Thank you Harper Collins Publishing for my advanced e-read of this story of grit, vulnerability, motherhood, family, and resilience. The author did an excellent job of building characters that you loved and hated. This book beautifully written between two timeframes will give you all the feels and stick with you. I highly recommend reading this book when it is published on 2/8/22. You won’t be disappointed.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

The trend to compare a book to another annoys me, what if I haven't read that book? My personal preference is for the author and story stand on its own. This story is written by an author new to me, from my home state, so I had high expectations.
The setting is small town Texas, described well by the author, from the church going do-gooders, the gossips, the Texas drawl, the big hair and spandex of the era.
The story alternates in wide swatches between the 70's and 90's. It was easy to follow the time periods. It is an emotional read about the absence of love in a life. If you don't shed a tear or two, you're an iceberg. The story does contain adult content.
The story of Kit's life is filled with darkness. The lack of any sort of loving or nurturing foundation during her formative years endures throughout her life. She's abandoned, neglected, abused, and unwanted. She's a rough, thorny and distrustful character who is exploited by an older man, Manny. She is not necessarily a likable character but, I found myself longing for her to escape her horrible circumstances.
Manny is charismatic, good looking, charming and manipulitve. He exploits his traits in criminal pursuits. He takes Kit in after she's run away from another failed foster family event.
In one of the many meetings with Social Workers,  Kit learned she had an aunt, Eleanor, in Pecan Hollow. She never forgets this morsel about her only known relative. Kit is torn between her misguided love of Manny and the need to break free. No spoilers, you will need to read for yourself to see how it plays out.
As some other reviewers stated, this book will linger with you, it certainly made an impression on me. And yes, I read "Where the Crawdads Sing" and liked Pecan Hollow much better! This is an author I would definitely read again, great debut! A strong 4.5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of "Shadows of Pecan Hollow", by Caroline Frost and to Harper Collins. These are my personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

The Shadows of Pecan Hollow is a well written debut novel! It is a gritty drama that keeps the reader wondering what can happen next. I highly recommend this page turner. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this excellent novel!

This gritty and drama-filled debut novel had me repeatedly saying, "Just one more chapter." Told in two timelines, the story comes full circle and deftly weaves themes of abandonment, vulnerability, emotional trauma, resiliance, self-worth, motherhood, and family,

In one timeline, the protagonist, a 13-year-old orphaned girl who is running from a life in foster care, is befriended by a smooth-talking criminal and con artist. She is coerced into a life of crime when he provides the kindness and acceptance for which she has longed. In the second timeline, the protagonist has escaped the life of crime, and is attempting to raise her daughter in an honest manner.

Is providing food and shelter enough for a child? What is the difference between living and existing? Can a child learn to love and trust from a parent full of emotional scars? This is one of those books that will stay with you long after you have read the last page.

Thank you Net Galley, Caroline Frost, and Harper Collins Publishers for the advanced digital reading copy. I am writing this review voluntarily.

This wasn’t the book for me, maybe I’ll give it another shot after the holidays. Some of the scenarios and language turned me off at the point where I stopped. It appears to be a story with strong themes of sexual violence.

Families could be so complicated. Young is naive - strengthen and courage come to the main character to overcome and find happiness

This dual time line book with multiple view points was very well written. The dark story is of Kit’s abusive upbringing and how it effects her adult life. I highly recommend it! Gave me All the Ugly and Beautiful Things vibes.

A lot of reviews compare this novel to other books, including Where the Crawdads Sing, Valentine, and We Begin at The End. I can see why, but for me this book stands on its own, a portrayal of a toxic relationship and the ways this affects those in the community of Pecan Hollow.

Kit is a tough character to like, but she won me over as she developed over the course of the book. The end was highly satisfying and really showed how she came full circle, all for the sake of herself and her daughter.

Read this if you enjoy tough, gritty women and don't mind a little trouble and heartbreak along the way.

Thanks to Book Club Girls and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this novel.

Thank you to Book Club Girls and NetGalley for this Advanced Copy of Shadows of Pecan Hollow. I really enjoyed this thriller. It was paced really well between the two timelines, where Kit was a teen and then years later, when Charlie is a teen. I did feel like it was hard to get to know Kit, though maybe that's the point, and in some spots I found myself incredibly frustrated with her and her choices.

Manny was a well constructed villain and I liked the way in which he made his return in the later part of the story. The ending was a little predictable but yet I found it so satisfying.

I'm looking forward to more books from this author.

I received an AFC of Shadows of Pecan Hollow in exchange for an honest review.

Kit is a thirteen old girl currently on the run and has been in and out of foster care. She is trying to find her only known relative, a great aunt Eleanor who lives in Pecan Hollow. Most of the people who have been responsible for caring for Kit thus far are people who shouldn’t have been responsible for caring for animals, let alone a child.

While trying to steal some food for her own survival, she encounters Manny Romero. Manny, at first, appears to be Kit’s savior, because he takes care of her, gives her food, buys her clothes and provides a place to sleep. However, we quickly learn that Manny is a master manipulator and grooms Kit to become his partner in crime. They target a series of gas stations and become known as the Texaco Twosome. As I read about Kit’s childhood and the manipulative tactics of Manny, my heart hurt. No child should be subject to such experiences.

