I would definitely consider this a chiller thriller and great for fans that don't necessarily read horror but like a creepy thriller. It was definitely tense throughout and it does have some heavy topics covered. I think the ending definitely leaves the reader unsure and unsettled in the best possible way.

This book held my attention as soon as I started listening all the way to the end! You will be asking yourself, ghost or demon?? Great plot with some surprises! Ended pretty neatly with just one piece leaving open but was not anything really to do with the whole plot of the story. Captivating read!!! First read by this author and will definitely check out more!!!

This book was like watching a scary movie unfold. It was a lil slow at first but it got better and better as u read further along. Wish Tamar had a better ending with an epilog so we know how she was after this whole incident and how she would explain the scene in her house. But I guess that's why it ended so. This book is like the exorcist movies but with Jewish background.

Rating: 3.5🌟
I wanted to love Bitter is the Heart, especially after seeing it mentioned in a few places, but unfortunately, it fell a bit short for me. The story had a tendency to drag with repetitive themes that hindered the pacing, making the plot feel slow at times. While it held potential, I found myself waiting for it to pick up momentum, which it never quite did.

The novel does excel in one unique area: its inclusion of Judaism. It’s rare to find this aspect of culture woven into a thriller, and I appreciated how it was portrayed throughout the story. This added depth and a refreshing layer to the narrative that is often missing in the genre.

The narrator, Hallie Bee Bard, was a highlight for me. She has a great voice and brought the characters to life in a way that made the slower parts more bearable. Her performance added much-needed texture and dimension to the characters, enhancing the listening experience.

Overall, while it has some interesting elements (especially the ending), the pacing and repetition held it back from being a standout read for me. Mina Hardy builds tension, but ultimately struggles to sustain the intensity needed for a truly gripping thriller.


Thank you NetGalley, Mina Hardy, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to and review Bitter is the Heart.

Bitter Is The Heart by Mina Hardy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was pleasantly chilled to my core by this book. I wasn’t expecting that.

Tamar has a complicated relationship with her elderly mother, Ruth. She ran away from home at 18 and never looked back. Now she is forced to take Ruth into her home being kicked out of her living facility. Things go deeply sinister when she notices her mother acting strangely. Incidents begin to occur and Tamar is determined to uncover what her mother is up to.

Mina Hardy is amazing at writing complex characters and I really enjoyed the supernatural/sinister vibes

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.

Bitter is the Heart by Mina Hardy. Let me start off by saying I read everything.. but this was was definitely different than most things I typically read - in a good way. It was a perfect fall, spooky read. It gave me Halloween Vibes. This book had me guessing until the last page. The narrator was fantastic.

Bitter is the heart tells the story of Tamar Glass who fled an abusive home life at just 18. Tamar lived a joyous life free of her mother Ruth, until one night she wakes to find Ruth standing at the foot of her bed. Ruth isn’t in her right mind; she’s confused she doesn’t know how she got to Tamar’s home.

Shortly after that incident Tamar reluctantly lets her mother move in. The appearance of Ruth in the home brings along the appearance of strange events. The house is hot despite the thermostat being set at 62, lights flicker, cabinets are opening and closing by themselves. Tamar starts hearing whispers at night. It also brings back suppresses memories of childhood trauma for Tamar.

I enjoyed this story, I never knew where it was going to go. I genuinely could not tell who was the victim while reading. That being said, I wish a lot of the religious horror backstory came earlier in the book because it seemed a bit longer than it needed to be. It is an interesting meditation on generational trauma.

Thank you dreamscape media and netgalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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. Hallie Bee Bard is an excellent narrator. This is a great book for fans of horror and suspense.

This was a creepy, horrific, demonic story that I enjoyed every minute of. Tamar and her mother Ruth have never gotten along, in fact Ruth abused Tamar as a child emotionally and physically and when Tamar turned eighteen she left home for good. Years later Tamar is forced to return to care for Ruth who has been kicked out of her living facility due to very bad behavior. Tamar takes her in into her own home and things go from bad to worse as paranormal events escalate around Ruth and her horrible actions. I was intrigued by the demonic aspects of the story, how does one actually identify and vanquish evil. Tamar rises to the task. The mother daughter relationship was also crazy scary. Fans of horror will enjoy this delightfully creepy tale, I sure did. I listened to the audio version of the book and could not stop listening, the narrator was very good. Highly recommended. 4 stars.
May thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for a chance to listen to an audio version of this ARC novel. All opinions are my own.

this was an interesting book but lordy was it long winded. it took a lot to get to the point of it and by then I had already figured it out. but it was still entertaining and I would ready more from Hardy.

This book was just the right amount of creepy for me. I don’t always enjoy horror books. Tamar as a character has so much complex PTSD from a childhood being tortured and unloved by her mother. Now she’s being forced to face those demons as she cares for her elderly mother who has been kicked out of her assisted living. Total recipe for disaster right??
I received an ALC of this title, all opinions are my own.

This one creeped the hell out of me!

I felt for poor Tamar and how horrible her own mother was to her.
The Jewish spin on this story was fantastic as a Jew myself, we don’t see many stories like this.

