i did not expect to become as obsessed with this book as I was . being a woman in her late 40s I am not really the target market however I was wanting to read this book ALL the time and that's the sign of a good debut !
Charlie is a character you will love to hate . She is making all the wrong decisions and deep down she knows this herself yet she can't stop , as someone older I wanted to reach out to her and say what are you doing !! You get the feeling from the onset that Richard is fully aware of his power and status and when I found out that the author worked in the publishing industry for some time then it brings to light how this sort of thing goes on in the industry. The early part of the book felt very 'Devil wears Prada' , you can picture Meryl Streep as Cecile , and then once the affair starts the book becomes addictive and tense and sort of has the pacing of a thriller that you can't put down.

There is also such a great friendship group and the friendship side of the story just adds some warmth and comfort to the overall book . It makes the book both bitter and sweet!

A fantastic debut and one that i will be recommending to many

Rating: 4⭐️

This book follows 23 year old Publishing Assistant Charlie as she enters into an illicit affair with a 56 year old married writer, Richard. It explores themes of power, control and silence, as we look at a relationship with an unbalanced power dynamic.

💚 Likes 💚
- Raw discussions of grief as Charlie lost her mother at 16 years old. We see how this loss caused long lasting a ripple effect throughout her entire life.
- Discussions on beauty and power, we look at a relationship which abuses the power dynamics and how this makes someone vulnerable
- The impacts of idolisation, how that often makes us blind to the truth and how this can impact a relationship.
- Reflections on abusive/toxic/unhealthy relationships, how they form and isolate people slowly
- The author does a good job walking us through Charlie’s emotions as she deals with anxiety and depression.
- The friendships and colleague relationships felt real and impactful.
- I liked the epilogue, it perfectly wrapped up the book.

💔 Dislikes 💔
- For a good chunk of the book, it felt like we were lacking character development. Our fmc wasn’t learning anything from her experiences and it started to feel a bit repetitive.

This was frustrating to read, but I think it was meant to be! It’s like when your friend isn’t ready to hear that her boyfriend is an arse, she has to figure it out for herself.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it. It felt very reflective and I think it discussed some very important topics.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

It certainly is bittersweet!

Going back to 2010 Charlie was a single 23 year old girl starting in publishing and, like many of us also have, spent her 20s learning a lot. The loss of Charlie’s mother when she was 16 changes her life. As Charlie is grieving she seeks comfort in 56 year old Author Richard Aveling, who she and her mother both were big fans of. Then an opportunity arises at work, Charlie meets Richard for the first time and starts assisting him with his book release. Richard, who is married, starts to give Charlie attention and this changes everything for her. Keeping secrets from those around her comes with pressure that builds up as time goes on, it’s tense.

Through grieving her mother, as well as the ups and downs of work, friendships, and relationships, Charlie’s story is raw and touching. Charlie is relatable in many ways, and my heart felt her story many times.

This book is a good read for anyone interested in the world of publishing!

Thank you to Hattie Williams, Orion Publishing Group and @netgalley for the ARC of Bitter Sweet :)

This was such a conflicting read. It's incredibly well written, beautiful and reflective prose that instantly makes you feel connected to the main character. I read it so quickly. The relationship at the centre of it was painful to read about though. It captures the whirlwind of falling for an older man, one that makes her feel worldly and a certain type of romance. But one that's always at a distance, always at his whims, never centring her. Evocative and heart breaking in equal measure.

New adult anti-romance
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In a pitch perfect portrait of a young woman whose choices are not entirely her own, Williams puts us right in the centre of Charlie’s consciousness. In her first job as an assistant at a publisher, she meets her literary idol Richard, about thirty years older than her and married, and she has no eyes except for him. When chance brings the two together, the intensity of the feelings between them cannot be denied, and they begin a secret affair that is largely dictated on his terms. Will Charlie be able to manage all the secrecy or will her own past emotional traumas scupper any chance at happiness?

This is not even remotely a romantic novel. Charlie has had a hard hand dealt to her and Richard’s presence in Charlie’s life appears to be the answer to all her dreams; but his insistence on secrecy is only the first warning sign that all is not as it seems, that Charlie is not in control of what happens. When things go awry, Williams shows us such a realistic depiction of mental illness in Charlie’s case that all empathy is centred on this bruised and still aching girl who is yet to find her even keel. Her new adult friends are non-stereotypical, even if her adolescent ones were, and the very well hidden fairy tale tropes of Cinderella and Blackbeard are the happy ending that you want for Charlie, even if they aren’t as well telegraphed as other denouements.

