The Bitter End Birding Society

Author: Amanda Cox
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 336
Release Date: August 19, 2025
Publisher: Revell

A forbidden romance, a fractured family, and one woman's journey to piece it all together

Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt prepare for retirement. A town called Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she's desperate for respite from the attention and unwarranted admiration of her community. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird-watchers takes her under their wing--a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.

But when Ana's adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree--one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner's daughter and a preacher's son--what began as a getaway to help her great-aunt becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.

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Reviewer: Rebecca Maney

“Sometimes things don’t come to a tidy conclusion. Words are left unsaid. Things are left undone. But this life is not the end…Our present circumstances, our perceived failures, they are not final.”

Her days feel like an ending, at the very least an epilogue of life as she has known it and the beginning of a life she no longer recognizes. After surviving a harrowing experience with her students, Ana Leigh Watkins closes up her kindergarten classroom for the summer, and drives to Bitter End, Tennessee to spend a few months with her great aunt Cora, never envisioning for one second that she is entering a world where the past; her own family’s past, has never been resolved. Besides, how could traipsing along trails with a group of amateur bird watchers, an adopted dog, and a way too interesting sheep farmer transform her nightmares back into dreams?

Exceptional characters, elegant word flow, and one of the most beautiful settings imaginable intersect with wisdom, wit and delicate timing to deliver a story that doesn’t wrap up perfectly, but finishes perfectly for those who read it.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Revell through Interviews & Reviews.

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Reviewer: Lori Parrish

This is the best Amanda Cox book I’ve ever read! Wow!

I loved all the connections in this book and they are what kept me turning the pages. I just simply couldn’t put this book down until Ana and the residents of Bitter End told me their story. It’s quite an interesting one to be sure!

I liked the family history that was portrayed. Their emotions and choices were so very real that some of it broke my heart.

Viola is just such a character. I loved her boldness to follow her heart. She’s a very brave woman.

There’s this thing called life. And it’s a hard journey, especially in the mountains. Life’s about the choices we make and when.

This is just a fabulous book, and it is worth the reread. All her books are! I was sad to see this end, for I’m still thinking about these characters and their hearts breaking in certain places of the story.

I loved Piper very much. She stole the show in my opinion!

I did think that Bitter End was a weird name for a community.

I really enjoyed learning about all the different birds. Makes me want to go birding. They are fascinating in their own way.

Here’s a thought from the story: 

There’s beauty in nature if you only take the time to slow down and listen through birds. We can simply learn by watching and listening to them.

I think I’ve got the right of it, anyway.

5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell through Interviews & Reviews via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

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