I had high hopes for Bitter is the Heart, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. The pacing felt sluggish at times, with repetitive elements that slowed the story’s momentum. While the premise had promise, it lacked the gripping intensity I was looking for in a thriller.

What stood out, however, was Hallie Bee Bard’s narration. Her performance brought the characters to life and added depth to an otherwise uneven story. Although the ending offered some intriguing twists, the overall experience fell short of being truly memorable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this audiobook.

Bitter is the Heart by Mina Hardy
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Format: NetGalley & Physical arc
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: debut
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9781639108633
Release Date: Sep 17th, 2024
General Genre: Psychological, domestic drama, thriller
Sub-Genre/Themes: Mothers & Daughters, childhood abuse, generational trauma, no-contact/parent, assisted living home, mental health
Writing Style:
What You Need to Know: "Haunted by childhood abuse, a woman is forced to care for her cruel elderly mother in this electrifying horror novel exploring generational trauma, perfect for fans of Cassandra Khaw and T. Kingfisher."
My Reading Experience: Slow-burn, psychological thriller elements, claustrophobic/intimate setting, domestic drama, toward the middle of the book I felt like the pacing got a little muddy/sloggy, and there is an instance of animal cruelty I thought was unnecessary to the storyline, the tension/suspense had more thriller vibes than horror. In terms of a mother/daughter relationship with elements of mental health and psychological suspense, I would definitely recommend it to readers. I would include it in lists of MCs with Jewish faith as well.
Comps: Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth, My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon, Mothered by Zoje Stage

A slow burn novel centered around a haunting mother/daughter relationship.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

Bitter Is the Heart Mina Hardry is a gripping and emotionally charged novel that delves into themes of love, betrayal, and resilience. The story centers around complex characters who navigate the tumultuous waters of their personal relationships while grappling with their past choices. Hardry's writing is both lyrical and raw, drawing readers into the characters' inner struggles and the intricacies of their lives. With a rich exploration of human emotions and a powerful narrative, the book resonates deeply and prompts reflection on the nature of love and heartbreak

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Bitter is the Heart took me by surprise. This story grabbed hold of me from the first chapter and never let go. It was shocking, upsetting, disgusting, disturbing, toe-curling and eye-opening all at once.

In this novel we follow Tamar Glass, a woman haunted by childhood trauma who suddenly finds herself stuck caring for her abusive elderly mother, Ruth. Tamar as a main character had my heart from the start. When I say she is haunted by her childhood, I mean it. There's so much to unpack as far as her past relationship with her mother, as well as her father's death, and even her relationship with her sister, Lovey.

Tamar is also starting to feel the effects of menopause and she has been through a divorce and is now on her own for the first time as an adult. Then mother arrives. Ruth, Tamar's mother, is reintroduced to her life in a disturbing way. Tamar wakes one night to find her Mom looming in the dark of her bedroom. Ruth had been living in an Assisted Living facility 15-miles away and she had never been to Tamar's house. How the heck did she end up there?

That scene set the tone for the entire novel. Hardy built out this story so well. She built the drama continuously. It's brutal at times, but I was with Tamar all the way. I think some interactions between Tamar and Ruth could be shocking to some, but I feel like they felt natural and made perfect sense to me.

I feel like this book could have hit especially hard for me because I am close to the same point in my life that Tamar is, and while I can't say I've been through the family struggles that she has, I can relate to a lot of the other aspects of her experiences. I love that after her divorce she had returned to her hometown after a long period of time away. This did allow her to reconnect with people from her past, including her high school boyfriend, Miguel, who plays an important role in this story.Incidentally, I also had a hs-boyfriend named Miguel...coincidence? Maybe...

There were so many scenes in this that left me with absolute chills, jaw on the floor, completely disturbed and needing more information. Once Ruth gets kicked out of her Assisted Living facility and moves in with Tamar, there was no turning back. It was high speed ahead.

Additionally, I loved the religious elements of this. Tamara is Jewish, and the Jewish faith was incorporated into this story in a big way. I had never read anything where it was done to this extent, and with this many impactful conversations. I feel like this will stand out in my memory because of that representation.

The only negative I can think of was there was a scene involving a puppy that I had to skip through. You'll see it coming, Readers sensitive to animal content beware. Besides that, I was completely enamored with this story.

I noticed the synopsis recommends this for fans of Cassandra Khaw and T. Kingfisher. The Khaw comp I don't get at all. I do see Kingfisher, for sure. While Hardy doesn't include as much dark humor as Kingfisher does, the Domestic Horror elements and Tamar's dry delivery of her thoughts do line up with things such as A House with Good Bones, The Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones.

