Bittersweet in the Hollow · #1
Bittersweet in the Hollow
In this beautifully dark and enthralling YA, four sisters with unusual talents investigate a mysterious disappearance in their secluded Appalachian town. For fans of House of Hollow and Wilder Girls!
In rural Caball Hollow, surrounded by the vast National Forest, the James women serve up more than fried green tomatoes at the Harvest Moon diner, where the family recipes are not the only secrets.
Like her sisters, Linden was born with an unusual ability. She can taste what others are feeling, but this so-called gift soured her relationship with the vexingly attractive Cole Spencer one fateful night a year ago . . . A night when Linden vanished into the depths of the Forest and returned with no memories of what happened, just a litany of questions—and a haze of nightmares that suggest there’s more to her story than simply getting lost.
Now, during the hottest summer on record, another girl in town is gone, and the similarities to last year’s events are striking. Except, this time the missing girl doesn’t make it home, and when her body is discovered, the scene unmistakably spells murder.
As tempers boil over, Linden enlists the help of her sisters to find what’s hiding in the forest . . . before it finds her. But as she starts digging for truth—about the Moth-Winged Man rumored to haunt the Hollow, about her bitter rift with Cole, and even about her family—she must question if some secrets are best left buried.
The series
In Caball Hollow, the ordinary and the supernatural coexist in uneasy balance, and every corner of the misty Appalachian town seems to hold a secret. The Bittersweet in the Hollow series draws readers into a world where four sisters, each marked by a unique, unexplained gift, navigate the fragile line between family loyalty and the mysteries that lurk in the shadows. Linden James, whose ability to taste the emotions of those around her makes life both vivid and perilous, anchors the story, but it is the sisters’ intertwined destinies and hidden histories that give the narrative its heartbeat.
Read full series description
The series is steeped in atmosphere: fog-laden woods, winding hollows, and local legends that come alive with every twist and revelation. From the haunting tales of the Moth Festival to cryptic disappearances that have long haunted the town, each book layers suspense with emotional depth, blending paranormal mystery, folklore-inspired intrigue, and the quiet intensity of sisterhood tested by extraordinary circumstances.
Through Bittersweet in the Hollow, readers experience a narrative where small-town life is never simple, where magic is subtle but consequential, and where courage often comes from confronting both the external unknown and the unspoken truths within a family. Themes of identity, trust, and resilience pulse through the series, creating an immersive, haunting journey that resonates long after the last page. The books’ richly drawn world and compelling character arcs make this series a standout in YA paranormal fiction, offering suspense, mystery, and emotional resonance in equal measure.
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