This is a really gripping novel about resilience, coping mechanisms and patriarchal abuse. How families can make you, destroy you and shape your path beyond your control. The cycle of abuse repeats itself unless drastic action is taken, but such action, taken with fear and misguided loyalties, is never straight forward.

The Byrd family has been destroyed by the actions of their father, a man so brutal that even onlookers with seemingly the best intentions, are too scared to intervene. Until one day, Providence, the eldest but only a teen herself attempts to stop him and unfortunately her mother takes the brunt, changing their path and family dynamics forever. Circumstances lead Providence back to her tainted family to try and help when their mother goes missing, but it’s hard to mend relationships when all concerned are so overwhelmingly damaged. Navigating priorities, even in the most functional of families and friendship groups, is hard.

I didn't know exactly what to expect from Crewson's debut, but I was completely absorbed in her narrative of redemption and overcoming trauma. While the central plot is driven by the mystery of Providence's mother's disappearance, I found myself caring more about the characters and their interactions. I went in hoping for a suspense thriller but fell in love with the dark, moody, emotionally-charged family drama this turned out to be.

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter introduces us to Providence Byrd, a lesbian returning to her hometown after 13 years, a few of which were spent in prison for running over her mother, who is now missing.

While this is classified as a thriller, I invite you to read this book with an open mind. Not every murder mystery fits into the standard “whodunnit” narrative, and this book is an excellent example of how to maintain a mystery while also inviting you to dig deeper into its characters and make yourself question “how exactly did we get here?”.

I loved the exploration of love, relationships and different family dynamics. This book is heavy on “blood doesn’t make family” and I very much enjoyed learning about Providence through her relationships with her siblings, father, friends, lovers and other folks who had a hand in who she has become.

ESTIB is one of those quiet novels that makes you uncomfortable. I can’t even count the number of moments where I felt like someone was holding my stomach in a tight fist, igniting feelings of unease and ick – the kind that help you fully immerse yourself into a story.

This story is messy, dark and depressing, yet still left me with feelings of hope.

This is a knockout of a debut from Samantha Crewson, and I can honestly say that I can’t wait to see what comes next.

digital arc was provided by Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books<

Tbh, it was hard to rate this book appropriately to me, but I settled with 4 stars after thinking about it for some hours.

Synopsis
Providence, fresh out of jail from almost running over her mother when she was 17, visited her old place. She struggled to see that her Mom was missing, her sisters, Harmony and Grace, hated her, and her father, the one she intended to run over back then and the one who abused her family, still alive and kicking. Providence tried to make amends, to rebuild her life, and find her mother.

What I like
The premise of Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter is actually quite 'simple', but the writing got me like nothing else. I could feel the desperation, the indifference, the emotions that these people felt because Crewson took her sweet time to build them one by one. Especially Providence.
My sweet child Providence, who kept telling herself that she's lovable but didn't receive much care from everyone around her; and when someone did care, they couldn't do much to challenge her father's iron grip.
The family dynamic was also interesting to notice because I couldn't t just hate them as much as I wanted too because they too suffer in their own way. And it sucked the life out of me.
The tone of the book was similar to True Detective, slow, quiet, small-town vibe, not much of action, but it's still there.

What I don't like
Since it reminds me a lot to TD, I must say that I wasn't fond of the slow pace. For, maybe, first half of the book I wondered (and screamed) for Providence to go look for her mother if she valued her so much. But, like, nothing really happened.

Final thoughts
Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter is a heavy book on familial piety, close-knit community, betrayal, and finding your own life. There are some unanswered things, but on the grand scheme of thing, I don't think it matters.

This is one of the hardest reads I’ve had in a while. It reminded me so much of the community I grew up in and how so many get stuck in the cycle of a horrible life just passing it on from generation to generation.

It’s not a happy read but there is hope in it. I was grateful for that hope and held on to it as I read.

Not sure it’s a book I will ever revisit but I am so glad I had the chance to read it. It is a story worth telling and a story I think can help people in similar circumstances.

This book discusses alot of sensitive topics. I wasnt sure if it was going to be a book for me. Im glad I perserved . I thought this book was outstanding.

