A very enjoyable dual timeline story about a grandmother and her love for her granddaughters who have a very rocky relationship. As they read letters from the past, they begin to accept their differences and learn to love each other. I recommend this book!

Bitter and Sweet is the tale of two sisters, whose lives are derailed in different ways. Mariah and Sabrina haven’t always gotten along, but they must work together to save their grandparents’ restaurant.

Sabrina stole my heart from the get-go because of her difficult situation, plus the relationship with her adorable daughter, Kenni. Also, she’s super creative.

Mariah is the perfect example of individuals who allow circumstances, people, and relationships to make them so bitter, no one can live with them. Her meanness made me dislike her until way later, when she realized who she’d become.

The story kept me engaged and I rooted for both women to find their happy place and move from where life flung them off-course. Their grandmother was smart to bring them together and have them collaborate on a meaningful project, which helped to repair their relationship.

My favorite character was Tabitha, their great-great grandparent (if I remember correctly). She’s a picture of true resilience. After being tricked and ending up in a bad situation, she did everything to not only survive, but eventually thrive.

The novel was nicely flavored with the food and customs of the Gullah-Geechee people and provided an interesting look at the culture. Some of the language reminded me of Jamaican Patois, so of course I sounded out the speech while reading. 😊

Bitter and Sweet took me through a range of emotions, but mostly I cried for Tabitha and Sabrina because of the awful things that happened to them. At the end of the story, I rejoiced for all the characters who found forgiveness, healing, restoration, and love.

If you enjoy stories about families, their struggles and triumphs, and faith, be sure to treat yourself to a copy of Bitter and Sweet.

Oh My Goodness. I LOVED this story. The care. The tenderness. The love. The way I felt for each and every character. McKnight writing is like a spring night on the porch after the rain, in your favorite rocking chair . It’s refreshing. It’s cool to the spirit. It’s the familiar motion that makes everything around you fall away. It’s like your beverage of choice that can either send a buzz clear through to your fingertips and toes. Or a cool drink that cleanses your palette and send a chill down your spine. Or it good be a hot cup of tea that you hold near that not only warm your hands but warms the soul. Rhonda McKnight is an auto buy author for me because I LIVE for all the feels she makes me feel 🙌🏾

Bitter and Sweet tell us the story of two sisters, whose relationship is not close. At the same time, it tells the story of their grandmother, Tabitha, who struggled as a single parent in the early 1900’s, yet rose above obstacles in her way. It is a beautiful story of survival, forgiveness, and true love. It was great and. I loved it.. I will highly recommend it.

Forgive my grief. These are three of the most powerful words contained in this novel and they sum the story up for me. In Bitter and Sweet Rhonda McKnight has penned an awesome novel showing how great one’s life can be impacted by grief. Not all grief is due to death.

I loved this storyline and the characters. This book will cause you to examine your relationships. Perhaps it could be time to let go of some long standing bitterness you may be holding. It definitely serves as a wake up call for me.

I highly recommend this book. I would give it 10 stars if it was possible.

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

Enjoyable enough story of several generations of a family, their secrets, sorrows, struggles. I know it was an ARC, so I hope by the time it is ready for public publishing many of the mistakes are corrected, such a the day the child is 3 years old before dinner and by sunset she is 4. Incorrect pronouns made it necessary to reread sections of it.

The Past, The Present, and the Future

Rhonda McKnight has once again given us a riveting dual time line story. Going between Georgetown and Charleston, South Carolina. Typical and non typical family drama, a grandmother fighting literally and emotionally to save the love of her life and restore peace and love within her family. My favorite character was Sabriana. One of my favorite quotes is: "I have problems bigger than this conversation."
A must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC of Bitter And Sweet, above is my honest review.

