Haunting or Demon?

After middle-aged Tamar moves back to the neighborhood she grew up in, she wakes one night to find her estranged mother in her bed, dirty, not making sense, and with no memory of how she got there from the care home in which she resides. When Tamar returns her mother to the home, she quickly learns that Ruth has been causing trouble. When Ruth is involved in a terrible incident that leaves her homeless, Tamar is forced to allow her mother to move in with her. Convinced that Ruth has always hated her, Tamar must figure out what has been causing Ruth’s strange behavior in order to save herself and others.

Bitter is the Heart is a terrific creepy horror novel, perfect to read this Halloween season! I enjoyed Mina Hardy’s book After All I’ve Done which contains many similar themes dealing with the mother/daughter relationship, so I thought I would give it a try. The fantastic characterization and suspense kept me invested all the way until the end. Hardy does a great job incorporating the Jewish faith into plot, which is rare in a horror novel. Unfortunately, the ending felt a bit rushed and I still have several lingering questions.

This book will likely appeal to those who enjoy domestic suspense horror, especially books by Nat Cassidy.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Hallie Bee Bard. I enjoyed her reading and this format, but wish she had done a better job with the Hebrew pronunciations. It was like nails on a chalkboard to someone who knows the language.

4/5 stars

Trigger warning: Abortion

Expected publication date: 9/17/24

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of Bitter is the Heart in exchange for an honest review.

Super Creepy!! I enjoyed this book for the most part. It had that haunting mystery feel for a the first half and the creepy vibes for a great horror all throughout. I couldn’t wait to see how things finished up. The jaw dropping moments aren’t going to be easily forgettable.

I enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator! 2x speed was perfect!

Based on the premise, I was expecting this book to be SPOOKY! It just didn’t have the chill factor I was expecting, therefore I am giving 4 stars instead of 5. The story however was great, I enjoyed the well fleshed out characters and their relationships and the backstory to Ruth and Tamar’s relationship.

The ending was great, and left me wanting more!

All in all, a good audiobook!

I'm having a hard time putting my thoughts into words, so I'm going to make a pros and cons list:

Pros:
-I love that this was so heavily focused on Judaism; it was so original and something I've never seen before in any type of horror. I did have to google some things to understand what was going on, but I think that's great!

-The way everything connected and came together. This is where I'm having a hard time articulating my thoughts, but when certain things were revealed I had an "ohhhhh!" moment where other things made sense.

-The ending. Can't say more without spoilers, but I liked the vibe at the end.

Cons:
-The pacing was off. It started really interesting with Tamar finding Ruth in her room, then it got really draggy in the middle, and all of the action was in the last few chapters.

-The ending. Yes, this is a pro and a con. I liked it, but it was just so abrupt. I was so confused when there was nothing left after the last chapter.

Overall, I think it just needed a little bit more editing. I think it would make a really fun movie!

Talk about a strained mother daughter relationship, damn. Bitter Is the Heart was so much creepier than I anticipated. It was shocking. There was even one scene that made me gasp out loud because it was so unexpected and so gruesome. Needless to say: I loved it.

It reminded me of that humorous horror movie, Drag Me To Hell. It had similar themes and an underlying humor that endeared me to it. This was my first book my Mina Hardy, and wow, it will not be my last, because Bitter Is the Heart was a freaking gory, haunting blast.

This book kept the creepy thrills coming. The dynamic between the mother and daughter was almost too real for comfort. I loved the incorporation of the Jewish faith and especially the blessed rosary/cross scene and subsequent conversation between the daughter and her high school boyfriend. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard a conversation like that and it made all the sense in the world. I do feel the ending was a bit rushed. I wish we had had more time to flesh out their relationship in the final chapters. Otherwise, great book!
Thank you Netgally for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

All of you people saying this isn't horror or isn't "scary" are out of your minds. It employs classic horror possession tropes and is deeply reminiscent of The Exorcist and other such possession stories. I absolutely loved the ways it dived into Jewish mythology (underrepresented in horror in my opinion, but when it's used it hits so hard.) I also think the mother/daughter relationships and sibling relationships were very well done. I highly recommend this for all horror lovers.

I chose to read this book because it’s rare that a thriller or horror not only mentions Judaism, but becomes intrinsically important to the plot

Tamar left home aged 18 after her mothers constant physical and emotional abuse. But 3 decades later, with no one else to look after Ruth, Tamar returns

The pace is slow but gripping as we slowly piece the past together. At the same time, it’s clear that Ruth is the source of something strange and malevolent

The focus is on the relationships, but there’s an insidious supernatural element that Tamar can’t escape from. The more time she spends with her mother, the more familiar and frightening the happenings become

The audiobook was wonderful and I especially liked her performance of Ruth. So sweet, but creepy

I enjoyed the balance of psychological thriller and horror - this isn’t gory or scary, but it’s super creepy and weird

When we finally get all the answers it’s satisfying, but I would have liked an explanation of the ‘how’. Flashbacks, Ruth’s POV… just more details

Overall, this was such a beautiful metaphor for mother/daughter, relationships, addiction, faith, religion, and ultimately free will

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

First I’d like to thank dreamscape media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC for my honest review.

I saw some reviews complaining that this book wasn’t scary, but as someone who took care of an elder family member this book had me on the edge of my seat quite often. Ruth is my literal worst nightmare. Her character is so creepy! For me the vibe of this book was very haunting and I loved it. I couldn’t put this down. I was so engrossed on what was happening from start to finish. I also love that this book didn’t necessarily end in a redemption.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for gifting me an audio ARC of this creepy tale by Mina Hardy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars!

Tamar Glass escaped her very dysfunctional relationship with her mom as soon as she was able. Now she’s back in her hometown and is forced to bring her mother, Ruth, into her home when she was kicked out of her nursing home. But then strange things start happening in the house, all making Tamar relive her childhood experiences.

While not really a horror novel, this one was completely creepy to me in all the good ways. You were never sure whose story you could trust. Tamar was trying desperately to do the right things for her mom, even when she had such a tumultuous relationship with her in the past. I also really loved the Judaism thread throughout the book. Great read – but maybe keep the lights on!

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.