Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This one was hard to put down. I kept wanting to see what happened next with Tamar and Ruth. I would have felt like I was loosing my mind if I had been a character in this well written book.
It’s a slow burner but it gets you hooked right from the beginning.
Really great book.

Bitter Is The Heart
Mina Hardy
9/17/24

Ok, so first things first.
Horror is subjective. Some people are going to find this book creepy and deeply disturbing ... others aren't going to find it fits well in the horror category.
I'm most definitely in the former category. This book was dark and frightening. It's a slow burn that's filled with tension and frightening imagery.

My only critique would be the pacing, in places, and the ending wasn't my favorite. But it wasn't enough to hurt the book much, if that makes sense. (I can't say why it wasn't my favorite, cuz that would be a spoiler, so ... always judge for yourselves.
One person's least scary horror book is anothers most terrifying.

I loved it, and found myself thoroughly creeped out, and that's what I like it out my horror. I either want it to make me think, be written beautifully, or scare me.

This one checks all the boxes.

4.25 / 5

This book was fantastic! I finished it in one day. I quickly put all of Mina’s backlist on my TBR. I generally prefer books that are based on reality without any supernatural, extraterrestrial, demonic , etc but this book was so well written and gripping I could not stop until I finished. I highly recommend you check this one out ASAP

I am not sure what my expectations were going into this one, but I was absolutely blown away.

There are so many layers to peel away in this frightening mother/daughter dynamic. When Tamar wakes in the middle of the night to her estranged mother, Ruth standing over her bed, she is justifiably freaked out. Ruth lives in an assisted living facility, seventeen miles away.

Tamar finds herself in an unavoidable situation of caring for her mother, the woman who mentally, emotionally and verbally abused her for her entire childhood. The reconciliation of that alone was horrific. On top of that, strange things start happening in her house, bringing up old memories from the past.

That is BARE BONES what this book is about. There is so so much more to it. It is atmospheric and dark, with some visceral imagery. I am a fan of the traumatic mother/daughter relationship and this was, strangely, very satisfying. I could not recommend this book more.

I'll be honest, I DNF'ed halfway through because this horror novel was too painful to keep reading. Not because it was badly written, no, the opposite. It showed the pain childhood abuse and having to care for those who hurt you can do. Usually, I can take it, but I read it during a time in which too many books had the same topic and my heart couldn't take it.

Update: so I've gone back and listened to the audiobook, and it made it easier to listen to this book. I think this is a great horror novel that showed the pain childhood trauma can cause, and sometimes humans are the scariest things.

Bitter Is the Heart❣️
By Mina Hardy👀

Review😰

This was quite creepy. Honestly, do not read this after the sun goes down. It was quite creepy. I don't usually love books about possession, but this one piqued my interest. I'd describe it as a gradual burn that keeps you hanging on. Also, the main character is completely mad for dealing with all of the horrific things she witnessed; I would have fled for the hills. I sighed with relief at the the end!

Horror😱
Jewish representation🕍
Disturbing/dark🖤
Slow burn🔥
Suspense🫣

4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so wild in the best way. I really enjoy the “crazy estranged mother appears and everything gets weird” trope in thriller books. 😂 the plot twists were great and the story was interesting. The narration was great too.

What a dark and heartbreaking story. Bitter is the Heart by Mina Hardy blew me away. I went into this book expecting horror but I didn't expect to find a fmc that I could do easily identify with. As someone who has known the abuse of a parent and has questioned that parent's love, this hit hard. The struggle our fmc goes through in this story left me in tears. And when I was not having my emotions shredded, I was pleasantly horrified by the nasty haunting and dark turns this book took. The audiobook was clear and easy to listen to. Hallie Bee Bard did a great job with the narration. Her voice really added to the eerie vibes.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Are you looking for the next great horror listen? Check out Bitter is the Heart. What an engaging read!

A spooky read great for getting into the Halloween spirit with!

Premise: Tamar Glass had a horrible childhood thanks to her father’s suicide and her alcoholic mother’s abuse and negligence. She never wanted to return home, but after her mom gets kicked out of her nursing home Tamar finds herself living with her mom once again - and then creepy things start happening…

I came into this as a thriller reader (it’s a thriller-horror crossover) and I’d say it definitely reads more horror than thriller to me. There are a lot of pretty visceral descriptions and it was a bit much for me, but the story is engaging enough that I was able to get past my squeamishness and stay engaged.

BITTER IS THE HEART is fast-paced, very visual (all of the senses, really), and I’m sure horror readers will love it. For me it was a 3 (though I’m really not a horror reader and, again, I’d say this is way more horror than thriller) but I think it could easily be a 4 for a King fan.

I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Hallie Bee Bard. Bard did a great job with it! Her interpretation of the querulous mother was particularly fitting (and funny). I can definitely recommend consuming this story in audio form!

Thanks, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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!

This book is terrific and impossible to put down. Tamar had a horrible childhood in a haunted house and with a psycho mother. She left it all behind and now has a good job, her own house and has moved on, if not forgotten. But now her mother is back in her life. She’s old, frail and may be showing signs of dementia. Or maybe she’s just trying to manipulate her? There were so many things that I enjoyed about this read. Firstly, the writing is impeccable, the story excellently plotted and Tamar is a relatable character, despite her hangups. It was also an original take on an old story, since Tamar is Jewish. It was fascinating to learn many aspects of their religion and traditions, as well as the differences and similarities between them and the more widely known Catholic viewpoint. Hallie Bee Bard really breathes life into Tamar with her excellent performance. She gets all the voices just right and I was very impressed at how much she changes her take on the same character under different circumstances. But I think that my favorite thing about this novel is how it never went where I was expecting it to. The author really managed to surprise me over and over. Five stars!
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Dreamscape Media.

I don’t know what’s creepier in books—kids or old people! While this isn’t your average horror novel, the situation is absolutely horrifying. Being stuck with a parent you don’t get along with? That’s my worst nightmare. The narrator did a phenomenal job, making me feel anxious and angry right alongside the main character. Loved it!

I loved this book; it resonated with me on so many levels. It delves into generational trauma, complex PTSD, addiction, mother-daughter relationships, narcissism, and the struggles of not being the golden child, all through the lens of possible paranormal activity.

The story has a bunch of symbolism and messaging that I enjoyed analyzing. Like how the horror elements were almost understated, emphasizing how people, especially children, adapt to horrific experiences. And exploring whether it's places or people themselves that can be haunted. The Jewish faith thread made for an interesting twist on this kind of book and led to one of my favorite scenes.

I'm not familiar with the narrator, but she did a great job setting the tone for the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

4.5/5 Childhood trauma + paranormal? Count me in. It was extremely stressful and written very descriptively. Extremely fast paced. Narrator was great.