This book deals with family, grief, secrets, and the sweet redemption that lies within the bonds of sisterhood. Two head strong sisters return home to help with the family restaurant and Grandpa’s health issues. This book is a great read and very interesting. You will find yourself falling in love with all the characters and you will be vested in them. I definitely recommend this book for your summer reading.

i received a complimentary copy of this book.......(thank you!!) and these opinions are completely my own..... so when you receive a free copy of a book, you never know what you are going to get! somethimes i struggle through a book and it takes me forever...however i finished this book in only a couple of days! i totally enjoyed it!! i usually love books that go back and forth through time...and this did not disappoint!! i loved the time changes and i loved the on going story of the relationship between sisters! the characters were well developed and interesting! i will put this author on follow and definately read another on of her books! thanks again for the advanced copy, it was a very good surprise!!

I enjoyed this novel! Rhonda McKnight did a great job connecting the past and present timelines, and I was genuinely invested in reading about Mariah, Sabrina, and Tabitha's stories. It was also interesting to see how Tabitha's journey throughout the book held similarities to Mariah and Sabrina's stories. I recommend reading this if you like women's fiction, dual POVs, multigenerational stories, and books that contain past and present timelines. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!

A dual timeline novel, Bitter and Sweet follows the story of Tabitha in the early 1920s and her great-great-grandaughters, Mariah and Sabrina in present day. Tabitha's story of perseverance as an African American woman in a male and white dominated world is inspiring. Though she faced multiple trials, Tabitha never stops believing in herself and her capability to care for her children and those around her. We discover that she has written her story in letters and her legacy inspires Mariah and Sabrina to persevere through their own challenges. Never close the sisters are brought together to save their grandparents restaurant. As they each face trials of their own, they learn the importance of family and forgiveness. McKnight also weaves the story of each character's journey with faith throughout. A few of my favorite quotes include, "Tabitha decided she liked doing what was right. She always met Jesus there." and "Everybody is not Christian. Judging them for it won't get them to be." I appreciated each woman's journey towards bettering themselves and the lives of those around them. I didn't want to put this novel down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is certainly a well named book. There is much bittersweetness within its pages and very real depiction of life's sorrows, jolts and joys. Women made strong thereby get through with help from God, each other and therapy. Themes laced throughout touched on prejudice, forgiveness and reconcilation. There's cautionary input regarding the wiles and lure of some men but also of decent manhood.

I loved the two-pronged timelines of the main protagonists, two sisters who were the great-great granddaughters of Tabitha who struggled but overcame. The parallel-like lives of the two different generations is notable, endearing and helpful to the younger women. Despite the bitterness there were the lovely good, tender and sweet times which gave balance to the emotions as one read through the saga.

I also liked the down-home feel and the input about the Gullah people group, which lent further character to the book with its lingo, recipes and community way of life. I had never heard of the Gullah folks before so this was of interest to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be a good satisfying read.

A 5-Star rating from me.

~Eunice C. Reviewer/Blogger~

March 2024

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Net Galley and the publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sister Conflict - Broken Marriage - Family Crisis Rhonda McKnight does an amazing job of untangling a world of hurt in her latest novel. Two sisters - Mariah and Sabrina - are as opposite as day and night. Through the years of misunderstandings and conflict, each sister has gone her own way. But suddenly they receive a text from Grandma requesting they show up at the family restaurant as soon as possible. "Come home" without much detail. So off they go and what a wild ride it is - work together to save the family restaurant. But can they stay in the same house long enough to work out the details? Ms McKnight works through pain and misunderstanding, broken dreams and heartache in a poignant manner and gives much food for thought. Grab this novel this spring and your heart will be renewed!

I did finish this book, largely due to several five-star reviews I read. I liked it well enough, but goodness, I know it’s an ARC, but the errors kind of drove me crazy. Leaving out articles (a, an, the) frequently was only one of them. One time I noticed a child’s age change from one page to the next.

I did enjoy the faith element in the story, as well as the redemption to be had by Mariah especially. Clean romances were a plus.

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Three and a half stars.

