Thank you to the publisher for Bittersweet in the Hollow. I loved the themes in this book, witchy folklore small town themes just the right notes for Fall and the October vibes. The cover reflects a kind of gothic other worldly vibe that is well developed.
My in laws are from an Applachia adjacent area so a lot of the details and style of this book really capture Southern lore, the mothmen lore (which is a funny family story about that movie and I laughed a little at the connection), and the little notes of food, language, and culture/tradition. I appreciate an author who sets these notes right, the story avoids stereotypes and caricatures and instead brings the reader into the setting.

What was great for me was a story about women and their gifts and strengths as well, I loved the focus on YA voices and empowerment as well as the movement into more intense horror/scare themes as well, I appreciate a book that can give us strong characters but also allow for them to be placed in an intense plot.

NOTE, thank you to PRH audio as well for an audiobook copy, I listened to some of this as I wanted to get the narration style in my head as a way to really fully enjoy this book. The audiobook is nicely done.

I will be looking for more from this author!

Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall was the perfect atmospheric fall spooky vibes read. This story is a mix of a family with some big secrets and hidden witchy abilities along with mothman folklore in the Appalachian Mountains, and some town mysteries that need to be solved. The writing in this book is fantastic and makes it very hard to put the book down. I was also shocked to see this was a debut novel. Way to pop off, Kate Pearsall. I cannot wait for the second installment of this dark fantasy witchy folklore series.

Thank you to Penguin Teen, NetGalley, and PRH Audio for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. Being raised in Appalachia myself, this book felt like home. The close-knit family dynamics, the superstitions, and the small town all resonated deeply. For anyone who's ever wondered what it's like growing up in a rural area, this is it.
I was immediately drawn to the characters and even more taken in once the mystery started unfolding. Sisters Rowan, Juniper, Linden and Sorrel all have their faults but would band together against the world to protect one of their own - be it from the wounds of first love or darker secrets buried in family history.
The local lore of the Moth-Winged Man woven throughout the story added an element of the supernatural perfect for reading around Halloween, even though the story is set in summer.

I would watch this as a TV show with or without the underlying mystery. Just to spend more time in Caball Hollow. I'm so excited to see it's labeled as first in a series. Fans of Practical Magic, House of Hollow put author Kate Pearsall on my radar, but this book sealed the deal. I would read any of her books without a second thought.

What’s it about?

In rural Appalachia, there exists the legend of the Moth-Winged Man. But Caball Hollow is also home to the James family, known for their special affinities for magic. Over the years, children have gone missing or died, including Linden. But Linden survived her abduction, she just has no memory of it. She’s also been apart from Cole, her blooming love interest, since that time.

And when her best friend turns up dead with no explanation, it’s all too similar to her own disappearance and others that have happened in the community before. It catapults Linden into an investigation. Linden also has gifts and can taste emotions, and she has a sister who can detect lies. And then there’s the family grimoire and the discovery of past hidden family secrets.

This book twists and turns all the way to the end, making you question what’s real, what’s deception, and what’s magic.

My thoughts:
I loved that this book was set in Appalachia. It is perfectly narrated by Reagan Boggs who narrates with a gentle Southern accent. (I hate it when the Southern accent is overdone).

Linden is an interesting character, and I love that we discovered her past right along with her as she worked to uncover the truth about the Moth-Winged Man and the people who disappeared. I enjoyed Cole as a character, and wished for a little more page time with him.

Although a tad slow in parts, once this story picked up and clues started appearing, I really enjoyed listening to find out what would happen next.

I loved the Southernness of it all: the setting, the legends, the food, the turns of phrase. Perfection.

My only real struggle with this one is that there were a lot of characters in this book (both in the past and present), and that was somewhat hard for me to keep up with while listening on audio book.

This book is YA and perfect for fans of mysteries, especially those set in small Southern towns. And I always love tales that incorporate cryptids!

A small town setting featuring a family known for strange happenings and the town's legend of the Moth-Winged Man, Linden James and her sisters all have their unique abilities and it leads her to find her friend Dahlia murdered in the woods, one year after she herself went into the woods and came out with no memory. Linden tries to find out what Dahlia had been doing back in town and whether her podcast on the Moth-Winged Man and the previous disappearance of a boy twenty year prior had anything to do with it. The more Linden looks into it and the more she remembers, the more she realizes it's all tied into her family history and the history of the town. Overall, an atmospheric mystery with a focus on magic and the supernatural. The scenes with Linden and her sisters and family were the strongest.

Bittersweet in the Hollow is as warm hug of a book disguised as folklore horror.

I went into this one thinking I would get some spine tingling atmosphere. Those feelings were never evoked but what this story did deliver on was a heartfelt, realistic look at a family of modern day witches.I really enjoyed the depiction of Linden and her family unit. They all felt incredibly relatable and nuanced. The Appalachian folklore and community helped in making this an atmosphere that felt fully realized and intriguing. I found the plot to be somewhat predictable with an overly convoluted ending. That being said, if you are looking for a cozy read with just a touch of spooky, this one might be worthy of your TBR!

