I haven’t looked forward to reading a book on my commute as much as I looked forward to reading this book on the bus over the past couple of days. I devoured this story in two days!

From the first few chapters, I was transported into a literary world comparable of Bridget Jones and “Emily in Paris”—not in a cringe way, but in the way of a complex female main character who is continually fucking up, but you still find yourself rooting for her because you see little glimpses of yourself in her. Charlie is a complex character up there with some of the best.

I’m really looking forward to reading more from Hattie Williams!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

Bitter Sweet is expected to be released on July 8, 2025.

A strong debut! The plot in this is kind of one you can’t look away from even though you know exactly what’s going to happen— but the writing is really great, and helps the reader toe the line between frustration at Charlie’s naïveté and also making you hope along with her. I loved the friendship in this and Williams really nails the loneliness and uncertainty of your early 20s. I thought the epilogue wrapped things up a little too neatly and wasn’t necessary, but I’m excited to see what this author puts out next!

Bitter Sweet is very well-written, but it was a tough read for me. Maybe it's my age (middle-aged) but I found Charlie's narrative arc so frustrating. I understand what the author was trying to do here and I appreciate it. I think this novel will appeal to many readers. However, I continually cringed at Charlie's immaturity and bad decisions. Nonetheless, the writing here is top notch and the narrative is elegant and well-paced.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

Bittersweet is an exploration of life's chaos, where the slow unraveling of its main character feels like waiting for a car crash. With each page, the sense of impending disaster builds, drawing readers into a world of emotional upheaval and heartbreaking realizations. The story leaves a lasting, unsettling impression, keeping you on edge until its inevitable, bittersweet conclusion.

This was great! Good writing. I highly recommend. This is a synopsis:Charlie is twenty-three, single and the new publicity assistant at the independent London publishing house Winden & Shane. Richard Aveling is fifty-six, married and the author that has defined his generation.

Charlie has long idolised the charming, illustrious writer, who also represents a link to her late mother, who loved his work. But as they embark on an illicit and all-consuming affair, Charlie is forced to hide the relationship from everyone she cares about.

At first, I wasn’t sure I needed to read another book with this troupe. The old man with power and younger woman who falls for him. However, I was immediately drawn to Hattie Williams’ strong writing and ability to delve deep into the main character’s traits. Overall I found this book to be very sophisticated and beautifully written. If you’re a fan of Sally Rooney like I am, you’ll find this book to be of equal quality. Pick it up this summer - you won’t regret hearing Charlie’s story.

Received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can confidently say this book is quite possibly one of my favorite books I have ever read.
Charlie is a character I connected with almost immediately. I saw so many of my own personal struggles throughout my life reflected in her and watching her journey unfold left me wanting so badly to climb into the book, sit beside her, and let her know that everything was going to be okay. Her best friends, Ophelia and Eddy, were absolutely some of the best friends I had ever had the privilege of reading about and I found myself so endeared to them. Their support and unconditional love for Charlie, even while she made less than ideal decisions, was truly something special.

Richard was an interesting character to read about, especially from Charlie’s perspective. Every time she would see a red flag in him she would instantly talk herself out of it, convincing herself that he was this truly magnificent person when in reality, he was just a man. He was so selfish in his ways and the way he was able to so easily manipulate conversations left me reeling for Charlie. It was so easy to see how someone vulnerable and in her position could fall for his games and it left me aching.

Overall, my favorite part of reading this book was watching Charlie’s growth. The author didn’t have you believing that she was “cured” of her depression, but that she made conscious decisions to work at it bit by bit, day by day, and that message was both a realistic one and an optimistic one. You can be in some of the darkest places in your life, experiencing some of the most painful moments that you couldn’t possibly expect to get through, but you can. And you will. And that’s how I will look at this book, as ultimately, a story of healing, perseverance, and all the ups and downs that come with that.

Wow. Just... wow. Have you seen the recent trend of “I met my younger self for coffee this morning”? This book was the absolute embodiment of that for me. Did I date older, married men like Charlie? Not exactly, but I certainly dated men just like Richard.

📖 About the book:
This novel completely gutted me in the best way possible. Charlie is a young woman in her early 20s, just starting her career at a publishing firm. In her teen years she struggled with extreme anxiety and ultimately, had a devastating loss and is coping the best way she can. When she meets her dream author—someone she’s idolized for as long as she can remember—a passionate and forbidden love affair quickly unfolds. Despite the warnings from those around her about the red flags in this relationship, Charlie does what just about any girl would do, learn the hard way for herself.

💭 My thoughts:
The power and control dynamic between the couple in this story was written with such sensitivity and authenticity. Their relationship felt raw and real, in the best and worst ways. I found myself pairing a glass of red wine with this book—because if Charlie was sipping on endless glasses of wine, so was I. 🍷 This is definitely going to be one of those books I wish I could read for the first time again.

As I wipe away tears over my own glass of red blend, I can’t help but wish I could give Charlie and my younger self a hug. Things will be okay, and you’re going to find someone better than you could have ever dreamed of. ❤️

Huge thank you to @hattiewilliams, @randomhouse and @netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gorgeous and gripping. Thoughtful and intense. This book was the five star read I’ve been waiting for. Follow Charlie as she falls into love with someone and out of and back into love with herself. Williams tackles unhealthy and abusive relationships and mental health, in an insightful and respectful way. I could not put this down.


