Young Adult

Bitter

Bitter

  • Downloads：5284
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-02-26 09:51:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Akwaeke Emezi
  • ISBN：0571371191
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus， a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative teens。 But outside this haven， the streets are filled with protests against the deep injustices that grip the town of Lucille。 Bitter's instinct is to stay safe within the walls of Eucalyptus 。 。 。 but her friends aren't willing to settle for a world that the adults say is "just the way things are。

Pulled between old friendships， her creative passion， and a new romance， Bitter isn't sure where she belongs - in the art studio or in the streets。 And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is， she must also ask: at what cost？

Download

Reviews

chantel nouseforaname ，

I feel like I’m going to read everything that Akwaeke Emezi writes。 Their writing style is on point and it’s always infinitely engaging， emotionally absorbing and a delight to read。 Pet definitely broke the mold for me when it came to intriguing and uniquely executed YA， but this was a solid follow up。 The language of the Islands juxtaposed against AAVE dialects was refreshing， culturally astute for the 17 year old characters， and awesome to read because yo that representation matters and I love I feel like I’m going to read everything that Akwaeke Emezi writes。 Their writing style is on point and it’s always infinitely engaging， emotionally absorbing and a delight to read。 Pet definitely broke the mold for me when it came to intriguing and uniquely executed YA， but this was a solid follow up。 The language of the Islands juxtaposed against AAVE dialects was refreshing， culturally astute for the 17 year old characters， and awesome to read because yo that representation matters and I love seeing it get incorporated in different ways！！！I loved the distinct identities of all the kids whether they be Eucalyptus or Assata。 No characters blended together， and all of the differences and everyone’s distinct powers came through。 The morality piece of the story amped me up and I loved Miss Virtue as a character and her counterpart Miss Bilphena。 Two baddies holding down their cliques of students。 Vengeance， oh Vengeance！！！ Vengeance is a dish best served smoky。 Shoutout to my reading buddy， always a joy to discuss these books with you！ I can’t wait for Akwaeke’s next release！ 。。。more

Kara Sofilka ，

I received an eARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review。First and foremost， this would be an excellent novel for a dystopian unit in a class。 I did not read PET， but even without reading it， I was fully immersed in Bitter’s story。 This novel was fast paced， enthralling， and sometimes overwhelming （in the best way possible）。 Lucille is a town in distress。 A true dystopian society with corruption and a group of rebels already fighting back。 Bitter lives at Eucalyptus， a school for chil I received an eARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review。First and foremost， this would be an excellent novel for a dystopian unit in a class。 I did not read PET， but even without reading it， I was fully immersed in Bitter’s story。 This novel was fast paced， enthralling， and sometimes overwhelming （in the best way possible）。 Lucille is a town in distress。 A true dystopian society with corruption and a group of rebels already fighting back。 Bitter lives at Eucalyptus， a school for child artists。 After being jostled around from foster home to foster home， Bitter feels safe at Eucalyptus。 She even has a secret talent that no one knows about。 If she sheds blood on her drawings， they come to life。Now I think anyone with any concept of story arcs can figure out that this will turn into a problem。 This novel swallows you up and spits you out better off than you were before。 Even monsters need to be heard。 。。。more

Jeff Scott ，

Bitter is the prequel to Pet。 Bitter focuses on Jam's mother， an artist whose paintings summoned an angel to defeat monsters。 Here we see her back in the troubled times。 The community of Lucille is corrupt。 Children march in the streets for their rights only to be killed regularly in protests。 Bitter is an orphan who finds her way to Eucalyptus， a school for orphaned children serving as a haven， while the other children march in the streets。 Can Bitter find her place with her hope crushed with h Bitter is the prequel to Pet。 Bitter focuses on Jam's mother， an artist whose paintings summoned an angel to defeat monsters。 Here we see her back in the troubled times。 The community of Lucille is corrupt。 Children march in the streets for their rights only to be killed regularly in protests。 Bitter is an orphan who finds her way to Eucalyptus， a school for orphaned children serving as a haven， while the other children march in the streets。 Can Bitter find her place with her hope crushed with her only ability art？This story is far more elaborate than Pet。 We see the community in strife。 We see the violence in the streets and the hopelessness in the community。 A desperate act by Bitter summons the first angel。 But will this development lead to change or more murder and destruction？I enjoyed the conflict and hard decisions in this book。 Pet seemed to glass over this part， but it is wonderfully elaborated here。 She still seems to pull punches with peace coming along quickly with the angels。 We don't see how this new world is built， but we can see the first steps。 。。。more

