that constantly underestimates her.

What stands out most is Williams’s skillful character work. Charlie is deeply flawed—naive, self-aware, often frustrating—but always believable. Her internal voice is intimate and aching, capturing the confusion and loneliness that come with early adulthood. Richard, on the other hand, is as charming as he is manipulative. Their dynamic is delicately constructed, slowly revealing how imbalanced and quietly toxic it truly is. Rather than spelling things out, Williams allows discomfort to simmer beneath the surface, which makes the story all the more affecting.

The supporting cast, especially Charlie’s boss and close friends, add warmth and grounding to the story. These relationships help highlight Charlie’s isolation and her slow realization that what she’s entangled in isn’t romance—it’s erasure. The novel’s exploration of professional ambition, grief, and gendered power dynamics feels especially timely and sharply observed.

The reason this doesn’t quite earn five stars is largely due to pacing. Some sections feel repetitive, particularly as Charlie cycles through emotional highs and lows without clear momentum. While this mirrors her internal state, it occasionally stalls the narrative. Still, even in its slower moments, the writing remains emotionally resonant and thoughtful.

In all, Bitter Sweet is a memorable debut that’s as haunting as it is honest. It won’t be for every reader—the story is heavy, and the protagonist’s choices can be difficult to watch—but for those drawn to complex, character-driven fiction that explores the grey areas of love, loss, and longing, it’s a powerful read.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. I loved this book. It’s similar to a lot of other books I have read and loved in the way it portrays how a relationship can ruin a woman’s, and particularly a younger woman’s life. It details how powerful and selfish men can carelessly use people and destroy them in ways they will never know about. I thought Charlie was exceptionally well developed as a character. Every woman has either been Charlie or known a Charlie in their life and the choices she made, especially the bad ones, felt very familiar. The way the author rendered her depression was some of the realest writing on the subject I have read since The Bell Jar. I felt deeply for Charlie and just kept thinking how lucky she was to have the friends she did and if she hadn’t how things might have ended quite differently for her as I fear they so often do for many other women. I also enjoyed the way the author used writing to further draw her into her own imagined world by talking about the books she was reading and acknowledging at the end how her perspective may have been marred by the voices she was consuming. I would compare this in some ways to Boy Parts, The Tree Doctor, Little Rabbit, Acts of Desperation, Animals, My Year of Rest and Relaxation and even The Rachel Incident. However, ultimately it ended in a much more hopeful way for me than many of those books did and I deeply appreciated that. Definitely recommend. Probably too late to change but I didn’t like the title. It felt very cliche and disconnected from the depth I found in the story with the sort of random thought at the end which used the words.

This novel is a carbon copy of The Rachel Incident. I am a little shocked and appalled that the author got away with such a blatant attempt to recreate a beloved novel. This book baffled me because it’s such a clear ripoff. Also this book is not as well crafted or compelling. I just couldn’t get over the comparisons. Not a happy camper.

Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams - not my favorite, felt a bit done to me. Didn't finish unfotunately.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC of this. I ate this up! Easily my favorite book of 2025 so far. The writing was exceptional and hard to believe this is a debut for the author. I will be first in line for whatever Hattie Williams writes next! Cannot wait to purchase a copy once its out.

This was such a refreshing read, and it was impossible for me to put down. I really love a character-driven novel and the writing was fantastic. I would never have guessed this was a debut novel. I really adored the main character and she felt very relatable. I look forward to reading more from Hattie Williams.

Bitter Sweet is a debut novel by Hattie Williams that was very uncomfortable to read but also impossible to put down.

Charlie is a 23 year old who has landed a dream job as an assistant at a well known London publishing house. And she is over the moon because she will be part of the team working with Richard Aveling, her idol, with the release of his new book. Charlie and Richard meet by chance and there is an instant connection. Richard is 30 years older, married and famous but Charlie and Richard begin a forbidden affair that has to be kept secret from the rest of the world.

This coming of age story about a young, naive girl is so very relatable. She is so star struck by her literary idol that she can’t see how unhealthy and isolating the relationship is. This is a story of vulnerability, self love, sacrificing happiness for someone else and how childhood trauma can affect adulthood. This story also contains themes of found family, mental health issues and healing. Once the groundwork for Charlie’s story was laid out, I was hooked!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read an ARC of Bitter Sweet in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes the things you love most are the very things that can tear you apart.
Charlie is 23 and a new publicity assistant in an independent publishing house in London. They also happen to publish books by Richard Aveling, a writer that Charlie has admired since she was young, having read and cherished each of his novels. Now, they are publishing a long awaited book by Richard and after meeting, they embark on an all-consuming and illicit affair.

