Just finished Bitter and Sweet by Rhonda McKnight, a beautiful story told in a dual timeline from great grandmothers time and two young women struggling to find their relationship and individual self. Has just the little bit of spirituality that may warm your heart. Story hooks you in from the start and keeps you engaged throughout Narrator is great and overall an enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook of this story which was released on June 11, 2024.

This is a beautiful story about family, helping each other and healing. It is a story about learning from the past and becoming better people for it.

Life can be hard for all of us. But a good life is all about how we handle and grow out of these hard times. It helps to know that all people have hard times, this keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves. This dual timeline story is about two sisters that are living right in the middle of crisis and how they plan to handle life going forward. Their grandmother is also in a crisis of her own and calls them both for help..

This dual timeline story between contemporary and 1920s takes place in different places in South Carolina. The story from the 1920's comes from letters of their great-great-grandmother Tabitha. These letters are inspiring and share her hardships and her response to them. This book made the duel timeline work the best of any book I have read so far. Switching between the times worked smoothly and wove the stories together. I loved how the contemporary women responded to what they were reading in the letters and how they were inspired to rise above their hardships in a positive manner. This was exactly why their grandmother brought them together and shared these letters with them.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. The narrators - Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Angel Pean, Lynnette R. Freeman - did an awesome job making the story come to life.

This is my first read by this author and will be interested to read more from her. This book was a beautiful multigenerational family story told through multiple points of view and also had dual timelines which I love. This was a heartfelt story of family and the trials and tribulations that families endure. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review is for the audiobook version of this title. I had previously read the book and then listened to the audio.
I liked that there were 3 narrators for this book, as there are 2 timelines in the novel and multiple POVs. I think that would have been not easy to carry for one narrator. All the narrators have experience narrating other books, and all do a great job narrating this story.

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. I would give the audio version 4.5 stars!

"Bitter and Sweet" is a heartfelt and moving story that left me feeling motivated and lifted. I strongly suggest this book to everyone who appreciates moving stories of family, love, and the persistent power of the past to affect the future. It's a five-star book that will stick with you long after you've finished the last page.

Bitter and Sweet is a story chock-full of southern culture, coastal nuances, and the rigor of relationships. This dual-time novel brings a lot to the table to be sorted out and laid to rest. It embraces the wisdom of the matriarch, sisters in conflict, loss of love and trust and the resilience we have when we hold to faith and family. It is Christian women’s fiction, with southern flair, at its best.

I have to say that this story in audiobook is stellar. So, if you enjoy this format, this is a book that you will want to listen to. The use of multiple narrators created distinguishable characters and lent clarity to the dual-time frames and multiple POVs.

This book is suitable for teens and older with no inappropriate intimate scenes and no bad language. I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.

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.
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.
I loved the dual timeline and the narrator did an excellent job in keeping my interest into the story.
I’ll definitely recommend others to listen to this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for an arc of this audiobook of Bitter and Sweet. What a beautiful story! Rhonda is an exceptional writer and understands how to capture the dynamics of a family and women! I really enjoyed every part of this story! Wonderful novel!

The audio book was just as amazing as the physical book.
It’s safe to say Ms. Rhonda you have done it again. This will be my favorite book of the year just like The Thing About Home was my favorite last year.
I love dual time line and I especially love when the present learns something from the past. Sisters Mariah and Sabrina both grieving the past they had no control over and now grieving the life they thought would have. The story is weaved in a way that makes you think and forces you, well forced me to look at myself. I cried with the sisters, I healed with these sisters, I learned to forgive with sisters and to learned to love with these sisters. Through the letters of their great-great grandmother they were able to see that the glass is always half full and never empty. This truly spoke to heart.

Audio is absolutely perfect!! Loved all three narrators voices and had no issues with narration. Felt the voices matched the characters perfectly!!

After reading Long way home by this author I was thrilled to get an ARC of her newest novel and definitely recommend this one too!

The synopsis sums up the book brilliantly.

Characters you will fall in love with, root for, cry over and laugh with. All the emotions. Death,love, life, healing and redemption also forgiveness.

“Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes it’s sad. Everything we struggle through has a purpose. That’s what God’s Word says. We have to take the good and bad and the bitter and sweet.”

Inspirational for sure and such healing of souls and relationships while showing relatable real life situations.

“Forgive my grief.” These words will stay with me. As a woman who has had to learn to love myself before being able to love others, the words are simple yet deep and profound.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'd already read the book, but I loved it so much I was excited to listen! The audiobook was absolutely perfect. The choice of narrators was so spot on for the characters. I felt like I could close my eyes and visualize the story like a movie.

This book is one of my favorites 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.

There were so many lessons and words of wisdom 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.

Beautiful dual timeline story about family, family legacy, grief, love... and food!

I particularly appreciate how this highlighted the issue of physical and mental health of Black pregnant and postpartum women and the impact on children who sadly lose their mothers during/post-delivery.

I am excited to read more from McKnight.

Oh this book was so incredibly good and a wonderful audio book to catch up on all the laundry from the weekend. 💛

Sisters Mariah and Sabrina head to Georgetown, South Carolina assuming their grandmas health is declining. But little did they know, her request is actually to help save the family restaurant. Mariah, just dumped by her husband, is trying to figure out life at the moment. Sabrina has been living in a van with her daughter and is looking for something stable. Either girls plan for this new responsibility of the restaurant.

