A haunting and suspenseful take on a tumultuous mother-daughter relationship. Tamar and Ruth were fantastic, distinctive characters with interesting behaviours and strong personalities. I enjoyed the creepy vibes, and the secondary characters/victims worked into the narrative to forward the plot in a way that made clear to readers that something foul was afoot. This is a great book for fans of horror and suspense.

Our main character Tamar ran away from home as a teenager after experiencing abuse at the hand of her alcoholic mother and questioning whether or not her childhood home was haunted. Now as a fully grown adult, she is forced to take care of her elderly mother after her mother was evicted from a senior living facility. Tensions rise as Tamar questions again whether or not she is being haunted by more than the memories of her past trauma.

I understand that the book was going for hauntings/possessions as a metaphor for generational trauma. I just don't think it was done well and missed the mark entirely. This was partly due to a lack of tension and partly due to poor plotting/pacing. To me, the various scenes seemed randomly tacked together without any true story structure or cohesive plot. At times, I was wondering if the chapters were placed in the wrong order as it seemed like we were almost jumping around in the progression of the story in a way that didn't make sense. The story would have benefited from more flashback sequences to Tamar's childhood in order to contrast her relationship with her mother then to what it is in the present day.

Again, there was absolutely no tension and at no point was I worried about what would happen to Tamar or if she was going insane. In order for this to really hit hard, we should have been left questioning whether or not Tamar was being haunted or if she was just committing elderly abuse against her mother. Without any stakes or horror, I just didn't care about the relationship between Tamar and her mother.

Several characters served no real purpose in terms of advancing the plot or character development and I was left wondering why they were even included. And that ending was God awful. It needed more of literally anything in order to satisfactorily conclude the story. Instead it just cuts off right at the end of a (lackluster) climax.

Reviews will go live on Goodreads, Storygraph and Fable on 9/18 and on Tiktok on 9/19.

Tamar escaped her abusive mother at the age of 18 but is absolutely shocked when she wakes up to find her unwell mother hovering over her bed. How did she find her? Why is she there?

This book was so creepy! I was hooked from the beginning wondering what on earth her mother was doing there and empathizing with Tamar for having to have contact with someone she was trying to heal from. There were some truly disgusting parts in this book and I loved it. I did find the ending to be a little boring but I enjoyed the entire journey it took to get there. This was definitely a solid creepy read!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Mina Hardy, and Crooked Lane Books for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review. This publishes today September 17th.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date raving about this book!

Bitter is the Heart by Mina Hardy is a dark and chilling exploration of generational trauma and the complex relationship between a mother and daughter. Tamar, the protagonist, is forced to care for her abusive elderly mother, leading to unsettling events in her home that blur the line between psychological and supernatural horror. The novel builds tension with every chapter, offering disturbing revelations about the past. Hardy masterfully explores themes of family trauma and suppressed emotions. It's an eerie, unsettling read for fans of atmospheric horror.

Bitter Is the Heart by Mina Hardy was a great horror story.
This was an intense read that kept me interested till the end.
I would recommend this tense and well-crafted work – I haven’t stayed up all night reading a book in some time, but I just couldn’t put this down.

I Will be reviewing this book as an audiobook instead of an ebook, thank you for the approvals in both formats of media!! I am about 30% into the audiobook and absolutely hooked so far. <3

This book is beyond creepy and while it was weird it was an entertaining wild ride. I’m still sitting here wondering exactly what the heck I just read, and I think this is one I will continue to have on my mind for a while. I started with the audiobook for this one but switched to kindle after about 25 percent, I thought the narrator was doing a good job, but I had the kindle and I’m not a patient person. Tamar moved back home to be closer to her sister and her her nieces and nephews but after her sister’s husband got an a job offer he couldn’t refuse and now Tamar is alone having to deal with her estranged mother. Tamar and her mother always had a difficult relationship and while she takes responsibility to care for her mother she doesn’t do it out of love. But strange things are happening that make Tamar question what really happened at her childhood home before she ran away at 18. This book is definitely pure horror and I really enjoyed the tie ins with Jewish mythology which isn’t something you see often.