This is way outside of my usual genres and I would describe it as literary/contemporary fiction but I just devoured it in a day!
It explored so many sensitive topics, of power, vulnerability, abuse and mental health. In places you just want to scream at Charlie and parts of the novel were heartbreaking. The story also encompassed family and friendships and the human condition and I love to see the way characters grow throughout the story. The writing was immersive and it was a fabulous novel.

This one proves very many adages are terribly true - never meet your heroes, everywhere I go there I am, and many more. I wanted to jump through the pages to simultaneously hug Charlie and throttle her within in an inch of her life for her bad decisions and damaging self talk. It's all a painful but important reminder to see it written in black and white. I very much enjoyed it, if one can enjoy sitting back and watching a life implode.

4.5 Stars! Bitter Sweet follows Charlie, a twenty-three-year-old publicity assistant at a London publishing house, who becomes entangled in an illicit and all-consuming affair with Richard Aveling, a fifty-six-year-old, married, and celebrated author whom she has long idolized. As their affair progresses, Charlie finds herself deeply immersed in a relationship that begins to unravel her sense of self.

The novel explores grief, adultery, power dynamics, class, and mental health. From the beginning of the book, you can tell that Charlie is still grieving the loss of her mother, who died when Charlie was just 16. This profound grief fuels her illicit affair with Richard and impacts other parts of her life. It was unsettling to realize she had idolized this man since her teenage years, which made their eventual affair feel particularly disturbing.

It's so obvious that Richard isn’t right for her. He’s a charismatic cheater who is controlling and manipulative. Richard gave her the bare minimum and she lapped it up! She had this 56-year-old married man belittling her and ruining her life from the inside out. But she’s so young, naive, vulnerable, and sees it all through rose-colored glasses, completely blind to the truth.

I know Charlie’s a fictional character, but this applies to real life too. It’s so upsetting to see someone deserve so much better, and they are so blinded they can’t see it for themselves! Throughout the novel, I wanted to shake some sense into her. Like, pull yourself together! PLEASE, STAND UP! 😩

I LOVED her friends Ophelia and Eddy. Everyone needs friends like them. Friends who put you in your place, call you out on your shit, but are always there for you! Not gonna lie, Charlie was not the easiest person to deal with, but they stayed by her side.

Her boss, Cecile, was also a great leader! Maybe the bare minimum of a manager, but cared for her, was supportive of her work, and fought for her, amongst other things I won’t detail because of spoilers.

There were a couple of things that kept me from rating this 5 stars. I thought one of the characters didn’t need to be included, as he didn’t add or deduct anything from the plot. And I wish she would have called out the people who hurt her in the past! But overall, I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it. Also, if you’re a fan of Caroline O’Donoghue, I think you would like this too!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Hattie Williams for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really honest, vulnerable book. It explored a lot of heavy topics in a way that was nuanced and real but wasn’t too emotionally overwhelming — grief, toxic relationships, etc. The romantic relationship and its flaws were really well done, and the author did a great job of looking at imbalanced relationships, whether that be an age gap, differing social status, class, or more. The side characters were also very well rounded and added a lot to the story.

23 year old Charlie is working as an assistant at a publishing house when she meets Richard, a famous author who is 30 years her senior. Charlie has had a special connection to Richard's work since she was a child, so she's thrilled when he takes an interest in her. Before long, she finds herself falling into an affair with him. Their relationship is based on secrecy and control, and Charlie quickly finds herself unable to imagine a future without Richard.

I was so drawn in by this book. Charlie is one of those characters who is messy and makes a lot of stupid decisions, but you can't help but love her. I found myself wanting to reach through the page and force Charlie to stop what she was doing. It was a little like a train wreck you can't look away from.

There were also some excellent side characters in this story. Even though the affair is the main focus of the book. the moments of friendship between Charlie, Ophelia, and Eddy were really great.

The author had incredibly strong prose and I was really impressed with this being a debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

Charli has landed her first "real job" after college - a junior assistant at the company that publishes her favorite author, Richard Aveling, sharing an apartment with her two best friends/coworkers Cecelia and Teddy, and managing her depression a slightly better than ever. Charlie is ecstatic to be on the team handling Richard's newest book. As events progress, Charli somehow finds herself in a secret affair with Richard, which could jeopardize both their reputations and her job.

At twenty-three, Charlie is at least 30 years younger, quite naive, and a little starstruck at the beginning of their relationship. Without telling too much, this May-December romance is not turning out to be healthy, but one full of one-sided control and manipulation. Thank goodness for her "non-blood" family, Teddy and Cecelia, who provide her with the love, friendship, loyalty, and support she so desperately needs.

Excellent debut novel filled with bittersweet moments, bad choices, exposing vulnerability, and the need for healthy emotional growth.