Rhonda McKnight's latest novel is a true gem. From the very beginning, I was hooked and couldn't put it down. The characters were so well-developed that I felt like a part of their world, seeing bits of myself in each of them. McKnight's ability to evoke deep emotions in her readers is truly impressive, making this book a definite winner in my eyes. I found myself torn between wanting to know what happened next and not wanting the story to end (or at least follow Kenni into adulthood!). This book has earned a permanent spot on my list of favorites, and I can't wait to revisit it again in the future.

Thanks Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for providing the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Bitter and Sweet by Rhonda McKnight is a great and thorough read. It is the story of Sabrina and Mariah, two sisters who are completely different, yet have deep and hidden similarities. Along with their story, the story of their descendant, Tabitha is also a story of love, regret and second chances. Her story blends with Sabrina and Mariah who find out about Tabitha thanks to her letters kept by their grandmother. I only say so much because I want the readers to indulge in this beautifully written and informative. You won't regret getting a copy when it is released in June.

I approached this book with high expectations—primarily because the book that I read by this author just prior to—The Thing About Home—was very good. So I was all ready to dive into this one.

That said, this book was just ok to me. The concept was one that I’d typically enjoy—family drama and growth with some spiritual nuggets sprinkled in. Something about it was missing the mark for me, though. Now I really enjoyed the parts of the story where we visited the past. Had it not been for those times in the story, I wouldn’t have enjoyed this book at all. I would’ve liked to see more of that and perhaps more time given to where the past meets the current. Would’ve made for a longer book but I definitely would’ve enjoyed it more. I will read more by this author—just with adjusted expectations.

New-to-me author Rhonda McKnight examines the benefits of taking our eyes off ourselves and placing them on others. It’s not an easy thing to do as these women discover!

Mariah Clark is struggling to find a reason to live after her ten-year marriage ends in divorce and her husband steals their business. She can’t see a way to trust again after being manipulated and blindsided. She doesn’t think she has anyone she can turn to for help.

Sabrina Holland is struggling, too. She’s hanging onto a dream, but doesn’t see any way to make it come true. She’s survived the death of a loved one and is now simply existing from day to day, living out of a van. She doesn’t know if she can get out of her rut.

When their grandma Gail calls and asks them to come home, they think it’s to provide care for their sick grandfather. They get a surprise - their grandmother needs them to help save their 86-year-old family-run business. After reading through their great-great-grandmother’s letters, the sisters learn about Tabitha Cooper’s own struggles and realize that if she could overcome with so much against her, there’s hope for them with each other for support and guidance.

Rhonda McKnight’s novel reminds us of a simple truth: family is the heart of everything.

What you’ll get:
✔️Dual timeline; contemporary and 1920s Charleston, South Carolina
✔️Women in crisis: Two estranged sisters and their great-great-grandmother
✔️Feature on role of women, people of colour, society’s divisions, cultural clashing, Jim Crow Laws
✔️Examination of facing the truth and accepting it prior to moving on with life
✔️multi-generational family saga
✔️A reminder about bridging the gap and the power of forgiveness
✔️An education about Gullah Geeche; the legacy, culture, food and how it brings people together
✔️inspirational story about preserving heritage and relying on Faith

I guarantee (1) that Great Great Grandma Tabitha “Bitta” Cooper will serve up a heartbreaking yet inspiring story full of Southern comfort soul food and (2) that you’ll realize we’re all struggling and moving on is easier with a support system. Some things are worth the effort involved.

I was gifted this copy by Thomas Nelson and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This is my first book from Rhonda McKnight and definitely won’t be my last.
She captivated me right from the first chapter. I had such a hard time putting it down.
It’s a powerful story of family and the trials and tribulations that families endure.
A heartfelt story of how sometimes you need to talk and seek out help to get over the past to help you through.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy for my honest opinion

Last year I read my first book by Rhonda McKnight - The Thing About Home. I really enjoyed it...and I loved this one even more! I was hooked by both timelines, past and present, and I especially loved watching the sisters in present day slowly grow closer and come to understand each other. You can pretty much taste the southern flavor and flair of this story (fitting, since it revolves around a restaurant!) and the writing is lovely. I'm excited for more from Rhonda McKnight!