This was a very impactful read that I will remember for a long time and thus if you want a read that is profound this is the book for you.

The life Providence and her sisters lived so unbearable to read about. I have read a lot of books with kids suffering in the foster system but this even worse, their biological dad a monster and they get no real support from anyone since everyone so afraid of him. The life detailed in the book so horrific and the way Providence is self-harming herself to cope is next level gruesome.

Despite all this once I started reading I was so invested in the story and just prayed for things to get better. Thus, I highly recommend this book!

A beautifully written, tragic, haunting debut about the complexity of family and what it takes to return home--in every opposing and related sense of the word. With deeply believable characters and a taut plot that carries you along at a steady clip, EVERY SWEET THING IS BITTER tackles difficult topics with grace and strength. Crewson is an author to watch for sure.

I felt this book on a visceral level, like it was painful. Growing up with an addict as a parent is so hard and this one brought some feelings up for me. It feels like this subject matter came from a place of knowledge and not sensationalizing. I feel like Crewson has seen some things...

Providence hasn't been home in thirteen years. Not after she backed the family car straight into her mother, sending her to prison. Even after her release, she never came back, knowing there was no love there for her. But, what really happened that day? Now, she must return because her estranged mother has gone missing. She needs to go back for a few reasons, but secretly she has a vendetta. Her father has some major things he needs to answer for.

Providence has no relationship with her two younger sisters, haven't spoken to them in over a decade. It is clear to her that they are struggling... the same way that she struggled growing up in that house, with those parents. She deals with a lot of pent up emotions from her upbringing and it was devastating to see!! The depictions, even the nuanced ones, I could feel in my gut!

Ultimately, this is a dark and gritty thriller about confronting the past and stopping the continuation of torment. The guilt that Olivia feels in abandoning her sisters in a house full of pain, with parents that didn't always have their best interest at heart, was intense. Also, the path to uncovering the truth about her mother's disappearance was really comprehensive. I was fully invested in this book!!

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter is a gripping debut suspense novel about Providence Byrd, a woman seeking redemption after a violent past. Thirteen years ago, in a reckless act of anger, Providence ran over her mother with the family car, a moment that forever altered her life. Now, years later, her mother has gone missing, and Providence returns home not only to search for answers but also to confront the abusive father she holds responsible for her mother's disappearance.
As she navigates the complex relationships with her sisters, each scarred by the past, Providence must choose between vengeance and healing, revenge and redemption. A sharp, poignant exploration of family, trauma, and the struggle to move forward. I really enjoyed this one and will read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this rad book. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, and this really shook it right out of me. Incredible character development, intense plot that really brought out a lot of emotion, couldn’t put this one down. 4 stars because I saw a couple of twists from a mile away, but I think this was such a fantastic novel from start to finish.

What do I say about this one other than PERFECTION?!

More to come as I continue to digest my thoughts!!!

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC

Strong Content Warnings: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Child abuse

It's odd to say I enjoyed this book, given the subject matter is so dark and the protagonist is in such a bad place mentally. Providence is one of three sisters who escaped from her controlling and abusive father's household by running over her mother with a car and then serving time for it and then making a life for herself completely cut off from her family. With the news of her mother's disappearance, she's back to a town that triggers her in every respect, trying to find out what happened to her mother and attempting to reconnect with her younger sisters (Harmony and Grace) while avoiding her abusive father.

This book does a fantastic job of depicting the raw emotions of a traumatized abuse survivor who sees other people either ignoring the well-known abuse this family went through or sneering at them for being "trash" or both. Providence slowly reconnects with her sisters, both of whom are strangers to her, various people in the town that she knew, and confronts her own sense of failure as a sister who escapes the situation and leaves her mother and sisters to face worse and the people who turn the other way instead of helping. The anger that this inspires in her for the adults who failed a child who was regularly abused at home because they are afraid of her father (sheriff included) is scathing and feels very organic, as does the love she tries to convince herself she is worthy of.

