4/5⭐️
As a big fan of Kiersten Modglin’s books, I was excited to dive into The Hollow, and while it wasn’t my favorite, it was still an enjoyable and suspenseful listen. Modglin delivers another gripping psychological thriller filled with twists, secrets, and tension that keeps you hooked until the end.

The audiobook narration was well done, adding to the eerie and unsettling atmosphere of the story. The pacing was solid, and the plot kept me engaged, though some parts felt a bit predictable compared to her other works. That said, the character development and storytelling were still strong, making for an entertaining experience.

Overall, The Hollow is another solid thriller from Modglin. While it didn’t quite top my list of her books, it was a compelling listen with plenty of suspense. If you enjoy her signature twists and tension-filled narratives, this audiobook is definitely worth checking out.

3.5 stars!
Love the narration!
I did feel like the story was a bit slower-paced than Kiersten's other books. The romance thriller is a genre that Kiersten does so well in and I enjoyed this one!

The Hollow was a great read by Kiersten Modglin. Carmen McKenna experiences a personal tragedy and goes to Hunter’s Hollow. The campground in rural North Carolina becomes her new home as well as her worst nightmare. She lives next door to the Hunters’ two sons, Jack and Dean. They introduce Carmen to a world with young love, her first heartbreak, and sinister secrets. A body is found at Hunter’s Hollow and the residents must come to terms with the fact that a killer is among them. Carmen leaves the campground to clear her mind and healing her broken heart. Now, eleven years later the case is still unsolved. She returns to face the past and find out what happened that night. Unfortunately, a guest is reported missing from the campground and it is eerily similar. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by the author.

This book claims to be a psychological thriller, but it falls short of that mark. Instead, it centers on an angsty, melodramatic love triangle involving two brothers and their childhood friend, making it feel more like YA fiction masquerading as an adult story. The so-called mystery is teased with vague references to “that day” and “after it happened,” but it hardly takes center stage.

While I appreciated the characters and the writing style, the plot was disappointingly thin; not much happens throughout the story. The narrative felt more like a slow burn romance overshadowed by a teen's death that ultimately feels inconsequential.

Both the plot and characters are forgettable, and even the murder mystery aspect is lackluster. This isn’t really a thriller or mystery at all—more a romance with a hint of suspense. The timelines shift between past and present, revolving around the campground of Hunter's Hollow, but I found myself frustrated by the lack of investigation and resolution.

The Hollow by Kiersten Modglin is not my first book by this author and it won't be the last. This is different than the past paced thrillers I'm used to from Kiersten Modglin but I still really enjoyed it. This story is slower and more emotional. This romantic suspense was so engaging and attention grabbing. I just couldn't stop listening to the audiobook once I started it. The Hollow is narrated by Diana Bustelo and her voice was perfect for the eerie vibes in it. I can't wait to read the next thriller she puts out.

Thank you to the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

My first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised! It had a lot of interesting elements. Mystery, tension, darkness of fear from the trauma, romance, love triangle…I liked it all.

It is a coming of age and I thought it was well done. The characters are multi faceted and more complex than I thought they were going to be.

The mystery is very drawn out, which I didn’t mind. It’s not really about that. It’s about Carmen and everything she’s been through, how she’s changed. The men in her life and who really knows her, who deserves her, and who wants a life with her.

I will definitely read this author again.

The Hollow by Kiersten Modglin feels much different than her usual stories but I LOVED it! This is a story that at its roots is about grief, loss and tragedy. It’s a suspenseful romance. With that being said ….

If you love a book that’s:
-atmospheric
-super fast pacing
-dual timelines
-unsolved murder
-another missing girl
-sinister secrets
Then my friends this book is for you!! I love listening to Kiersten’s books because they are always a captivating, fast listen. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review! Can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten Modglin & Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I haven’t met a Kiersten Modglin book yet that I didn’t enjoy. However, The Hollow is now my absolute favorite of her books.

As always, I loved the mystery & suspense of the story; and trying to figure out the whodunit. But something I was not expecting was a little bit of a romance storyline. I was shipping Carmen & Dean HARD! I think that’s why I loved this one more than the others, because it mixed in a little of my other favorite genre.

I enjoyed the dual timelines from the POVs of past Carmen & current Carmen. I listened to this audiobook in one sitting. I was entranced.

