A beautifully written story. I love how the characters are so well developed and the different points of view. Definitely a book I would recommend.
Thankful for an advanced copy.

Get into it . . . . Get into it . . . GET 👏🏽 INTO 👏🏽 IT‼️ This is my second book by McKnight and she delivered a masterpiece yet again. You know a book is good when it evokes a million emotions out of you. One minute you’re happy smiling, the next you’re emotional and in your feelings, then you become angered by some of the actions of these characters.

Dare you to ask what McKnight brought to the table. She served up a multigenerational family story filled with drama, sisterhood, survival, trauma, family legacy and traditions, with a dash of drama, and a whole lot of forgiveness. The title was so perfect for this book because I felt like Mariah was bitter and Sabrina was sweet. But once you really get into their backstory’s you understand why they behave so differently.

I know I’m not the only one who thought Mariah was gonna do her soon-to-be ex-husband like Helen did Charles in The Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Had she done so I wouldn’t have been against it lol sometimes people need to see what it’s like when the shoe is on the other foot. The dual timelines 🤌🏽 (chef’s kiss) I really enjoyed Grandma Tab’s timeline. Joseph……Joseph…..Joseph‼️

Overall, I loved everything about this book highly recommend y’all give this one a read. It was compelling, immersive, and filled with unforgettable characters promise you won’t put it down. The character development and exploration of their emotions was perfectly executed. I literally sympathized with them all even Mariah. I just knew there was more to her mistreatment towards Sabrina. If you’re looking for a book that’s both heartwarming and thought-provoking, and will leave a lasting impression you found it. Special thanks to @authorrhondamcknight @hearourvoicestours & @tnzfiction for my gifted copy‼️

It is one of the BEST reads this year, hands down! My introduction to Rhonda McKnight and THIS BOOK had me running to download other titles to my Kindle. BITTER AND SWEET is your classic Southern story that includes drama, love, class, heartbreak, and redemption. Without giving away too much, there seems to be some generational hold on the women in the family. In 1915, Tabitha Cooper had a dream to open her restaurant. After cooking for her family she decided it was time to make a living out of what she loved. Years later she runs into a gentleman who she later finds out has an entire family (wife and children) and as her mother does not pass the skin color test, she was too dark to be involved with the deceased.

Tabitha's great-granddaughters are going through a struggle all of their own which mirrors Tabitha's all too well. Mental Health, death, and abandonment are all issues tackled as well in this coming-of-age story!

A MUST READ!

Mariah has been mad at Sabrina from the day she was born. Sabrina is struggling just to make it day to day. Their grandfather has fallen sick and their grandmother summons them to Georgetown, South Carolina in order to help revive the family restaurant. Each of the sisters has their own knowledge of food and the restaurant business, but will they be able to work together to get it where it needs to be. With letters from their great-grandmother and knowledge of the past, they have to figure out how to make it work. Mariah is stuck in her ways and just wants to close down and move on. Sabrina is hopeful for the future and would love for their family legacy to live on. Will they be able to find a way to keep the family tradition alive, or will it all fall apart.

Thank you to NetGalley & Thomas Nelson books for the opportunity to read and review this title.

At first I really didn't like Mariah, she was a B****. After reading more and learning about why she was the way she was, my heart softened for her. I felt sorry for Sabrina. Being in a situation like she was, was very heartbreaking. My sister and I get along pretty well, so it's hard to see sisters not getting along. Learning about their family history was insightful for me as well as for them. This definitely tugged at my heart strings, to see the generations of family struggle and comeuppance.

I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy generational stories.

Bitter and Sweet by Rhonda McKnight was so beautifully written and I couldn't put it down!

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Such a beautiful multigenerational family story! We start with Grandma calling sisters, Sabrina and Mariah, home under vague prentices. They know their grandpa is sick but she doesn't say much. Grandma has a few ulterior motives though and one is for her girls to save the family restaurant. Their stories are told through multiple POVs and dual timelines (which I loved as a historical fiction girly.) It's a story steeped in secrets, shame, and heartache but overcoming it all with love. There's elements of the family's Gullah culture and Christian faith as well. What I particularly loved was it wasn't one of those "let's pray about it" books, but they followed through with action (i.e. therapy.) I loved the main characters (and loved to hate Mariah) and their interactions with the supporting characters. We even get a glimpse of a few budding romances as well. Great- great Granny Tab was my favorite character. Her strength and determination drove her success no matter what obstacles she faced. I just wanted a tiny bit more of her and her restaurant's story. I loved that it worked out for everyone it may have been a little too perfect for me. But in the end, we see Grandma indeed had the recipe for it all! You should definitely grab a copy to see how it all plays out.

