I really loved this. I was expecting to find the supernatural elements of it a little cheesy, but it was done so beautifully and I loved how everything pieced together in the end in an unexpected way. The descriptions of food and feelings was such a cool concept and the characters were all quite lovable. Definitely would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
I started reading this book, and could not put it down! Absolutely enthralling, positively mysterious, and wonderfully magical, this is easily one of my top books of the year.
Set in the Appalachian Mountains, Bittersweet in the Hollow follows Linden and her sisters investigating a mysterious disappearance. As tensions rise and secrets are uncovered, what little love the magical family has from the town soons turns bitter...
This book is just such a fun read, it's tense and I love reading about the James family and their "practical magic". My favorite is Linden, her ability to "taste" what others are feeling leads to wonderfully written prose and descriptions that had my stomach growling. I am very grateful to live in Texas, because after reading about crispy fried chicken, fried green okra, and butter heavy desserts, I have quite the appetite! (Seriously I think my stomach growled for most of the book!)
There is also some romance, and there is chemistry, sweetness, and the perfect amount of tension between them.
Much like the namesake, this is quite a bittersweet book. Don't go into this expecting fluffiness and comfort, but do expect a supportive family of strong woman, and a town full of dark secrets. I did enjoy the ending, the payoff was perfect and the suspense that had me staying up late to read did not disappoint with the reveal.
I was planning on finishing this book tomorrow and reviewing it then, but I couldn't put it down! I had to find out what happened next, and the next thing I knew I had reached the conclusion and sadly the end of the book. Honestly I wouldn't mind if this wasn't a standalone and instead a series. (Perhaps focusing on each sister?) Also mostly because I really want to see [ the parents get back together. That was so heartbreaking to learn of sacrifices that were made. I wouldn't mind seeing "Hadrian" somehow getting a happy ending with Rowan either. (hide spoiler)]
Perfect for fans of dark fantasy, Krystal Sutherland, or excellent books in general, I HIGHLY recommend this book! This is Kate Pearsall's debut novel, and I need more from her immediately!
I will say I am not crazy about the cover. In fact I very much dislike the cover, it has fair composition and design, but does not convey the theme or mood of the book well. It feels a bit plain and dry compared to how wonderfully dark and magical the story is. The author name being in a script font looks like it was added as an afterthought, and just looks completely out of place. (It makes it seem childish) I hope that this book receives the success it deserves, and perhaps at some point a new cover for a different edition.

Linden was born with an unusual ability. She can taste what others are feeling. The night she shared her ability with her boyfriend, she ended up vanishing into the depths of the forest and returned with no memories of what happened.

Now on the hottest day on record another girl in town is gone and the similarities to last years events. Except this year the missing girl doesn’t make it home, and her body shows she was murdered.

As tempers boil, Linden enlists the help of her sisters to find what’s hiding in the forest. But as she starts digging for the truth about the Moth-winged man rumored to haunt the Hallow. She is starting to wonder if some secrets are better left buried.

I really wanted to love this one as it sounded like such a spooky story. However, when I started listening to it, I really struggled. The story was incredibly slow and uninteresting to me, I think if I would had been able to get into it then my view would have been different. The pacing did pick up a tad after about the first 20% of the book, and it was easier to enjoy. The writing was very descriptive and immersive, and exactly that you would expect from a gothic tale. I struggled with how the Linden family all had their own ability. But we didn’t get a ton of details into each ability. This book has some awesome elements, and some people will enjoy it if they have the patience to do so.

Thank you to @PRHAudio and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ALC and e-arc copies in exchange for an honest review.

Book Name: Bittersweet in the Hollow
Author: Kate Pearsall

ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers ****for an ARC of Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

Stars: 5
Spice: 0 (YA)

Standalone
Fast Paced
FMC POV
Magical Realism
Southern Gothic
Similar to Together We Rot, Hollow Heathens and Practical Magic

- Topics
- Prejudice and Rumors
- Responsibility
- What would you give for…
- Tropes
- Murder Mystery
- Hidden Identities
- Cryptids and Folklore
- Second Chance Romance
- Friends to Lovers to “Enemies” to ….
- Curses and Spells
- Strong Practical Magic Vibes
- Thoughts.
- Great YA Fantasy Gothic Mystery
- Lots of spooky vibes no outright scares
- Engaging but slow first 20%
- Picks up speed at 20% mark
- Flying in last 20%
- Hadrian Romance for book 2??? Can we have a book 2
- GREAT YA Hallowen pick!

