Hollow

Cassie Davis is moving back to her hometown of upstate New York after a meltdown at her old school, which turned into an autism diagnosis. Cassie’s mom is hoping that this mom will let Cassie feel normal, and Cassie is hoping to regain the ease she had with her old friends. The issue with this is that her old friends don’t seem to be welcoming her back into their group so easily. Cassie’s friends decide to give her a try by inviting her to their backpacking trip in Hollow Ridge, but then a fight happens, and Cassie awakens to an empty campsite. Cassie decides to venture on her own as it seems that bad weather is approaching, yet she hurts her ankle and gets rescued by Kaleb, who introduces her to his group of friends at the Roost. Cassie feels at ease with this group, and maybe she can finally just be herself. As time passes, though, things don’t seem as they first were, and Cassie is questioning her intuition. Is the Roost really what it seems?

What I Liked: This book takes you on a roller coaster of a ride through various emotions and plenty of action. There is a bit of scene setting that takes place before things really start happening in order to get to know Cassie’s past and how that plays into present day. As Cassie starts this book masking, as it unwinds you can feel along with Cassie what it’s like to start unmasking and leaning into who she is.

There were constant reminders from Cassie regarding her diagnosis and while this can be off putting, it also reminds the readers that this is fresh in her mind. The depiction of anxiety and autism is realistic as we get several views of what it looks like in Cassie’s mind when she is overwhelmed. We also get glimpses at the ways that Cassie tries to cope with being autistic and her anxiety given the tools that she has. The author does a fantastic job of balancing a coming of age story with horror so that this book is heartfelt, and thrilling the whole way through.

What Left me Wanting More: While this book was so thoroughly written in the beginning, the ending felt lackluster. There were so many questions that were left unanswered, and some things that didn’t add up. The reveal at the end, which informs us about the cult, Blake’s whereabouts, and more, felt rushed through, and more time was needed for everything to connect with each other. Some of these questions are answered by reminding ourselves of Cassie’s diagnosis, and what that intails but a lot is left to the reader that makes for holes in the story.

Final Verdict: Hollow is a thrilling, captivating story about the reality of being autistic, and how many of the traits of being autistic can backfire on people, putting them in dangerous situations. This book is perfect for fans of Don’t go in the Woods, Don’t Let the Forest In, and House of Hollow. Young adults ages 14 and up will enjoy reading along as Cassie questions reality, figures out who she is, and learns who she can trust.