Bitter Sweet, debut novel by Hattie Williams, follows Charlie, a young book publicist who falls for a much older, married author she’s long admired. She knows the risks—her career, friendships, and mental stability—but obsession pulls her deeper, swinging from euphoric closeness to desperate instability.

The first half felt slow and familiar—older, married man/younger woman isn’t exactly fresh—but the second half completely won me over with unexpected turns and sharper emotional stakes. I’m glad I stuck with it. Also, special mention to Ophelia, easily the best roommate ever.

Overview: Charlie has her foot in the publishing world with the cool, indie feeling player of the Big 5 publishers. Even though she's just an assistant, she's rising fast through the ranks, lives in a great townhouse with two of her co-workers and best friends, and her life is truly coming together. Then she meets Richard while on a smoke break from work. He's an author she's idolized, one of her mother's favorites. And he takes an interest in her. The book chronicles their affair and the fallout that follows. Overall: 3.5

Characters: 3 Charlie is well meaning but insecure. She tries hard, but she's also plagued by a sense that she's out of place, not coming from the typical posh background of those in publishing. She's proud of where she's gotten but always looking for external validation. Charlie's always felt like an outsider and long struggled with depression which became worse after the sudden death of her mom. Charlie has a lot on her plate and is sympathetic in many ways, but she's also a difficult character to fully get behind because she does often treat her friends poorly and rarely gives back the heaps of effort and care that she is given. Eddy and Ophelia, her main best friends, are always there for her, even when she pushes them away repeatedly over her relationship with Richard. They have an endless amount of love and care for her and take her back at every disappointment.

Richard is tough. He falls into the same character problem that I find with nearly every old man who engages in an affair with a younger woman in books. We're told they're magnetic and interesting and so undeniable, but they just seem awful and old and undesirable and manipulative on the page. We're reading the novel in a first person account by Charlie, and yet, beyond this being an author her deceased mother loved, I can't see why Charlie would've entertained this man for five seconds when the job that she loved was on the line. The biggest issue is that we're told that Charlie loves him, that he's amazing, that she's infatuated over and over. The only ways its shown is in moments of her dropping her friends for him. I understand Richard is a bad guy and the novel is telling a story of abuse. We should recognize that he is a monster. But to effectively tell the story in the way Williams has decided too, she needed to give us a bit more insight into what made Richard human and interesting and compelling. He was so one dimensional and obviously awful that it made the book feel almost pointless to read. I just kept wondering why she would ever ruin her life for this man, and a first person story like this should really make me understand her point of view before it all came crashing down.

This is especially obvious when William writes in a contrasting love interest option. But she made this character so wonderful and perfect and gorgeous and endlessly understanding that it only makes the Richard situation worse. Yes, I get trying to use this character to make the point that her affection for Richard is compulsive, but I struggled to get into the narrative because of her pervasive flatness of this central set of characters.

I did really appreciate how Williams evolved her relationship with her family and her boss over the course of the novel, and those threads were really lovely and refreshing in a somewhat flat collection of characters.

Plot: 3 This book is fairly bloated. I usually don't love this category of books of women reflecting on their affairs with much older men when they were very young and vulnerable. I find they often feel flat and not compelling in the characterization like I described above. But there were enough other facets that I love that I decided to give the book a go—London, publishing, a cool friend group. And the first few chapters, I couldn't put the book down. I felt compelled to keep reading late into the night as I learned more about the world Charlie inhabited. While it felt like there was a lot of telling and summary from the start, the world was rich enough that I was thoroughly intrigued. But it couldn't keep up the pace or the interest as Charlie's world narrowed down to just being a series of fairly repetitive meetings with Richard over the course of the book where the reader isn't let into her head enough to understand why she keeps going back over and over again. It gets fairly monotonous and frustrating. And then it feels like every so often, Williams remembers that things need to happen in a book, stakes need to be raised. But this is delivered in the form of a series of all too convenient plot points. Nothing feels natural, and it doesn't help make the story more compelling. The convenience just got to me in a deeply frustrating way.

I feel like this book would've benefitted heavily from a closer edit. There was a lot of repetition that didn't need to exist, a deepening of character that could've happened in the real-estate instead, and an effort to make the plot feel less contrived. Such a strong start really just did not pan out.

Writing: 3 There's certainly something interesting and compelling here. I chose to read every day after work and late into the night. I had a curiosity about where the book was going even when it frustrated me. Sadly, what I thought made the book great weren't the focuses of the book. This was made worse by the fact that there just seemed to be a lack of development. Despite how long the book is, there was so much basically summarized to the reader for full chapters where scenes were skipped and the information wasn't brought to life.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This one was really freaking good. Extremely raw and emotionally charged. Charlie was painfully relatable and I loved being in her head. I wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything will be ok. I like reading about flawed characters that grow and learn throughout the story. The ending was just what I needed as well. I will keep this one close to my chest for a while.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really hoping to like this one more than I actually did. The premise was giving Sally Rooney vibes, which is always a good time to me. And yet, something about it didn't fully land.

