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The Spring in Trulee Holler

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Pub Date Apr 21 2026 | Archive Date Apr 21 2026


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Description

Jess Lockhart thought she'd fought her hardest battle when she beat a rare form of lymphoma. But months into remission, it's fear of the unknown-especially of cancer's return-that's stealing her future. Once an aspiring fashion designer, she's lost her drive to create and now spends her days working at her father's hardware store in rural Trulee, Alabama.

When a young botanist rents the barn-loft apartment on her family's property, Jess thinks she's finally found something to take her mind off her mortality. Not only is Silas Haney strikingly handsome, but he's irresistibly mysterious. His cryptic remarks and odd behavior suggest he's hiding something. Then an accident exposes his secret: Silas once drank from a spring that made him immortal. Now he's searching for the spring once more, hoping the tree that legend says grows from it can reverse the eternal youth he now sees as a curse. And that spring lies hidden in the woods behind her house.

Convinced the spring is the answer to her problems, Jess blackmails Silas into taking her along on his quest. But as forced companionship turns into affection, Jess begins to question whether escaping the fear of death is the same as truly living. When a crisis arises, Jess must decide: Will she trust God with her future or scoop destiny into her own hands?

Jess Lockhart thought she'd fought her hardest battle when she beat a rare form of lymphoma. But months into remission, it's fear of the unknown-especially of cancer's return-that's stealing her...


A Note From the Publisher

Jana Hutcheson lives and teaches in the same small Alabama town where she grew up. A public-school teacher for over thirty years, she holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in elementary education from the University of North Alabama. The Spring in Trulee Holler is her debut novel. When she isn't writing, she can usually be found taking long afternoon walks, reading on her patio bed swing, and spending time with her family.

Jana Hutcheson lives and teaches in the same small Alabama town where she grew up. A public-school teacher for over thirty years, she holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in elementary...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9798897470341
PRICE $18.95 (USD)
PAGES 238

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Featured Reviews

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With a vividly captivating cover and poignantly written descriptions, The Spring in Trulee Holler by Jana Hutcheson is a fresh yet essential reflection of life in a small town. When Silas arrives in town, Jess and her heartstrings are sent in a whirlwind of emotions. Jess has been through her own share of loss and challenges and somehow finding Silas provides cause to wonder whether he will ever be able to live up to her expectations, needs, and aspirations. Perhaps what truly makes The Spring in Trulee Holler such a charming novel is Jana Hutcheson's ability to capture the reader in riveting dialogue and expertly crafted descriptions of this charming rural Alabama town.

Readers should be prepared to meet a myriad of dynamic characters, including local business owners, townspeople, and even a phenomenal upcoming country music star who may or may not capture a local love interest of her own when she visits. Hutcheson writes such a backstory that readers will find themselves flooded with nostalgia and emotions-- although in a very captivating and beautiful fashion.

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What a delightful suprise for a debut novel! I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book but the author weaves a wonderful tale that keeps the reader captivated until the very end. Looking forward to future books.

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The Spring in Trulee Holler is a good clean Christian fiction book that entails a bit of romance and fantasy, that provide helpful life lessons. The use of scripture and sharing of their Christian faith was so encouraging to read and also was solid truth. This is a story about overcoming fear, anxiety, doubt, and healing. I would recommend this book to teenagers and up.

I enjoyed the family, small town community, and how the story dealt with cancer, loss, and immortality. The story takes place in the south in small town around Alabama and Tennessee, so I also enjoyed the southern charm of the book. The characters in the book worked through some difficult situations, but I love how you see them giving grace and the return to church for the one’s that had walked away.

I made many highlights through the book that were encouraging and great reminders of God’s truth, to which I look forward to go back and reread. It was a turn pager, kept me up late a couple nights! This book releases in April, so be sure to add this to your book lists!

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I loved this book although I usualy don't enjoy heavy emphasis on God. In this case, the emphasis was not misplaced and it just helped create a beautiful story.

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This was a good debut book and I look forward to more from this author .
I highly recommend picking up this book if you get a chance . It was heart warming and I couldn’t stop reading it to find out what happens next.
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for my copy

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The Spring in Trulee Holler by Jana Hutchinson was one of the best books that I have read so far this year. The voice of the story whisks you away and hard questions are met with faith and compassion. When a boy who can’t die meets and falls in love with a girl who is afraid of dying will they learn to put their lives in God’s hands and find true love? I give this noon 5 stars and highly recommend it! I received a complimentary review copy of this book and am writing this review voluntarily.

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Facing the uncertainty of her cancer remission, Jessica struggles to move on in her life. Between the unexpected diagnosis of lymphoma at a young age and the death of her beloved grandmother, she postpones her enrollment into a top design school in order nurture to her mental and physical health. The old Jessica was a risk taker, someone who lived life to the fullest. Since her illness she has been living a life of worry and fear. She decides to channel her inner daredevil and jump off of Goat Man’s bluff. But a chance encounter changes everything.