Honestly this book isn’t what I was expecting. I was hoping for more magic and less murder mystery. I did love all the witchy stuff. I think this book was out of my wheelhouse more then I expected because I can see how a lot of people will and do enjoy it it just wasn’t for me.

This is the perfect fall read, especially if you live somewhere where it's still hot. It takes place in a small town deep in the wooded mountains of West Virginia, and having spent a lot of my life in North Carolina and Virginia, the setting really came through in the writing. It was atmospheric and immersive, but authentic. If you've spent time in the South and roll your eyes at campy "Southern" dialogue, this will be a treat for you. If you, like me, though, have friends from the western US who think it's a typo when you try to tell them how excited you are about someone having hair "an improbable shade of red, like it's been poured directly out of a Cheerwine bottle", I offer myself as a support system.

Linden James is one of four sisters in a family where all the women are born with a unique special ability. Linden's is that she can taste other people's emotions. If abstract flowery descriptions in other books usually confuse you (like, how can his kiss taste of rainclouds and melancholy? what do you mean?) this might work for you, because YES Linden can assure you that sadness reminds her of buttermilk, and here's why.

Linden went missing in the woods a year ago and has no memories of what happened before she was found. She's tried to put this incident behind her, busying herself with shifts with her sisters at the family's diner, Harvest Moon, where she bakes unique and rustic-sounding desserts that made me unbelievably hungry. Unfortunately, Linden wasn't the first to go missing in the forest, but she was the only one to turn up alive, and legends of the Moth-Winged Man haunting the woods persist. When it happens again on the anniversary of her own disappearance, she feels driven to investigate.

Linden's sisters help her look into the town's mysterious history as well as their family's, and find that the two are more entwined than they realized. I loved the sisters' relationship; the scenes with all of them gave strong "performing a seance at a sleepover" vibes, which is something I didn't know I wanted in a book, but definitely recommend.

I wasn't super invested in the romance subplot of this, and I did predict a couple of the plotlines, so it wasn't an all-time favorite story, but I really loved the writing so much that I was thrilled to see there will be a book two! Things wrapped up nicely in this one, so I'm kind of hoping that the next book will be about one of the other sisters---I'd love a Rowan book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Bittersweet in the Hollow was everything I was hoping for and so much more! I loved the plot, the characters, and the entire world that Kate Pearsall has written. The magic is fun and different, and I loved seeing Linden work to uncover what happened to her friend Delilah and what happened to her a year ago, which she only remembers snippets of.
I loved all the members of the James family, and the mystery along with the atmosphere had me completely sucked in until the last page. I was expecting the magic and mystery, but the heartwarming moments took me by surprise and made me love this story all the more. This is a 10/10 for me and I will absolutely be getting a physical copy of this book to add to my library.
Also, I had no idea there would be a second book until today and I can't wait to continue in this world!!

"These hills and hollows are where legends and lore thrive, alive and well. Mine is a story of being lost for a night in the vastness of the National Forest, of fearing the unknown and what may be hiding in shadows of the deepest dark. But make no mistake, it’s far from the only mystery held beneath these ancient peaks. And as much as I want to forget, I know that sometimes secrets are seeds, just waiting for the right conditions to sprout. The deeper you bury them, the stronger they grow."

When it comes to reading, there are few things better than when a book hits all of the right notes (or in this case, flavors), and BITTERSWEET IN THE HOLLOW did just that. With atmospheric writing and unexpected suspense, I didn't want to put it down once I started. Pearsall combined threads of belonging, love, and sisterhood with a mystery steeped in lore, creating an unforgettable story.