Rating: 4.25/5

Rhonda McKnight has done it again with this one. This book flowed so well from the first page to the last. I don’t know what it is about her books, but every time I read them, I feel every emotion and somehow feel comforted by the end of the book.

We are following two sisters in this book who couldn’t be more different. Sabrina and Mariah are brought together by their dear grandmother to figure out their differences, along with revamping the family restaurant. This leads to a journey of healing, love, and understanding.

I loved both timelines, especially Granny Tab’s. Her resilience and strife are a reminder of the foundation that a lot of African American families are built on. Her need to try to figure things out on her own to avoid shame reminds us that if there is a shoulder to lean on, lean on it. Her shame reminds us that epigenetics is real, and we see that carried throughout the entire family. While I loved almost every bit of this book, I do wish we got more of Granny Tabitha’s POV (I’m greedy), and I wish the turn-around for Mariah wasn’t so quick. Some things in the book were almost too perfect for this reader, but that doesn’t take away that much from the story, just something to note.

I have 250 annotations/highlights for this book; if that doesn’t tell you to read it, I don’t know what will. Rhonda McKnight is an auto-buy author for me after this book. She’s earned her place in my book lover’s heart. If you read her work, you will not be disappointed. I’d highly recommend this book.

Bitter and Sweet, by Rhonda McKnight, is a Christian dual time line story that follows Tabatha Cooper, her daughter, and great granddaughters as they all work to keep the family restaurant alive. In the early 1900’s Tabatha starts a restaurant that is past down in her family. Currently it is run by her daughter and her husband. When he becomes ill, she calls her granddaughters home to take over.

This is a well written, easy to read enjoyable story. This story deals with many issues that women find themselves in and struggle with how to move forward. I like how the story shows that God provided the answer to their problems at the right time for each of them. I enjoyed reading of how the sisters worked through not only the issues of the failing restaurant as well the issues of their estranged relationship. This is one of those stories that has so much meaning to it, that it stayed with me after finishing reading it.

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book, this is my honest review.

I was thrilled to get this ARC because I connected so heavily with The Thing About Home, and this book did it for me again. This was such a beautiful story that gave me all the feels. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!

I loved how the author seamlessly alternated between current day and the early 1900s. The dual timelines gave such a unique perspective and had me fully engaged. The story read like a movie.

There were so many lessons and words of wisdom spread throughout this book. I was impressed how the story was able to touch on so many sensitive topics such as PPD, metal health, grief, betrayal, infidelity, family relationships, and more without ever feeling like it was too overwhelming and heavy.

I loved Mariah and Sabrina and was rooting for them both. They were both such strong women in their own ways. Mariah's concern for Jordy was such an extra special piece of the story to me and Sabrina's creativity and tenacity was so admirable. The way they both came running when grandma reached out was also beautiful me because I could relate so deeply with the bond and would've done the same in a heartbeat.

Overall this book was one of a kind and a page turner. I couldn't have asked for more. Rhonda doesn't miss!

#bookworm #bookstagram #bookreview
#blackgirlsreadtoo #fiction #romancenovel #blackromance #blackfiction #arcreview #arcreader #netgalley

Bitter and Sweet is a beautiful piece of women's fiction with a wholesome message. It deals with a wide variety of relationship issues, some of which are not often dealt with in Christian fiction novels. It is a dual-timeline story that focuses on Tabitha Cooper and her great-great-granddaughters. Tabitha was a dark skinned black woman living in a time and place where light skin was prized. While that caused enough complications, she also was the victim of a smooth-talking older man who separated her from her family and made her dependent upon him. Four generations later one great-great-granddaughter is widowed and homeless, her sister going through a divorce and trying to cope with depression on her own. The sisters' relationship is tenuous at best, both continuing to deal with the aftermath of their mother's death years ago.

The character development in this story is masterfully accomplished. The storyline is realistic, and readers will empathize with the main characters, cheering them on as they develop into the strong women they are meant to be. Hopefully some may find inspiration for their own journey to heal relationships and to develop inner strength.

Phenomenal!!! Amazing story with well fleshed out characters. I loved the multiple povs and the past and present timelines. Rhonda does these faith based, historical fiction stories so well and I am a huge fan!! Well done!!

In BITTER AND SWEET, Rhonda McKnight tells the story of Sabrina and Mariah, returned to home to the startling request from their grandmother to revive a failing family restaurant. At crossroads in their everyday lives, the sisters dive deep into hard work, difficult memories, long buried secrets, finding ways to remember, forgive, and forget the bitter for the sweet. I was there with them, felt like they were real people struggling with the realities of beloved ones in failing health, impossible circumstances, and tough challenges in admitting the truth about history, themselves, and the future yet to come. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

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