This was a multi leveled mystery. You have a missing mom but you also have a past of abuse that has been processed in any of the family members.

DNF at 20%. This book was far too dark for me. The Tone, the writing, the unlikeable characters.. The religious overtones also threw me off from the beginning.

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter by Samantha Crewson is a dark and emotional debut that explores family trauma, redemption, and the complicated ties between sisters. Thirteen years ago, Providence Byrd ran over her mother in a single act of teenage violence that left her a convicted felon and fractured her family beyond repair. Now, when her mother disappears under suspicious circumstances, Providence returns home—determined to finally confront her abusive father and uncover the truth. But old wounds resurface, particularly with her sisters Harmony and Grace, each carrying scars of their own and conflicting visions of what reconciliation—or revenge—should look like. As Providence wrestles with vengeance, forgiveness, and her own haunted past, she must decide what matters more: justice or redemption.

Crewson’s writing is sharp and poignant, with flashes of brilliance that made me stop and reread. The themes of abuse, trauma, and resilience are heavy but handled with care, and Providence is a compellingly flawed protagonist whose strength and determination linger with you. That said, the pacing was uneven at times, and some sections felt drawn out, which pulled me slightly out of the story. Still, for a debut, this was gripping and emotional, with a rawness that I appreciated.

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter is not a light read, but it’s an impactful one that shows the messy, painful, and sometimes redemptive truths of family. I’m looking forward to seeing what Samantha Crewson writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

⛧Every Sweet Thing is Bitter by Samantha Crewson - Messy. Brutal yet beautiful. Painful yet cathartic. This book is a walking contradiction, and I loved every minute of it. Having grown up in an abusive household, these sisters' stories hit me harder than if I had grown up in a loving family. The only part I didn't love was not getting any closure on the murder... like we did, but we didn't.

This audiobook is narrated by Lindsey Dorcus

•Thank you to @dreamscape_media & @crookedlanebooks

What a great debut novel!

There are lots of tough topics in this book and I like that the author gives the trigger warnings up front! The protagonist is flawed but a fighter and she refuses to be the victim! We cheer for her throughout the book especially when she slips!

The book is well written - and handles the multiple difficult topics in a clear, concise voice. The violence was tough to listen to as I was gifted the audio but the narrator, Lindsey Dorcus, does a really good job in delivering the story. Her characterizations were good; she kept me engaged. I enjoyed the pace of the book and would absolutely listen to another book read by Lindsey.

Can't wait to see what Samantha Crewson does next!

Thank you to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review Every Sweet This Is Bitter.

Just finished listening to Every Sweet Thing is Bitter on audio, and wow... I wasn’t ready for the emotional gut-punch this story delivered—in the best possible way.

This book is raw, beautifully written, and full of those quiet moments that sneak up and wreck you. The narration pulled me all the way in—I felt like I was living inside the story, feeling every ache, every stolen moment, every heartbreak.

It’s not a light read—it digs deep into grief, love, and everything messy in between. But there’s also hope. So much hope. The kind that shows up slowly, like the first light after a long, dark night.

Honestly, this one’s going to stay with me for a while. If you're in the mood for something emotional, poetic, and real, give the audiobook a try. Just… maybe keep tissues nearby.

📖 Book Review 📖

📙🎧 “Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter” by Samantha Crewson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Published January 1, 2025

A well-written, suspenseful debut about Providence Byrd, who 13 years ago ran over her mother with the family car. Her mother survived, Providence went to prison, and years went by. Providence has a job, a life but when her mother disappears under weird circumstances, she comes home. Providence decided finally to confront her abusive father, Tom Byrd, since she believes he is guilty of whatever terrible thing has happened to her mother. The past is messy and left many wounds for Providence that never healed. Her younger sister’s Harmony and Grace are  just as damaged as she is. Honestly, Providence is an amazing, well-written, full-depth main character, and I enjoyed reading about her and her flaws. She made the story and readers feel for the sisters and the flawed family, they came from. Alcoholism, addiction, suffering, rumors, and tiny town secrets made this a mystery and family drama I won’t forget.

#somanybooks #readsomemore #audiobooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

This book was well written but unfortunately it wasn't for me. Very hard things to read about, too dark for me.

thank you netgalley for the ARC and all thoughts are mine own.

This one was a little heavier than I expected. What a life Providence has led. For such a heavy family drama, I was a fan of the mini twists that caught me off guard.

Such a rough family life that led her to do some unthinkable things. She made tougher choices in her short life than I have in my much longer one.

It's gritty and well written and as emotional of a story that it is, which I am not usually a fan of, it also had me not able to stop reading.

Lindsey Dorcus did this one justice as she brought this tough story and family to life.

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter is a haunting, razor-sharp debut that doesn’t flinch from pain, violence, or the complicated, blistered love that binds a broken family together. Samantha Crewson delivers an unforgettable story of trauma, reckoning, and the fragile hope of redemption, with prose so visceral it practically bleeds.