As shared in the synopsis, the James women have had unique, uncanny abilities for generations. While this is a multigenerational story, the focus in on the four sisters that comprise the youngest, and I loved how open and honest their relationship was with one another. The way that Linden's ability was described was absolutely beautiful.

"Emotions are complicated things. Sometimes a strong flavor, like anger or sadness, hides a whole host of others underneath—guilt, fear, hurt, nostalgia. Yet other times they enhance each other, like salt to caramel or coffee to chocolate, like grief bringing into sharper focus the shame of letting a friendship fade away."

BITTERSWEET IN THE HOLLOW has light magic that is easy to understand, and it's perfect for either summer or spooky season. Based upon the title of the sequel, I'm hoping that the next installment is told from Rowan's point of view. If you're not a fan of starting a series before all of the books have been released, Linden's story was wrapped up nicely and could easily be read as a standalone. Thank you, Penguin Teen, for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Additional quotes that I loved:
"The old grist mill that houses the Harvest Moon has creaky, wide-plank floorboards, worn smooth by generations of hard work, with cracks between them just wide enough for secrets to fall through."

"What does it mean to go missing? To become lost, to disappear. None of the tales we’re told as children are useful instruction. We don’t hike with pockets full of bread crumbs to leave a trail, and no fairy godmother will appear to point the way. Sometimes, no matter how good and righteous we are, we may never find our way home. Being lost is as existential as it is physical. The loss of your spatial orientation, an unmooring of your place in the world. The disorienting sensation that nothing is as it was before."

This book was interesting and had a nice spooky vibe. I think it's great for it's age group and kind of have off house of hollows vibes.

Bittersweet in the Hollow is an interesting take on the mothman folklore. A book built on missing children, murder and a serial killers calling card.
The James women were one of the original founders of Bittersweet in the Hollow and many believed them to be witches. All the women in the James family have unique gifts that tthey use within the family but know better than to use to influence the lives of others. What happenns though when ones powers are so strong that they leak into everyone and everything?
The mothman is said to ferry those who have died sudden and tragic deaths to the otherworld. Its also said that he can be summoned and will grant your hearts desire buut only if you give up ssomething of equal importance.
What people don't realize is that the mothman can actually only be summoned from the blood of a James woman.
The town will turn against those considered different when one of their Moth Queen's is discovered murdered with a calling card left on her body. Most believe that the James women have something to do with the disappearances and they will stop at nothing to prove that the witches are behind it all.

Thank you to #Netgalleyforthe chance to read #BittersweetInTheHollow by #KatePearsall in return for a fair and honest review.

4/5 Stars ! This has been a good month!

Bittersweet in the Hollow is a creeping and thoughtful YA thriller dipped in Appalachian magic and old legends that come to life. Following four sisters with unique inherited powers: Linden, with the power to taste emotions, Rowan, who can detect lies, Juniper, who can talk to the dead, and Sorrel, who charms both bees and their honey alike to strengthen spells.

Linden is our MC, a girl who's memory of the last year is as muddled as her feelings for her childhood sweetheart. She had disappeared at the town festival only to reappear again with missing time, scars, and an innate sense that something is watching her.

When a friend of the sister's, Deliliah goes missing in a similarly mysterious manner, this sets off a series of events that force Linden and the others to recognize that there may be more to the stories than just being fairytales to keep children in bed at night. Already feared and misunderstood, the James girls try to defend Linden, who has now become a suspect, and their family. Delilah and Linden were not the only ones to disappear in these woods, and there is something, or someone, watching from the dark.

Filled to the brim with the close-knit small town vibes of Appalachia this book is both familiar and heartwarming while being haunting and straight up freaky in others. The James' family runs a restaurant, and their magic is deeply intertwined in their food and family. I personally loved and appreciated this aspect, as it made the story feel so grounded, their powers believable and useful without fanfare. I think oftentimes people get Too Big with magic and forget that it is intrinsically linked with the things that makes us human.

The mystery aspect was well written and once I hit my stride I ran to each next page, so desperately curious about what was going to happen next. I had a couple of false-starts at the beginning but was so utterly charmed by the atmosphere, even the creepy bits, that I kept coming back for more. Highly recommend if you want a cozy thriller.