This definitely gives the epitome of dark nature horror that I absolutely love. Combined with small town mysterious vibes, this was a major win. I loved the imagery of this book and how engaging the characters were. It has the perfect mix of a mystery and fantasy book and I ate it up. This is definitely one that I will be excited to chat with others about because it was so interesting. And of course that cover! It's literally just so stunning.

this book was the perfect mystical, creepy read for samhain season❤️‍🔥 i absolutely loved the James family and would love to be in their coven🥹 there were some points when i was reading late at night that i got so creeped out!!!! the mothman is one of my most irrational fears and this book really popped off on that front LOL. overall, an atmospheric and fun read with lots of mystery and magic. literally this book was written to be read in october so you better get on it!

I loved the setting for this book. I was sold at tiny Appalachian town with a family of women who all carry special gifts. I thought all of the characters could have been developed a little more, but I did like them. I would have liked to see more of Linden’s sisters but that was silly because of how amazing they were. A year ago Linden’s relationship with her best friend Cole soured and then she went missing in the woods and returned without memory of the night. A year later and another girl is missing and Linden is haunted by the similarities. A striking difference is that girl is found dead and it is clear she was murdered. The story does progress slowly, but I felt like it worked well with the atmosphere for the story, it is a mystery but a very slow burn full of other great realistic creepy back story. I loved the way magic wove into this story that was mostly set in a world like ours.

I really loved this book. I (if you know me) love magical realism and this has it in spades. I love that it was part thriller, part lore - super great for spooky season. Can't wait for book 2.

Bittersweet in the Hollow is a mystery with a touch of magic. The women of the James family have a touch of magic, one that is a bit different for each of them. Linden's magic lets her taste emotions, and, when she feels particularly strongly about them, infuse them into other people. But something happened to her a year ago - maybe related to her magic, and maybe not - and it may be happening again. Unless she can remember what happened, however, she won't be able to understand it, much less stop it.

The magic in this novel is subtle, but the main plot is the mystery of what happened to Linden last summer, how and why it happened, and who may have caused it. There are several related mysteries in the book, all revolving around the Moth-Winged Man, a mysterious character last known to have been in the area 20 years previously, when a 4 year-old boy vanished. The clues to the mysteries are well-placed, and yet, having paid attention, the reveals were confirmations rather than surprises. Still, this is an engaging story, and appropriate for middle school to adult readers, all of whom will find something of interest.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars. Ngl I got bored. I fully thought I was going to be in love with this book. I think I’m just getting tired of the ya horror genre as a whole. A lot of it reads similarly, so it’s hard to stay interested. I like the setup, the setting, mothman is a cool thing to expand upon, but I just didn’t rlly like it. It would’ve been a lot more interesting if the sisters were bigger parts of the story. I thought it was going to be multipov. It would’ve been a lot better if each sister had chapters figuring out things that pieced together the truth. Instead, it was just Linden, and I didn’t like her that much. She’s okay, not much more. The love interest also had 0 appeal to me. Like okay, you’re a man and you exist. Do a trick or something. Impress me.

All in all, I think a lot of people would like this story, I might even have rated it 4.5 if I’d read it a year ago, but I’m just falling out of love with this type of story. Give me moreeee. I think this book has a sequel; in that case I’ll only read it if it’s another sister’s pov. Give each sister a pov and a story and I’ll push through.

Thank you netgalley for providing this arc.

Bittersweet in The Hollow is a great mystery story. The small town and characters were described so vividly, I felt as though I was there. The powers were so unique and added layers to this book that made me want to keep reading. This was such a great book.

Bittersweet in the Hollow takes place in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, where the James family runs a diner while also selling... unconventional cures and tinctures on the side. All James women are born with extra gifts, and Linden and her three sisters are no exception. Last year, Linden went missing and reappeared with no memory of what happened to her. This year, another girl goes missing but isn't as lucky; she turns up dead. Linden wants nothing more than to solve this case as it also means solving what happened to her a year ago.

I'm obsessed. This had the charm/creepiness factor of small towns, purported "witches" (although they don't refer to themselves as such," cold cases, murder, the Mothman??? (Referred to here as the Moth-Winged Man, but we all know who they're talking about). It's creepy, deliciously paced, and had me guessing until the last moment.

Linden is a sweet character, if a little on the naive side, but she's been pretty sheltered her whole life, so that's not too surprising. I loved her family of strong women, all with their quirks and abilities.

I wish the aspects of the Grave Watch had been explored more, as it was a bit rushed and slightly hard to follow.

I found myself enraptured in this story, and it's perfect for fall!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book more than I thought I would. I devoured it in one day. It was a slow beginning but when it picked up, it was so investing.

