Hollow
Don’t Let the Forest In meets The Whispering Dark in a queer YA cult horror following a recently diagnosed autistic teen who becomes enmeshed in a community of outcasts harboring sinister secrets.
“One of the best horror novels of the year, full stop. Haunting, heartfelt, and downright creepy.” —Kamilah Cole, bestselling author of So Let Them Burn
After a meltdown in her school cafeteria prompts an unwanted autism diagnosis, Cassie Davis moves back to her hometown in upstate New York, where her mom hopes the familiarity will allow Cassie to feel normal again. Cassie’s never truly felt normal anywhere, but she does crave the ease she used to have with her old friends.
Problem is that her friends aren’t so eager to welcome her back into the fold. They extend an olive branch by inviting her on their backpacking trip to Hollow Ridge, in the upper reaches of the Adirondacks. But when a fight breaks out their first night, Cassie wakes to a barren campsite—her friends all gone.
With severe weather approaching and nearing sensory overload, Cassie is saved by a boy named Kaleb, who whisks her away to a compound of artists and outcasts he calls the Roost. As Kaleb tends to her injuries, Cassie begins to feel—for the first time in her life—that she can truly be herself. But as the days pass, strange happenings around the Roost make Cassie question her instincts. Noises in the trees grow louder, begging the question: Are the dangers in the forest, on the trail, or in the Roost itself?
In a world where autistic characters rarely get to be the hero of their own stories, Cassie Davis’s one-step-back, two-steps-forward journey to unmasking makes Hollow as much a love letter to neurodiversity as it is a haunting tale you’ll want to read with the lights on.
A Booklist Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth
Read if You Love:
“One of the best horror novels of the year, full stop. Haunting, heartfelt, and downright creepy.” —Kamilah Cole, bestselling author of So Let Them Burn
After a meltdown in her school cafeteria prompts an unwanted autism diagnosis, Cassie Davis moves back to her hometown in upstate New York, where her mom hopes the familiarity will allow Cassie to feel normal again. Cassie’s never truly felt normal anywhere, but she does crave the ease she used to have with her old friends.
Problem is that her friends aren’t so eager to welcome her back into the fold. They extend an olive branch by inviting her on their backpacking trip to Hollow Ridge, in the upper reaches of the Adirondacks. But when a fight breaks out their first night, Cassie wakes to a barren campsite—her friends all gone.
With severe weather approaching and nearing sensory overload, Cassie is saved by a boy named Kaleb, who whisks her away to a compound of artists and outcasts he calls the Roost. As Kaleb tends to her injuries, Cassie begins to feel—for the first time in her life—that she can truly be herself. But as the days pass, strange happenings around the Roost make Cassie question her instincts. Noises in the trees grow louder, begging the question: Are the dangers in the forest, on the trail, or in the Roost itself?
In a world where autistic characters rarely get to be the hero of their own stories, Cassie Davis’s one-step-back, two-steps-forward journey to unmasking makes Hollow as much a love letter to neurodiversity as it is a haunting tale you’ll want to read with the lights on.
A Booklist Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth
Read if You Love:
- Don’t Go in the Woods
- Deadly Road Trips
- CottageGORE
- Malevolent Masks
- Cults
- Nerd-core
- Wound-tending
- First Love
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Community Reviews
ARC Review-
“Hollow” a YA horror centers around high schooler Cassidy “Cassie” Davis after her move back to her hometown of Deep Glen, NY following an autism diagnosis. As Cassie attempts to rekindle relationships with her once close-knit group of friends Blake, Jac, and Mel; she also has to overcome her internal struggles as well which is easier said than done. When the foursome decides to try and reconnect over a backpacking outing together, things take a sinister turn and there’s no telling if they can ever go back to what was. The narrative that author Taylor Grothe weaves was not only shrouded in mystery and suspense but also chilling horror. I loved so many aspects of this story but some of my favorite things included the positive neurodivergent representation, the bi/pan representation, and the attention to detail throughout. To say I was ecstatic to have had the ability to read this book pre-pub was an understatement and it really met and exceeded my expectations. I found “Hollow” to not only be engaging and entertaining but also thought provoking. The ending was unexpected and surprising in the best way!It’s a definite winner and I can’t see how fans of YA & horror won’t love it!
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