Providence Byrd is a protagonist you won’t forget. Thirteen years after committing an act of violence that shattered her family, she returns to the wreckage she left behind, not just to uncover what happened to her now-missing mother, but to confront the monstrous legacy of her father’s abuse. What unfolds is a gripping, emotionally layered exploration of generational trauma and the battle between justice and forgiveness.

Crewson masterfully balances suspense with emotional depth. This is not an easy book, but it is a necessary one. It asks big questions about guilt, rage, love, and whether breaking a cycle means confronting it or walking away from it altogether. Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter is a stunning debut that will leave you gutted, and grateful, for its raw, fearless honesty.

The pacing of the audiobook is deliberate but absorbing, matching the novel’s introspective tone while keeping listeners on edge as the mystery of their mother’s disappearance slowly unravels. Each character is distinct without veering into caricature. The narrator delivers a searing, pitch-perfect performance in the audiobook edition of Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter, elevating Samantha Crewson’s already powerful prose into something unforgettable.

At 17, Providence ran over her mother with a car in an attempt to kill her. She was imprisoned, reformed and set free, only to receive a call years later that her mother was missing. She may be the prime suspect. Now she has to face her past traumas and go home, back to the place that scarred her. She just knows her father was involved in her mother's disappearance and has to find a way to prove it. We get a glimpse at her childhood and meet her sisters and father, and get a better sense of why she was locked up in the first place. Will they find her mother? Will she confront her father? Will her sisters ever forgive her?

I enjoyed the characters. I actually want to be friends with Providence. She was brave and relentless. I hated her father and learned to like her sisters. The people all felt real to me. I also enjoyed this audio version. The narrator was perfect for the role.

This may be one of my favorite debuts! Immediately upon finishing, I went to double check the author had not written anything else yet. Needless to say, I am looking forward to what she comes up with next!

Thank you Netgalley & publishers for an advanced audio copy of the book.

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter by Samantha Crewson

🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠

When I saw that a fellow reader I admire had a debut novel coming out I was so excited and jumped at the opportunity to read an early copy thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.

Marketed as perfect for fans of Lisa Taddeo and Tiffany McDaniel, some of my favorite authors, I knew this would be right up my alley and I it really was.

The story centres around Providence who has a violent past gets a chance at redemption after near fatally reversing over her mother some thirteen years prior. Imprisoned and estranged from her family until her mother disappears years later under suspicious circumstances and she returns home to face her past.

This was so compelling and had me hooked from the first chapter, I love a redemption story that is messy and nonlinear, it really resonated with me both personally and as a reader, I think the comparison to Tiffany McDaniel is valid in that we have strong women in the story who have been through it, they are not perfect but they are ultimately good people and I was so invested.

I listened to this on audio and the narration was brilliant, captured the suspense perfectly.

Even though I had the ebook I had to buy my own copy as a trophy for the shelves! I highly recommend if you love a dark suspense, why not make this your next pride month pick?

The audiobook of Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter, narrated by Lindsey Dorcus, does a great job bringing the story’s raw emotion and tension to life. Her performance captures the grit and complexity of Providence’s character, making the heavy themes of trauma and family drama feel immediate and personal. The pacing keeps you hooked through the twists and emotional ups and downs. While some listeners find the characters hard to connect with, Dorcus’s narration adds depth that helps maintain engagement. Overall, it’s a gripping listen for fans of dark, psychological suspense who appreciate a strong narrator bringing a messy, emotional story to the ear.

This one is very heavy. Providence was a great character. Morally gray for sure. What a life.

Sad family drama. Excellent read.

Audio was very well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC.

Providence Byrd is a convicted felon. She did time in prison because years ago. When she was young, she shifted the family vehicle into reverse and ran over her mother, injuring her terribly. The life Providence knew was forever changed. When she got out of prison, she never returned to her hometown or her family. Thirteen years later, her mother disappears under suspicious circumstances. Despite her familial estrangement, Providence returns to her home in the hopes that she can held find her mother and address the estrangement between her and her sisters. But addressing the estrangement, for her, means confronting her toxic and abusive father.

As the community searches for Providence's mother, the distance between her and her sisters pains her. Sisters Harmony and Grace are scarred by Providence's attempt to kill their mother, years ago and both have ideas about what their reconciliation with their sister will look like. However, neither Harmony nor Grace has any illusions about their toxic father. They know he is trouble. Harmony encourages Providence to make him pay. Grace wants Providence to forgive and forget.

This book explores the dynamics of a home shadowed by domestic violence. This needs to be talked about more. I felt helpless, at times, as to the way Providence was treated and as a young women, just couldn't speak up for herself because the consequences were dire. I thought the twists in the book were well done and the domestic violence was well handled. The narrator was also top notch.

