I was immediately drawn into Rhonda McKnight's most recent book Bitter and Sweet. The story is told by Tabitha Cooper, a strong and independent Black woman in the South; her story begins in 1915. The other two storytellers are contemporary day sisters Mariah Clark and her estranged younger sister Sabrina Holland. I loved the voices of each as they wove a story of family, food, betrayal, sorrow, joy, reconciliation and love. I was very impressed with the author’s portrayal of life for a woman struggling to be independent in the south in the mid 1900s. As a retired YWCA professional and longtime member, I especially liked the inclusion of the YWCA Colored Branch of Charleston and how it provided relevant instruction for many young women and also helped to facilitate moves to northern states to flee Jim Crow. She also included the impact of the Spanish flu, and the painful, yet at times beneficial outcomes, of "passing as white. While i could have read an entire book about Tabitha, her great granddaughters, Mariah and Sabrina's stories also touched my heart Bitter and Sweet is a moving, realistic and significant book; I am grateful to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Publishing and Rhonda McKnight for the opportunity to read an ARC. My review reflects my honest opinion. 4 stars.

What a lovely read! I am from the South so books placed in the Carolinas hold a special place in my heart. The multi generational aspects of this book along with the flashbacks made the reader easily able to immerse themselves fully. The story of two sisters and family origins left me wanting to read more and I'm hoping that there will be a sequel. Bravo!

Grab a cozy blanket and your favorite snack and dive into this beautifully written story about two estranged sisters who not only need to save their family diner but their relationship with each other and themselves. This book gave me all the feels. From the first scene where Mariah mentions muscadine wine, I was hooked. I knew this story was for me! Like Sabrina and Mariah I too spent my summers in South Carolina and my grandaddy grew muscadine grapes! I instantly remembered the taste of those grapes I loved so much.
And even remembered me and my cousins stomping them so my grandaddy could make wine. I loved every aspect of the story especially the past storyline of their great grandmother Tabitha and how her life journey influenced and inspired her descendants. Sabrina and Mariah's relationship was complex and real. This is a story about faith, forgiveness and finding yourself in the place that never left you.

Originally called back home by their grandmother, two sisters believe they are being asked to return home to see about their ailing grandfather. However, they quickly learn that their grandmother has other plans. With good intentions, she tasks the feuding sisters with the job of restoring the family’s restaurant that has existed for many generations. Shouldering challenges of their own, we watch as the sisters not only rebuild their family’s legacy, but find healing and work towards rebuilding their personal lives and relationship with each another.

I love a good book centered around familial connections because often it comes with a message or messages that I need at that very moment. This book fed my soul. I enjoyed the stories of past and present. Witnessing things unfold for the sisters brought me joy and was proof that sometimes you have to take the bitter with the sweet because eventually things will work out.

Two estranged sisters are called home at the behest of their grandmother. They must save the restaurant that's been in the family for decades.

Then there is the story of Tabitha. Their great-great grandmother.

It's the way I devoured this book. I loved Tabitha's story. The way she persevered in the early 1900s, wow.

One quote from the book that sums up a lot "Honey, this bitterness is not serving you"
Sometimes we choose a certain emotion because that's all we know.

I love the way God was talked about it this book. It didn't feel forced. It felt natural.

The topic of therapy was real. The fear that people face when confronted with their weaknesses.

It's the way this book had me so emotional. Bitter and Sweet is about grief, family, their relationship with God, overcoming bitterness & shame.

It's okay to go back home.

Bitter and Sweet is the poignant story of feuding sisters, a family restaurant in danger of closing, and a family legacy that is worth recovering. Mariah, a successful entrepreneur and wife, is reeling from a broken marriage and stalled career while Sabrina is navigating housing insecurity, grief, and feelings of inadequacy. When their grandmother summons the sisters home to South Carolina’s low country, Mariah and Sabrina have to put past grievances aside in order to save the family restaurant and their relationships with each other.

McKnight’s focus on family history and lineage reminded me of Toni Morrison’s Rootedness: The Ancestor as Foundation and Alice Walker’s In Search of my Mother’s Garden. Ancestors are the foundation in this story, and the lessons they provide are passed down through generations in letters and in recipes. The way women are constructed as the glue holding families together is so important. In a time when women are relegated to subservient roles and marginalized, McKnight’s woman are community builders, nurturers, and entrepreneurs who pass their talents and wisdom down to the next generation.