My thanks to netgalley and the author for this ARC!

This is my Roman Empire. I loved every single second of this book. As a fan of dark and mysterious disappearances, this was right up my alley. I love how unique the sister's powers are, and how their powers sort of collide with one anothers. I truly can't wait to have all my friends read this book.

Both the relationships and the mysteries of Bittersweet in the Hollow are a slow and steady unfolding, written with a sure hand. If this is Pearson’s debut, then she is definitely going to be a writer to watch.
Linden went missing the night of The Moth Festival, the biggest night of year in the small town of Caball Hollow, West Virginia. She was found within 24-hours, but was hurt and is still missing the memory of what happened. But what happened that night is just one mystery Bittersweet in the Hollow will investigate. Linden isn’t the only one to go missing in the forest, but she is the only one to be found alive. And is the legend of the Moth-Winged Man real?
Pearsall writes a rich history for her town, one steeped in the folklore that came with the Irish founders hundreds of years before. She gives us deeply buried secrets that slowly wind their way out of hiding; some having to do with the missing, the murdered, and the estranged. At the center of it all is the James women.
With the intergenerational household of James women with four sisters ‘born in as many years’, we get an intriguing line of witches with their individual abilities and approaches to their craft. In Bittersweet in the Hollow, we’ll get Linden as our first person narrator and all that she entails: the amnesia, the revelations of her magic, her falling in love with a childhood friend, her roles as grand/daughter, sister, and friend. It is through her we are offered a captivating introduction to Caball Hollow, its residents, and Pearson’s skill at using all the senses (especially taste).
Pearsall has crafted plenty of compelling characters, but for our first introduction to the lore and chemistry of the James family and their town, Linden really is a fantastic choice. Linden is highly empathic and incredibly courageous. Her strengths could also count as flaws (naturally). And it’s a tension in the novel: who she is, how she is, and what that means for everyone around her. She’s given the strongest reasons to unbury the past and to fear and grieve its consequences.
Romance readers will probably get the greatest amount of pleasure from the read, already anticipating a series set-up. Four sisters with an array of fiery temperaments… We’ve got the swoon-worthy boy next door and the sexy dangerous stranger. We even have estranged parents (fingers crossed there). But the lore is also satisfying and the dark and disturbing facets of the novel work. There are some really creepy and truly heartbreaking experiences to be had that have nothing to do with romance.
The pacing is quieter than I anticipated, the memories and such coming more irregularly. The revelations come at their own pace. Pearsall doesn’t seem worried. The confidence in the storytelling is there and carries the protagonist and reader toward a satisfying conclusion. Pearsall will give us plenty of bitter to go with the sweet. And she’ll give us an ending that will invite us to return to Caball Hollow and I’m excited by the opportunity. The James women, their chemistry, this small town… Yes, please, and thank you.

This read was a perfect fall read with its witchy vibes. I enjoyed how Pearsall balanced the mystery with the magical elements (although I'm not totally sure I'm a fan of where some of the magical elements went in the end, I was on board with them overall). Magic in books can be very hit or miss for me, but I tend to love the books where the author makes it work! I loved the #girlpower of the James family, and I so loved the dynamics between the sisters! I thought the relationship between Linden and Cole was sweet, but not too teeny-angsty. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

A story about generational witches set in the Appalachian mountains really can never go wrong. There's a lot of good folklore weaved in which I can really appreciate as well.

While it did have a bit of a slow start the second half of the book never lets you go. It's extremely enthralling.

While the magic system and murder mystery asps are wonderful I think my favorite part of the book was how atmospheric it is. You can close your eyes and picture exactly where the book takes place and I love that.

The characters were great. They felt like real people and not just characters. They all had their own quirks, stories, and reasons, making everyone of them very dynamic and none of them flat.

This is a great spooky YA book and absolutely perfect for this time of the year.