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter is one of those novels that sneaks up on you. Not just in its tension and slow unraveling, but in how deeply it explores what it means to survive damage and still manage to shape something meaningful from the wreckage. This is a haunting, emotionally layered story about family, accountability, and the generational weight we carry. But more than that, it is about the quiet kind of strength it takes to keep moving forward in a world that was not made for us.

Providence Byrd is sharp, complicated, and deeply human. Her return home is both a reckoning and a quiet plea for healing. The emotional terrain here is raw and real, especially in the way the story portrays sisterhood—tender, bitter, fractured, and laced with longing.

My own relationship with my sister isn’t quite like the one between the characters in this book. We’re ten years apart, and that age gap shaped us in very different ways. But there’s something sacred in the shared history you have with a sibling. The inside jokes. The memories you squabble over. And especially with a sister, there’s a shared lens, even when your view through it is completely different. You are shaped not just by what you experience together, but by what you each carry alone.

It is also deeply refreshing to read a story where queer characters are fully centered. Not as sidekicks or comic relief, but as whole people with messy pasts, real dreams, failures, and the kind of complicated agency that feels lived in. The representation is natural and rooted in the characters’ lives, never added as an afterthought.

This is a book about what women endure and how we respond. We weather loss, violence, abandonment, and grief. And somehow, we continue. We adapt. We gather what we can and patch together a life that, if we are lucky, holds moments of grace and even joy. There is power in that, and Every Sweet Thing is Bitter honors it.

Hoo boy, this was quite the ride and I was hooked from the first few minutes of listening. Providence is a flawed human being that is firmly in the morally grey area. At seventeen she accidentally runs over her mother (she was aiming for her father) and goes to prison. Many years later her mother goes missing and Providence comes home to help find her (and prove her father is responsible). She is not welcomed by the town, her sisters, or her abusive father with open arms. I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns even though they were heartbreaking and I was left hopeful for Providence's and Grace's futures.

Apparently a book store isn’t the only place I can’t be trusted. I went in to buy birdseed and came home with so many flowers! I needed the brightness to lift my spirits after reading Every Sweet Thing is he Bitter by Samantha Crewson.
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I was destined to read this book! @CrookedLaneBooks sent me a copy, @NetGalley and @DreamscapeMedia gave me an audiobook copy and I picked it from Book of the Month. Thank you all.
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It was so well written that I immediately became immersed in the lives of these characters. The book left me unsettled because I empathized with the women so much and hated what they had lived through. It wasn’t an easy read, but a good one.
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Thirteen years ago, Providence threw the car in reverse and ran over her mother, injuring her severely. She spent time in prison for it and stayed well away from home and her family once she was released. When she gets word that her mother is missing, she returns home to help in the search and hopefully reconcile with her sisters. If she can get evidence that their abusive father is behind the disappearance of her mom, that would be even better.
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There are some twists and some tender moments, but definite animosity and hard times as well. I honestly did not love these characters, but I felt like I understood them and wanted so much for them.
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Gritty, tragic and real, this one will stick with me awhile. I think I need to go plant some flowers now.

This novel dives deep into the complexities of family trauma, fractured sisterhood, and the messy quest for both justice and healing. The premise is undeniably powerful—Providence's return home after years of estrangement carries emotional weight, and the tension between revenge and reconciliation is compelling. The story is sharp and unflinching, but the emotional intensity sometimes overshadows the pacing, making it harder to stay fully invested. A worthwhile read with strong themes and voice, even if it didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

✶ Every Sweet Thing is Bitter | Samantha Crewson ✶
🎧 ALC - Audiobook
★ ★ ★ ★ ➌.➐➎ /𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜

Thank you partner Dreamscape Media and #Netgallery for the Advanced Listeners Copy!

💭 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:

This book was heart wrenching but yet so empowering with deep depths of revenge.
Providence Byrd, a once troubled woman with a violent past that everyone in town knows her. The incident where complete rage took over and before she knew it she put the family car in reverse and ran over her mother.
She returns home when she finds out that her mother has gone mysteriously missing. As her family is already known and the talk of their small town, Coming back has haunted her to ever feel free.
Not only is she back to find her mother but she returns to face the old wounds and demons of her past. Including her abusive father.

As a lover of books that make you deeply feel I felt the emotional trauma Providence went through from her past. You see her try her hardest to save and be there for her siblings all while feeling rejection but in the end they all needed one another.

Abuse is a hard thing to overcome especially when it involves a family member that is suppose to care for you and protect you. You see Providence crumble to her past but prevail to her worst enemy, that’s also including herself.

If you have any triggers for self harm, mental and physical abuse this book may not be for you.

As it does have these elements I would recommend it to those who would love a medium paced, suspense that gives you the relief of knowing that there is hope and resilience to overcome anything and everything.

⁕ PUB DATE: April 22, 2025
Every Sweet Thing is Bitter is brought to you by Samantha Crewson, Dreamscape Media and Crooked Lane Books!