{"product_id":"bittersweet-in-the-hollow-isbn-9780593531044","title":"Bittersweet in the Hollow","description":"\u003cb\u003eNow in paperback, this beautifully dark and enthralling YA features a mysterious disappearance in a secluded Appalachian town. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor fans of \u003ci\u003eHouse of Hollow \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eWilder Girls\u003c\/i\u003e!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn rural Caball Hollow, surrounded by the vast National Forest, the James women serve up more than fried green tomatoes at the Harvest Moon diner, where the family recipes are not the only secrets.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike her sisters, Linden was born with an unusual ability. She can taste what others are feeling, but this so-called \u003ci\u003egift\u003c\/i\u003e soured her relationship with the vexingly attractive Cole Spencer one fateful night a year ago . . . A night when Linden vanished into the depths of the Forest and returned with no memories of what happened, just a litany of questions—and a haze of nightmares that suggest there’s more to her story than simply getting lost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, during the hottest summer on record, another girl in town is gone, and the similarities to last year’s events are striking. Except, this time the missing girl doesn’t make it home, and when her body is discovered, the scene unmistakably spells murder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs tempers boil over, Linden enlists the help of her sisters to find what’s hiding in the forest . . . before it finds her. But as she starts digging for truth—about the Moth-Winged Man rumored to haunt the Hollow, about her bitter rift with Cole, and even about her family—she must question if some secrets are best left buried.\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for \u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003eBittersweet in the Hollow\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA 2024 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eKirkus \u003c\/i\u003eBest YA Book of 2023\u003cbr\u003eAn Indie Next Pick\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★\"This multifaceted book successfully manages to be many things: a satisfying paranormal mystery, a family narrative examining the damage of secrets kept and the ways in which silence allows violence to grow, and a paean to the immense Appalachian forest and the small communities nestled between the trees. \u003cb\u003eLuscious prose and a compelling setting make the book hard to put down. . . . Complex, well-realized, and engrossing.\u003c\/b\u003e\" \u003ci\u003e—Kirkus Reviews,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★\"Pearsall pulls on elements of Appalachian lore around Mothman but makes the creature and its origin uniquely her own, setting up Faustian deals and fateful tragedies that build tension and surely break hearts (both of characters and readers alike). \u003cb\u003eThe pace is impeccable \u003c\/b\u003e. . . \u003cb\u003e[D]eliciously atmospheric \u003c\/b\u003e. . . Mainstays of the supernatural genres are elevated by Linden’s \u003cb\u003epoignant narration\u003c\/b\u003e.\" \u003ci\u003e—BCCB,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★“The writing is \u003cb\u003etense and suspenseful \u003c\/b\u003ewith each new discovery bringing more questions. VERDICT: A compelling story as the James women struggle to deal with their own secrets, and in the process, reveal some the darkest ones in town. A first purchase.” \u003ci\u003e—School Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eThe Appalachian witch book of my dreams!\u003c\/b\u003e I wanted to crawl inside \u003ci\u003eBittersweet In The Hollow \u003c\/i\u003eand live with the James women. Haunted golden boys, deeply nuanced, magical girls, and the threat of something lurking in the woods \u003cb\u003ekept me turning the page long after dark\u003c\/b\u003e. Pearsall's debut is \u003cb\u003epositively spellbinding\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003cb\u003eSasha Peyton Smith\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Witch Haven\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eBittersweet in the Hollow\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea story rich in tradition and lore\u003c\/b\u003e. Let the James sisters lead you deep into a world where \u003cb\u003ebeauty and evil \u003c\/b\u003ehold hands\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003ein the shadows. Summer storms darken the skies and \u003cb\u003emagic and mystery\u003c\/b\u003e swirl like fog on the mountain.\" \u003cb\u003e—Ginny Myers Sain\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSecrets So Deep\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Kate Pearsall's \u003ci\u003eBittersweet in the Hollow\u003c\/i\u003e makes the most of its setting, taking a fantastical premise full of witch girls, ghosts, and an original cryptid and peppering it with enough \u003cb\u003edown-to-earth folk magic to make it feel like a comforting cup of herbal tea\u003c\/b\u003e. The details and the\u003cb\u003e lyrical yet accessible \u003c\/b\u003ewriting are what set this debut apart from other small town murder mystery YA novels.