Through a crazy turn of events, Manny is arrested and goes to prison and Kit escapes the life of crime and find her aunt Eleanor in Pecan Hollow. Kit does her best to create a normal life for her and her daughter in Pecan Hollow, but Kit is very damaged. She does her best to hide her past for her aunt and the town. She is unwilling to get close to anyone or trust others in town

Fourteen years later, Manny is out of prison and shows up in Pecan Hollow to find Kit. Manny uses his charm and manipulative powers to gain the trust of the people in town. Kit finds herself having to face her past while trying to maintain her relationship with her daughter and a town who already aren’t very trusting of her.

This is a complex novel that is steeped in love, manipulation, abuse that you won’t soon be able to forget.

This story was gritty and beautifully written. It read like a thriller that's been turned hallmark movie. Easy to follow and digest. Caroline Frost gets you hook-line-and-sinker from page 1. Kit's story is one of redemption and forgiveness for not only others but herself.

Kit grew up bouncing from one foster home to another, and thought she was escaping to something better when she ran away and met Manny, who introduced her to armed robbery and life on the run. After several years, she finally breaks away and starts a new life in Pecan Hollow, where she raises her daughter and manages as best she can. But then Manny, fresh out of prison, arrives at her door step.

A well written story with plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting! I look forward to reading more from this talented new author!

Thanks to Caroline Frost, NetGalley, William Morrow and Custom House for giving me the opportunity to read this Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

An extraordinary debut. A great development of characters and it reaches its peak and keep you wondering. She develops a strong southern tale and kept me on my toes as to what was happening next Combining our need for acceptance and survival.

Shadows of Pecan Hollow by Caroline Frost tells the story of Kit and Manny. I'm not sure why I like this book. It was very well written. The author started the book, then seamlessly took you to the beginning of the story then to the books starting point. It flowed very well. The reader got to know the characters well. It was amazing to see the changes in the characters as the story progressed. The relationship between Kit and Manny and their daughter was believable. I will recommend. Thank you for letting me review this novel.

Trigger warning: book up is very good but the theme is heavily based upon that violence against females, especially of a sexual, domineering nature. Review: I am amostly at a loss on what to say about this book. The writing is very, very good; so good as to be *seriously* upsettling -- it was full of unbearable tension all the way through! Either the author did a ton of research on abusive relationships or maybe she was involved in one or was close to someone who was. Maybe both? Either way, I had to keep putting this book down AND skipping sections because they were too realistic and too upsetting. It's taken me WEEKS to get to the end because I needed many days between each reading to decompress and get over the horrors this woman-child character lived through. Gosh, what an awful life the primary character had. I'm so at a loss for words I'll leave the plot summary to others. Rating: Five stars for being so damn believeable and making the reader feel so deeply for Kit, her situation, and for showing the toll required to keep going and eventually forgive oneself for doing the best one can with minimal (or no) love and guideance. Kudos.

This novel had some of the same vibes as Where the Crawdads Sing and I would recommend to fans of that novel. The main character here, despite her hard upbringing is hard to like.

I don't often find there are books where I don't like the main character but still enjoy the novel, yet this was one of them. Despite knowing Kit's past, you don't develop any empathy for her character, she just is. but I still wanted to know how everything would unfold and the story completed. I think that shows what a great writer Caroline Frost is. It's easy to get lost in a book that you fall in love with. Well done.

The blurb for this book drew me in and it was promoted as “Paper Moon meets Badlands.” I have to add my own spin on that. To me, it was more like “Where The Crawdads Sing” meets John Steinbeck.

I’ve read a lot of books this year and this one is landing at the top of my “best books” ever list! I don’t think I’ve met such horribly flawed characters.

A baby girl without a name, unwanted, discarded at birth like a piece of garbage, who never knows acceptance or love through the many foster homes is the main character. “The policeman who had found her as an infant had supposedly named her Katherine, but the only time she heard her name spoken was when a teacher called roll or a social worker handed her off to a new foster family.“

At thirteen, she ran. She has one tiny piece of paper that tells her of an aunt who lives in Pecan Hollow and that’s where she blindly heads. Starving, she steals food from a gas station, then attempts to steal a bag of food from a Mustang parked outside when she gets caught. Instead of Manny turning her over to the authorities, he takes her in. She struggles when he asks her name and finally tells him it’s Kit. He feeds her. He grooms her for his wants and needs. Like in Paper Moon, she distracts the victims while Manny steals. She finally knows what it feels like to be loved, wanted, and useful.

But Manny’s petty theft escapades soon escalate to more and they became known as the Texaco Twosome for the string of armed robberies across the state. As Kit grows and develops into a teenager, her infatuation for Manny grows. He has not made any sexual advances toward her, and that is his one redeeming quality.

That eventually changes and Kit gets pregnant. Manny insists on an abortion. I don’t want to reveal too much about this story, but Manny gets caught in an armed robbery while Kit escapes. She arrives in Pecan Hollow at her aunt’s house with nothing but a baby inside her. It’s here she puts down roots.

Kit is tough. And her daughter, Charlie, refers to her mom as “bat-shit crazy.” Kit cannot feel pain. She only knows she is wounded when blood flows. But the pain that rests in her heart makes up for the lack of physical pain.

This story is well-written, gripping and I absolutely devoured it. The plot twists and thriller ending left me reeling. Kudos to this author for such a tremendous debut novel. While Caroline Frost is a new author to me, I can promise I will be reading everything she writes! She’s that good!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started Shadows of Pecan Hollow, but was pleasantly surprised. I have to say, I had a hard time liking Kit, but that’s ok. It was necessary.
Kit never caught a break in life, and was raising her daughter with survival skills instead of love. But when Kit’s story is told, we know why she felt the way she did.
I don’t want to give anything away, just a really satisfying story!