There is something special about the James women. For generations, starting back with one of the first settlers in Caball Hollow, the women of the family have a special gift. Linden is one of four sisters and she can taste was emotions others are feeling. Confessing her gift to her boyfriend Cole leads to a night of terror she doesn’t remember. The small town of Caball Hollow in West Virginia has seen some tragedies over the years. The myth of the moth winged man is the legend in the town that is responsible for the death of two residents. Is this creature also responsible for Linden’s missing time and memories? Can Linden find out who is responsible to the death of her friend before she becomes a victim to the month winged man herself?
This was an amazing story rich with history and folklore of the Appalachian region in West Virginia. My favorite parts of the book were when regional history and dialect were woven into the story. The slightly paranormal aspect with family magic was also a very exciting aspect that lead to some great twists and turns. Linden and her sisters have great relationships and I would love to see their stories (especially Rowan’s). The plot and storyline was so intricate and thrilling that I could not put the book down! I was on the edge of my seat and loved reading the storyline and seeing relationships unfold. I wish I could have seen more of what might happen with Linden and Cole, but the ending was bittersweet like the title suggests. A really great read that I would definitely recommend! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Mysterious. Creepy. And enchanting. This book is a beautiful example of magical realism. The subtle magic of the witchy sisters is so interwove with the mundane that it feels like a perfectly believable aspect of the story—as if there are indeed witchy women with otherworldly powers that have deep roots in the Appalachian area.

Great world building, as well. Very atmospheric. Through food, scent and taste, as well as the close family unite of the James women, readers are delivered into the region and culture of Appalachian West Virginia. Rich and fully detailed.

A bit of a slow start, but the second half of the book kept me on my toes as I was swayed back and forth trying to figure out who the killer was and if they were indeed otherworldly or simply a human.

DNF

Been wanting more spooky appalachian books as an appalachia reader, but sadly I just couldnt get interested. in this one. I tried reading on and off for a couple months and it didnt click for me

Thanks to PenguinTeen for both the Netgalley e-arc and the gifted physical finished copy! This my honest thoughts and opinion of the gifted copies I read.

With the fall season slowly (and I mean slowly, leaves are changing but its still humid and hotter then heck around my area) rolling in, I’ve been feeling the hankerin’ for a good witchy, folklore and superstition filled story. Bittersweet in the Hollow scratched that itch so good, if I was a dog my back leg would be thumping.

You want generational witches? Check
Small Appalachian mountain town? Check
Old folklore and superstitions that date back to the founding of the town? Check
Murder mystery? Check
Secrets, hidden identities, betrayals and more? Check, Check, Check, and check.

Seriously. Kate Pearsall dropped me into Cabal Hollow and unlike the young residents, I didn’t want to leave. I just wanted to continue to wrap myself up in the mystery of the James family women, and to plunge myself deep into the superstitions and folklore that seep through to the core of the story. I closed the book and needed to flip it over and start again.

Kate Pearsall’s writing is seductive in that even after putting the book down, the story and questions whisper in your ear, pulling at you to come back to uncover more. She lays out clues and questions in ways that keep you guessing as to their truths. Lindel’s missing memories haunt the reader as much as they haunt the town reeling from another tragic loss. This story is so beautifully done. The atmosphere is right. The characters are engaging, compelling, unique, and likable. The plot gives and takes and twists and turns and keeps you guessing every step of the way. The pacing is so well done that even the lulls in between answers and action packed sequences keep me turning pages.

If this isn’t on your TBRs for October, it needs to be.

This book was a rollercoaster of a ride and had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. Throughout the story, it felt like you were asking more questions that you needed the answers to. What happened to Linden in the forest a year ago? Who or what is the Moth man and what happened to the missing girl that didn't make it home? All of these questions had me wanting more from this story and I ended up finishing this book in one day.

This story was beautifully written, and I enjoyed the magic system. Each sister had their own unique power and I felt that Linden's power to taste feelings was vital in helping her throughout this mystery. Although I believed this book to be a standalone, it looks like a second book is in the works according to Goodreads, I am excited and curious to see how the story will proceed. Overall, this is the perfect book to get you into the Fall season.

Bittersweet in the Hollow comes out on October 10th.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to review Bittersweet in the Hollow. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.