I absolutely loved this audiobook. I thought the narrator was fantastic. I thought the main character was likable and I was rooting for her. This had action and I was here for it! Highly recommend this book!

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter - Samantha Crewson
Pub Date - 4/22/25
Rating - 3/5
Trigger Warning(s) = self-harm, child abuse, domestic violence, and references to sexual assault
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this gifted advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

What I liked:
- LGBTQ+ incorporation in the book
- The themes in the book such redemption, second chances after incarceration, love for the family. Very emotional and pulls at your heart strings

What I didn't like:
- The pacing of this book was VERY slow. There were times I nearly DNF'd, but stuck through to the end
- The ending....without giving anything away for me was a little like WTF? I didn't understand Providence's choices there

This was a great debut. I knew from the synopsis that it would be filled with heavy issues and deep family emotions. And it definitely was these things, but I was left feeling uplifted by the end of the novel. This is listed as mystery but it also reads as women’s literature. It is explained as a showdown between revenge and forgiveness. The story is about Providence Byrd who returns to her hometown because her mother has gone missing. The reason Providence has not seen her family in years is because as a teenager she put the family car in reverse and ran over her mother. Her mother survived but that single instant of madness made her a felon and altered her life. Providence comes back to reunite with her younger sisters and wants to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. She wants to prove that her abusive father somehow had something to do with it.

I listened to the audio and felt the narrator was believable as the main female character. She became that character. I felt she also did the other voices well. I only felt the loss of a male narrator at some of the scenes with her father. I felt they would be more intimidating with a male narrator. But I enjoyed the audio version and it kept me invested.

Usually, I can always see parts of myself in characters and relate to them in some way but in this case, I couldn’t resonate with the FMC but this did not take me out of the story. I still empathized with her and rooted for her. The story had some unexpected twists and turns, but was filled with depth of emotion that you can feel from each character. This book has dark themes, heart aching issues, but it is a great reminder about family, love and loss and the power of friendships. It is a good depiction of childhood abuse and its effect on the adult. Check your triggers but read or listen to this one!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. This is a dark gritty family drama. It is an excellent debut novel and I would definitely pick up another book from this author.
The audio narrator was excellent. I found her to be easy to listen to.

Audiobook Review: Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson

I received this audiobook from NetGalley, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to discover new authors and share my thoughts.

This was my first book by Samantha Crewson, and I thoroughly enjoyed both the narration and the story. The narrator, Lindsey Dorcus, did a fantastic job conveying the emotions of the characters, making the listening experience deeply engaging. Her performance added depth to the protagonist's journey, capturing the nuances of pain, resilience, and hope.​

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter is a gripping debut that delves into themes of family trauma, redemption, and the complexities of forgiveness. The story follows Providence Byrd, a woman with a troubled past who returns to her hometown after her mother's mysterious disappearance. As she confronts her abusive father and reconnects with her estranged sisters, Providence must navigate the delicate balance between seeking justice and finding peace. ​

I also want to mention that this book was my "Book of the Month" pick for April, and it did not disappoint. The combination of a compelling narrative and powerful narration made it a standout choice.​

Thank you again, NetGalley, for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. I'm looking forward to exploring more works by Samantha Crewson in the future!

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the early Audiobook.

This book was hit and miss for me. First I loved the themes of redemption, family and finding justice. I thought there were really well done and the setting in small town middle American made it feel like it could be any small town, anywhere in the country.

I really wanted to like Providence and a main character but a lot of her reactions to different events in the book felt over the top to me. I love a good flawed character but at times she just really drove me crazy.

This book is dark and make sure to check your trigger warnings before you read.

I did think the narrator did a fantastic job and I really enjoyed listening to her tell the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and if you are a fan of a dark thriller I would recommend you checking it out.

3/5 stars

A gritty family drama about the pain we inflict on our loved ones and trying to atone for unforgivable mistakes, this book would be a great read for someone looking for flawed, but complex characters and family dynamics.

However, be forewarned this is not a happy story about family reconciliation. It’s a story about suffering, and boy does the main character both receive and inflict her fair share of suffering.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this was a hard book to listen to. there is so much heartbreak and trauma that the bird family has endured. providence was a fascinating character though, and had a lot of growth despite everything.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Samantha for the advanced copy of the audiobook.

I rate this book a 4/5. This book was a treat, the story kept me engaged the entire time, and the characters were interesting. I felt angry, sad and proud of Providence and glad she somewhat got her "happy ending". It was nice to see a lesbian character without only focusing on it and making it her entire personality, but a part of her. I truly did not like Zoe, she took advantage of a someone grieving, but appreciate her helping Grace. I am also curious to try chokeberries now haha.

The narrator was excellent and was a good choice for the book.

Congratulations Samantha on your book and wish you success!

This book is both uplifting and heartbreaking. I can’t imagine having the relationship the sisters do with the father, and how that must just destroy their relationship with each other. I devoured this book!

