𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5⭐️
𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮 2/5 🌶️

Every Sweet This Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson is a new mystery that follows Providence a felon who went to prison at age 17 for aggravated assault who comes back home when her mother goes missing.

Trying to rebuild her life and move on from the horrors she faced as a child she attempts to find her mother and get to know her sisters while confronting her abusive father.

I listened to this and read along with the physical copy. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ALC!

I loved how character-driven this book was. It was really well-written and emotionally charged. It took on a lot of hard hitting topics in a way that showcased them but also showed how they can be overcome.

I really enjoyed the narration! They did such a good job! Definitely a good listen.

The one thing that I had a hard time with was the pacing. At times it felt really slow and then it would feel super fast. It kind of gave me whiplash!

I would recommend this to those who like emotionally charged thrillers with a strong female character.

I loved this one and was surprised to find out it’s the author’s debut. Everything here is well done. The writing is terrific and the characters well developed. I enjoyed the mystery and how it played out. Lindsey Dorcus @lindseydorcus is outstanding as the narrator. Every Sweet Thing is Bitter is an April Book of the Month selection.

This book was not what I expected in the best way. It’s complex in the emotional narrative and history of the family and the dynamics between sisters and the parental relationship with each child. And yet this book still manages to pack in reflections on what it can mean to not be able to trust yourself and also some fantastic representation of both native characters and queer women.

And the town itself also acts as a character in a way? Overall, Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter manages to be a great thriller. And one that has possibly the most thoughtful messaging.

Well, I loved it!
I love a story *(drama or thriller or mystery) heavy on family drama with characters who are broken people but trying to do their best.
I loved all the characters and how dark, violent and dangerous the plot turned out to be.
I was invested in the story through the entire book and got actually heartbroken for the conclusion.
The pacing was very decent, in my opinion. The characters sometimes did, sometimes did not read so realistic, but personally I didn't care.
I actually listened to this audiobook in one single day because I couldn't stop. That's how much invested I was in it.
Of course, the great narration done by Lindsey Dorcus was a huge win for me, personally. I loved her narration and it made the listening very easy to go through, including the heavy moments.
I'd highly recommend this book to any mystery/thrillers readers who enjoy dense and heavy dramatic stories about revenge.
The audiobook is a must!

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for allowing me to listen to an audio advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sorry to say this was a total miss for me.

Although the story was solid, I REALLY didn’t like any of the characters… or the plot!

Revolves mainly around Providence, who just got out of jail, and pretty much immediately gets called to go pick up her little sister… from jail… 😫
Providence also has a huge chip on her shoulder, so at times it’s hard to see through all the fog in her head!

Thought about putting this one down multiple times (DNF)…but managed to get through it all. Again, did NOT care for any of the players…

#EverySweetThingIsBitter by #SamanthaCrewman and narrated nicely by #LindseyDorcus.


3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

***** THIS HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED!! Look 👀 for it on 4/22/25!! *****

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and & #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

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It's 2025. There is no reason we should still be calling Native Americans "Indians," especially without any foreword or content warning from the author.

I had high hopes because of the premise, but I found what should have been shocking but believable to be unfathomable. What made matters worse was how flat the characters felt. They all sounded/seemed exactly the same. It was even more frustrating that Providence, who should have a sharp edge to her, seemed like a very basic character with no edge at all, even though through telling (rather than showing), it seemed like the author wanted me to believe otherwise.

Full disclosure: I chose not to finish this book due to its formulaic and (again, despite the premise) all too familiar feel.

I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

Thirteen years ago, Providence Byrd made a split-second decision that would change her life forever—she reversed the family car and ran over her mother. Though her mother survived, Providence became a convicted felon, and the event fractured her family beyond repair. Now, with her mother missing under suspicious circumstances, Providence returns home hoping for closure and answers. But confronting her abusive father and navigating the shattered relationships with her sisters, Harmony and Grace, forces her to choose between revenge and redemption. As old wounds resurface and loyalties are tested, Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter unpacks the long shadows of trauma, the complexity of familial love, and the desperate desire to make peace with the past.

