Bitter Sweet
A Novel
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jul 8, 2025
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A young book publicist finds herself in an all-consuming workplace affair with her literary idol in this “very impressive debut” (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark).
“Beautifully crafted, with aftershocks of conscience that will leave you processing for hours with others who’ve read it.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name
Sometimes the things you love most are the very things that can tear you apart.
Charlie is twenty-three, single and the new publicity assistant at London’s preeminent independent book publishing house. Richard Aveling is fifty-six, married and the author who has defined his generation.
Charlie has long idolized 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.
Too soon, she can’t imagine her life without Richard, and too late, she understands that losing him will unravel more than just their relationship—it might also unravel her.
Tender and poignant, Bitter Sweet is an intimate exploration of power, of vulnerability, of what it means to love another person and what it means to love yourself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this nuanced debut, Williams explores the allure of a toxic relationship between a young publicist and much older author. Charlie Turner, 24, has been a rabid fan of world-famous author Richard Aveling, now in his 50s, since she was a preteen, so she's thrilled when the London publisher she works for assigns her to his new book. Charlie's relationship to Richard's work runs deep— his novels helped her climb out of a depression following her mother's death when she was 16. When Charlie and Richard meet, their attraction is immediate. Though he's married, they begin seeing each other. As time passes, however, Richard grows more critical and controlling of Charlie, isolating her from her friends and taking out his frustrations on her. Charlie, in turn, becomes obsessed with Richard, which drives a wedge between her and her concerned friends at the publishing firm and puts her job in jeopardy. More than a story about the pitfalls of power imbalances in workplace romances, the narrative plumbs the depths of Charlie's desire and rootlessness, exploring how her family dynamic might have shaped her relationship with Richard, given that she never knew her father and her stepfather has started a new family with a younger woman. Readers will be moved.
