What a heart wrenching, beautifully, written book. It evokes so many feelings and really gets into the heart of the main character.

This was sadly all bitter no sweet. Charlie’s story of loss, mental health and grooming is devastatingly sad and at times infuriating. However, I could not stop reading.

Williams wrote a book that felt both universal yet singular. I saw myself in many of the characters at various stages. And believe she tackled a lot of hard topics with care. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed but for a debut it was great. I’m excited to see what she will write next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I tore through this quickly - Charlie is a young girl making terrible decision after terrible decision; it's almost heartbreaking to watch. The highlight of the story is the friendship between Charlie and her flatmates. They display such love and loyalty helping Charlie navigate such a tumultuous time in her life and it's what I connected to the most. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! It reminded me a lot of The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue, which was one of my favorite books that I've read in the last few years. I love a book with a hot mess young woman, and that's definitely Charlie. She made me anxious, and I really felt for her. I loved her friendships. It was fun to see her try to navigate the world and her relationship. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for this ARC!

This book got me out of a reading slump. I love when a book makes me truly FEEL something, and this one had me feeling so many things. It was immediately ensnaring on vibes alone, but then it became sickeningly suffocating and addictive and awful but still amazing and hard to put down. It was triggering and frustrating and captivating and poignant. Really a great read for me. Very happy with this one. It also reignited my hatred for dirty old men.

Bitter Sweet is a beautifully written, raw, and unforgettable novel that captures the messy complexities of love, power, and self-discovery. Charlie is a tender, vulnerable narrator whose voice pulls you right into her world—her dreams, her insecurities, and the intoxicating allure of Richard Aveling, the man who becomes both her muse and her undoing. The depiction of their affair is devastatingly compelling: equal parts glamour and heartbreak, every page thrums with tension as Charlie is pulled deeper into something she can’t control.

I wanted to like this book, I did. A bookfluencer recommended this and had it on her August TBR so of course I added it to mine and immediately bumped it to the top of the list. Things I loved about this book: the setting (located in England), the FMC profession and the 'world' that comes with it, the strong friendships written. What I did not like: the book is about a toxic affair. Evidently cheating tropes are not for me. I think perhaps it's because I, myself, have experienced a trope of toxic males that deplete a woman's value, maybe it just hit too close to home... maybe it was too relatable. I so badly wanted to shake Charlie and tell her to wake up. I do appreciate how strong her friendships were no matter how much she tried to pull away from them they continue to orbit around her.

Rating: 2/5 stars -- I wouldn't read it again, I'm not mad that I read it and would recommend for certain people, just wasn't for me.

Trigger Warnings:
-Depression and Depressive episodes
-Pregnancy Loss
-Emotional Isolation
-Toxic Male Relationship
-Age Gap/Cheating/Affair

A good read about youth and the pain of growing up. Makes you reflect on your own youth and mistakes and yet your hope..

I could not believe this was a debut novel from Hattie Williams! Charlie felt like a younger sister I wanted to protect from the world. I think my favorite part was her relationships aside from the romance. That was the epitome of chosen family. I didn't want this one to end!

This was like reading a train wreck.. I couldn't put it down, but I was so upset and infuriated at Richard and, at times, Charlie the female main character. Charlotte (Charlie), works at a publishing agency and meets her idol, author Richard Averling. Charlie's mother, who passed suddenly when Charlie was 16, was a huge fan of him and in turn Charlie became a huge fan and feels a connection to him. They begin an affair that starts a horrific downfall in Charlie's life. The way that mental health, power dynamics, and the vulnerability of women to men in positions of power was written so well. This is a book I will think about often, and am already looking forward to what Hattie Williams writes next. I would check TW before diving in. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eARC.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of this book! I think this is one of those books that is better to go into blind without knowing too much about it. I actually really liked the way the relationship between Charlie and the MMC was portrayed. I thought the author did a great job of writing their relationship in a very realistic way. I was invested in their story from the beginning, and it was one of those books that I felt like I could keep reading on about the characters in this world.