Heather ，

Bitter feels like a more mature and decidedly YA prequel that explains how we arrived at the quasi-utopian world in Pet。 I love the use of moral nuance even with the deus ex-machina， the well-developed characterizations， strong narrator voice， gentle understanding of trauma， and the look inside a revolution。 Highly recommended for all libraries。

Brandi ，

[4 Stars]incredible

Becky Baylor ，

Obsessed。 BRB， going to reread Pet！

Nihar Satsangi ，

4。5⭐

Kristy ，

I'm not entirely sure what about this I didn't like， but something was not working for me and I feel bad about it。 I'm not entirely sure what about this I didn't like， but something was not working for me and I feel bad about it。 。。。more

Jamie ，

I'll read anything Emezi writes， even though it all pushes me beyond what I understand about the world。 Bitter is the main character in this powerful YA book about art and social revolution， angels and love。 I'll read anything Emezi writes， even though it all pushes me beyond what I understand about the world。 Bitter is the main character in this powerful YA book about art and social revolution， angels and love。 。。。more

kate ，

Powerful， moving， original and superbly written。 This was everything I’d hoped for from a Pet follow up and then some。 Emezi is truly brilliant。TW: racism， mention of past homophobia， police brutality， abuse

Kim ，

i love this world！！！ i love akwaeke emezi and i think they’re literally a genius。

Megan L （Iwanttoreadallthebooks） ，

4 stars。 RTC。

Manoek • manoeksbooknook ，

4，5/5Pet was one of my favourite books I read last year so I was really excited for this prequel to come out， following Bitter （the mom of the main character from Pet） and to get some more history and background to this world and how it got to what we see in Pet。This book did not dissapoint。 I absolutely love Emezi's writing and the characters all feel so vibrant and real。 There's so much casual representation woven into this that I appreciate so much。 All the queer representation， different eth 4，5/5Pet was one of my favourite books I read last year so I was really excited for this prequel to come out， following Bitter （the mom of the main character from Pet） and to get some more history and background to this world and how it got to what we see in Pet。This book did not dissapoint。 I absolutely love Emezi's writing and the characters all feel so vibrant and real。 There's so much casual representation woven into this that I appreciate so much。 All the queer representation， different ethnicities and disability representation。 Speaking about that I loved a certain part in the book（without spoiling too much） where a character that's in a wheelchair gets asked if he wants to be healed， so he can walk again。 I af first was like "oh no here we go again" seeing scenes like this way too often in books， TV shows and movies and the ableism of it all。 But the way this book handled this scene was amazing 👏🏻 the way the character（and surrounding characters） made it very clear that he was already whole and good enough as he is， made my disabled self very happy。This book is about found family， fixing things without violence， community， love， friendships， important underlying themes that we see in our day to day life in our society。 And I loved it all。 。。。more

Ellis （whatellisreadnext） ，

I really wanna reread Pet now。 This was great， and I love how it expanded on the world。 Review to come 💃

Jes Bailey ，

Pet was a very high expectation to live up to， but this book did it。 Wow。

Safo-Orah ，

I loved the friendship in this book， Bitters and Aloes reaction to pet makes more sense to me now， though I still can’t fully forgive？ Them for that。 I still don’t know how I feel about aloe。 But over all this book was an amazing read。

jut ，

wow。 just wow。

Larissa Goalder ，

okay。 i loved this！ i read pet last year in february（i think） and loved it。 this is about Jam's mom and how Lucille came to be the town Jam grew up in and gave backstory。 i loved the focus on how important art is and the power of art。 i also really appreciated the focus on mental health in activism spaces， very necessary。 overall， i loved this book and also Emezi's writing- they are one of my favorite authors。 Bitter was a great character and it was really cool to see her younger self。 going to okay。 i loved this！ i read pet last year in february（i think） and loved it。 this is about Jam's mom and how Lucille came to be the town Jam grew up in and gave backstory。 i loved the focus on how important art is and the power of art。 i also really appreciated the focus on mental health in activism spaces， very necessary。 overall， i loved this book and also Emezi's writing- they are one of my favorite authors。 Bitter was a great character and it was really cool to see her younger self。 going to reread pet later this week now！ 。。。more

