What a delightful read! The author does a great job setting up atmosphere, and I was instantly hooked once things took a turn for the creepy. I also absolutely adored Cassie—she’s such a nuanced, well-rounded character, and as someone who deals with both autism and trichotillomania, the representation was really refreshing. Can’t wait to see what the author puts out next!

I really liked this but the end was confusing for me when it came to the Blame plot. A lot of whys and hows were left unanswered. But I felt like the representation of neurodivergent and queer characters was well done.

★★★ ¼

Please note that I write this review as a diagnosed autism & anxiety OwnVoices reviewer.

This book was unbelievably unique, and had pretty much everything I look for in good YA horror—faithful representation, characters that each felt comfortably solid and unique even in a larger group of deuteragonists than in adult fiction, and prose that absolutely drips with symbolism and the creeping feeling of something you can't quite place, until a climax of catastrophe makes everything click into place for both the protagonist and the readers. This is "cottagegore" at its finest, and I'm so glad I was able to have this itch scratched in a way I never knew I needed.

Cassie's struggle with her autism diagnosis and the self-hate that compounds as a result of it is something that I can deeply relate to. Though the way it manifested in her personal life was often a bit too on-the-nose sometimes (as lived experiences are often more subtle), I think it works well for the intended audience and is a breath of fresh air when it comes to finally seeing myself in a protagonist. Even as I was diagnosed later, this book would have worked wonders for me as a kid; I'm filled with joy that it exists now for those that need to be able to see themselves in characters they love. (The bi/pan rep was also really great and refreshing to see, as it's often not done enough justice.)

The horror definitely crept up on you moreso than hit you in the face—which I don't see often in young adult fiction—and it was an incredibly interesting journey to slowly understand what was happening at the same time as Cassie. Some of the earlier twists were too obvious/heavily-foreshadowed, in my opinion (to where I was fully expecting that the rest of the book would contain no surprises). However, the climax was stellar and absolutely knocked me off my feet (I'm mad at myself for not picking it up sooner!), and I tore through the last 20% of the book with record speeds, even for me. My blood is positively boiling after finishing, and Cassie was such a wonderful character to cheer for as she wrestled with discovering her true self beneath who she attempted to be.

My rating is not because I disliked the book—far from it! However, many of the middle scenes of the text felt repetitive or lacking substance, and they didn't serve to advance the plot in the way I would have liked. I've found YA to work best when it is more fast-paced, as there's less depth to the prose itself to hold the reader's attention. I think some of the more "idle" points would have really shined if there was just a bit more strangeness to pull the plot along more consistently.

I also think this book may have worked better in first-person perspective (maybe with a chapter or two here or there for some of the deuteragonists). As mentioned above, the slow, skulking nature of the horror and lack of consistency in plot speed made me feel a bit disconnected at times, and I think this could be helped by being able to see the world through Cassie's eyes just a little more.

Overall, a really fun read, and I'll forever thank this book for being able to be there for people like younger me who need it most.

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Cassie and her mom have just moved back to rural upstate NY from NYC after her parents divorce and she's diagnosed with autism and trichotillomania. She left her friends: Melody, Blake, and Jac and hasn't communicated with them while she's been away. After bumping into them at the donut shop in town, Blake invites her on a week long hiking trip to reconnect. Inclement weather separates the group and strands Cassie with Kaleb and members of the Roost in Hollow Ridge. Initially welcoming, not everything is as it seems.

This is queer YA horror and I was stressed reading it. I think that was the point. I don't want to say too much, though if you are a reader that needs a tidy ending, you might be a little frustrated here. That said, this is a debut standalone. I really didn't know how things would wrap up. Give this a read if you enjoy:
- main character with autism
- horror in the wilderness of rural NY
- maybe it's a cult?
- what's with all these dolls?
- crows, lots of crows

Thank you to Holiday House, Peachtree Press for an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published on 9/30/25.

Haunting, beautiful, and immersive, HOLLOW by Taylor Grothe explores what it means to be authentic and whole; it’s a tale to remind us to be true to ourselves—without fear. Grothe’s rich prose—full of evocative imagery and chilling atmosphere that leaps off the page—will transport you fully into Cassie’s perspective. HOLLOW’s realistic characters have relationships and motives as sundry and complex as the characters themselves.

It was easy to slip into Cassie’s world, and pages flew by, spurred on by tension and intrigue. Who is safe? Who can Cassie trust? I asked myself these questions the whole way to the end, and the not knowing was agony (in the best possible way). I’m in a serious book hangover after HOLLOW. No joke.

Ultimately, what spoke to me the most was HOLLOW’s psychological terror. Cassie is trying to figure out her world, how she fits into it. Her intuition’s saying something’s wrong—but everyone around her is saying everything is just fine.

This disconnect is powerful. And terrifying. And the strength it takes for Cassie to trust her intuition—trust herself—despite the pressure to fit into the version of herself most palatable for the situation is inspirational. Cassie’s strength has stuck with me well beyond the last page.