This was a phenomenal debut! All the dark tension and layered family issues made it an incredibly fast and gripping read. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next as Providence returned home to confront her father and help search for her missing mother. The emotional depth in this story, combined with the mystery and complicated sister dynamics, made it both heartbreaking and powerful. This book is ultimately about transformation, reconnection, doing the best we can, and finishing what was started—and I couldn’t look away. Samantha Crewson absolutely nailed it with this raw and unforgettable story.

Providence Byrd ran over her own mother with a car. Her mother, Elissa, recovered, Providence spent some time in prison but her relationship with her family has been estranged ever since and becoming a felon has altered her life forever. Thirteen years later, Elissa goes missing and Providence returns to her small hometown of Annesville, Nebraska. She’s hoping to heal her relationship with her two younger sisters and help find her mother. But she is also hoping to confront her abusive after who she strongly suspects has something to do with her mother’s disappearance.

This book was a heavier read full of trauma. We had the mystery of what happened to Elissa Byrd. But we also had the story of a family who suffered relentless abuse. Providence was a character you rooted for because of what she had been through but at the same time, had some unlikeable qualities so it gave me mixed feelings about her throughout the story. Providence had a traumatic childhood and was failed by so many people in so many ways, including her own family. She felt unloved and unloveable while holding so much guilt for leaving her sisters behind in that environment when she went to prison. This is an intense story of addiction, abuse, self harm, family secrets, betrayal, redemption and healing. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. The narrator did a fantastic job!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an opportunity to listen to an ALC of Everything Sweet is Bitter in exchange for my honest review.

This is a review of the audiobook version, narrated by Lindsey Dorcus.

Samantha Crewson’s debut novel “Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter” is an explosive story of a fractured family, a tale that’s gritty, raw, and continually traumatic. It’s headed by Tom Byrd, an alcoholic bully and liquor store owner who regularly beats and abuses his wife and three daughters. Elissa, his equally alcoholic and codependent wife is a distant and cruel mother to Providence, Harmony, and Grace.

This is totally Providence’s story — who at 17 years old put the family car in reverse and aimed for her father, but instead ran over her mother. Her mother survived to endure and drown out even more spousal abuse. After thirteen years, thirty year old Providence, now a self-harming ex-convict but steadily employed tattoo artist, returns when her mother goes suddenly missing to discover if the obvious suspect, her father, was responsible.

The story is filled with trigger warnings and is told in Providence’s first person POV. Narrator Dorcus, an audiobook veteran of multiple genres, brilliantly brings Providence to life. She’s not a totally likable character and her thoughts are dark and depressing, but Dorcus imbues Providence with a strength and determination that I came to admire. This already incredible debut gets enhanced by a terrific audio narration. 4.5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Zoe has one green eye and one blue eye.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The author does know a lot of correct information about chokecherries, about when they’re considered ripe and that their pits contain cyanide.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advanced listener copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook.

When Providence Byrd returns to her hometown, it's under the cloud of the crime she committed--running her mother over with a car 13 years earlier--that sent her to prison for 5 years. But now her mother is missing and she feels the need to come back to town, to be there for her sisters, even if they don't exactly want her there. As Providence tries to figure out what happened to her mother, her old scars (literal and metaphorical) need to be addressed before she can move on with her life.

EVERY SWEET THING IS BITTER was an interesting novel. Set in Nebraska, it was a setting I don't often read about and therefore, introduced some new elements to how the characters related to one another, and their outlooks on the world around them. While this is technically a mystery (it takes the whole book to find out what happened to Providence's mother), this isn't for the reader looking for a fast-paced, thriller/mystery. This novel is more of a slow-burn, literary meets genre kind of book that has you wondering as much about the relationships between the characters as you do about solving the mother's disappearance.

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter is out April 22, 2025

3.5/5⭐️ 0.5/5🌶️ 1/5😢

Overall an interesting book, and not something I would normally pick up if it wasn’t a Book of the Month pick. I went into it blind, only knowing it was touted as being a “Mystery” with messy characters and toxic families. The book was pretty slow paced, focusing more on character development than a solid plotline, and the mystery seemed obvious to me (and I usually only read with one brain cell bouncing around).

There are a huge of amount of trigger warnings surrounding child abuse, addiction. and graphic violence, so read with caution if you are sensitive.

