Why did I wait so long to read this and why aren't more people talking about this book?!?! Shadows of Pecan Hallow by Caroline Frost is the life story of Kit, a woman raised on her own, trying her best to navigate life. Kit was born and immediately put up for adoption. Going from foster family to foster family in her short young life, she finally had enough and found herself traveling with a man named Manny. Together they fell into a life of petty crime. After years together, Kit and Manny become more than partners in crime. Kit finds herself pregnant and Manny wants nothing to do with a baby. Kit finds herself running to her long last aunt in Pecan Hallow. Kit finds a life of her own, all the while hiding from Manny. Kit raises her daughter solely on her own, hiding her past from Charlie. As Charlie grows older, life just becomes harder for Kit. And suddenly she finds herself having to facing her past.
Shadows of Pecan Hallow was one of my favorite books I have read in 2022 thus far. It is reminiscent of Where the Crawdads Sing to me, I am not sure of others. But I devoured this book and wanted to learn more about Kit and her story. The story itself goes between Kit's past and present time. I found it very easy to follow. I will be recommending Shadows of Pecan Hallow to others and will be looking for other works by Caroline Frost. Special thanks to Caroline Frost, NetGalley, and William Morrow and Custom House publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars!!
#ShadowsofPecanHollow #NetGalley

The journey of a young girl without family and lost in the foster system. She has certain gifts that are both an advantage and a detriment to her survival. She finally finds someone that she begins to call family. The only problem is that she doesn’t know what family really is … until fate intervenes. Years later her idea of family still affects her life … and the lives of those she has come to care about. I’d give this a 3.5 stars due to some of it being a bit of excess storyline that drags a bit. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

Gritty, picturesque, and tender. This was a book I loved getting lost in and has sat deep in my heart ever since I closed the last page.

On those stifling summer days down south, there’s nothing quite like finding that perfect shade spot beneath a hearty pecan tree, sweaty glass of sweet tea in hand. It’s a special kind of sigh-worthy moment of escape. Frost’s debut is exactly like that perfect moment, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

An orphan. Discarded and unwanted by everyone. At 13 years old, Kit fights to find her place. She longs to be seen and to know love… true, unconditional love. So she runs away from the life that’s given her nothing but heartbreak towards the hope of a better future.

Manny lives on impulse. That high of chaotic living fuels him. He has a need to be revered and to be in complete control, but that isn’t easy to see right away. Plus, it was the promise of a meal that drew Kit to him in the first place…basic survival and all that. But it was his smooth talking ways and the hope of a friendship that kept her attached. When you’re broken and desperate, obsession and love look an awful lot alike.

13 years later, Kit is on her own raising a headstrong daughter and trying to navigate life. When Manny shows up on her front porch singing a new song, everything threatens to unravel.

This is exactly the kind of book I love… one full of grey areas, hard to read scenes, and things that make me uncomfortable. It’s also a book full of grit, growth, and resiliency. All of it blends together into one beautifully impactful novel.

And that ending! Whoooweee. That ending brings everything (even those seemingly inconsequential details) full circle in the most satisfying way.

A lot of books get a handful of literary elements right. But this debut book…from the complex, indelible characters to the propulsive storyline to the cinematic atmosphere and the engaging writing style… Frost masterfully executes all of them to such a degree that it is astonishing this is her debut. I can't wait to see what she does next!

This book is best partnered with a tall glass of sweet iced tea and a best friend. It begs to be discussed, and you’ll appreciate lingering over these pages together.

Thank you Caroline Frost, William Morrow Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review a #gifted advanced copy of this book.

I’m going to be thinking about this book for awhile! For me that is a sign of a good book.

At times I cringed reading this book as a relationship between an older man and young teen girl emerged — I hate that!! Hate! But, it worked for me in this book because it didn’t get too far developed, was crucial to the story, shed a light on the vulnerability of young girls in foster care and resolved to an appropriate understanding.

This book was gritty, full of hate, need for love, protecting what you love, and really all about a young girl emerging into herself for herself and not others.

Loved the country feel location of Texas!

Publishes 2/8/22

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced e-reader copy!

Good story about Kit, a young abandoned girl whose life becomes entangled with that of Manny, a con man. The story is told through the eyes of Kit, both as a young teenager when she meets Manny and becomes a con artist like him and as a young mother in her thirties trying to outrun the mistakes of her past. This is a coming of age tale set in the South about the lasting impact of a troubled childhood, touching upon issues including pregnancy, stealing, abandonment, mother-daughter issues, etc. I rooted f0r Kit amid the challenges and setbacks in her life and was engaged in the story right up until the ending. I think book clubs will love this novel as there are many issues to discuss. In some ways, this novel reminded me of Lucky by Marissa Stapley, which I also liked.