\" \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNPR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003eA captivating debut\u003c\/b\u003e that blends a \u003cb\u003epalpable atmosphere, visceral magic, and the depths of sisterly love\u003c\/b\u003e to create a concoction even more enticing than the Harvest Moon’s famous tomato pie. . . . A spellbinding story \u003cb\u003erich with folklore and family\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003cb\u003eAndrea Hannah\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003cb\u003eWhere Darkness Blooms\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Debut author Pearsall balances paranormal thrills and the horrors of the central mystery to craft a cottage-core-infused world replete with \u003cb\u003ecozy domestic enchantments, a close-knit female cast, and a captivating romance.\" —\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Pearsall’s authentic Appalachian setting is almost a character unto itself, and her subtle handling of the story’s magic will enthrall fans of A. R. Capetta and Melissa Albert. \u003cb\u003eThoughtfully blending mystery, thriller, and folk horror, Pearsall proves herself to be an author to watch\u003c\/b\u003e.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter One\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Here’s what I know for sure: A cast iron skillet must be seasoned with lard. Pickling and preserving are best done during a waning moon. And secrets buried deep never stay that way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI plant myself in front of the box fan wedged into the window and lift the hem of my shirt so the air can move across my skin. The Harvest Moon was once a grist mill, and its thick, old limestone walls help cool the inside. But we serve breakfast and lunch six days a week, and there’s no escaping the heat once it really gets cooking.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGran eyes me from the opposite side of the small kitchen where she’s prepping food for tomorrow night’s festival. She runs the blade of her knife between the ribs of a side of pork she was given for curing the Thompson baby of colic. Breaking through the bone, dismantling it piece by piece, her hands never pause, never falter, even with her gaze on me. She tosses strips of meat into a bowl of spicy marinade, her own secret recipe, and the bones into a roasting pan for broth. Nothing ever wasted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy sisters and I grew up in this kitchen with its stainless steel tables, white walls, and faint scent of bleach. We’ve been rolling out biscuit dough, scrubbing salt into cast iron, and sneaking spoonfuls of strawberry moonshine jam from the time we could barely see over the counter. So I know what Gran is thinking: Standing here next to the fan could be construed as idleness, something she cannot abide, even if it’s only June and already ninety degrees in the shade.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA bead of sweat slides down the back of my neck, drawn out by the humidity that’s been hunkered down around the base of the mountains for weeks now. I once read that there’s a correlation between an increase in temperature and in brutality. That hotter summers are violent ones. I don’t know if that’s true, but with the way the air sits now, thick and heavy, everyone’s temper seems set to boil.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the back of the kitchen, Rowan, my older sister by eleven months, lifts the metal handle of the commercial dishwasher, releasing a cloud of steam that plasters her dark hair against her pretty face. All four of us sisters have long dark hair, bright blue eyes and rosy full lips, but Rowan has the darkest and the bluest and the fullest. Yet she wears her beauty like armor to keep others from getting too close. A rose with sharpened thorns.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHer shirt lifts as she reaches up to put some glasses away on a high shelf, just enough to expose a few lines of the black ink that slithers and curls along her hip. It was Mama’s discovery of the snake tattoo that relegated Rowan to dish duty this month. And much as I’d like to avoid the dining room, I don’t envy her. It’s the hottest job in the kitchen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSorrel, our eldest sister, shoves through the swinging door, a tray piled high with dirty dishes on one shoulder. She rushes past me toward the dishwashing station as Rowan turns, likely unable to hear Sorrel’s approach over the rattle of the high-pressure wash cycle. They collide with a clatter, and the entire tray tips backward. Plates and glasses clang against each other, and all I can do is watch, waiting for everything to come crashing down. Yet somehow, at the last possible second, Sorrel manages to right it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe lets out a slow breath of relief just as a single steak knife, teetering on the edge, topples over the side. It lands on its point with a sharp thunk, quivering as it sticks straight up from the floorboards.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Knife fell,” Mama warns from her station, pausing in drawing her own serrated blade through the green skin of a tomato.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Trouble’s comin’,” Gran finishes the old bit of folk wisdom with a glance toward the window. The skies have gone a sickly shade of green as storm clouds gather strength over the mountains.","brand":"G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305109180645,"sku":"NP9780593531044","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593531044.jpg?v=1767722666","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/bittersweet-in-the-hollow-isbn-9780593531044","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}