I received a physical copy as an early release through Book of the Month, but I also listened to the audio which was fantastic.

Special thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely ridiculous. I hate everyone in this town, F*** them all! Those girls deserved so much better.

Description
A woman with a violent past gets a chance at redemption in this upmarket suspense debut, perfect for fans of Lisa Taddeo and Tiffany McDaniel.
Thirteen years ago, Providence Byrd threw the family car in reverse and ran over her mother. Even though her mother 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.
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.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book!

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter
by Samantha Crewson
Narrated by Lindsey Dorcus
Publisher Dreamscape Media
Pub Date Apr 22 2025

So, I just finished Every Sweet Thing is Bitter, and… I’ve got to say, I have mixed feelings. It’s marketed as a thriller, but to me, it felt more like a deep dive into family dysfunction than anything suspenseful. The story follows Providence Byrd, who, at 17, ran over her mother with a car. Fast forward thirteen years—her mother disappears, and Providence returns to her Nebraska hometown to unravel the mystery. Along the way, she reconnects with her estranged sisters and confronts her abusive, ultra-religious father. There’s definitely a thread of mystery, but the journey to get there is… a lot.

The characters are messy, toxic, and, honestly, kind of hard to root for. Most of the book is steeped in substance abuse, trauma, and questionable choices—and while that can make for a gritty read, I just didn’t feel invested in anyone. On top of that, there were a lot of religious references woven into the story, which started to feel heavy-handed and off-putting after a while.

That said, there was just enough mystery to keep me curious. I wanted to know how it would all play out, so I stuck with it. I can see how this book might hit the mark for readers who enjoy darker, emotionally intense character studies, but it wasn’t really my thing. Not a bad book—just not the thriller I was expecting, and not a vibe that totally worked for me.

I was able to listen to this audiobook as an ALC thanks to Netgally. Seeing this on social media, I was intrigued by a new thriller. The story was told from the POV of the main character, coming back to her hometown to face reality. There were so many depths to this story with a few good twists. It was a fun listen!

Thank you Dreamscape Media for my gifted ALC!

I wanted to LOVE Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter because everyone I know has been raving about it. It was an easy no brainer to make this my Book of the Month pick, but I could not get into this book to save my life, and I gave it until 50% until I accepted that this was just not for me. The writing and narration were good, but it’s a story I’ve heard before a la Stacy Willingham, though I will say I enjoyed that the FMC was unconventional. Maybe this one will be for me at another time.

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter … The title of this book is perfect and says it all! Solid story from beginning to end! A family whose resentment, animosity and bitterness has become the foundation to their relationships. So chock full of dysfunction and trauma that anyone could be guilty.
A book you will not want to put down.

Memorable quote:
“… that is what ghouls do. It feeds your misery to share it with others.”

This was a DEBUT?! I love debut books because they feel like a fresh start and you don’t know what to expect. This book was written so well! Props to the author 👏🏻

Providence must return home after 13 years. When she was 17, she accidentally ran over her mother with a car, and spent five years in prison. Now - she must return home because her mother is missing - but she must face her demons. Her father is abusive and she is estranged from her sisters.

This story is heavy and dark and gripping. Providence is trying to reconnect with her sisters, and the tension felt in those interactions feel so real. A bold, emotional book for anyone looking to get in their feels.

Narrated by Lindsey Dorcus who did a fabulous job detailing the emotion of all the characters.
Length: 9h 42 min

4⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my ALC. Book is out now • audio pub date 04.22.25

I read the e-book in January and thought it was amazing. Thus, when I saw also an audiobook available I jumped at that.

This was a very impactful read that I will remember for a long time and thus if you want a read that is profound this is the book for you.

The life Providence and her sisters lived so unbearable to read about. I have read a lot of books with kids suffering in the foster system but this even worse, their biological dad a monster and they get no real support from anyone since everyone so afraid of him. The life detailed in the book so horrific and the way Providence is self-harming herself to cope is next level gruesome.

Despite all this once I started reading I was so invested in the story and just prayed for things to get better. Thus, I highly recommend this book!

Wow what a debut. Raw, gritty and complicated characters. A story about a family having dealt with a difficult past and how the sisters struggle to move forward. The narrators were perfect! I look forward to the authors next book.