A young literary agent meets her idol and the two begin an affair that will upend everything.
I was somewhat concerned that this would feel predictable and like a trope because I’ve read several books that are similar in the last couple of years. Something about the way this was written, however, was smart and poignant. That vulnerable time in our lives when we are trying to find our way, it felt so raw and honest how this was described. I also loved how friendship played into the story and how a great love can destroy friendships and change everything.
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was just okay for me. With the storyline of an affair, I expected more intensity. Not every book needs to be overly dramatic, but even the way the relationship began felt so casual and seamless that you almost miss the inappropriateness of it.

I really felt for Charlie—her childhood trauma shaped the way she neglected herself and led her to make poor decisions. Even her father admitted she should have had help earlier. It’s such an important reminder that we all need to heal our “little selves.”

Richard, on the other hand, was selfish and arrogant. Even when he had clear opportunities to choose Charlie, he didn’t. I can’t respect that.

Overall, it was a decent read, but it lacked the character depth and personality that would have made it truly memorable. For me, it just fell a bit flat.

She is twenty four. She is an P.R. assistant at a prestigious London literary agency. Her name is Charlie. He is fifty six. He is a best selling author, winner of the Booker Prize, represented by that same agency. They begin a passionate affair, an affair that will be both bitter and sweet. It will not end well.

Bitter and Sweet is a dark, disturbing novel. Charlie is a troubled, vulnerable young woman while Richard is a married predator. But those are simplistic definitions. Charlie wants the affair possibly more than he does. She ignores the advice of her supervisor and her friends. As the inevitable cracks start to form in the relationship, she falls into a deep depression, fueled partially by a troubled family history. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I cant wait thread what Hattie Williams writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Hattie Williams for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! This book wrecked me, I loved it. My heart ached for Charlie, I felt as though I was trapped in her experience while reading. It was so uncomfortable to read at times but I was so invested I couldn’t stop myself from continuing. I think the story of the central relationship is all too relatable for many. Deeply tragic yet transformative, left me absolutely sobbing. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Not my favorite sad British girl book I've ever read but not my least favorite. Genuinely pretty solid for a debut. The characters frustrated me in ways I had trouble coming to terms with (minus the angel ophelia) so I think I couldn't fully love it because I felt pretty disconnected from it. If you love sad British girl lit you'll probably love this too.

Bravo to Hattie Williams for her tremendous writing on her debut novel! This book was so raw and real and unlike books I usually read. Full of flawed characters and immense sadness. Charlie grew up feeling like nothing good in life would ever come her way and she seemed to do things to perpetuate that thought. I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good read! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

thank you netgalley, the publisher and hattie williams for the e arc.

this was a beautiful debut novel! i cannot wait to read more by hattie williams. the themes of grief, being in your 20’s & navigating life, and all the emotions it can bring is done soo beautifully. there is so much vulnerability that i appreciated reading about and at times deeply related to. the themes of control and power also shines light to what many may experience and be vulnerable to as they navigate life and deal with romantic partners. the way it speaks to having feelings of intense obsession & that blurring what is TRUE desire and love is done so well. at times i was very frustrated by charlie’s actions and choices but getting to know her while taking into account her age and the layers/ depth there was to her character made me have so much empathy towards her amongst it all. i absolutely loved ophelia and eddy so dearly, one of (if not) the best part of this novel. truly enjoyed so much more than i could’ve imagined. the ending was so beautiful with there being hope amongst the very heavy topics and feelings- ugh will think ab this one for months to come. highly recommend!!! <3
some quotes i <3’d:
“it was like the gates were opened and i was submerged in grief, unable to see the surface, to move or breathe without the weight of it, like an ocean above me, pinning me down.”
“i took a book with me wherever i went so that i felt less alone.”
“we moved around each other like ghosts, like we were the ones who had died, not her. “
“and one day, maybe, just maybe, i would finally find a place for myself in this strange and surprisingly beautiful world.”
“i wasn’t cured of my sadness, that wasn’t going to be possible for me, but i knew it well enough to know what it needed. i knew it intimately, and what i had to give it in order to keep it contained, and how fragile that balance was and always would be for me.”