The story follows twenty-three year-old Charlie, who works in publishing. When she encounters Richard, a much older, distinguished (and married) author, the two embark on a secret affair that - you guessed it - is incredibly toxic. Not sure how anyone ends up in this kind of scenario without anticipating its downfall, but the author seems to attribute it to the author's youth and reverence for Richard.

While with him, Charlie isolates herself from her friends and family. Her entire world seems to revolve around the time she gets to spend with Richard, despite him treating her pretty poorly throughout. The author does a decent job of demonstrating the clear power imbalance between them. Richard is frustratingly manipulative throughout the entire story, making it pretty painful to see the protagonist make such poor choices to remain on his good side.

But there's something to that, obviously. As frustrating as it is, that's not what I disliked about the book. Rather, the middle felt very drawn out. My interest waned at several points. I attribute this mostly to the overly prose-y writing style. By comparison, the end kind of came to a head very quickly (almost jarringly).

Overall, I'm glad I read it, but definitely don't see myself reaching for it again.

OMG this book hurt to read (complimentary)!! Who among us hasn't been romantically stupid at 23? It's literally part of life? So yeah part of me wants to shake Charlie and part of me gets it!! But Charlie's journey gets very dark as her relationship goes south (huge mental health TWs!!) and that's where I went from wanting to shake her to wanting to hug her. She was brutally honest and raw and my heart broke for her.

Richard is demonic but I do think it's an important story to be told because we all know this does happen in real life. I really don't want to give him any more space this review though!!

Usually I like books that have a light, airy feel to them and this one was quite dark and gloomy? Idk if this makes sense but it was giving winter?? So it did take me a second to shift into that vibe, but once I was there, I was blown away by the writing and the rawness of the story. Lmk if you have questions about potential triggers, because I'm not sure they're really being mentioned in reviews, but I definitely recommend this one!!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC <3 <3 <3

I finished Bitter Sweet last night and… I couldn’t sleep for hours. This book absolutely wrecked me—in the best, most cathartic, heart-squeezing kind of way.

It was hard to get into at first—not because it’s slow or badly written (it’s not)—but because it’s so emotionally raw and triggering. It touches everything: grief, depression, panic attacks, anxious attachment, toxic relationship cycles, manipulation, power imbalances, sexual assault, and that deep ache for male validation. It’s suffocating at times. But also painfully real.

I haven’t been through what Charlie went through exactly, but I saw myself in her. The obsession. The emotional highs and lows. The way you keep trying to be “enough” for someone who keeps you small. It hit hard.

What I loved most, though, was where the story went. The found family. The life-saving friendships. The slow, fragile steps toward healing. Therapy, resilience, and softness after the storm. It doesn’t promise a perfect ending—but it shows that healing is possible. Slowly. Messily. But truly.

I really believe most things are solvable—with time, a strong support system, and good professional help. But you have to want to do the work. You have to choose to show up for yourself. This book captures that beautifully.

And honestly—you need people. Friends and family who love you enough to stand at the edge of your darkness and say, “I’m not leaving without you.” I’m so grateful I had that. I was in that dark place for months, and it was my family’s patience and love that pulled me through. I’ll never stop being thankful for that.

Bitter Sweet doesn’t offer easy answers—but it makes you feel everything. And somehow, in the middle of all that pain, it gives you just enough hope to believe in finding your way back.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the ARC. I need to go get a physical copy ASAP—this is the kind of book I want to underline, annotate, and carry with me as a reminder that even in the darkest stories, healing still finds a way in.

Charlie is a publicity assistant at a London-based book publisher when she gets to meet her idol, literary author Richard. Thirty years her senior, Charlie has always loved his books, which she shared with her deceased mother. Charlie starts up a secret affair with the married (allegedly, unhappily) and fairly famous author (think Jonathan Franzen). What could go wrong?

I really liked poor Charlie, bad decisions after bad decisions, and all. I loved her devoted best friends and her surprisingly interesting boss. I hated Richard, as I think you are supposed to, but he was truly selfish and predatory. All this makes for a fairly juicy novel. This was more literary than I'd expected, but read easily and it really reminded me of how much I can enjoy a well-written book even if it's not as light as some summer reads.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

4 stars- omg i loved this. charlie finds herself fully enthralled in an affair with a famous author, who happens to be one of her idols. thank you netgalley & the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Bitter Sweet is a raw, and uncomfortable at times, book that dives deep into the emotional unraveling of Charlie, a mid-twenties assistant publicist at a London publishing house. When she meets Arthur, her literary idol, she’s instantly pulled into his orbit. What follows is a year-long secret affair where he wields his fame, power, and experience while she clings to the illusion of romance.

The dynamic is hauntingly reminiscent of the lyrics in August by Taylor Swift. Charlie is “August,” hopelessly infatuated with someone who never intends to fully love her. She convinces herself this is what she wants, even as her body and mind tell her otherwise. It’s a toxic, male-dominated relationship masquerading as romance, and the writing captures that ache beautifully.