Such a sweet, Christian book. Loved the story, the heartstrings it pulled, the sweet family love, and the finding of each sister.

Thank you @netgalley @thomasnelsonfiction @harpercollinschristian @authorrhondamcknight for this advance copy!

After enjoying the ebook I wanted to see if the audiobook lived up to what I imagined the characters would sound like. Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Angel Pean and Lynette R Freeman did not disappoint. Their performances and Rhonda McKnight's skills at storytelling solidify my 5 star rating. I highly recommend Bitter and Sweet in both ebook and audiobook formats. Both spark the same emotions in me. This is definitely in my top 10 books of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this audio audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy. This book was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. I love this author’s writing style. This book was about family bonds. Revisiting the past was a major part. The book also showed how things from your past will definitely affect your present day issues. I loved how the author addressed mental health and the dire need to address issues and stop ignoring them. I also loved the historical parts that were entwined in the story. I learned things I didn’t know and that was a plus, I would emphatically recommend this book to read,

I enjoyed his one!
This has multiple timelines and characters…and each of them may cause you to break out laughing…or crying, at the drop of a hat…. But, will also cause you to really think about all that happened in our pasts to bring us to TODAY…

Tabitha was from the early 1920’s. She’s from a big family, and is a very young girl when she meets Joseph…who literally sweeps her off her feet.
Against her parents wishes, she pursues a relationship with him, and they are together for many years…although, not in the way she had expected…

Present day: Sabrina is a young woman (around 30) with a young daughter. She lost her significant other and is having a hard time making ends meet…but they’re getting by…

Mariah is a bit older. She’s married. No kids. Seems to have everything that she wants in life! But sometimes looks are deceiving….

Mariah and Sabrina are sisters, but are NOTHING alike. And, they haven’t seen eye to eye for many years…

When they each receive a heartfelt call from their grandmother to “come home!”…well, there’s nothing else they can do, but just that!

When they arrive, they are asked to take over the family restaurant…for a while…until grandma and grandpa (who’s in the hospital) can return.
Again, the sisters are not really on speaking terms…so this is a TALL order!

As they take over the day to day stuff of the business, Tabitha comes back into view as we see her establishing a name for herself…all those years ago!

This was a powerful read. Sad and gripping, yet light and loving too!

If you like dual timelines and family drama, and people helping people, and small town community antics, this is one you should pick up!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

#BitterAndSweet by #RhondaMcKnight and narrated beautifully by #JonieceAbbottPratt, #AngelPean and #LynetteFreeman.

Thanks to #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsChristianPublishing and #ThomasNelsonFiction for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The book has already been released (this week) so should be on shelves already!

This was my first book by Rhonda McKnight and it was honestly incredibly. I can't want to discover more works by her. This book was about family through generations. Women facing hardships, but never letting these things stop them from being great. I loved the story of the two sisters. They both had their own personal issues to work through along with not really getting along, but eventually they are able to understand each other better and see eye to eye. They end up coming together to support each other and maintain their family legacy through their great great grandmothers restaurant.

I also loved reading about Tabitha. It gives us a view of how the business came to be. Tabitha was a bright eye young girl who was deceived by a man she thought she loved. Though heartbroken by the unfortunate truths, she's able to start fresh with her children. Despite having fears of seeing her family again after straying from her faith and going against their beliefs, they welcome her back with open arms in the long run.

The narrators of this story did and amazing job of conveying the emotions and personalities of these characters. Definitely a five star read!

Rhonda McKnight is one of those authors that writes great novels consistently. Let’s just say that she didn’t disappoint with this one.

Bitter and Sweet is a well written dual timeline story. I love how Rhonda came up with the title.

This book will have you reaching for your Kleenex at times and also cheering on the characters. There were times when Mariah got on my last nerve, but she finally redeemed herself after realizing who she was, why she was so angry, had a chip on her shoulder, and disliked her sister.

Sabrina was my favorite character because all she wanted was love from her sister, who she admired and loved. She had trauma that she was dealing with and carrying the weight of it all.

Bitter and Sweet is a mix of historical and contemporary fiction that will leave you thinking about the characters long after you’ve finished reading the book. I give the book 4.5 stars.

I received an ARC Audiobook from the publisher for an honest review.

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!! The narrator did a great job bringing the story and characters to life! I’d definitely recommend the audiobook to readers.

This is the kind of book you dread writing a review for because there is no possible way to convey the brilliance of the storytelling or the emotional impact it made. So excuse me if words fail.

First, I listened to the audio edition and was completely captivated by the trio of narrators. Janice Abbott-Pratt, Angel Pean and Lynette R. Freeman gave stunning performances, adding to the rich vibrancy of Rhonda McKnight’s words. The result — an exceptional listening experience. I savoured every second.

And, oh my, these sisters and their stories! Deep layers of personal and family drama culminating in divine healing. I was an emotional wreck by the end. (Gentle warning: don’t listen to or read this book in public, especially if you are an ugly crier like I am. Don’t ask me how I know 🙂 )

The author expertly weaves Mariah and Sabrina’s great-great-grandmother’s story into the mix, so – yay – dual timeline. ‘Bitter and Sweet’ honours the legacy of faith and family through generations. So much wisdom and insight! I’ve preordered a print copy because there are so many impactful quotes that I need to highlight and pour over again and again.

A stunning, emotionally-stirring, faith-filled read!

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this novel.