(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.) “One night, my mother left us, taking a suitcase, no money, and half of the heart with her. She sent the divorce papers through a process server a little while later.” This was an interesting mystery story about a girl searching for her missing father.Imogene was a likeable character in this story, and it was unfortunate that after having her mother leave her as a...

This book is gorgeous, wise, emotional, & messy. The voice is all at once authentically teenage girl & vulnerable & brave. It's not an easy book, but a beautiful one & that's even better. Put this on your TBRs, because this book shows us that answers are rarely simple, rarely easy, but love can exists in between all that, and that choices are powerful. And I think we all need that reminder from time to time.

Imogene has grown up without a mother and has so many questions. Where is she? What is she like? Why did she leave? When her father goes missing, Imogene feels like she needs to find him, so she sets off to do just that. A good mystery, but it was slow until the last 85 pages or so.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars I am so sad about this one. Based on the synopsis, the theme and the author I was expecting this to be at least a four star read for me. It was not. I think the main problem was the fact that I did not care for or identify with Imogene at all. She just felt very juvenile to me. I constantly had to remind myself that she was supposed to be SEVENTEEN, not 12. Seventeen-year-old-me would not have been able to relate to her at all... Maybe 13-year-old-me, but definitely not 17-y

I love-love-love this book. Since finishing it, I've fallen into a spiral of endlessly tweeting about it. The writing is gorgeous: it's so clean, clear, concise but still unique, voicey, vivid. The characters are fully fleshed out and multi-faceted. No one is caricatured; everyone is nuanced. The best characters, in my opinion, were the ones that sneaked (ugh, I that this is a word) up on me. Lindy and Jessa were definitely my favorites, though Immy, her father, and Chadwick were all fantastic t...

When Imogene's father, the author of forensic mysteries, goes missing, Imogene thinks she knows where to find him. Using what she's learned from reading his books (and other beloved mysteries), she strikes off with her best friend Jessa and Jessa's brother (who, okay, she *might* have a longtime crush on) to find her long-lost mother, convinced her dad has gone off in search of her.Both a compelling mystery and a powerfully honest exploration of mental illness, this novel is exquisitely written....

I loved this even more than I'd anticipated, coming from reading almost exclusively in SFF! I think YA as a whole can always use more books centered around family, and this family tale is a gorgeous blend of genres with a captivating plot and narrator.Full review to come, but I wanted to jot down my thoughts as soon as I finished it! Highly recommended!

There’s a reason for everything, if you look hard enough. An answer for every mystery. The Mystery of Hollow Places is a strange book. It's a psychological mystery written with an artistic flair - by that, I do not mean the prose is purplish, but that it is built up around carefully-woven metaphors for mental illness and depression. I liked Podos's style very much.The book's opening chapter hooked me instantly. We hear of the bedtime story that Imogene was told by her father, a tale perhaps t

I was immediately intrigued by this book when I read the synopsis, and when I saw the cover, my intrigue turned into a full-blown need to devour the book. And from the first page, THE MYSTERY OF HOLLOW PLACES had my complete attention. This book is unlike any other I’ve read, and is difficult to classify. It’s intense and psychological and literary, a mystery and a contemporary coming-of-age story rolled into one. It’s about coming to terms with the past and accepting that the future is both unc...

The Mystery of Hollow Places is one of the best YA novels I have ever read. From the voice to the brilliant and flawed main character (and her journey), I could not put this book down. This debut novel by Rebecca Podos has a lot of precise and precious things to say about mental health, forgiveness and identity. To say I loved this book would be a huge understatement. Podos has joined the ranks of insta-buy authors for me and I'm already eager to see what she writes next. No, not eager. I'm impa...

With a great gift for voice, Rebecca Podos weaves a story of suspense and self-discovery within a family best described as "troubled waters." Imogene has never met the mother who abandoned her, but when her father goes missing, she convinces herself that he's gone to search for her mom--and decides to do the same. This book is a raw, honest narrative dealing with tough issues through a main character who's trying to find her place in the world and her family. I highly recommend this beautiful bo...

Also on There is a glowing foreword by a HarperCollins' executive editor on the arc that I received. He says that I have in my hands the debut novel of a phenomenally talented writer. That this book is deep, literary, sophisticated exploration of teen identity wrapped in the tropes and structure of a classic mystery novel. Sounds delightful right? I truly wish it was.Imogene's father is missing. He apparently just walked out in the middle of the night and was never heard or seen again. Imogen...

REACTION AFTER READING THE BOOK This book wasn't bad, but it didn't blow my socks off either. It has tons of promise. The premise was enough for me to buy the story. The execution of it though, plus the revelation towards the end, was not really my cup of tea. LONG STORY SHORT Mysterious disappearances A stone heart Ambiguous clues to the past ME

The Mystery of Hollow Places is a beautifully written novel, beginning with an eerie story Imogene's father tells her about her mother. “The bedtime story my dad used to tell me began with my grandmother’s body.” Even though it's been years since Imogene's mother left when her daughter was very young, Imogene and her father are still coping with their grief. The absence of Imogene's mother was obviously jarring and traumatic on her dad - he took to drinking and became quite depressed. Then one...

**To view the original post click here!**Book cover: The frosty borders of this cover are just stunning - they set the stage for a chilly theme that frames the two mysterious silhouettes perfectly. But the pièce de résistance of this cover has to be its title. The Mystery of Hollow Places is along the lines of winning titles like The Fault in Our Stars, All The Bright Places, and An Ember in the Ashes. Titles like these hint at the story's main concepts, whilst simultaneously planting seeds of c...

The opening chapter of The Mystery of Hollow Places promises a story filled with paranormal mysteries and excitement. It’s one of the best prologues I’ve read in a while and it easily made me want to read the rest in one sitting. I adore atmospheric, creepy mysteries, and I was hoping this would be one. The rest of the book, however, continued in a very different tone.That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy what came after. Mostly I liked it because of Imogene Scott, a main character that carries t

This book is deliciously written. Podos' prose is strong and thoroughly engaging. Imogene Scott (love that name!) is a high school senior whose mother abandoned her at two years of age and whose author father has been writing mysteries throughout her life. When her father also vanishes suddenly, leaving her alone with her stepmother, she puts all of the sleuthing techniques she picked up from reading her father's books to good use: she sets out to solve the mystery of his disappearance and bring...

Quietly powerful and deeply moving, The Mystery Of Hollow Places deals with mental illness, child abandonment, strained family relationships and recognizing what matters most in our lives. It's not an edge-of-your-seat mystery and it's not a thriller - not by a long shot - but it's an excellent psychological drama and a skillfully constructed puzzle. Slow-moving, but insightful and illuminating. Messy and wildly emotional. "I could forgive my mother for being cursed, and lonely, and troubled w...

There are quite literally, a BUTT LOAD of things I loved about this book. You a Mystery fan? Duuuude, do you need this book in your life. Like to see teenagers in sticky situations? Bruh, I found what you want to read. Drama? Coming of Age? Either? Both? Look no further. This book has it all and more. The Mystery of Hollow Places begins with distraught teen Imogene Scott searching for her missing father, medical mystery writer Joshua Zhi Scott. Joshua, as Imogene describes, is a recluse, and

“This happened, he knew from his school days; with enough time and the right conditions, precious stones could grow in hollow places.” This is a story about a 17 year old girl named Imogene, whose father has gone missing. Imogene's dad is a succesful mystery writter who also happens to have bipolar disorder. "Im" is particularly attached to him because her mother left them when she was only two. She is convinced that her father left her all the clues that she needs to find him, and she's also