I devoured Bitter Sweet—it’s one of those books that feels like watching a car crash in slow motion, impossible to look away from. Charlie, a 20-something in London’s publishing world, gets caught up with a much older, famous author, and let’s just say... he’s the worst.

I usually don’t love stories about young women making terrible choices, but here, I could at least understand it—Charlie’s past and her age make it all feel painfully believable. The writing is sharp, the tension is constant, and even when I wanted to scream at the characters, I couldn’t stop turning the pages. A gripping, uncomfortable, but completely absorbing read.

Hattie Williams’ debut novel, Bitter Sweet, is a compelling and emotionally charged exploration of power, desire, and self-discovery. Set in the world of publishing, it follows Charlie, a 23-year-old assistant who lands her dream job at a historic London publishing house. She’s ambitious, eager, and deeply passionate about literature—especially the works of Richard Aveling, a celebrated author whose words shaped her teenage years.

When Charlie unexpectedly finds herself in a secretive affair with Richard, the thrill of his attention blinds her to the risks. Their relationship, marked by a stark power imbalance, secrecy, and control, quickly consumes her. As Richard begins to rely on her input over more experienced colleagues, Charlie feels validated, but also increasingly entangled in something she doesn’t fully understand. The affair, though intoxicating, becomes a slow unraveling—one that threatens not only her career but her sense of self.

Williams crafts an intimate and devastating portrait of infatuation, manipulation, and the fine line between admiration and self-destruction. Bitter Sweet is not just a love story—it’s a story about agency, ambition, and the cost of loving someone who holds all the power.

"Never meet your idols" gets a whole new meaning here. Charlie not only meets her favourite author but starts an affair with him. Bitter Sweet is a very fitting title, as Charlie gets what seems like a dream come true but the man she's idolised is far from perfect. Charlie feels so real. I could understand her reasoning and it gave me flashbacks to some of my own past mistakes.
It's raw, well-written and at times difficult to read, but in the best way. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time!

This is a nuanced and layered account of a toxic relationship with a power imbalance and the effect of this on mental health. The characters are well drawn and vivid and I loved how the circumstances that made Charlie ripe for this coercion and treatment were carefully laid out. The progression of the story was propulsive and subtly layered as the notes of alarm sounded and red flags appeared. This was a beautifully written read with emotional truth. I loved this. It's already one of my favourite books of 2025..

The first thing I would say is that I can't believe this is a debut novel. It definitely reads like a confident writer who has a really strong voice.

The second thing I would say (and bear with me cause this is a compliment) is that I normally race through a book within a day or so, often within hours, but this one took me some time. Why? I just felt so uncomfortable reading it.

The novel tells the story of Charlie, 23, single woman currently working in a relatively low level job in a publishing company. Through this, she meets Richard Aveling, married, 50-something, successful novelist, Booker Prize winner and you can see where this is going...

Charlie is instantly attracted to Richard and they begin an affair, hidden from Richard's wife and the rest of the world. The novel then tells the story of how this affair plays out, affecting both Charlie and others towards its ultimate conclusion.

I genuinely read this with a sickening feeling in my stomach and I am not sure I can explain why. The power dynamic between them was so interesting and well-written but was difficult to read.

Although clearly vulnerable, Charlie is smart, funny, articulate with a strong support network of friends and colleagues and to see her fall for Richard was tough. The impact this had on her entire life was so beautifully written. Although she made some dubious life choices, I really loved her as a character.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group | Orion for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 🌟
Dark, toxic, and messy relationships are definitely a theme I tend to be drawn to in adult fiction (not sure what that says about me?! 🙈🤣) And Bitter Sweet did not let me down.

The relationship (affair) between Charlie and Richard takes place in the literacy world in the U.K.
I really enjoyed the setting because the majority of books I've read with similar vibes are focused more on Hollywood power with actors/directors, ect. So this was a welcome change.

From the get go, you just know it's going to end badly. It was like waiting for a car crash to happen.
I found Charlie to be naive but extremely relatable as a woman trying to thrive in a world that hasn't always kind to her. Ultimately, she just wanted to be loved, and Richard took her vulnerability and abused it. It was real, exhilarating and heartbreaking at times. It will take you through all the ups and downs.

Hattie captures raw emotions beautifully.
She shows you that love can hurt.
It was a little over filled with long descriptions of the places they were and everything around them/in the houses ect. But apart from that, I really enjoyed it.

This is one to watch for this July!

Bitter Sweet is one heck of a debut novel!

It fully consumed me and I was fully invested in Charlie, her life, her darkest moments and her toxic relationship with Richard.

I constantly had a knot in my stomach every time Charlie was with Richard and my heart ached for her. The author did such a wonderful job at portraying the grips of depression and grief which just made this story even more impactful.

I'd like to think we can all see something of ourselves in Charlie, be it longing for love, striving to do well at work, having those life long friendships, but most of all having the courage and strength to come out the other side from whatever life throws at you.

Stunning, beautiful, highly recommend.

In Bitter Sweet, Charlie is working in the publicity department of a large publishing house in London. She is in her early 20s and living with two young colleagues in a house owned by one of their parents. In the first chapter she meets Richard Aveling, one of the publisher’s most successful and respected authors and also someone who Charlie is a big fan of. Despite the age gap and his wife, he embarks on an affair with Charlie which sees them snatching time together in his London flat when he is there alone. Whilst the relationship continues for most of the book, you can probably predict that it does not end well and Charlie becomes a victim of his power in the industry.

I’ve struggled on whether to rate this 3 or 4 out of 5. I finished the book which I know I wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t enjoyed it to some extent. I think one thing the story does very well is show how publishing might seem to be a fun industry to work but is ultimately cutthroat and about money and reputations. I found the relationship between Charlie and Richard to not be very convincing and at many points just couldn’t understand why she was still seeing him. I found him to be repulsive.

When 20 something Charlie starts her new job at a publishing house she has no idea that she will be embarking on a secret love affair with her book writing hero.

She soon finds that this relationship has its ups and down and wonders if she is ready for all the rules it entails.

This is a book about love..but not the love we all dream about involving two people. Charlie is somewhat controlled by her lover. It is an emotive read and incredibly real...

A really compelling debut novel, I was utterly immersed into Charlie’s world and couldn’t put this incredibly raw book down!

Bitter Sweet follows Charlie who is twenty-three starting a new job at an indie publishing house. Charlie has adored and idolised the author, Richard Aveling. Charlie’s mother loved Richard’s books and Charlie ends up embarking on an affair with Richard but she has to hide her relationship with him.

This wasn’t my vibe at all. I can see people who enjoy power dynamics enjoying this book. This book focused a lot on the age difference between Charlie and Richard and the power dynamic of Richard being a famous author that Charlie idolised. Unfortunately, the writing wasn’t good for me and I felt there was way too much over explaining of simple events. In giving this 2 stars because I found it hard to get through. The writing needed to be more sophisticated in order to deal with this topic.