#BlogTour ‘Bitter Sweet’ by Hattie Williams

About the book…

‘In my life, there are things that have happened to me, and things that I have done, that have proven to be moments that have a clear before and an after. One of those moments, perhaps in some ways the biggest, was the day that I met Richard Aveling for the first time.’

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.

And when the success of Richard’s latest book launches him to a new level of fame where all anonymity is lost, she realises she might just be in too deep…

A thought-provoking exploration of a relationship founded in power, control and silence, Bitter Sweet is perfect for book clubs and will appeal to fans of Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason and Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors.

My thanks to publishers Orion and blog tour organiser supreme, Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for my blog tour invite and gifted review copy of ‘Bitter Sweet’

If saying you were seduced by a novel is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.

This is a gorgeous, gorgeous book that works on multiple levels and has put itself firmly into the top books I have read this year.

Charlie, the publicity assistant in an independent publishing company, has endured tragedy and trauma but does not feel sorry for herself, she is like perpetual motion carrying herself forward even though she recognises the roots of her poor mental health and intrusive thoughts.

The author whose books reconnect her with her lost mother, Richard Ayeling, and formed the backbone of her adolescence as well as her coping mechanisms for escape, crosses paths with her at her publishing house and life as she knows it, irrevocably turns upside down.

As the beginning shows, something catastrophic has occurred between them to the point that Charlie’s friends form this protective cocoon in order to shield her from ,ironically,his public persona.

Her regard for his words and how they made her feel are achingly transcribed as we, the readers, are drawn into experiencing how her words make us feel.

The title resonates through the book, describing both what Charlie, and us, as readers experience.

I am genuinely lost for words which is massively unhelpful whilst trying to elucidate what this book made me feel…and how badly I need someone to talk with about it (internet people I am looking at *you* as I don’t have any in real life bookish friends).

It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel, so assured is the authorial voice , and I had to keep checking I had read the author bio properly.

However, it is worth every single author blurb that exhorts you to pick up a copy of Bitter Sweet, especially from one of my new favourite writers, Julia Raeside-honestly, please seek her and her Substack and debut novel, ‘Don’t Make Me Laugh’  is out now-as with a sense of nostalgia, it pulls you back to a person you barely remember being , in a time you cannot forget.

The title is just perfect, -it describes the life experiences and choices that Charlie makes as she falls into Richard’s orbit, or did she deliberately insert herself ?

It has the feeling of watching a person dive in slow motion off a cliff….

You hold your breath to the extent that you have to remember to exhale at some point.

This seems superlative, and I know there is an expectation that a review will *alwasy* be positive , especially where a blog tour is concerned.

However, I hope regular visitors to the blog and other webspaces I shout about books on, will be aware I do not tolerate negativity as reading is so personal and subjective. I don’t want to force my opinions on others but merely seek to bring the works of writers such a Hattie to the forefront and hope that someone will find it resonates with them.

It really, really did with me and it’s very exciting to see that she has another book due out in the future.

About the author…

I’m a writer based in East London. I left education in my teens to pursue a career as a musician. I have toured Europe extensively, made three studio albums, and worked as a composer with my tracks still regularly featured on TV and streaming services across the world

In my mid-twenties, I found myself working in publishing quite by accident, and an admin temping job turned into a twelve-year career in which I worked with some of the biggest authors in the world.

I’m the former producer of the Iceland Noir Literary Festival.

My debut novel, Bitter Sweet, will be published in July 2025. My second novel, ‘Beginning.Middle.End. will follow.

Links-https://www.hattiewilliams.com/

Twitter @hattie @Tr4cyf3nt0n @orionbooks