I absolutely loved the first 75% or so of this book, but the ending felt rushed and the twists just seemed obvious and not well thought out or intricate.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved all the twists and turns towards the end! Great story! And well written. I was eager to find out how the story would turn out!

Thank you Netgalley and Samantha Crewson for arc in exchange for honest review.

The premise of this story was very intriguing and I was curious where it go. Providence wasn’t a likable character but she went through so much pain and suffering at the hands of her parents , I felt bad for her and her sisters when it felt like everyone else in community turned a blind eye.

Overall I enjoyed the story and was going to rate it 4 stars but the ending didn’t leave the best taste in my mouth. Seeing what the fate was for her different family members was frustrating and it felt like some characters weren’t needed for the story. I’d still recommend this novel as it had good scenes .

3.75 star review of Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter

What it’s about:
Thirteen years after a violent act that tore her family apart, Providence Byrd returns to her small hometown to search for her missing mother—and confront the abusive father she believes is responsible. As old wounds resurface, she must choose between revenge and redemption, while navigating fractured relationships with her two sisters.

My thoughts:
This is a gritty and twisty, trauma-filled family saga about three daughters scarred by their father and a past that won’t stay buried. The story explores toxic family dynamics, flawed and morally gray characters, and the power of chosen family. I enjoyed the book—it’s messy, emotional, and compelling, with a dark undercurrent that lingers. If you like dark family sagas this one is worth a look!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

providence was aiming for her abusive father when she reversed the car and hit her mother. in the way these things seem to go, her mom tells the authorities that there was never any physical abuse happening at home and that providence just had a major attitude problem. this saddled providence with a criminal record that would change the trajectory of her life.

thirteen years later, providence's mother goes missing and she heads back to town to meet up with sisters grace and harmony, one of which desperately wants to reconnect and the other, well. she just wants providence to stay in her lane and stay out of the way.

this was a gritty exploration about the ripple effects of abuse and addiction, teasing apart the emotions related to being betrayed by someone that you're supposed to be able to trust the most in the world on behalf of a person that's constantly choosing to hurt you. i think if you go into this book expecting a thriller, then you're going to be disappointed. this is no classic "thriller". there's no real twists, just the dissection and eventual outcome of one woman's bad choices and how those choices inherently changed the lives of the children she was supposed to love.

TW/CW: Language, toxic family relationships, domestic abuse, physical abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism, death by suicide (attempt), cutting, sex (graphic), abortion, Alzheimer's, blood, violence

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Thirteen years ago, Providence Byrd threw the family car in reverse and ran over her mother. Even though she survived, that single instant of teenage madness made Providence a felon and irrevocably altered her life. When her mother disappears years later under suspicious circumstances, Providence tells herself that returning home is her chance to find closure after a prolonged estrangement from her family. Never mind that this is only half of the truth: she’s also returning to finally confront her abusive father, Tom Byrd. Nothing can stamp out Providence’s certainty that he is guilty of whatever terrible thing has happened to her mother.

As the search unfolds, Providence is haunted by the wounds of her past, none of which cut as deep as the distance between her and her younger sisters. Harmony and Grace are both uniquely scarred by her attempted matricide, and both have their own idea of what reconciliations might look like – if reconciling is even possible. Harmony urges Providence to make their father pay for his sins; Grace begs her to end the cycle of violence that has haunted their family for generations. As her thirst for vengeance collides with her desire to heal her relationships with her sisters, Providence must decide which she values more: revenge or redemption.
Release Date:
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. I liked Providence

What I Didn't Like:
1. 1,000 mentions of choke cherry pie
2. Lame ending
3. Story falls flat by the ending

Final Thoughts:
Wow that ending was so lackluster. Connors dad killed her. Then Providence goes to her dad's and kills him. Oh but everything works out and she gets everything she wanted.

Is it me or are synopsis' getting longer?God, they are actually hating her because she hit her mother. I get it but she survived. They are just acting like she's dead or something.

This book feels like so much back and forth that I was looking forward to the end to come. I just thought it was okay for what it was but the circles around how her mother is missing and her dad was terrible just kept hitting us over the head with it. One time - okay, twice - yeah, but more than that and it was too much.

Drove me up the wall the amount of times I read choke cherry pie, which is a pie over never heard of before this book.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for letting me review this audiobook, Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter.

This thriller was impossible to stop or even pause while listening to. You could not dislike the characters in this novel. They all have internal and external issues they are fighting, but that makes the reader, want good things to happen to/for them even more.

This audiobook was so gripping because one person in a family is basically disowned due to an accident that was meant for someone else. However, the main character seemed to be the most put together than the rest of the family and friends, even though she was the one who was sent to jail.

The title of this book, is one in a biblical perspective. There is a lot of religious parts in this book, and the daughter that was sent to prison is the only one in the family that seems to know the Bible. The family was raised religious, but were all far from a religious family.

This novel shows that no matter what a person has done, they can still be redeemed and loved. It also shows that the person sitting next to you at church, could be a killer, domestic abuser, or molester. It really makes you think about this when/if you go to church. A family may be raised in the church, but the family could be completely terrible.

You will want to root for the main character, even though everything (the mistakes) is thrown at her feet and anything bad is the main characters fault. However, are they all her fault? Are they all her mistakes? Can she be redeemed? Can everyone in this novel be redeemed?

Read this book to find out. I highly recommend this novel, because you fall in love with all of the characters, even more so, with their flaws.

