Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine / Ballantine Books for gifting me the opportunity to be one of the first to read Hattie Williams’s debut novel Bitter Sweet. The story centers around a young woman who has faced significant losses and hardships in her life, but things are finally starting to go her way. She lands her dream job at a prestigious publishing house in London, and she’s formed real friendships with two wealthy, yet kind and thoughtful, people. But then, she finds herself entangled in an all-consuming affair with her literary idol—and that’s when the cracks begin to reappear, quickly and painfully.

Side note: is it just me, or is there always a "Richard" who seems to be the downfall of so many of my favorite fictional characters?

Williams’s writing is beautiful and immersive—so much so that I found myself unable to put the book down. The prose is lyrical and poignant, and you can feel the influence of her musical background in the rhythm and flow of the narrative. Fans of authors like Coco Mellors and Antonia Angress, who specialize in the beautifully tragic, artsy “sad girl” genre, will absolutely fall in love with this book.

The characters are richly developed, each one complex and multi-dimensional. I could vividly imagine every scene, every conversation, and every subtle shift in the characters’ emotions. This is a book I’ll definitely be revisiting.

Also, I have to mention that the cover art is stunning—it's the perfect visual companion to the story. I can’t wait for this novel to be in the world and to hear how others connect with it as deeply as I did.