The pacing was perfect and I was never once bored at all. Each chapter I kept thinking to myself this woman can’t get any worse? Yep she does.
I loved all the secret reveals! Honestly this book was exciting.
I’m excited to read more of Mina’s stories, I loved this one!

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc.

Wow what a story. I went into this book with no idea what it was about and was just completely shocked. It’s like Mommy Dearest + the exorcist. It was for sure a psychological thriller that gets you hooked in fast! I did not see the ending coming the way it was it went a totally different way then I expected but it also gave a reason for all the craziness. Wow. It will keep you engaged. I really enjoyed it. I would not normally like a supernatural type book- it didn’t even head that way till the end. I would for sure recommend if you like those twisted thrillers.

🎧 Book Info

- Title: Bitter is the Heart
- Author: Mina Hardy
- Narrator: Hallie Bee Bard
- Length: 10hrs 27mins

🧠 Plot & Characters

- Brief Plot Summary: a gripping horror novel that delves into the dark themes of generational trauma and abuse. The story follows Tamar Glass, who fled her abusive mother at eighteen, seeking a better life. Years later, Tamar is forced to return home to care for her now-elderly and still-cruel mother. As she confronts her past, Tamar must navigate the haunting memories and the psychological scars left by her mother’s cruelty.

🎙️ Narration

- Narration Quality: LOVED Hallie’s voice and how she articulated the story! well done!

🌌 Atmosphere

- Setting & Mood: in a house with a mom who is demonic 🫠
- Suspense Level: 🔍🔍

💭 Final Thoughts

- Overall Enjoyment: uhm…it took a lot to listen to this book due to its horror aspects. I’m not a huge fan of horror, but this book easily captures the reader’s attention and the plot is beautifully unfolded.
- Rating (out of 5 stars): ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Recommend? if you love horror, this book would be hard to put down!

Thank you Dreamscape and Netgalley for the ALC!

Read Completed 9/16/24 | 3.5 stars, rounded down
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio for the audiobook review copy. This did not affect my review in any way.
I've been craving some horror stories recently and this was a good, solid read! I knew I recognized Mina Hardy's name and I actually didn't like her previous book, which was a thriller. This went much better for me in a fast-paced, disturbing horror novel. This dealt with possession and a demon, which isn't something I read a lot of, and I really liked how the author wrote this story. It's the story of the relationship between a mother and her daughter, the daughter now grown and having to care for her abusive mother after she gets kicked out of her retirement home when weird things begin to happen.

I really appreciated how layered this became in the end and all of the things that came to light. There's some truly creepy and disturbing things that happen here that gave me some serious chills, and I liked that there was a constant back and forth between is it or isn't it supernatural. Is her mother just this abusive, or is there something worse at play? Was her house haunted, or was it just her mother?

I'm glad I read this! A "level amount" of creepy for me, since I much prefer a lighter horror that's a little more grounded in reality with one supernatural concept poking through. This fit.

Bitter Is The Heart is DARK and I loved every second of it. Exploring generational abuse, addiction, and other deep topics - be sure to check the trigger warnings on this one before diving in.

I love books that force you to question the sanity of the main character, while making you root for them at the same time. I wanted to believe Tamar, and I really felt for her but there were times when I just assumed she was unhinged. Like when she woke up to her mother standing over her in the night, even though her mother was supposed to be at an assisted living facility miles away.

This one was riddled with twists and I highly recommend it! I ended up listening to this one on audio thanks to @dreamscape_media and the narrator, Hallie Bee Bard, absolutely crushed it.

Check this one out if you like horror, thrillers, and family drama!

**Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this title!!**

This was an ok read. Not the worst bc I finished it, but not the best I’ve ever read. It was a good book to use as a pallet cleanser while I was trying to pick what to read next. I am not usually a big fan of the horror genre but as we are entering spooky season, it was fitting. Thankfully it was not over the top in horror, probably more of an “intro to horror” book.

The story line felt a little disjointed and chaotic at times. However, the author did a decent job of pulling it all together and finished strong.

I’d probably recommend this book only during spooky season.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, via NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for my honest review.

This was a great combination of mystery and horror. So many creepy situations, that keep your attention. The scariest thing is not knowing if the one person that is supposed to love and care for you, is losing their mind or is being possessed, or is it all in your mind? Absolutely recommend.

Tamar wakes up one night and her 80 year old mother is standing over her. Not only is this shocking but she has a terrible relationship with her mother, so it is extra awful! Her mother, Ruth, is kicked out of her assisted living home so Tamar takes her in, temporarily.

Strange things begin happening in Tamar’s home. Ruth is horribly rude and insulting, as usual, but now supernatural things begin to happen. Tamar is a great character, as she is cool as a cucumber through the evil incidents she is experiencing. She has been through the wringer with Ruth over the years so this is just the icing on the cake. She will overcome this just like she always has before. Except, when the evil begins to get stronger, can she come out of it successfully?

There are some minor characters such as her boyfriend, Miguel, and her sister, Lovey. They are also fun characters with great personality. The narrator, Hallie Bee Bard, was great. She was able to capture the “evil” quite well. I was listening to this audiobook in my vehicle one night, and had to brave through it when the real horror begins toward the end of the book! This is my second book by Mina Hardy and I am a fan!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this book.