When I was reading this I kept thinking of Ainslie Hogarth's Motherthing, which I really enjoyed a couple years ago. I ended up connecting with this one more though because I feel like this has a more cohesive and traditional narrative style, which was easier for me to follow. I also saw my friend, Crystal, compare this to My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon and I completely agree with that. I can't believe I didn't think of that myself while reading it.

If you enjoyed any of the books or authors listed above, you need to check this out. If you enjoy Domestic Horror, or Horror that incorporates Religious elements, you need to pick this up. If you just love Horror and always enjoy diving into a fun, disturbing story, you need to pick this up.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. The audiobook was so well done. I loved this and can't wait for more from Mina Hardy!

The Cover got me and who doesn't like a good cover!

This book had me at page one and it keeps you engaged. It had twists and turns that i never seen coming. Was a very well written novel.

Read in one day and was very good and i will read more from this author.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

“Tense, Spooky, and Full of Dread”

Tamar ran away as a teenager but as an adult, she is forced to take care of her elderly mother who abused her as a child after she was evacuated from her senior living home. As she remains in her childhood home, she begins to experience odd situations that begin to have her realizing that maybe the house is haunted.

I liked the way the story tried to have you conveyed that maybe the house is not haunted and rather it’s just Tamar elderly abusing her mother as retaliation for the years she grew up. It was an intense story that had me second guessing how it was going to end!

This was so creepy. Deranged old women are one of those things that freak me out and this book delivers that. The main characters estranged mother is back and it’s all bad.

This was such a unique book. It was a little bit domestic/family drama and a little bit spooky demonic possession or haunting. It's quite hard to label as just one thing which is one of the reasons it's such a good read.

Tamar has recently been placed in the position of having to take her mother into her home to care for her. It's supposed to be a temporary situation but none of the care homes are returning Tamar's calls and she's starting to feel desperate. It wouldn't be such a bad thing if Tamar and her mother had a good relationship but they have the opposite. They are dysfunctional with a capital "D."

Tamar ran away from home when she was younger and didn't look back until she returned a few years ago. That wasn't to be closer to her mother - - it was to be closer to her sister and her family. And as irony would have it, once Tamar moved back, her sister and her family moved away for her husband's job. Thus leaving Tamar in charge of her mother and all her issues.

This was a clever storyline. I liked how the author explored demonic possession from the viewpoint of the Jewish faith. It's so often done from the Catholic or Christian perspective and the point was made in one exchange that it would be different depending on your faith. It was a brilliant statement and really lent some heft to this plot in my opinion.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I was also given an early copy of the audiobook for review. I found it to be quite enjoyable as the narration felt like it really fit the characters and kept me engrossed in the storyline. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

Tamar did everything right when it came to saving herself from an abusive household growing up and setting the needed boundaries as an adult. Well, almost. She burned a lot of bridges and her younger sister had to pick up the slack. Luckily, her little sister was the favorite and was never experienced the home Tamar left. Of course, even the most carefully laid plans can get derailed when the Insurance companies get involved.

This book is a slow burn. The suspense builds slowly, and we doubt the narrator the entire time. Is Tamar seeing things as they really are? Is she walking through a waking nightmare, or is she dreaming?

I don't want to spoil the story, so I'll just say it was so refreshing to have the Jewish perspective instead of the Christian one that is so pervasive in horror. We explore what it could really mean to be possessed, and what demons and holy relics mean if you take the New Testament out of it.

The collection of small cuts from a mother's criticism is expertly dealt with, and should not be overlooked. Living with a mother who maybe doesn't even like you can drive anyone out of their wits. It takes years to build, and even longer to escape... if escape is even possible.

Well done!

Bitter is the heart is categorized as a horror but I wouldn’t….its more a thriller.

I didn’t find it scary but it def does have some dark and creepy tunes to it.

It was a decent read but I found it to be pretty slow moving and found myself quite bored a few times.

Overall, 3/5 stars

Thank you to the publisher for my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mina Hardy and Crooked Lane Books for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This had the chance to be a really creepy and spooky novel but it didn’t start ramping up until way too late in the novel in my opinion. I did enjoy the last quarter but the rest dragged for me.

Mina Hardy, you are my idol. The twisted web you weave had me clutching my throat and shrieking in delight.

Bitter Is the Heart

This is not a book for the faint of heart but was PERFECT for me. I absolutely loved every last word of it and I am begging for MORE!

Hardy is a genius when it comes to expertly crafting a thriller that will leave the most seasoned reader with a major book hangover .

I loved it

Check out this teaser :

Haunted by childhood abuse, a woman is forced to care for her cruel elderly mother in this electrifying horror novel exploring generational trauma, perfect for fans of Cassandra Khaw and T. Kingfisher.