I was completely hooked by this book from the start. I connected instantly with the main character, Charlie. Oh, Charlie... you poor, misguided girl. I adored you, even when I wanted to shake some sense into you. There’s something so vulnerable and genuine about her that made me want to wrap her in a hug while also yelling, “Why are you doing this?” Her inner world, every conflicted thought and questionable decision, felt so real and familiar. She reminded me of who I used to be, someone who believed love could heal anything and who thought putting someone else first meant being strong.

Charlie’s toxic relationship hit a little too close to home. Watching her lie to friends and family, keeping them at a distance because she already knew they wouldn’t approve, was tough. But I understood. That stubborn little flame of hope she held onto, thinking maybe things would get better, felt so heartbreakingly human. It’s that tug-of-war we’ve all felt at some point. Your brain tells you to run, but your heart begs you to stay. Love can really twist you up like that.

Thankfully, there was more than just heartache. The moments of light came from the people who surrounded Charlie with love. The family she chose, not the one she was born into. Their loyalty, humor, and kindness added a beautiful contrast to the pain and made the story feel whole. I loved being in their presence.

This book struck a perfect balance between sorrow and sweetness. It made me laugh, cry, and revisit some of my own memories. It’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you finish it.

Gratitude to NetGalley and Ballantine for allowing me to read this ARC and provide an honest, unbiased review.

This is a tough review for me to type. Frankly, I only finished reading it because I made the commitment having received the ARC.

TLDR: it wasn't for me but might be powerful for people who have experienced or are experiencing toxic relationships. I would call this a dark drama.

First, here are the trigger warnings:
--Substance abuse
--Death/grief
--Suicidal ideation
--Sexual assault
--Child loss/abortion

What I do like:
--LGBTQIA+ supportive
--Their initial encounter had subtle noir vibes, which I thought would be a fun or at least enjoyable approach to the story. (That was the only instance though.)
--There were some moments of profundity that I enjoyed, one example being when she spoke of her stepdad.
--The boldness of Richard's initial invitation via email was exciting.
--There were instances of symbolism and foreshadowing that were ultimately completely accurate.
--I smiled when she was with Finn.
--I'm glad that she survived everything and that she is relatively thriving.

The synopsis reeled me in, and the cover was beautiful, modern, yet vague enough to hold intrigue. Reviewing it the synopsis and cover right after having completed the book, they just don't seem to land accurately.
--For the author's debut, yes I would say it's impressive so I do agree with that portion of the description.
--I think that the synopsis sold Charlie short on how actually obsessed she is with Richard. Yes, it mentions "all-consuming" the relationship is, yet the synopsis hadn't prepared me for the gravity of their situation.
--The synopsis includes "what it means to love yourself," and although this is shown at the end, I do think that it should have been made more prominent for it to really land with readers. While we got to see the immediate beginning of her healing journey post-"breakup", I wish that there had been more time spent sharing the journey of how impactful therapy, community, and self-work had on her. Instead, we saw that beginning I mentioned, then we jumped 15 years ahead and she summed up what had happened in a couples, making it feel rushed and not necessarily dissatisfying but also not outright satisfying. I wanted it to be more profound.
--The cover doesn't really tell me much about what I might expect within the pages, although the artwork is beautiful. The font is almost playful, which doesn't land for me either.

Overall notes:
--I was glad to see that Charlie had some moral standards she considered, however overall I couldn't connect with Charlie or root for her. I felt more connected to Ophelia and Eddy.
--I found myself annoyed with Richard from the start. While I am sure his tone was written in a way that would clearly discern their age gap, it was so stuffy and emotionless to me.
--There were several instances of redundancy throughout the story.
--From about 26% until about 84% I found myself grimacing, except for the times with Finn. Starting at about 54% I had the urge to yell at Charlie, almost as if she were naive in a scary movie and the killer was right behind her. Around that same time is when I realized I was only continuing to read it because I'd received the ARC and committed to reviewing.

Ultimately, I'm not writing this book off completely, because I do feel that it could be wildly impactful and beneficial for those who have been in toxic relationships since so many aspects are covered, from beginning to crumbling end and beyond. My hope is that it can help validate what they went through and be a tool in their healing journey.

For fans of dark and emotional fiction! Set in London, Charlie (short for Charlotte) is a young literary publicist who gets into an intense affair with the much older and married Richard Aveling, who is her literary idol and her company's biggest author. We get to know Charlie and her past, and why this relationship takes such a hold of her life and almost costs her everything. If you enjoyed The Rachel Incident or My Dark Vanessa, this is for you! I will say that the first 30% or so of this book was on the slower side, as it was setting up Charlie's work life, the death of her mother and relationship with her friends which are all very important to the rest of the book, but it took a while to get through it. It might have been a me problem! But the last 70% of the book I couldn't put down, and this was an easy A+.