Thanks to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was not the type of book that I normally would choose to read, but I felt obligated since it was a pre-release. It was an unusual story with unusual characters . I’m not a prude, but I just choose to read books with less vulgar language. There certainly was a lot of description and adjectives in this book.

13 year old Kit Walker was abandoned at birth and after a string of awful fister homes, she meets Manny, a smooth as silk con man who takes Kit under his wing. In him she finds the kind of caring and comfort from an adult she never was given before. Together they commit a number of small time crimes, evolving into armed robberies that not only get them dubbed the "Texaco Twosome", but also gets them in some trouble and separated. Out of options, Kit goes on to try to survive on her own without Manny. All is great until their paths merge again many years later and Kit comes to see how impactful and toxic their relationship was to her those many years ago. But it may be too late to undo the ties that bond them together.

I found this book and storyline both fascinating and simultaneously troubling . It gave me "All the Ugly and Wonderful Things" vibes, but without the urge to cheer for Kit or Manny quite like I did for Wavy and Kellen. Parts were uncomfortable to read, characters were quite unlikable, and nothing really grabbed me and swallowed me up quite like I'd hoped. I enjoyed the story, the author's incredible writing and brilliant character development, but for some reason it didn't utterly captivate me quite like I'd hoped.

I'd recommend this for readers who enjoyed All The Ugly and Wonderful Things, We Begin at the End, or The Great Alone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this novel. Kit, a single mother, who grew up in foster care finds herself in a crime spree with Manny. He arrives on her doorstep after prison and a story of reconciliation and healing begins. Evocative and beautifully written.

Kit is abducted by Manny when she is 13 years old. She had been in foster homes her whole life. When Manny takes her he grooms her to be his partner robbing gas stations. Kit escapes Manny and makes a life at her aunt's house for her and her daughter Charlie. Manny shows up after serving his time in prison. What Kit goes through and has gone through makes her independent and strong but also cut off from people. I really liked Kit and Charlie. I enjoyed the dual time lines as you get to know everything. This is a tough story to read in parts. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Kit is an orphan and bounced around in foster care. Then she is kidnapped by a man and becomes his partner in crime. Things get worse and she realizes she needs to get out. She escapes and makes a life for herself when her kidnapper shows up at her door fresh out of prison. She let's him in and then her life falls apart. This story stays with you long after you read it.

This book was absolutely captivating. I loved the depth that all the characters had. I felt such a connection with Kit and Charlie and their pain, numbing and wildness. I feel like I will think of those women for a long time. I can’t imagine Kit’s pain of all she endured growing up. I was so sick watching the relationship with Manny, but I could understand how to her, it seemed good. My heart broke so many times reading this, but I absolutely loved the redemption and the beginning of the healing by the end of the book. It truly never too late and I’m so glad that Kit still had time to mend the relationship with Charlie. I loved Charlie and loved her instincts and light, even if she was so rough around the edges. I do hope the cycle truly ended with her

While I enjoyed the story, it was a little slow paced for me. The book was well written and descriptive. Kit was hard to like at times, especially with her still liking Manny for a bit. I guess it just goes to show how manipulative Manny really is. I also enjoyed the relationship between Kit and Charlie, although difficult at times.

Thank you to Net Galley, William Morrow, and Caroline Frost for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
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The minute I read the description of Shadows of Pecan Hollow I was interested. When I read reviews comparing it to Where the Crawdads Sing and Valentine, two of my favorite 2021 reads, I was on a mission to read this book. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

The main cast of characters was almost entirely unlikable. Kit and Charlie were, however, loveable. So many times I wanted them to just communicate, but as stubborn as the two were, it's easy to see how that wasn't really much of a possibility. Usually I don't go for misunderstandings as a plot point, but with a hormonal 13-year-old and good ol' hard-headed Kit, it made sense.

One thing that bothered me was the point in which Charlie went missing. Caleb tells Kit that she can't report the missing person for 24 hours, which is not true, and which is a myth that needs to stop being recycled. I mean, I guess it could be true in fictional Pecan Hollow, but it's not a good thing to keep telling people, because those 24 hours could be critical in locating and/or saving the missing person in question.

Manny was a great villain. He was awful and manipulative and maniacal. I hated him from the git and I was absolutely bristling when he [came sniffing around Kit and Charlie. (hide spoiler)] My hackles were up, I was ready for Kit to tear him a new one.

