The album debuted at number 37 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 29,000 units in its opening week, and spawned the commercially successful single "Breathe".

[1][2] AllMusic editor Tim Sendra called Bittersweet "another fine slice of contemporary R&B propelled above the ordinary by her arresting voice and the sympathetic and interesting production."

"[3] Billboard declared the project a "perfect showcase for Cantrell's honey-dipped vocals," and cited "Breathe", "Sleep in the Middle", "Make Me Wanna Scream" and Impatient" as highlights.

"[4] Rolling Stone's Barry Walters noted that Bittersweet "still flaunts a dexterity and worldliness that set her apart from her streetbound peers.

But lackluster lyrics and mediocre melodies make the poorly sequenced album's overwhelming blandness neither bitter nor sweet.