Brittany （whatbritreads） ，

*Thank you Faber for surprising me with this gorgeous book to review！*Whether you’ve read or are planning to read Pet by the same author or not， this is an amazing book to pick up as a companion or standalone。 Awkaeke Emezi never fails on the brutally honest social commentary， coupled with an imaginative magical world that’ll deliver on the escapism you’re craving。 Always so well written and straight to the point， you’re sure to get engrossed in these books and root for these characters。 I just *Thank you Faber for surprising me with this gorgeous book to review！*Whether you’ve read or are planning to read Pet by the same author or not， this is an amazing book to pick up as a companion or standalone。 Awkaeke Emezi never fails on the brutally honest social commentary， coupled with an imaginative magical world that’ll deliver on the escapism you’re craving。 Always so well written and straight to the point， you’re sure to get engrossed in these books and root for these characters。 I just almost always wish they were longer and had a bit more closure。I really found myself getting so invested in these characters and their emotions。 The cast of characters themselves were so diverse， their relationships so complex and human。 I was just in awe of the artistry of this book from start to finish。 I really enjoyed it。 。。。more

Krissy Ronan ，

Well done prequel to one of my favorites。 Loved getting to know Bitter before she became Jam’s mom。 Excited to hand it to readers who loved Pet。 Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for the advanced copy。

Shernell ，

A little bit too much on the nose， but a beautiful and powerful story nevertheless。 I really liked seeing all of the characters from PET in this story。 I love the depiction of Bitter and Aloe’s love and relationship and also the friendships that she had with blessing and Alex as well。 Improvement in the writing style as well in regards to writing for teens whereas in Pet it was a an uneven mixture of middle grade and teen style to me。

Elaine Hall ，

3。5 starsRead for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2022 - a book about a “found family”

Beth ，

“Good morning， darlings，” she said。 “The city is burning -- have you noticed？”“Sometimes she wondered how he found the courage to flash emotions as if no one could hurt him with them。”“She met Eddie's eyes and tried to be someone better than she already was。”“。。。how long was everyone supposed to wait？ James Baldwin had asked this question years and years before; so had Lena Horne; so had thousands of tired people who just wanted to live。”“Worlds burn when the angels return。”“I'll love you in any “Good morning， darlings，” she said。 “The city is burning -- have you noticed？”“Sometimes she wondered how he found the courage to flash emotions as if no one could hurt him with them。”“She met Eddie's eyes and tried to be someone better than she already was。”“。。。how long was everyone supposed to wait？ James Baldwin had asked this question years and years before; so had Lena Horne; so had thousands of tired people who just wanted to live。”“Worlds burn when the angels return。”“I'll love you in any world，” 。。。more

Nay Denise ，

There are no words to express how I feel upon reading this prequel。 I adored the writing， the world， the characters and discussions。 Bitter interested me in Pet so reading her story was amazing。 I see where Jam gets her talent and ability from。The look into monsters and how anyone at any given moment can become a "monster" -- impeccable。 The inclusion of bisexual and lesbian romances was fun。 I loved the found-family of the Eucalyptus and Assata。 The bonds they created were amazing to me。The tru There are no words to express how I feel upon reading this prequel。 I adored the writing， the world， the characters and discussions。 Bitter interested me in Pet so reading her story was amazing。 I see where Jam gets her talent and ability from。The look into monsters and how anyone at any given moment can become a "monster" -- impeccable。 The inclusion of bisexual and lesbian romances was fun。 I loved the found-family of the Eucalyptus and Assata。 The bonds they created were amazing to me。The truth about Miss Virtue shocked me for sure。 I wasn't expecting that at all。 I adore Aloe and Blessing -- great boyfriend and best friend for sure。Overall， this is a book I can see me re-reading。 Definitely a new favorite for me。 。。。more

Ananya Garg ，

I gobbled this book up。 What a gorgeous story so lush to read。 I felt so connected with Bitter， a young angry queer girl who has lived through traumatic conditions， found community， and holds steadfastly to her safety。 Bitter is current， is happening。 This story is about the brilliance of young people， the power of art， and what it means to take care of one another。

Courtney ，

I could listen to the stories that Akwaeke Emezi weaves all day every day。 I already loved Bitter， but my oh my， do I adore this character now。 And Aloe。

vivika ，

3。5

Hanako ，

I will definitely get a copy of this one for my classroom too。 It can be read before or after reading Pet， though they definitely have a different feel to them as they are looking at different themes。 I liked learning more about the backstory of Lucille。 I am now going out to find their adult novels too， as I am sure they will be fantastic。

Chris Lewis ，

While I loved Pet， this book was harder to get into。 I am not sure why。 The characters were interesting but for some reason I couldn’t get into the plot。 I liked the themes and issues discussed with regards to art and activism。 I might have to go back and re-read at some point because maybe I just wasn’t in the right space。 I love the writing style and the way Emezi develops characters， though。

Soap ，

Actual rating 3。5

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bitter

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bitter&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bitter&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0