HOLLOW may be a horror story, but it’s also a healing story. Cassie may not think she’s a hero, but she will be for plenty of neurodivergent readers of all ages. Myself included.

5/5 stars, no notes ✨️

I think it’s safe to say I’ve been slowly falling into obsession for this book over the last little bit even before I got the chance to read it and now that I’ve read it, the obsession is solidified. When Taylor describes the vibes for Hollow as a mix between an eerie forest horror like Don’t Let the Forest In and Midsommer, she’s really on point, the vibes are right there and I fully ate it up. I’m already planning it’s perfect spot on the shelf with all my other eerie forest books.

Before we go any further in this review it’s important to note that I have a fear of puppets and this book had me glued to the pages still. Those suckers are creepy AF and no one can tell me otherwise. There is warning, as one of the tropes is in fact life size puppets but that didn’t stop me from losing it multiple times over these things. I’m fine. It’s fine. In fact, this book doesn’t hit really scary vibes, deliciously eerie vibes? ABSOLUTELY. But you could stick a puppet in a romance book and I’m going to be terrified.

There were a lot of moments in this book that hit hard. I think a lot of us have lived our lives with different social fears and expectations we’ve put on ourselves to be a certain way even when it was hard on us. Hollow brought out in the open some of even my own biggest fears as a teenager, one of them being a big piece of the book- being left somewhere by my friends. Sometimes seeing things like this in a book reminds me that I’m not necessarily alone in these thoughts and I love that Taylor was able to create a book that had so many pieces outside of just a forest horror element.

The entire atmosphere of this book is eerie and you can sense there’s something building up behind the scenes that you can’t quite put your finger on. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop and devoured it the first day of my vacation and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

Thanks to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the pre-release copy of Taylor Grothe's Hollow. Below is my honest review.

Taylor Grothe's Hollow was their debut YA horror novel, and boy did it deliver hard! You jump right into the story, with neurodivergent Cassie returning to her hometown after leaving four years prior. While she was gone, she fell off the grid and didn't keep up with her old friends, mostly because she was struggling with new diagnoses and her parents' divorce. So stumbling upon said friends, including the girl she had feelings for before leaving, definitely was an awkward situation. As they try to rebuild something, a group camping trip takes a massive turn and the group is split, shoving Cassie into a cultish community living out in the wilderness, The Roost. From there, the story pushes darker and darker, as Cassie tries to balance who she is with who she wants to be and how she wants to relate to other people... and her friends are all in danger, lost in the woods.

1- I love books with cults, even if they're just intentional communities with cult-ish similarities.

2- I loved the neurodivergency rep.

3- I loved the LGBTQ+ rep (but I will note that stopping in the middle of chase scene to ask what pronouns to use was a little awkward).

4- I loved the buildup to a grande finale. It was top notch.

5- Some of the twists aren't as surprising, but how they're revealed is still fantastic.

I'll definitely read more from Taylor Grothe, especially since I've seen they have at least two more novels coming in the next few years.

Highly recommended for YA fans, horror fans of all ages, and people who just like a good page-turner.

Once again, thank you @netgalley @peachtreeteen and @taylorgrothe for the chance to read this ARC!

Hollow follows Cassie Davis after she returns to her hometown of Deep Glen after a breakdown in NY leads to an autism diagnosis, and subsequently, a break down in her family. Her parents have split up. Her NY friends abandoned her. And her Deep Glen friends are on edge at her return. She did ghost them after leaving for NY, after all, ultimately leaving Cassie alone with a mom who only cares about appearances and fitting in. But that’s okay. Cassie’s good at wearing masks. She can be anyone and fix anything, and week long hiking trip with her old friends is just the way to do it. But when a storm separates the group, and Cassie finds herself hurt and in the care of a strange mountain community, Cassie might just have to drop her mask and face who she really is, or be trapped by it forever.

So to start, Grothe’s writing is so electric and quick that it made flying through this book super easy and accessible, while at the same time, managing to dive deep into Cassie’s feelings in a way that never felt shallow or like an afterthought. At times the writing felt claustrophobic, overwhelming, and desperate, just like Cassie did, and I think a lot of work went into creating a balance that kept the pace interesting and tight.

Representation wise, I also really loved this book, and while I’m not autistic (that I know of) Cassie still felt relatable. She makes mistakes, feels guilt, and struggles to express herself while still trying her best. And I think not only will Cassie help a lot of autistic young adults feel seen, I think she also offers a great insight to neurotypical’s who may not understand someone like her. All in all, this was a banger of a debut, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what Grothe does next!

5/5

After four years, a meltdown and autism diagnosis brings Cassie back to her hometown, where she joins her old best friends on a hiking trip to try to recover their relationships. When Cassie finds herself alone the next day, she must contend with the weather, herself, and a strange boy and his stranger community, as she tries to find herself alone friends and figure out how to get home.