This is a tender and moving contemporary love story that also explores what it means to love yourself. I actually wasn’t sure if I wanted to read another book on heartbreaks and girls making silly choices - I’m sure you would agree that there have been quite a few contemporary fiction books based on the same themes in recent years, but I couldn’t resist and I’m glad I didn’t.⁣
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As soon as I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. Charlie is the main character and the whole book is about her affair with Richard Aveling, a famous writer whose book is about to be published by the publishing house Charlie works for. He’s charming, much older and they feel instantly connected, but he’s also married. Trouble, isn’t it?⁣
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The book actually gives me a rather different vibe from similar others I had read more recently. I like that Hattie Williams goes deep into Charlie’s thoughts and obsession - you almost love and hate her at the same time. The complex emotions and thoughts of a human being, and the naivety of the youth that is easily relatable to many.⁣
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“It must be a small club to be a part of, to have loved and then lost someone whom the whole world has a piece of. Maybe that’s why no one ever warns you.”⁣
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At the end of the book, I really think that the book is not only about loving someone else, but also what it truly means to love yourself.⁣
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Loved it.

This book is amazing. I couldnt put it down. I forgot I was reading it. Such a complex issue written with such skill and I can't wait to see what the author comes out with next.

Bitter Sweet, Hattie Williams' debut novel... and what a debut it is. This story is an emotional and beautifully written exploration of grief, belonging, and second chances. Williams captures the intricacies of both romantic and familial relationships with striking realism.

We follow the main character, Charlie, as she navigates heartbreak and healing. Her journey feels authentic, relatable, and deeply human. I particularly appreciated the sensitive and honest approach to themes around mental health.

The writing is heartfelt without becoming overly sentimental or lost in intense prose. Williams does a fantastic job showing that healing isn't always linear. While some plot points were predictable, they didn’t lessen the emotional impact—instead, they grounded the story and made it all the more relatable.

I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Ophelia and Eddy, Charlie’s best friends and roommates. They felt like a mirror for my own reactions to some of Charlie’s decisions, adding another layer of engagement to the reading experience.

This was a thoroughly engaging read—I found myself trying to steal pockets of time just to keep going. I’d absolutely recommend it to fans of emotional contemporary fiction, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for Hattie Williams' next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC!

This is beautiful and heartbreaking, one of those books I absolutely felt swept away in, and desolate when it ended. It is highly relatable and beautifully crafted with characters with real depth.

One of my reads of the year.

The audiobook is what made this for me, the narrator (Rosie Sheehy) has such a nice, almost ASMR-like voice and it really colored in the protagonist for me.
However, the writing can certainly stand on its own, with the characters, and the protagonist Charlie in particular, being very believable. I think the author portrayed really well why Charlie enters into and stays in the problematic relationship with Richard, making her relatable rather than frustrating.
Impressive debut!

Bitter Sweet is an unforgettable, blistering debut that I couldn’t put down. Hattie Williams writes with such precision and emotional depth that I found myself completely swept into Charlie’s world - heartbroken, hopeful, and deeply disturbed in equal measure.

The novel follows 23 year old Charlie, living in London and working her dream job in publishing. After a lonely, bookish childhood and the devastating loss of her mother at sixteen, Charlie is only just starting to feel like she belongs, finding friends through work and beginning to build a life for herself. Her favourite author, Richard Aveling, who was introduced to her by her mother is not only a literary idol but also published by the company she now works for.

When Charlie and Richard (a married man in his 50s) share a cigarette outside the office, what begins as a surreal brush with fame gradually becomes a twisted and coercive relationship. Aveling is charming, intelligent, and quietly manipulative, a predator wrapped in literary prestige. Watching Charlie fall under his spell is agonising. You want to climb into the book to hold her, to warn her, to scream.

Williams masterfully explores the grey areas of power, consent, and obsession as well as how grief can crack us open in ways that make us vulnerable to the wrong people. Charlie’s trauma is threaded through every interaction; she is still a girl mourning her mother and feeling abandoned by her father, desperate for connection and significance.

This is a book that I hesitantly requested, unsure if I would actually enjoy it or not. It wasn't a terrible book, but I found myself forcing myself to read and finish it, which I think majorly contributed to how I finished the book feeling. I'm not really the biggest fan of forbidden relationships, so this one didn't really leave an impression on me.

Bitter Sweet
By Hattie Williams

My heart needs a little time to recover from this story of intense, overwhelming, toxic love. Richard is a 56 year old, highly respected author at the peak of his career. Charlie is the 23 year old assistant at his publishers, a long time admirer of his work. They embark on an affair that must remain secret because of his marriage, which must not be compromised, and because of how she would jeopardise her job and her future career. But secrets do much more than protect. They also enable control.

This is such a fascinating trope, the subject of so many stories going back to ancient times. It explores themes of gender power imbalances, lust and desire, cultural and societal values and morality.

Williams tells this story in first person from the point of view of Charlie. She brings us straight into Charlie's fascination for this alluring man. As the reader, we can only watch in horror as she falls for his charms despite knowing why she shouldn't. This is a romance that is impossible to root for, and as painful as it is to experience through Charlie's interior narrative, it is horrific to notice all the devices of predatory control that Richard employs so succinctly and successfully.