I think it is kind of a disservice to authors to compare them to another because they are their own artist and art. But, they aren’t lying, if you enjoy Sally Rooney or Dolly Alderton, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Richard with his magnetic personality and highly regarded in the literary world always knew that Charlie would treat him in such a way that could easily be perceived as hero worship. Charlie had felt alone and lost ever since her mother died and as a result, she felt completely unlovable. Her serious bouts of depression only magnified it. Even when she found a great job in the literary world of which she loved coupled with true kinship with Ophelia and Eddy, her dark thoughts were always there. Richard prayed upon that. Charlie truly believed that if she loved him enough that he would leave Elaine. That they would be the power couple that others emulated, When this didn't occur and he became dismissive of her, she allowed her life to explode. She spiralled in such a way that as a reader I couldn't fathom how even such simple tasks like brushing your teeth and eating became too difficult. That there was no way out. She was truly lucky to have people care so much that they stood by her and moved her back to her Dad's place. Day by day she became stronger and when Cecile presented Charlie with the New York City opportunity, that she was ready to move forward. The ending was great to see that Charlie was able to get the life she deserved. That the letter from Richard let her know that he was not enough.

This one was rough. Truthfully it is very hard for me to explain how this book made me feel. Williams perfectly captured the deepest nuances of power imbalances in relationships. The way Charlotte tip toes around Richard and feels like she can't be anything except a young, pretty doll who constantly praises him with no regard for herself or her feelings. The way she desperately clings to any sort of affection for him, to the point of making some of it up to reassure herself where he will not. Her complete disregard for the people that she does truly love, all in the name of being at this man's beck and call. Williams did an excellent job of portraying something so deeply cutting.

This novel is a gripping, razor-sharp exploration of ambition, obsession, and power's intoxicating yet dangerous allure. At just twenty-three, Charlie is eager to prove herself in the publishing world, and when she finds herself working closely with her literary idol, Richard Aveling, it feels like a dream come true. But what starts as admiration quickly spirals into a charged, complicated relationship built on secrecy, control, and an unsettling power imbalance.

The writing is immersive and evocative, capturing the thrill of first love, the dizzying rush of professional success, and the slow, creeping realization of what it means to be caught in someone else’s orbit. The novel doesn’t shy away from the complexities of desire and manipulation, making it an unflinching and deeply affecting read.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to begin with this beautiful mess of a book. Our protagonist, Charlie a young woman breaking into the publishing world in London is so deeply broken and flawed, but still so loveable that even though you will want to scream at her through many of the scenes in this book as she becomes entangled in a romance with a much older married man, you will still find yourself rooting for her on every page. It's hard to believe that this is a debut as Williams captures the highs of this intoxicating and forbidden romance alongside the isolation and depression with such precise skill and depth that you'll be feeling a rollercoaster of emotions right alongside Charlie. The piece that I found the most endearing though was the enduring female friendship that was featured throughout - there is nothing like the best friend you live with in your twenties as you're finding your footing in life and the way you hold each other through this stage of life. Williams does an impeccable job of capturing this platonic love just as honestly as the romantic relationship.

While I admittedly cry fairly often, I rarely cry when reading - but this book had me in tears several times over and I will keep an eye out for anything Hattie Williams publishes in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc!
I absolutely loved this book. when i wasn't reading it, i was thinking about it. As a mid-twenties girl who suffers from anxiety & depression, maintaining friendships and attachment issues to men I date, I felt so deeply for our main character. The stream of consciousness in this book where Charlie knows all the cons of this relationship while also simultaneously dropping everything for this man was written so well. The friendships in this book were amazing, exploring grief also was done very well.

This felt like a character study. This also (weirdly, i admit) felt like a thriller to me in the sense that I knew the relationship wasnt going to end well so it made me anxious waiting for the shoe to drop! I can’t believe this was a debut as it was writtEn so well. I would give it 4-4.5 stars, i loved it but I just didnt get that 5 star feeling. I could 100% see my self re-reading this and picking up even more on all of the toxic signs of this relationship i mightve missed the first time. I would definitely read more of Hattie’s releases!

First and foremost thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Hattie Williams herself for this ARC. Publishing on July 3rd, 2025

Bittersweet follows Charlie who, after the loss of her mother as a teen and an ongoing battle with mental health, becomes engulfed in an affair with her literary idol after meeting him at her publishing job.
Charlie has all the qualities of a classic spiraling female main character but was written with such depth and had a self-awareness that I didn’t find myself frustrated with her (I wanted to hug her, not shake her, if that makes sense).
This debut novel explored heavy topics like grief, mental health, and abortion with such amazing supporting characters for Charlie that showed compassion, and friendship is such a beautiful way…
Everyone needs an Ophelia and a big fuck you to RA.

Review can be found on Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Fable

I quite enjoyed this, it had depth and wasn't cheesy like I thought it might be. The characters were realistic and it read well.

This book! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew that i was something that I needed to read immediately.

Even though I figured early on how it was going to end (we all know how this relationships tend to play out), I was still so endeared to Charlie and I just kept wishing I could give her a hug.

I loved everything about this book, even though it was such a tough subject matter, but the author took such care constructing this story that it was hard to believe that this her debut novel.

The friendships that were formed were so beautiful and it was so heartwarming to see those bonds strengthen throughout the book.

Loved, loved this!

So normally I’m not into books about affairs, as they tend to make me angry. On one hand, I’m sick of literary fiction about young women being taken advantage of by older, successful men. On the other hand, this story felt like a perfectly executed portrait of what it’s like to be in your early twenties with depression and a need for male validation. These stories are important because when you’re in these spirals, it’s helpful to know that you aren’t alone in your suffering, not a freak. As much as I wanted to shake some sense into Charlie, the MC, I felt like I had a good understanding of her perspective, a testament to the author’s skill. Overall, a very compelling narrative.

What an emotional, electric debut! The characters are dynamic and extremely flawed. I didn't relate or like any of the main characters but they were interesting and a great representation of what it means to be human. The pacing is a little slow at times but the writing is very lyrical and striking.

Looking for your next romance novel? Pick up Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams. It was a good read. Don’t miss it.