Tamar Glass fled an abusive mother when she was eighteen, running away from home to find a better life elsewhere. She has lived in freedom from her mother, Ruth, for decades, until one night she wakes to find her now-elderly mother standing over her bed, disoriented and confused.

When Tamar reluctantly takes in her mother, strange events start happening inside her home: the house is oppressively hot, lights flicker, and cupboards open and shut on their own. Whispers filter beneath her bedroom door. Tamar learns that Ruth has been kicked out of her assisted living home, and other facilities refuse to house her and endanger their own residents. Tamar has spent years suppressing her childhood trauma, but it comes rushing back with each strange event in her home.

As Tamar copes with their disturbing past, which her mother stubbornly refuses to admit to, she can’t shake the feeling that there’s something worse than her mother lurking in the shadows. Perfect for fans of The Haunting of Hill House, this terrifying novel unravels one dark strand at a time.

pretty cool but a little inconsistent in its scares. felt like a khaw, but not the best sort of Khaw work. tysm for the arc.

“Nobody believes children who say they’ve seen a monster. Nobody believed adults, either.”

Here we go with the dark and horror filled books for Fall. Yessss I am here for it!

I love when creepy books involve mothers and daughters and that whole dynamic. It goes against every natural instinct a mother has so that alone ups the ante in terms of wow and creep factor.

“Garrett had always shouted at horror movie characters who’d stayed in the place where scary things were going on. He’d never understood how terrible, even terrifying things can become . . . normal. How you can get so used to being scared all the time that you can become almost numbed to it.” 😨

Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 9/17/24!

To me, this book would be a good beginner horror novel. Although there were definitely some horror elements, horror scenes were not consistent throughout. This book is told from one POV which had me questioning a possible unreliable narrator trope, but it was done well. Giving this one three stars because of the pacing; although the first chapter was shocking, it really fell off for me until the second half of the novel. That being said, the second half of the novel was action-packed. As a reader, I would have liked more of that fast-pacing throughout. That being said, the basis of the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading. I would recommend this book to anyone new in the horror genre, but please check any relevant trigger warnings before doing so.

This was a bit of a bummer for me. I love stories that focus on the difficult relationships between moms and their adult kids (especially if their troubles stem from childhood drama or abuse) because I find them weirdly cathartic, and while this started out pretty strong and horrifying at times, I found myself struggling to continue on past about 40%. I kept getting distracted, the story wasn't holding me anymore, and I ended up having to force myself to finish it over the course of several days. I'll definitely try the author again but unfortunately this one just wasn't up my alley, despite how much it seemed like it'd work for me.

This book started off super strong and creepy with the first chapter literally showcasing one of my worst fears - waking up in the middle of the night to a figure standing over your bed. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold the same momentum throughout and it became too long-winded for me. I felt that there were too many unnecessary details and the story doesn’t truly pick up until about 70% into it. It is a domestic horror as it focuses on Tamar looking after her mother who traumatised her as a child with her various addictions. I wanted to like this more but the story was just lacking a major WOW factor and dragged on at times.

Thank you to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!

Haunting and creepy!

I really enjoyed this suspenseful and dark tale of Tamar, whose complicated relationship with her mother is brought to a head when her mother shows up alarmingly in the middle of the night, having wandered out of her retirement home miles away and shown up standing over Tamar's bed inside her house when she didn't even know (Tamar thinks) where Tamar lived. We learn that Tamar may have grown up in a haunted house. And that her mother has dementia. Or is it something even more sinister than that? This book will be fun and frightful for anyone who has ever suspected one of their relatives is a demon (and really, haven't we all?). Very well-narrated and the kind of book you look forward to returning to all day when you are otherwise occupied. I also loved the way it focused on Judaism, which gave the story a cool historical and cultural backdrop and provided a neat twist on the haunting/possession theme. I would compare this to Sara Gran's Come Closer, which is one of my other favorite books in the horror-suspense genre. Very good sense of creepy dread throughout until the high octane conclusion. I would love to read more by this author!

I really enjoyed this one. Tamar is so complicated and real, and she’s really going through it. Her relationship with her elderly mom is rocky enough but now she’s stuck taking her in after her mom is kicked out of the old folks center.

Strange things are happening now that her mom is here, and she’s at her breaking point. Forced to look back at her childhood from a different point of view, Tamar comes to some difficult realizations and faces the ghosts of her past, and the demon haunting her present. I do wish there was an epilogue, I had a few questions at the very end but it wasn’t really a big deal.

If you enjoy possession stories and creepy old ladies, you’ll enjoy this one. I can’t wait to read more from Mina Hardy. I started this one on my kindle and switched over to audio and I thought that the narrator did an amazing job with this. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for my eARC and advanced audiobook. Bitter is the Heart published this week.