#ad mad love for my advance copy @crookedlanebooks #partner
& @dreamscape_media + @netgalley #partner for the ALC

🅴🆅🅴🆁🆈 🆂🆆🅴🅴🆃 🆃🅷🅸🅽🅶 🅸🆂 🅱🅸🆃🆃🅴🆁

What a fantastic read this was!

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter by Samantha Crewson is an emotional thriller/mystery that is impossible to put down. Providence is a relatable character with a gut-wrenching background.

When their mom goes missing, Providence comes back home - but not everyone is happy to see her face. Having spent five years in prison for running over her mother, coming home is bitter-sweet.

A wonderful - though tough - read that I fully enjoyed. I loved the exploration of sisterhood, even if on a sadder note. You can see how generational trauma - violence against women, alcoholism, etc., has far reaching consequences and destroys everything in its path.

I also love how the story touches on the real issues that reservations face. All the liquor stores, which I feel were a strategic move, and the issues they cause. Though some reservations declare themselves as “dry” there’s nothing stopping liquor stores from being places just outside the reservations. I watch a phenomenal documentary on it once but cannot for the life of me remember what it was called.

Def recommend this one.

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter tells the story of Providence Byrd, a woman who returns to her hometown to her two sisters and dad after her mother disappeared. Several years prior, Providence spent time in prison for attempting to run her mom over with a car and as the story unfolds we learn what actually happened on that day all those years ago, the abuse Providence and her sister’s endured, as well as the recent disappearance of their mom.

I’m surprised by the lower ratings on this book, because I enjoyed it a lot and it was close to a 5 star read for me. It was a slow burn mystery and I found myself invested in the story despite the slow pace at times.

Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to an advanced reader copy of the audiobook of Every Sweet Thing is Bitter. This was a strong debut novel and I look forward to reading future work by Samantha Crewson.

This book was a very interesting read. I would have liked it to have a little more plot twist. It was the first time I have read anything from this author. I would read her next book.

This was a good book about three girls life. This does have some hard topics but it all in all a good story with some mystery wrapped inside.

This isn’t a thriller so much as it’s trauma dumping with active abuse happening. There’s a small mystery for a portion of it but once that’s solved, there’s nothing left but misery.

It’s horribly realistic and unrealistic at the same time. It’s not poorly written but there isn’t substance here aside from the terrible abuse the Byrd family encounters & enacts. 2.5/3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy of this audio. I found the storyline on this to be a little bit slow. I liked providences character, but I just didn't understand why she didnt tell her siblings upfront that she was trying to kill their dad and not their mom I feel like that wasnt revealed until the end and i didn't really understand why. I feel like if i read this instead of listening on audio I may have enjoyed it more.

Dark, twisty thriller with a lot of trauma, but also a lot of recovery. I really enjoyed watching, not just the main character, but also many of the side characters grow and changed throughout the story. This is one where you have to be highly careful with the trigger warnings, there is a lot of child abuse in it.

I hadn’t heard of this one until it was an option for Book of the Month, so I snagged it! Then of course, grabbed the audio from Dreamscape Media as well. I really didn’t have many expectations for this one and hadn’t seen many reviews, but I was blown away by it. I loved the heart in it as well as the mystery! They said perfect for fans of Tiffany McDaniel, and that’s all I needed to hear! It is high praise for a book, but it lived up to it! I honestly can’t believe there isn’t more hype surrounding this one! A story of abuse, neglect, hope, survival and found family. It is full of hope and love! The audio was so good, highly recommend this is any format!

A great debut book for the author! This was a heavy thriller but overall a decent read. Thanks for the opportunity to listen.

4.5 stars (rounded up) - Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ALC of ‘Every Sweet Thing is Bitter’ by Samantha Crewson.

Wow, wow, wow — what an incredibly written novel, and a debut at that! The prose is stunning, emotional, and deeply affecting. I never would’ve guessed this was a first-time author based on the quality of the writing.

This story is raw and heartbreaking in all the right ways. The description captures it perfectly: “Sharp and poignant, ‘Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter’ is a stunning novel that eschews picture-perfect endings and dares to tell a story about a resilient queer woman and her relentless determination to persevere.”

While it’s not quite a thriller and doesn’t lean heavily into suspense, it gripped me emotionally and left me feeling reflective and oddly at peace.

It’s a beautifully crafted book — just be sure to check the trigger warnings. It covers intense themes like addiction, mental health struggles, and domestic violence.

A powerful, unforgettable read. 💔📚

Dark and gritty, this was a good debut!

Providence returns to her small town home after her mother (whom she nearly killed 13 year earlier) disappears. She's certain that her abusive father is guilty of whatever has happened to her mother. Estranged from her 2 sisters, Providence is hoping to reconnect to them as well as protect them. She has to decide whether she wants revenge or to end the cycle of violence and abuse.

Providence is as flawed and morally grey as a main character can be but you can't help but root for her. While there is the mystery of their mother's disappearance, this is a character-driven story surrounding an extremely dysfunctional family. When the big reveal regarding her mother comes, it's very abrupt and quickly glossed over. The ending is a stretch but if you like a good revenge arc, you'll be satisfied by it.

There are very heavy themes of addiction, abuse, self-harm and more so be prepared.

I've been sitting with my thoughts for a few hours now and I still don't know what to say. I bought this from BOTM but I also received a free ARC of the audiobook, which made this much less of a chore. I'd recommend the audiobook over the regular book. Also, I found the ending to be supremely unfair and I hated it. Good writing though.

I enjoyed this one, but it felt like it was missing something to make it really good! While I enjoyed it in the moment I also think I’m going to forget a lot of what happened very quickly.

The narrator and audio production was really good!