2.0 ⭐️ . men ain't shit....but this book certainly was. the characters acted extremely odd and not at all like how people IRL would actually behave. the writing felt contrived and forced. the plot had a definite direction and bulldozed its way to get there.

overall, I am incredibly disappointed bc this was an anticipated read for me.

thank you to netgalley, ballantine books and random house publishing for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

BITTER SWEET
BY: HATTIE WILLIAMS

About 4.5 Stars for its Second Half!

I thought that debut Author, HATTIE WILLIAMS first novel called, "BITTER SWEET," was a lot more melancholic than what I had thought it would be. The title didn't prepare me for how troubled most of the novel narrated by Charlotte, also known as Charlie mostly throughout this moving examination that towards the end is summarized by a psychiatrist. How much of ourselves is developed between birth to age five in which are our formative years that shape us into adulthood? I ask myself did Charlie absorb that fear her beloved mother must have felt in terms of trauma caused by her biological father who is later explained to be a "mean drunk"? It's mentioned that Charlie's biological father came close to being abusive enough when he drank to send her mother, and Charlie into the rescue of the stable, but loving father she grew up with that she holds him at arms length, throughout her turbulent life. We as readers can feel her profound pain which was heartbreaking at the traumatizing loss of her mother at sixteen years old. That when I reflect on it a young, and highly sensitive young girl like Charlie would be a crucial time in really most daughters to need our mothers as we navigate our way toward the young women we all become. In Charlie's life that close relationship she had with her mother and her loss haunts Charlie as she is twenty three starting out as an Assistant in Publishing.

A male Author, Richard Aveling is an Author that she read when her mother was alive who no doubt influenced Charlie's reading preferences which from the sounds of one of his books I thought was depressing. He is a 56 year old Booker Prize Winning Author when 23 year old Charlie meets him, and they enter into an affair, since he's married to a woman named Elaine. Their marriage doesn't seem anything close to a happy one with them living apart in different residences. I thought this Author, Hattie William's did a wonderful job portraying how the power imbalances were between a young, depressed, lonely Charlie was so accommodating to his needs, just so realistically. I loved Ophelia, and Eddy who were housemates, but Charlie's best friends. They really helped balance out the darkness as best as they could, and how they could see that relationship between Richard, and Charlie, and even Charlie herself knew on an innate instinctual level was not going to end well. This novel really is heartbreaking, but beautifully written.

I did honestly have grave feelings when I started reading this that it was going to lower my mood by aching, haunting writing. I had to force myself to stay with it which I'm glad that the pacing issue improved by the time I reached 50% it took that long to hook me which now as I'm reflecting back it is a powerfully written novel. I do hold strong at a solid 4.5 star rating. I never before have taken anything from the synopsis and included it in my review, but it is a strong theme, and I was in all honesty thinking about the lack of self love that Charlie exudes throughout the novel until the last few pages. Married men. A Coming of age story in the most painful of ways. You enter this novel feeling very much like Charlie isn't a whole person, and this novel addresses that how obsessed she was with Richard even before they entered their illicit affair, and I'm in no way judging Charlie for that, in fact, I felt very concerned for her and empathetic. She just struck me as needing Richard to complete her. It just seemed that she lost herself I'm pretty certain because her lack of friends before Ophelia, and Eddy, and of course, her losing her mother which seemed to be the point in which she lost herself, as well. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Publication Date: July 8, 2025

Thank you to Net Galley, Hattie Williams, and Random House Publishing Group--Ballantine/Ballantine Books for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.

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