I loved this dual timeline, dual perspective narrative because it allowed the reader to journey back in time with Tabitha Cooper, and it allowed us to witness Mariah and Tabitha Holland heal in real time. Through letters, Tabitha Cooper’s story of resilience during the Jim Crow period provides life lessons and motivation for both Mariah and Sabrina as they learn more about their great, great grandmother and themselves.

One of my favorite parts of the book are moments where Gullah culture and language are highlighted. The recipes and dialect are a nice touch, and it made me feel like I was hearing the language and part of the culture when the characters, both in the flashbacks and in present day South Carolina, spoke and cooked. I want to learn more about Gullah culture and history.

This book felt like characters searching for home and love across different timelines. In the end, the characters find what they need most and what they desire most in the homes they never truly left in Georgetown, South Carolina. Though the journey back for Tabitha, Mariah, and Sabrina was sometimes bitter, their home held the sweet love they needed to heal and to prosper.

Loved this book! Highly recommend.

This book was good. The family went through a lot and I liked how each person had a point of view. I also liked how they incorporated the past too.. to show the history of not only the restaurant but what their family went through to get to even opening the restaurant. This book also made me hungry lol! This book was a great way of showing how family goes through things but with some talking and working things out, things will get better.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review! This book was so warm and atmospheric and had just enough conflict to keep me Into interested! 4 stars

4.5 STARS!
This is the second book from this author that I have read. I must say I like this book even more than the first, and the first was very good also. I can tell the author took time to conduct research, which added to the richness of this story. This is a beautiful chronicle of family history, complex generational relationships, sisterhood, and second chances.
The book covers two timelines, one in the present, and one in the early 1900s. There are also 3 POVs among the two timelines. Both timelines are well-written and integrated successfully without confusion.
Mariah and Sabrina are two sisters who don't have the best relationship, and the two are brought together when their grandmother summons them both back to Georgetown South Carolina. Each sister has their own issues and problems, but soon they will have to work together for the good of the family. The second timeline from the 1900s, is the POV of Tabitha, the great-great-grandmother of the sisters. Tabitha has her own struggles, as a single mother, trying to make a living during segregation.
I am a fan of historical fiction, so I looked forward to each time the story turned to Tabitha. I could have read a full book of Tabitha's story!
The present storyline, covers some complex, timely themes, including therapy. I love the themes covered in this novel.
This is a great read!
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson - Fiction for this read. This was well done. The book was written smooth. Not one chapter was too long. The book was just a great love story that passed through generations. A story of resilience. Well done.

Title: Bitter and Sweet
Author: Rhonda McKnight
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Bitter and Sweet" by Rhonda McKnight

My Perception:

'Bitter and Sweet' was an interesting, powerful story about grief. The main characters gave the reader much to think about long after reading. We are given a story of 'several generations of a family that had their secrets, struggles with marriage, life, disappoints, self-discovery, forgiveness and healing, grief, sorrow, redemption, and struggles.' The story was about how this grandmother tried to restore peace and love in this family. Will it happen? I enjoyed reading about Mariah, Sabrina, and Tabitha's stories. These Gullah people were very interested in reading about their recipes and community way of life in the trials and tribulations that families endure. I loved how the power of forgiveness turned out to be such a wonderful thing for this family.

You must pick up this good read to learn why these two sisters came home in the first place.

Thank you, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book.

I didn’t expect t to be so emotional with this book.
I loved the backstory we were given about Tabitha. I never thought I’d gravitate towards historical fiction, but I have recently and I love it! This book had everything from family history to family resolution.
Mariah and Joseph were my least favorite characters throughout my reading. I just didn’t think they could get any worse, but they did. Their issues added to the overall plot of the book and definitely made some sense by the end but some things just weren’t necessary.

The way Sabrina was able to make something out her time of darkness and less than, phenomenal woman!

This book was everything I didn't know I needed. One of the many things I love about Ms. McKnight books is her ability to capture the essence of family - the good, the bad, and everything in between. This was historical fiction at its best!

Sabrina and Mariah are sisters, but you wouldn't know it. Both are dealing with heartbreak and childhood trauma. Their grandparents call them to their hometown to help revitalize their restaurant. Mariah and Sabrina are like oil & water...they just don't mix!

There is a dual storyline about their great grandmother Tabitha. It details her teen years, to her family life, all the way to opening her restaurant. Along the way, we read about the hurt, betrayal, and losses that she faced.

This book was amazing. I honestly can't say which storyline I liked better. They were both engaging and pulled me all the way in. I felt a range of emotions while reading: sad, hurt, angry, happy and I even swooned a few times lol.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for my ARC.