📚Every Sweet Thing is Bitter by Samantha Crewson

⚠️CWs for self-harm, homophobia, incarceration, sexual assault, rape, incest, alcoholism, substance abuse, child abuse, domestic abuse, car accident, dementia, and more

Story: 3/5
Audiobook: 3/5 (narrated by Lindsey Dorcus)
Length: 9h42min

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was a solid debut novel! The pacing was incredibly slow, so don’t go into this expecting a fast thriller. Every single character was unlikeable and painfully flawed in their own way. It was very reminiscent of Long Bright River, especially with the slow pacing and small town dynamics. I think the mystery itself was a little simplistic and lackluster, but I thought the characterization was done well. I'd be curious to see what Samantha Crewson comes out with next.

I received an ALC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ❤️

This book sucked me in right away and kept my attention the whole time. It’s a pretty dark story, but very well done and an excellent debut. I loved the main character. The narrator was great and I listened to it very quickly.

The plot of Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter initially pulled me in — the synopsis promised a compelling mystery set in a small, rural town grappling with deep-seated issues like addiction, abuse, and long-buried secrets. Samantha Crewson does an excellent job portraying life in a small community, especially highlighting how generational struggles with addiction ripple through families and affect everyone. The setting felt authentic, and the themes of redemption, abuse, addiction, and long-held secrets were handled thoughtfully. It’s definitely a heavier story, both in subject matter and tone.

That said, the narrative ended up feeling repetitive. A lot of time was spent diving deep into the characters’ backgrounds but also just the slow life happening around them, which made the pacing feel slow. Honestly, it could have been a short story — there just wasn’t much development around the mystery of Providence’s missing mother. Her disappearance, and the investigation surrounding it all felt more like background noise than the driving force of the plot.

Some characters felt like they were added just to reinforce Providence’s outsider narrative rather than being necessary to the story itself. Zoe’s character, in particular, seemed inserted mostly to highlight Providence’s feelings of isolation, but her role didn’t really go anywhere meaningful. Similarly, Gil and Conner felt like convenient additions rather than fully developed parts of the story — incorporating flashbacks with them could have given their presence more emotional weight.

On a minor note, I also found the title hard to remember, even while reading. It’s beautiful, but it doesn’t stick easily.

In the end, Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter had a strong emotional core and important themes, but the plot and character development didn’t come together in a satisfying way for me.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I really disliked our characters, especially our main one. It all seemed way too far fetched and I lost interest completely.

Thank you for the audio in exchange for a review!

This was an easy and gripping suspense. I liked how the plot line was different from anything else I read. I love a good mystery and this didn't disappoint.

This book was a mess. I was so excited to read it because the premise is really great, but sadly the reality was a big let down. There were just so many parts of this book that felt off and were hard for me to believe. If her sisters were abused by their father the same that she was, why would they not believe her that she was trying to run him over instead of the mother?? That makes zero sense. And her personality was so hard to believe. She was just such a hodgepodge of personality quirks that none of them seemed to fit together. She's addicted to biting herself, plus she's addicted to tattoos, PLUS she's also addicted to plastic surgery. I'm sorry, but pick a lane.

And the book just moved SO slowly! I was almost halfway in before anything big really happened! I could listen to the book for a full hour and the storyline had hardly progressed. Just way too much description - over describing every feeling, every memory, everything that surrounded her. It was just intensely repetitive! And I guessed who the real killer was about 60% into the book. Thought maybe I would be wrong and be pleasantly surprised, but nope. What a disappointment.

UNPUTDOWNABLE!! Another great thriller mystery that absolutely hooked me. A debut novel about family trauma, forgiveness, and survival, wrapped inside a suspenseful mystery. It is NOT a fun family reunion, but it is a great 4🌟 read!

This is a pretty strong debut novel!

Trigger warnings: suicidal ideations, abuse - physical, mental and sexual, addiction

I did enjoy seeing Providence’s journey from her release from prison and the bond she forms with her estranged younger sister. The emotional toll they go through with the grief of their missing mother, the trauma of their childhood growing up - even to present day and the healing of finally getting away from a situation that’s not ideal.

You can feel the desperation for family, the realization that family isn’t always blood but sometimes it comes from found family.


Lindsey Dorcus does a fantastic job with the narration of this book. I thought her voice gave the perfect amount of darkness to the story.


Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewsome kept me guessing from start to finish. I was hooked, trying to piece together what exactly landed her in jail and whether her mother was truly missing—or worse. The story doesn’t shy away from the hard realities the girls had to endure; the abuse they suffered was absolutely heartbreaking and had me feeling every ounce of their pain.
Despite all the darkness, there’s a strong thread of hope woven through the story. In the end, providence won out, and that reminder of resilience and survival stayed with me long after I turned the last page. Samantha Crewsome masterfully shows that even in the bitterest moments, there’s a sweetness worth fighting for. I will also be finding out what choke berry pie is.

3.5⭐️ rounding up to 4

There were a few things about the main character I didn’t feel were necessary and filler. I also did not like the character names it made it hard to keep everyone straight at first.

The overall story was moving and powerful and interesting. But just not a fan of the characters and some of the side story/topics. Check the triggers. There were also some things that never were answered of discussed.

I did enjoy it, it was good enough to finish, I wanted to find out the end but not a re-read in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audio version, I picked this book as my book of the month pick so I also have it printed.