This is a cautionary tale about losing yourself in another person, ignoring the people who truly care for you, and learning, often too late, that love built on secrecy and power imbalances isn’t love at all.

An unfortunate story about a man in power taking advantage of a young woman. Charlie is 23 and just starting out her career in PR. She has incredible friends and a busy exciting new career then meets a man that changes everything.

The way that Charlie was written was genius! She was incredibly irritating but at the same time you can see your younger self in her actions and insecurities. Also, I think Ophelia was the best friend ANYONE could possibly ever have!

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this title.

I can't say that I enjoyed this book but I was totally engrossed by it. It made me feel so many emotions and brought me to tears a few times. I gave this book 5 stars because it really made me feel and that is what a good book does. I am also still mad at Richard.

Dnf‘d this book at about the 30% mark so as i do with dnf‘s i will give this a neutral 3 stars. I liked the beginning but when the fmc took it upon herself to make the most irresponsible and predictable decision ever i kinda lost interest in the rest of her story and couldn‘t get myself to keep reading.

Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams is a gorgeously written, emotionally raw debut that explores the long reach of childhood grief, the messiness of desire, and the quiet unraveling of a life shaped by loss.

The novel is deeply character-driven. The story is told through the voice of Charlie, a young woman navigating the literary world and an age-gap affair with a much older man. Williams doesn’t flinch away from the complications of trauma, self-destruction, and longing, which makes the book both moving and difficult to stomach.

Williams writing stirs up real emotion and compassion, especially for those who’ve experienced grief young or known someone who has. It’s hard to read at times, but it’s honest. I’ve never been someone to shy away from an emotional read and this is definitely something I would recommend to others, especially so you’re a fan of authors like Claire Daverley and Sally Rooney.

Thank you to @netgalley and @ballatinebooks for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️ 4.5/5
📚 Out now from @ballantinebooks / @orionfiction / @randomhouse / @hattiewilliamswrites
🛑 TW: sexual assault, grief (loss of parent), depression, disordered eating, alcohol abuse, infidelity, self-harm, suicidal ideation

#BitterSweet #HattieWilliams #BookReview #NetGalleyARC #LiteraryFiction #AgeGap #Bookstagram #GriefFiction #MessyWomenInBooks #PublishingHot #DebutNovel #4andahalfstars

Bitter Sweet was a touching and heartfelt novel. I felt myself getting lost in Charlie’s world while also reflecting on what my own life was like in my early 20’s. Her affair with Richard was devastating, in a “Girl get it together” kind of way. The way Williams explore their power dynamics was refreshing. I will be happy to recommend and look forward to what Williams has next for us!

Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams will not be for everyone, but it was for me. I love a character driven sad book to mix into my readings and this was it for me. This was so good. I could not put it down. I hadn’t felt like that about a book in sometime.

We had a vulnerable young lady (24), fresh into her new job in publishing whose mom died when she was 16, our main character, Charlie. Then we have a much older (56), established, best-selling author, who is married, and just happens to be the author of the book Charlie is working on, Richard. I thought this felt like such a real portrayal of an affair with a person in power and not being able to see outside your relationship while in it. Charlie was so vulnerable. I felt for her so deeply. She has the best friends and they didn’t have to be. Swipe for lines I loved.

Side note I pictured Richard as Richard from Gilmore Girls and I know this is wrong. Richard in the book is more handsome, but that is just how my brain pictured him.

This book did such a great job showcasing depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges. Which sometimes made for a frustrating read because you wanted the main character to make different choices, but you also could really understand her underlying motivations and feelings that were leading her to make the ones she was making. I will definitely pick up future books by Hattie WIlliams

DNF 25%. Just couldn't get into it, which is rare for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams was high on my list of summer reads [link]. It’s about a young woman working in publishing in London who falls for a much older author who is the star client of her agency. Chaos, and a full menty b, ensue. My friend M. and I recently spoke about a category of books he classified as “twenty-something women with ennui” and this falls squarely into that genre. I really enjoyed the peek into the publishing world and the prose was well written. Ultimately I don’t know how much more there is to do with this genre. Sally Rooney pretty much perfected it. Last summer’s Green Dot was an interesting coda. I did like the ending though, which, without too many spoilers, underscored how maybe living an exceptional life is less fulfilling than a happy ordinary one.

I really enjoyed this novel which centered on a young book publicist who becomes entangled in a consuming affair with her literary idol. The story is as much about personal unraveling as it is about romantic infatuation. Raw, hard to read at times, but does an incredible job of describing a young breakdown and the importance of strong and important friendships.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

Ooofff i slogged through this book. Charlie, a young publishing literary agent, finds herself fully emerged in an inappropriate relationship with her idol, an older married author represented by her firm.

It was painful to read about Charlie, her struggles and her choices. I couldn’t connect with her at all but also had a hard time sympathizing with her given her lack of thoughtful decision making.

I received an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.