This was indeed a bitter and sweet story. I loved how the author blended both the historic and contemporary aspect of the story together and how it flowed perfectly.

I loved the characters and how amazing they were. Mariah got on my nerves a couple of times but I did understand why she was the way she was and empathised with her. I'm glad she worked on herself to get better.

Tabitha, Sabrina and Mariah's trails and tribulations were gut wrenching to read about but it was what made their victories and joy so heartwarming

overall, I did enjoy the story, I just wished we had more of the Mariah and Dante romance.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the ARC!

A great read for the black community with so many generational issues addressed in impactful ways. The characters throughout this story are in many situations and experience many hardships that could make them victims, but they never succumb to that mentality. Resilience and strength abound in this feel good love story throughout the generations.

*I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review*
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First off, I want to thank Rhonda McKnight, Thomas Nelson Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this upcoming novel!! I am so appreciative.
Back in February, I read The Thing About Home and became absolutely enthralled with McKnight’s storytelling, so when I heard about the release of Bitter and Sweet, I knew I had to read it. This novel hit so close to home for me. One of the reasons I so love reading is relating to the stories being told, and feeling the comfort and support of not being alone In those experiences. At the same time, I love stepping outside of my own experiences and into someone else’s. This story gave me both of those things. It’s about the human existence, familial relationships, connection, and overwhelming faith. I felt so much for these women and their complex struggles. I loved watching them come out on the other side and learning that its okay to not do things alone. To not live in the shame of past mistakes. Their strength to move forward was truly inspiring and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
McKnight does dual storylines so well. I felt the emotion in her words.
There was just a bit more I would’ve liked from the story for it to be 5 stars, mostly just personal preferences of getting more background on Mariah and Sabrina’s relationship and more about Tabitha’s journey, but overall, this book was a beautiful journey!

I love me good storyline that offer visions of family gatherings and history...Bitter and Sweet by Author Rhonda McKnight offers how the past and present collide!

As you turn each page, you'll be swept away by the beauty of tradition and the resilience of the human spirit. "Bitter and Sweet" is a testament to the enduring legacy of family where the echoes of the past resonate deeply in the present.

I invite you to add this one to your reading list and you can thank me later.

This was good -- I enjoyed the past and present juxtaposition and the family descriptions. Plus there was a little bit of food and restaurant descriptions, which I love. There is sadness in this book but I will say it left me feeling joyful. Give it a try!

Bitter and Sweet comes out next week on June 11, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

Hospitals had a way of making everyone seem more mortal by the hour.

“We have to take the good and bad and the bitter and sweet”

Rhonda McKnight does it again with this exploration of sisterhood and motherhood. “Bitter and Sweet” takes us into the lives of two sisters at odds, Mariah and Sabrina, as they must work through their own problems while rehabbing their family’s restaurant. Throughout the book, we get glimpses of how their great-great grandmother Tabby overcame many obstacles to become a Black woman with her own restaurant!

McKnight's writing style is so comforting, in part because it feels so Southern, which is very familiar. I enjoyed the dual timeline because it offered insight into the ever-present struggles of being a Black woman trying to survive and sustain. McKnight does an excellent job of peeling back the layers of the characters, showcasing their vulnerabilities, while also demonstrating their growth.

This is my second McKnight read and I cannot wait to read more! I was also fortunate enough to do an author interview with Ms. McKnight that you can find on Instagram - @kandacewithakreads.

Estranged sisters Mariah and Sabrina are summoned home to save their family’s historic restaurant. Arriving while dealing with difficult challenges in their lives, the Holland sisters must learn from the past, face some hard truths, and settle their differences to keep the restaurant going.

Bitter and Sweet is such a wonderful, multigenerational story! This emotional read told through an alternating timelines explores the bonds of sisterhood, the lingering effects of grief, and the impact of living with regrets.

I truly enjoyed getting to know exacting Mariah and free spirit Sabrina. My heart ached for these women when the root of their estrangement was revealed. Because of all the bitterness these two have experienced, I was thrilled to see them grow and be able to rekindle their sisterly bond so they could enjoy the sweetness that had been missing from their lives for so long.

The story of Mariah and Sabrina’s great-great grandmother Tabitha is simply inspiring. It is through Tabitha’s letters that the sister gain perspective on dealing with life’s struggles and see her resilience in action. These two couldn’t have a better role model.

I highly recommend this moving family saga focused on resiliency and forgiveness.