The Hollow

The Hollow
Jessica Verday / Young Adult

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead .. and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again ... but also special. Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learn a secret that makes her questions everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her - one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian as well as her own sanity


Ok first let me take this moment to teach you an INVALUABLE tip when buying books - ALWAYS carefully read the book description. Don't skim it, don't judge by the title or cover - READ the description. Because if I had done that properly, I NEVER would have bought this book. I would have saved myself $18 dollars and the cost of therapy needed to recover from the trauma of reading it. I really feel that I shouldn't give a review for this book. I have a rant prepared for it but can't help but wonder if I'm a little jaded by the story. I just lost my best friend April and even months later, the pain is still there buried, ready at any moment to spill out and devastate me all over again. If I had read the description I would have seen that Abbey's story very closely resembled my own. Half way through, tears streaming down my face, it was safe to say that it wasn't the book for me and that I needed to get rid of it. But they tell you to face your grief, that it's ok to feel and so with that belief I pushed forward and was grateful that grief stricken, going through the motions Abbey had taken a turn for the better and was putting her life back together. Fine right? Good book right? WRONG. The author did two more things to poor Abbey that in my mind borders on cruel. She adds to the story a plot where Abbey now doubts her best friend but she has no way of resolving it because the one with the answers is dead. To make it worse, the reader never finds out the answers so to me it was pointless to add it. So once again poor Abbey is devastated. Lucky she has Caspian right? Sorry but the author doesn't leave that alone either with a stunning revelation that after everything Abbey has been through utterly and completely destroys her. I mean ripped out her heart, shattered her spirit and left her broken on the floor. For what reason? I don't know. I didn't see one. I felt heartbroken for Abbey and extremely angry that for some reason it was ok to massacre your character. Like I said earlier, I'm a little jaded because I quickly and very strongly identified with Abbey's grief and pain. I felt it was too much - killing off a best friend, putting doubts about friendship, introducing a love interest only to take him away too. I was left angry (and I use that word lightly) and with a book that if I could have, I would have set it on fire and burned it. I hated it. Again, I know it's a strong reaction and for someone in a different place then I am, they may enjoy it and think it's the best book they ever read. But part of reviewing books is honesty. Personally I wouldn't recommend this book, especially not to those in the middle of grief. Save yourself the heartache and money. Anyone that's interested though - I have a spare book. Quickly claim it before I burn it.


Ratings: 1 star