This is not a story where the main character just happens to have autism, this is very much a story about being autistic. There is no way to untangle neurodiversity from the narrative in a really powerful way that I haven’t come across very often. Cassie’s mental illness can’t be sidelined for the more fantastical and horrifying elements of the story- instead these elements are intrinsically reflective of her masking and the roles she’s had to force herself to play in order to be “normal”.

Beyond the powerful exploration of neurodiversity, Hollow on its own is a genuinely creepy YA horror that had me unnerved throughout the night when I tried to put it down to go to sleep about 75% of the way through. Highly recommend for anyone looking for culty folk horror and neurodiverse and queer representation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the ARC- all thoughts my own!

After moving to New York & ghosting her friends following a breakdown & autism diagnosis, Cassie is desperate to reconnect with them & joins them on a hiking trip to nearby Hollow Ridge. When the group are separated by a storm, Cassie seeks refuge with a nearby compound known as The Roost, but is so focused on fitting in with her new friends that she doesn’t stop to question whether everything is really as good as it seems.
I saw Taylor post about Hollow on their Instagram & had to request it based on the cover alone, & I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Cassie’s neurodiversity makes her overthink every tiny thing she does or says, but doesn’t let her trust her own perception in the slightest, so when things seem odd she convinces herself it’s a Cassie problem. The way she is misunderstood by her family & friends is heartbreaking to see, & though it’s a YA novel & an easy, quick read, it’s quite a difficult one too. I don’t want to give anything else away, but it’s creepy as hell.

I thought Hollow by Taylor Grothe was alright—I'd give it 3 stars. The atmosphere was eerie and Cassie's perspective was unique, especially with the autistic and queer representation. Some parts dragged a bit for me, but overall it was a decent read with a few memorable moments

This was such a fun mix of horror and acceptance. Getting lost on a camping trip and ending up in the woods with a cult maybe isn't on her bucket list, but here we are.

Hollow is both a beautiful ode to neurodivergence and a thrilling horror story that I will forever think of when I'm camping and trying to fall asleep in my tent. I love everything about this book. Taylor Grothe is an expert storyteller and has created such an unnerving story about a girl just trying to find her place in the world.

A beautifully written, psychologically tense debut that merges horror, coming-of-age, and queer representation. If you love forest-set cult horror with emotional depth and a neurodivergent lead, this one’s for you—and you might just sleep with the lights on after reading.

I appreciate being given the oppurtunity to read this book ahead of it's relase date.
I think that everyone can fit into one of these characters bodies.
Melody: the overachiever, the person that believes you have to be the best at everything you do. She is the perfect daughter, the perfect student.
Jac: the person who is solidly there for her friends at any cost. The protector. Someone who is vulnerable in her emotions with others. Hard on the outside, but as kind and caring as anyone you'd ever want in your life.
Cassie: the overthinker, the one who wonders if she can do anything right. Wholeheartedly wants to be a person that everyone likes. Just wants to blend in.
Blake: well.....that guy's just a hot mess. Lost in his own thoughts, thinks he has the best solutions on how to solve evryone else's problems. Arrogant.
All in all, I gave thos book 4 stars because while it was an overall good book, I found at times, that it was hard to envision what was actually happening. I personally felt like it couldve been more descriptive.

Hollow is a well thought out young adult book that explores mental health and autism that is often not talked about in stories. As a neurodivergent person, I would’ve loved a story like this as a teen to be understood. I think the story is mysterious and suspenseful and is perfect for many age groups. I love the writing and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

It's been a while since a twist legitimately made me flip back and re-read certain chapters. Overall, a creepy debut, though perhaps not scary enough for more hardcore horror readers. The overall set up is very similar to Midsommar, which I didn't mind, but it did cause some plot points to be rather predictable. Many young readers will see themselves reflected in Cassie's story.

This is an unsettling and well-written YA horror debut! While I felt the twists were a bit on-the-nose, and the secondary characters could use more development, I appreciated Grothe's rich setting and fresh take on cult horror. I think young readers will see themselves in these pages, and the writing flows very smoothly, making this a fast-paced, engaging read (if a little confusing in the latter half). The stunningly eerie cover is a perfect match for the uncanny, strange vibes of this book, and I look forward to seeing what Grothe does next. Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Peachtree for the ARC!

This one is just not right for me. I love the concept, but had a hard time getting into the vibe of the younger characters. I think it would work well for most of the YA audience, however. It definitely has potential and seems to be neurodivergent-coded. I like the representation.

I absolutely flew through this book because of how much I enjoyed it. Taylor Grothe did a wonderful job of combining horror with the experiences of a neurodivergent character without making it feel cringey and ableist. I felt connected to Cassie because she, too, struggles with some of the same issues that I do, and even as an adult, those challenges remain difficult to overcome.

I'd put this book in the same unique genre as CG Drews' writing, and encourage you all to read it as soon as it's available, particularly if you enjoy a touch of body horror within your spooky books. I truly look forward to seeing what else Grothe puts out in the future, as they've rapidly become one of my faves.

As for the plot itself, all I have to say on the matter is: men (derogatory)

Rounded up to 4.5 stars -- thank you netgalley for the ARC!