What an incredibly creepy and disturbing read!!! I loved it!! I thought the Judaism aspect of this book was very interesting and unique!! I was hooked from the get-go with this one!! 🙌

Highly recommend to lovers of creepy vibes and the paranormal/supernatural! 👏

TW: abuse, addiction, suicide

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Mina Hardy for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Bitter Is the Heart is a stand-alone horror/thriller novel by Mina Hardy, and this is my first book by this author. I was glad to find that I have other books by her in my towering TBR pile, because I certainly enjoyed this one! I didn't want to put this down until I figured out what happened and I read it rather quickly.

Tamar Glass's mother was extremely abusive, and she ran away from home at age 18 to find a better life elsewhere. She's been free of her mother Ruth for decades...until one night she wakes up to find the now-elderly woman standing over her bed. Tamar's sister Lovey and her family have moved across the country, so now Tamar is the one responsible for Ruth. First she finds out her mother was evicted from her assisted living home, and then other facilities refuse to take her. Very odd things begin to happen in Tamar's house, from the place being very hot despite the air conditioning to kitchen cabinets opening and shutting by themselves, with items now in different positions. All the childhood abuses Tamar pushed to the back of her mind start rushing back, and her mother refuses to acknowledge any of it happened. Tamar starts wondering if there's something worse than dear old mom hiding in the shadows.

This story started out making me feel vaguely uncomfortable without really knowing the truth of what was going on, and then the terror starts and doesn't let up. These characters are not always likable, but they are certainly memorable! Tamar was abused by her mother Ruth - who she will only refer to as Ruth, not Mom. She ran off and moved on with her life; however, she returned to her hometown to be closer to her sister Lovey and family. (Lovey's the one Ruth actually liked and loved, and she escaped any abuse.) As luck would have it, Lovey and family have moved to California, and then all the poop starts hitting the fan and Tamar gets stuck with dear old Mom. At first I felt kind of sorry for Ruth; here was this seemingly little old helpless woman having to live with a daughter who hates her. Ah, but then we begin learning more about Tamar's history with Ruth. And who can blame Tamar after all for hating her mother, after we hear the stories? Tamar has the opportunity to visit the house of horrors where she grew up, and she discovers its a calm, peaceful house. Perhaps the house wasn't haunted after all...could it be Ruth who was haunted?! The atmosphere around Ruth takes a frightening turn, and all hell breaks loose. Once again, I refuse to give away any secrets about the storyline, so I'll let you discover it for yourself...if you dare! It was very interested learning more about the Jewish faith, as Tamar tried to find solutions about Ruth, and we learn a bit of Jewish mysticism. It was incredibly fascinating. There were some great supporting characters, especially Miguel Estrada, Tamar's high school boyfriend with whom she reconnects, and the Rabbi Tamar turns to for help. This is a horror novel you will want to sink your teeth into...with the lights on, of course.

I received and ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I loved this book for the icky feels it gave me right from the beginning. I have read a couple books about people who are tormented by mothers and it whether it be supernatural or not, and they always make me uneasy. This book had me turning pages and staying up late trying to figure out what was going to happen next.

This book was quite different from what I normally read. I don’t usually read horror, but it pleasantly surprised me. I have seen other reviews say that it isn't scary, but I disagree. This story isn’t about cheap thrills; it’s got this eerie, unsettling feel that I think makes for the best kind of horror.

I'm definitely going to explore this genre more after this great read.

A few months back the horror book club that I'm a part of read a collection of Jewish horror stories, and during our discussion we talked a lot about the oversaturation of Christian religious horror in both film and books. With this discussion in mind, I was so excited to find a story about Jewish religious horror, and it's SO well done!

