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.

I found this book to be incredibly compelling and, at times, uncomfortable to read, which means I think it absolutely hit its mark. The dynamic between Charlie and Richard was so interesting, and I think that having this be told in Charlie's point of view was impactful because she would continually try to convince us that they were in love and it was a normal relationship, but as a reader looking in, I found myself wanted to yell at her and pull her out of there.

The characters were definitely the front and center of the story, and I adored Charlie's friends. They just felt so real and reminded me of my dynamic with my friends. Overall, a well-written story that had me hooked!

Charlie, a young book publicist at the start of her career meets Richard Aveling, an older, married, successful, author, about to publish his opus novel. During a brief meeting, an attraction develops, and as they move into an affair, life changes for Charlie. The book was a real page-turner for me, rooting for Charlie all the way. Hattie Williams does an excellent job of depicting the exhaustion and isolation of living a lie, the relationship dynamics of power and control, and the sadness and loss of the intimacy of friends, coworkers, and family kept in the dark. Hattie Williams' development of the characters was A+. I found them multifaceted and very relatable. Bittersweet was easily a 5-star read for me.

𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗧 by debut author Hattie Williams tells the story of Charlie, a young book publicist. On the job she meets and falls in love with a much older author who she’s long admired. He also just happens to be married. Charlie knows she shouldn’t get involved with this man. She’s risking her job, friendships, and even her own sanity. She moves from giddy happiness at being able to be so close with him to wildly unstable, doing whatever it takes to protect and secure their relationship. Charlie sees that it can’t turn out well for her, but she’s obsessed.⁣
⁣
While overall, I liked the book very much, it took a while for me to get there. I found the first half to be slow and a little tired. A younger woman with an older, married man is not a trope we rarely see. Eventually though, this story started to distinguish itself, moving in directions I didn’t expect. I’m so glad I stayed with 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 despite my initial doubts. The second half was the real heart of this book. And before I give my star rating, I just want to give a shoutout to Ophelia, the best roommate 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣
Thanks to @BallantineBooks for an electronic copy of #BitterSweet.

I am a sucker for stories about smart women making terrible choices. Charlie is a young assistant at a publishing house and falls into a relationship with a famous and much older author she has been in awe of since she was a child. This is part coming of age, part family/friendship drama - frustrating, beautiful, emotional, and a pageturner. Can’t wait to read what Hattie Williams writes next!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.

Hattie Williams delivers a powerful and emotionally charged debut in Bitter Sweet, a novel that dives deep into the complexities of power, desire, and self-worth. Through the eyes of 23-year-old Charlie, readers are immersed in the intoxicating world of literary publishing, where ambition collides with vulnerability. Williams writes with precision and empathy, capturing the slow unraveling of a young woman swept into a relationship that begins as thrilling but turns quietly devastating. The prose is thoughtful and intimate, and Charlie’s voice feels raw and real as she navigates the blurry lines between admiration and exploitation.

What makes Bitter Sweet compelling is its refusal to offer easy answers. The relationship between Charlie and Richard is layered with tension, magnetism, and an unsettling imbalance that lingers throughout the story. While some moments may feel deliberately restrained, the emotional payoff is worth the slow burn. Williams does an excellent job of showing how even seemingly glamorous lives can hide painful truths—and how reclaiming your voice can be its own kind of love story. A stirring, sobering, and beautifully written novel that lingers after the last page