The most engaging to me is the character of Providence's mother, who we don't see a lot of because she is missing in present-day and mostly the target for abuse or passively complicit in flashbacks but she haunts Providence's narrative and life by her absence, like a black hole. We see Providence wrestle with her own complicated feelings about the trauma she inflicted on her mother, leading to an addiction to painkillers and the effect this had on her sisters' relationships with this woman when she was gone. Providence herself wrestles with the complicated feelings that children have for their parents and the resentfulness and anger that comes after, and possibly even some regret and it's a nuanced and artful part of this story.

If you go into this book expecting a bit of a mystery about a missing woman and her daughter's complicated thoughts about her, you'll get that as well. There are interesting layers to uncover about the disappearance and even a dash of hope that she might have just left an abusive situation and the payoff is worth the wait. The really interesting thing is the author's commentary on the performative nature of crime. Everyone in this small town ignored the severe abuse they all knew was happening to this woman and her daughters but they turned up en masse for a search party, expressing hope for her being found alive and fondly remembering her.

In summation, this is a solid mystery with nuanced and engaging family dynamics and representation of what generational abuse looks like and how different people deal with it in different ways. The twists in the mystery are interesting and I didn't see them coming, but the real meat of this book is Providence's journey towards reconciliation with her sisters, working through complicated feelings about her mother, and showdown as an adult with her abusive father

Content Warnings: Self-Harm; Child Abuse (Sexual, Physical, Emotional, Family Member Perpetrator); Spousal Abuse; Dementia; Racism; Alcoholism

As the title implies, this book covers a lot of bitterness, but I found it balanced. This book layers characters’ experiences and traumas in authentic ways, and even if you don’t like the actions of all characters, you at least understand how who they are, where they come from, and what they’ve done weave together. (With the exception of the villain who, in my opinion, is purposefully unexplored because that character is literally everyone’s villain.) This book had a good mystery, well-constructed characters, and a satisfying resolution. I would recommend it.

An absolutely amazing and gripping read! Samantha Crewson will be in author I look out for from here!!

When Providence Byrd was 17-years-old, she ran over her own mother with a car. From that point on, the aggravated assault defined her entire existence. After serving her time in prison, she moves on as best she can with no family, until her mother goes missing and she must return to the scene of her original crime.

Things are as bad as they ever were - her sisters don’t like her, her father is still a mean, nasty man and the townspeople can only see her as a convicted felon. But she must help find her mother as a way to make amends with not only herself but her sisters as well. It’s a long road to redemption for Providence.

This book is mesmerizing and powerful. It speaks to the strong bonds of family love and the resilience of someone who has made many bad choices in life. It has so many great qualities and easily deserves 5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

I absolutely devoured this book.

The pacing was strong, albeit a little slow in the beginning, but held steady throughout the last 60 percent. It’s not the most exciting or suspenseful but I think the pacing blended well with the plot. The exploration of trauma, abuse, grief, family, friendship, and all the things in between was more important.

But I think it suffered from telling rather than showing, Providence’s plastic surgery was a large part of her life post-prison and it felt overexplained. The metaphor for change could have been much stronger without the need for constant over-explanation.

This is a great read for fans of the female rage genre, especially the religiously traumatized queer ones.

I finished the majority of this book in a day, which is rare for me lately! I just had to know how this story was going to end, and I'm genuinely pleased with how it turned out. There's a lot here that works: sentences that make you pause and think because the language is so lovely, an MC who is complicated and flawed and interesting, a plot with enough going on to keep you invested without the whiplash of twists some suspense novels try to cram in, lots of tasteful representation. My only minor grievance is I wish I understood the relationship Providence had with her mother a little more before she went to prison. I got the vibe that her mother played a huge part in making her feel unloved, but not how? Since a couple of the flashbacks seemed positive, I can only imagine it had to do with her mother choosing the bottle and her husband over Providence, but there seemed to be something more there under the surface that I couldn't grasp. But honestly I think that will make this story stay with me, and I'll be thinking about these sisters for a long time, so that's a win for me. Read this if you liked The First Day of Spring, definitely similar vibes!

4.5 stars rounded up

A hard-hitting and layered story about family, trauma and healing with a wonderfully flawed but loveable (and badass!) queer protagonist at the centre of it all. A strong contender for my favourite debut of the year, but do check trigger warnings as there are some heavy themes.