Silas, a mysterious and handsome stranger, didn’t expect company during his dip in Hawnee Falls. Nor did he expect that this girl who claims to be brave to have a full on panic attack before she even jumps. And he certainly doesn’t expect a kiss as a thank you.

This meeting is just the beginning of Jessica’s and Silas’s story. Two strangers, both searching for answers: one afraid of dying and one tired of living. When Jessica witnesses the shocking truth of Silas’s secret, she has more questions than answers.

The Spring of Trulee Holler is a wonderful story of friendship, love, faith, and acceptance of God’s plan. The author did a great job of portraying Silas’s dilemma and his desire to undo what had been done. Of what is right and wrong, the aftermath of the world potentially learning of his secret, and Jessica’s insistence of using the power of his secret for herself.

This was a terrific debut. So many sweet moments between not only Jessica and Silas, but her father and brother. The romance was organic and natural, tender and genuine. The Christian content was solid, yet not overbearing. I highly recommend to readers who love clean romance and speculative, faith based, uplifting stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Jana for the advanced reader’s copy. All opinions are my own.

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Now I understand why readers love this book. I read it in under a day and I love it too! An amazing debut novel, with reminders of the Natalie Babbit classic, Tuck Everlasting, we follow Jessica Lockhart navigating her grief of her grandma's passing and her own cancer diagnosis. Enter Silas Haney, a mysterious, handsome young man who rents an apartment space from Jessica's father. As Jessica gets closer to Silas, she discovers his secret: he does not age and his body heals itself from all manner of injury. How is this possible? Back and forth the two spar over the morality of immortality in a world where everyone around us is aging and, eventually, dying. It's a beautiful story with messages of faith and trust in God, plus an ending that makes the journey worth it. It's beautiful, with the makings of a modern-day classic.

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Jessica (Jess) Lockhart is terrified to die. After losing her mother, grandmother, and surviving cancer, she feels as though her life has been put on an indefinite hold. The fear of her cancer returning haunts her every decision. Everything changes when she meets Silas Haney. He is a mysterious (and very attractive) young man who just so happens to be renting the apartment above her family's barn and claims he is in search of a rare plant. When an accident proves Silas to be immortal- after drinking from a hidden spring that Jess has only ever heard about as small town folklore- Jess decides to take her fate into her own hands and find the spring of immortality herself. After blackmailing Silas into taking her along on his expedition, her feelings for him shift from envy to admiration to more as she realizes her biggest fear isn't cancer- it's uncertainty. Will she white knuckle her way through life or will she learn to truly surrender to the One who holds her future in His hands?

I absolutely adored Jess and Silas as main characters- they were each such three-dimensional characters full of joy and grief, life and love, and desperation for something they had no control over. The chemistry between them was off the charts and so swoon-worthy. Facing hard diagnoses in my own life, I fully connected to Jess's fear of the uncertain, her need to constantly make sure everything was "okay", and her longing for a future she may never have. It was real and raw, but also so beautiful.

The plot moved quickly and read so smoothly, I felt as though I was watching a romantic suspense movie in my head. The setting and side characters brought the town of Trulee to life in a beautifully rich way. There is nothing I love more than a good small-town story!

I normally do not enjoy books with fantasy or magical elements, but this was done so well. It felt like every small southern town that has its own unique folklore and legends- these just so happen to be true! I did not feel uncomfortable with the element of immortality as it was framed so seamlessly in the context of faith in God. It is the type of book that makes you ponder these larger questions- what would I do if I was immortal? would I even want to live forever? what moral quandaries come with access to immortality?

Content or trigger warnings would include; mentions of grief and losing a loved one, cancer diagnosis, treatments, and the aftermath, immortality and questions of faith, depictions of fatal injuries sustained during an accident. While none of these are particularly in depth or graphic, it is worth assessing yours or your children's headspace/life experiences before reading.

The only thing that kept this from being a five star read for me was a handful of mentions of being distracted by the physique of a man when he was shirtless or wearing tight-fitted clothing. This was written from Jess's POV and, while I understand this is a romance, those moments took me out of the story. Overall, it did not ruin the story for me and an older teen/young twenty-something would likely be just fine depending on their maturity level. This was, by all measures, a clean romance with only kisses which conveyed the emotion but were not overly done.

In The Spring in Trulee Holler, Hutcheson seamlessly weaves together swoony romance, small-town living, and the art of surrendering the things we hold onto so tightly. The faith themes were beautifully done and will surely impact the reader's view of God's benevolence and sovereignty over the lives of His children.

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