This story went to a lot of places I wasn't expecting. It is very dark in places. Williams writes so profoundly about the loneliness and isolation of an unequal relationship. She explores the lasting effects of early loss and grief, how it cracks the mold of a person's identity and can lay you waste to layers of vulnerability. She explores platonic relationships with nuance and depth, finding hope and love in friendship, finding home and love in non-blood family and finding care and friendship in colleagues.

This is a debut and at times I felt that, the pouring of everything into the story, but more times I was aghast at the exactitude in the writing. This author is going on my watch list.

Thanks to #Netgalley and #OrionPublishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I first heard Hattie Williams speak about this book at Iceland Noir last year and although it sits outside my usual comfort zone, her discussion intrigued me enough to pick it up.

Having worked in publishing herself for over a decade, Bitter Sweet marks Williams’ debut novel.

We’re introduced to 23-year-old Charlie, a newly hired publicity assistant at the independent London publishing house Winden & Shane. A lifelong reader, Charlie has always found solace in the novels of celebrated author Richard Aveling, especially after a difficult childhood shaped by the loss of her mother and short-lived situationships/relationships with men. So when she finds herself working on his latest book, it feels surreal.

But Aveling, now 56 and married, soon begins to take advantage of Charlie’s admiration and his position. What follows is a toxic, coercive relationship built on secrecy, power imbalance and manipulation. I really felt for Charlie throughout the book and it definitely gave me My Dark Vanessa vibes.

Sadly, a tale as old as time. Charlie is 23 and she's over the moon about her new job and her new life and then along comes Richard. He's a 50 something married novelist who love bombs her. Well, maybe not love bombs but romances her in a way that she's too young to recognize because she's starstruck. Williams has built a strong character in Charlie, a woman who makes decisions she doesn't realize are bad and who wants more. I liked her friend group (she's lucky to have them) but not, no surprise, Richard. This captures an imbalanced relationship from its beginning to inevitable end in a way that's both cringey and unapologetically realistic. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Heartfelt, witty, and full of flavour 🍫💔. Bitter Sweet blends romance, self-discovery, and mouth-watering culinary moments into a charming, feel-good story. Hattie Williams captures the emotional highs and lows of chasing your dreams while navigating love, family, and life’s unexpected challenges. I loved the quirky characters, the humour, and the delicious food references. Perfect for fans of relatable rom-coms with emotional depth.

This was one hard to rate for me, so I haven’t! I really struggled through this, not because it wasn’t brilliant, because it was but because it’s so very relatable, such a real recollection of Charlie’s history and her life with Richard. We go through her complex navigation of grief, her self discovery, her feeling of belonging or not belonging as it were. Her relationship with Richard is that all encompassing love, that kind you think you can’t live without, the trauma of his lies and the affair, to the detriment of Charlie’s life. Charlie’s story covers some tough topics, such as rape, suicidal ideation, and depression.

This truly is a beautiful story of how things will always get better.

This was beautiful and moving story about a young woman in her 20s lost in life and has an affair with a much older married man. It’s tender and emotional, but also very accurate to how a lot of women feel in their 20s, lost and confused and unsure of themselves. It also explores friendship and grief and mental health very well. Look up trigger warnings as there were some sensitive topics explored in this. Extremely well written and really enjoyed it. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

Bitter Sweet is not usually the type of book I would read but the premise intrigued me.
Though at time it felt unsettling and uncomfortable, I could not put it down. The characters were so complex, they felt human; the messiness, their behavior it really drew me in.

A exceptional debut book.

Bitter Sweet is the kind of book that gets under your skin. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. I ended up reading into the early hours last night, completely swept up in its devastating inevitability and unrelenting emotional pull.

Set against the backdrop of the publishing world, Hattie Williams writes with piercing insight into an industry built on perception and power, where ambition and vulnerability often collide. At the heart of the novel is a destructive affair marked by a stark age gap and disturbing power imbalance - one that is explored with unflinching clarity. The dynamics are quietly harrowing and painfully relatable, showing how easily desire can mask manipulation.

What elevates Bitter Sweet is how it handles the deeper aftermath: the messy, jagged experience of living with grief, trauma, and the long tail of mental health struggles. As someone who also lost their mum, though not at as young an age as FMC Charlie, there was a lot in here that resonated. Williams doesn’t offer easy redemption, only realism - and, in that, a strange kind of hope.

The book is also a beautiful ode to friendship and family: the people in your life who show up, who carry the truth when you can’t, and who piece you back together when the world has broken you apart.

Dark, deft, and deeply affecting. This was one of the most compulsive reads I’ve picked up in a long time. An easy five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Books for gifting me a copy of this book. All views are entirely my own.