As a mom myself, I couldn't see how Kit could let Manny take Charlie out for even a negligible period of time. But I guess there was really no telling Manny no.

I found this book to be moving; a commentary on belonging and finding your place in the world. Shadows of Pecan Hollow captured wonderfully what it means to feel on the fringes of society, what it means to let people in and let down your guard, what it means to be vulnerable and feel.

I adored Shadows of Pecan Hollow and will highly recommend it to anyone who will listen to me.

This was a very well-written debut novel. The story alternates between the 70’s and 90’s telling the story of young Kit, taken in by a smooth-talking con man and older Kit, surviving solely for her daughter. Kit is still a distrustful woman with lots of emotional scars that is forced on a journey of self-discovery after Manny re-appears in her life. The characters were wonderfully portrayed as well as the small town Texas mindset that pays a big role in what Kit goes through. I found this book tough to read at times but it was so heartfelt and realistic. The ultimate story is the power of love can give you the empowerment and resilience to change.

I'm patting myself on the back because I've been killing it with requesting amazing new books from NetGalley this year. This one has jostled itself right to the top of that list.

Shadows of Pecan Hollow will make you frustrated beyond words, but it will also show you characters that you'll adore despite their many flaws. There were scenes that were tough to read, and the uncomfortable relationship between Manny, a smooth-talking, goodlooking criminal, and Kit, a young orphan with nowhere to go and nothing to lose - was heartbreaking. We went back and forth between Kit's adolescence in Manny's clutches to her adult life when she finally fled from his grasp (or so she thought).

The Texas setting, the small town vibes of the 1970s and 1990s, the mother/daughter bonds, and the charming, realistic cast of side characters were all icing on the cake to this absorbing story. I loved losing myself in this book, and the last 25% were particularly unputdownable.

The "Shadows of Pecan Hollow" by Caroline Frost is the perfect "grab a blanket, curl up and read" novel!

Manny Romero was a lowlife narcissistic man who seized the opportunity to abduct Kit Walker age-13. Kit was a runaway and Manny groomed her to become not only his partner-in-crime, but eventually his sexual partner. The criminal team robbed their way through Texas.

Years later, Kit has escaped Manny and is the mother of a rebellious teenage daughter named Charlie. They live in the small community of Pecan Hollow. It is not a perfect life, but the mother-daughter duo are making it work until Manny turns up on their doorstep. He claims God has changed him. He profusely apologizes to Kit and even attends the local church, but can Kit trust him?

Caroline Frost is a master at writing wonderful novels. What sets Carolyn apart is the unique ability to create characters that while reading put the reader and protagonist in a love-to-hate relationship. It's as if you don't agree fully with the main exponent, but in the end you find yourself rooting for them. This very interesting book will be published February 8, 2022.

Warning: Language, Sexual Content, Violence, Child Abuse, Animal Abuse

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and Custom House for the honor of reviewing this e-book. I appreciate it very much!

Thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for this advance reader’s copy.
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What an outstanding debut from Caroline Frost! Set in Texas in the 1970s and 1990s, we get the story of Kit, a young girl completely alone in the world escaping a string of bad foster families, when she runs into Manny, a deranged conman. As you can guess, there are some really difficult things in this book. Frost illustrates so well how young women find themselves in a prison without bars, confusing an abusive relationship for love. But it isn’t all darkness. This is ultimately a story of empowerment and resilience, with comparisons to books like Where the Crawdads Sing and We Begin at the End.

Kit has bounced around foster homes when she meets Manny, a shady grifter who makes her feel wanted. Over the next decade, she puts all her faith and love into Manny until circumstances force her to make a choice. The story is told in two time periods and they both help show how Kit's upbringing has informed her choices. Kit is not an especially likeable character, but you can't help but have empathy for her. I also liked many of the supporting characters as Caroline Frost does a great job of bringing them to life. Enjoyed this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title. I usually only read horror, but a close second for me is southern noir, and Miss Frost nails it (It would be great to see an additional category to include this genre). Frost’s writing reminded me of Dorothy Allison’s Bastard out of Carolina on many levels. The characters were steeped in southern culture and the bias’s that sometimes come with it, giving them depth and believability. When a writer can make you laugh and also scooch to the edge of your seat in one chapter to the next you found a winner. I look forward to reading more from Caroline Frost, I believe we’ll be seeing her name more in the future.

This book I absolutely loved. It will definitely stay with me even after finishing it. It’s definitely got a crawdads vibe but with a main character who is a little unlikeable. I didn’t want this book to end.