I loved the James family. All the girls with their special abilities felt like other books I have read. I thought their powers were unique and they came in handy in their own strange ways. All the characters felt like real people in this book. While I know a lot of people might not like the slow pace,
It felt like watching a movie somehow.

This book gave off excellent small town vibes. The James girls were awesome and I love to see a tight knit family structure. There were so many secrets that popped up and twists I didnt see coming. Even the twist I thought I called I was wrong. It was excellent. There was a bittersweet taste to it that I loved also. The ending was hopeful and I’m interested what else could happen in another book when it felt wrapped up.

If you take Alice Hoffman, Rachel Griffin, Erin A. Craig, and Krystal Sutherland I think that’s how you come up with Kate Pearsall and Bittersweet in the Hollow. The strong familial feel and solid community setting remind me greatly of Hoffman, while the atmosphere, imagery, and strong ties to geography reminds me of Griffin. The dark, folk magic and horror of the book definitely reminds me both of Craig and Sutherland. Whatever the influences, though, this was a fantastic read that snagged my attention from the first sentences and didn’t let up until the last page.

Bittersweet in the Hollow takes place over the course of a single summer. It starts with the disappearance of the previous year’s Moth Queen, which happens to occur on the anniversary of the day our protagonist, Linden, disappeared on the night of the Moth-Winged Man celebrations (also known as the Summer Solstice) and then reappeared the next morning with no memory of what had happened the night before. The Appalachian mountains are full of missing people, but in the small town of Caball Hollow, she’s the second of what’s now three known people to have disappeared on the night of the summer solstice and the only one to have come back. This fact doesn’t help matters when everyone knows that Linden and her family aren’t exactly the same as everyone else, though not everyone is exactly aware that the women of their family are witches.

Pearsall writes absolutely lovely narrative prose. It’s at turns dreamy, cozy, soft, and warm when Linden feels safe, loved, or content. When Linden was baking, this book made me so dang hungry! I mean, I love lemon lavender shortbread, but I started craving a batch while reading this. I loved all the root and herb lore woven into the cooking and baking passages in this book. It suited the plot and added another worldbuilding layer that helped deepen the atmosphere. I also loved how Pearsall wrote about Linden's particular magical talent, because it reminded me so much of synesthesia (even though I don’t know if that type of synesthesia has been uncovered).

The book also played a good game of whodunit, in more ways than one. Not only because we had to guess “folktale or reality” and “who attacked Linden last summer” (or were they one and the same?), but because even then we had a few different candidates for the win and I was down to three until the turn. It’s rare for a book to catch me like that, so I was pleased. It’s no fun guessing the perp early on.

This was a great read for a cloudy, fall day, but it was simply a terrific read overall.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, ideas, and views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Coming of Age/Folk Horror/Supernatural Fantasy/YA Fiction/YA Horror/YA Mystery/YA Thriller

4.5 stars rounded up! This book was fantastic! It had me guessing the entire time. The web that was weaved in this mystery was very intricate and I could not figure out where it was going. I love the magic that this family possessed. Loved the folklore of the tiny town. Overall I just really enjoyed the story. It was a great setting for spooky season!

A family of women with enhanced senses anchors this well defined cast of characters. The town of Caball Hollow and it's surrounding forests set an excellent backdrop for these women and the mysteries that have plagued the town for decades. Within the deepest shadows of the forest live the legends of stories told to the young by those who know what has gone before and will come again.
Kate Pearsall has done an excellent job of layering the forest stories until just the idea of entering has most keeping to the streets and sidewalks of town. When one of the sisters was taken, then returned, her ordeal was wiped from her mind. She has no clear memories but her senses tell her that "something" lives....and kills....in the trees. This story line was accompanied by the creepy music in my head that signals some serious haunting is about to happen. This book creeped me out enough that I know my horror loving buddies are going to LOVE it !!!!

I love the folky themes and atmosphere of this novel. Small town vibes, family of gifted women--it was just so atmospheric and the setting and characters really came to life for me. I loved the mystery aspects threaded through this, and I think the mystery was balanced really well with character development and world-building. I really loved this, and it's definitely a book I've since recommended and I absolutely cannot wait for more! (I saw one GR that there is a book #2 in the works! Super excited!)

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


I loved the Appalachian folklore themes of this novel. Pearsall has given us a glimpse into a small town and a family of women with special gifts.

The James sisters were all born with gifts. In Caball Hollow they are known for being able to tend to the sick. Generations of James women have been using natural methods of healing and divination to help others.

Linden tastes feelings. And this is her story.

Many years ago a young boy went missing in the forest. Last summer, Linden went missing. Thankfully Linden was found. But now it’s the summer solstice and the Moth Festival. Linden’s former best friend Dahlia is back in town. After the Moth Festival, Dahlia goes missing. Is this going to be another case like when Linden went missing? Can Linden enlist the help of her three sisters to help find her friend before it’s too late?

Amazing story. Classified as YA, I think more than YA readers would truly enjoy this one. I certainly did.