The bits of commentary that Hardy sprinkles in about the miopic lense of Christianity are extremely important and well done. Honestly this novel manages to balance so many tough topics with grace, and all of it tied together so well. I felt that the main character, Tamar, was an extremely realistic portrayal of someone who is flawed and working through trauma while still trying to be a good person. The author did a fantastic job of bringing her emotions to light.

I thought this book was so unsettling and tinted with anxiety. Some of the imagery that Hardy gives her readers will be lingering in my nightmares for some time to come. This, layered with the excellent portrayal of generational trauma, and the difficulty of caring for an elderly parents really hit this novel home for me. This is a horror novel that belongs on the same lists as the greats.

Reading this felt like what I imagine the frog being boiled alive in that metaphor feels like. Simmering and sweating in confusion until those intense last chapters.

This is definitely a horror, but a more unsettling, grunt in disgust rather than fear, kind of horror. I liked it. This could’ve easily went a glowing forgiveness route but didn’t and I respect the story more for it.

Bitter is the Heart
Mina Hardy
Crooked Lane Books
September 17,2024

As soon as I read the blurb on this, I knew I had to jump in and I am glad I did. This is a slow moving, and very disturbingly creepy horror story that should not be missed. Bitter is the Heart perfectly joins psychological thriller and horror and gives you a story that will stick with you. The descriptions of the smells made me wretch. “ The laughter bubbled out of her like gas bubbles coming up from the bottom of a swamp. Fetid. Noxious.” The things that Tamar sees when her mother is around brings the crazy to life. This is an unpredictable and intense psychological horror. I found myself empathizing with Tamar and staying awake just to finish because, I didn’t want to see what she saw when she opened her eyes “I am the ageless, I am the void. I am the many, I am nothing, I am the all”.

Years of childhood trauma can easily be explained away by a doctor, but this is generational trauma. This is unpredictable. A tortured relationship between a child and a parent like nothing I have ever read. A dybbuk is introduced and once I started reading about that on my own the story was even more real. The storyline down Jewish mythology and the history of that faith was perfect for this instance. Kuddos Mina Hardy! You have officially scared the dickens out of me.

To be honest, this book is more horror but it is filled with thrills. It has been a long time since I've read a book that spooked me so I was excited to get stuck into Bitter is the Heart. I read my ebook as I listened to the audio and wow, what an experience it was. The audiobook is so well done, I literally got goosebumps in certain parts. I am not going to give too much of the plot away because this one is best going into blind if you can. It was cleverly written and had the best ending!

Tamar takes her cruel and manipulative mother, Ruth, now elderly and kicked out of her assisted living home. As Ruth settles in, the house becomes hot, cupboards open and shut on their own, among other creepy acts.

This is a slow moving but disturbingly creepy book. If you like horrors that creep along, adding more detail as time goes on, you may enjoy this one. I liked the addition of Jewish mysticism and the family history that was revealed.

“If a house could love, it had not loved her. That was one truth, and here was another:Her old house had never been haunted. It had always been her mother.”

Bitter Is the Heart comes out 9/17.

Old people in horror books are always creepy, no question. This isn’t your typical horror novel, but the situation is horrifying in its own way. Being stuck with a parent you don’t get along with? That’s my worst nightmare. I also loved how the story incorporated elements of Judaism—it’s something I’ve never seen in a horror book before, and it added a unique layer, even though I’m not religious. Loved it!

All the weird things of her childhood start to happen again when Tamar takes her mother Ruth, who has been expelled from her senior living facility, into her home. They didn't have a good relationship-indeed much of a relationship at all-when Tamar was growing up. Now, the tension is rising and it's not clear what's really happening. Is it in Tamar's head? How can Ruth do these things? This isn't a classic Boo style horror novel but it's creepy and there are twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Thank you Net Galley! The characters had a lot going on and the Judaism aspect was fascinating but the plot went off the rails

All Tamar wants to do is escape her abusive past, but when her abusive mother needs help, Tamar steps up to take care of her. Strange things start to happen and Tamar has to fight her past colliding with her present life.