I would love to see more from Kiersten similar to this one. It was refreshing to get a little variation to her normal formula & it absolutely worked! I love, Love, LOVED it!

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

This book wasn't as twisty as other Kiersten Modglin books but it was very good. It had more romance and less murder but I enjoyed the back and forth from present day to the teenage years and the mystery of her friend. The ending was less dramatic then I'm used to in some ways more emotional in other ways. I enjoyed this book a lot.

This really was not a mystery/thriller as advertised. It definitely fell more in the “romantic suspense” genre. It also had a very young adult feel. I did not enjoy it but it might be because I was expecting a thriller. If you enjoy a slow burn, romance with a mystery element then you’d probably enjoy this book.

I went into this thinking I was getting a creepy thriller and that's not exactly what I received.

The audio was good. The narrator was clear and sounded wonderful. Her voiced matched the story so no issues there.

My issues came with the story, it felt rushed and the ending was choppy and kind of silly. I cheated and read some reviews after I read this and others were saying similar things. I do plan to check out other books by this author.

It was hard to put this down. Carmen went back to visit her mom’s memories come flooding back. Her youth with Jack. Her young adult hood with Dean. It has been 11 years since she has see. Her mother. A girl goes missing and it’s like her senior festival all over again. Her Ex Jack and Dean help in finding out what happens all to find out it is who they least expect it.

Full of twists and turns and keeps you wanting to know more. Love how Carmen fell for Dean then rekindled their relationship.

I recently read "The Hollow," the latest novel by the Queen of thrillers. The book alternates between two timelines, past and present, building up the suspense throughout. While I was expecting more shocking events to occur, the story was overall good. The ending, which unveiled all the twists, was intriguing, but it didn't quite have the "wow" factor that the beginning of the novel promised.

I wasn't entirely satisfied with the portrayal of the location and the love triangle in the story. Love triangles can often lead to predictable endings, and the novel's setting, while not exactly creepy, felt somewhat lacking in depth.

Despite these criticisms, I'm still a huge fan of Kiersten Modglin and eagerly anticipate her future novels. I'd like to extend my gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advanced copy of the novel.

This is a bit of a veer from KM’s usual thriller. It’s more of a romantic mystery with a twist - and I was there for all of it!

Another brilliantly crafted story! Carmen McKenna returns to Hunters Hollow after leaving eleven years earlier. Wanting to spend time with her mum and uncover some secrets she left behind but now wants answers.

Told in duel timelines, there’s a love triangle to sift through, an unsolved murder and now a missing camp guest. A clever plot, richly character driven, romantic elements and a wholly engrossing, suspenseful story.

🎧 Narration by Diana Bustelo was brilliant, she was able to bring the characters to life while also being highly entertaining.

This was a solid thriller! Definitely had an ending I never could have predicted, I thought I had it figured out--could not have been more wrong! Flew threw this one

3.5 stars.

Eleven years ago, teenager Carmen McKenna moved to Hunter’s Hollow campground after a personal tragedy. The Hunters’ two sons, Jack and Dean, introduced her to a world of young love, first heartbreak and sinister secrets. When a body was found, the tranquil facade of the campground was shattered. Now, as Carmen returned eleven years later, a girl went missing under similar circumstances as the past. Would Carmen be forced to face the horrors of her past?

This was another captivating book from KMod! With her books, I’ve always had to guess the percentage of romance vs. thriller elements in the book. This one cranked up the romance dial for sure! It was probably 85% romance and 15% thriller.

The love triangle aspect was quite fun to follow. I knew I was Team Dean from early on, but I could see how others could be Team Jack too!

While this didn’t end up being the thriller I had originally expected, it was still a fast, enjoyable read overall.

I can not believe I have read seven books by Kiersten Modglin! I just discovered her in 2023 and none of these books are a part of a series. What I generally enjoy about Modglin is that she can create this world full of suspense and you are instantly drawn in because she has this way of crafting her worlds to get straight to the point. This book is not long, but it is longer. I didn't find myself connecting to the characters in the same way that I normally do. It may have had to do with the narration. I got confused listening to the story between the past and the present versions of Carmen's life. Also between the brothers which was which. Yes, there were headers to "now" and "then" but sometimes you could interchange the two. There also were two storylines, the mystery of the murdered girl from Carmen's past and the missing girl of the present, then you have this love triangle between Carmen, Dean, and Jack, the latter two are brothers. So, essentially, we had a combination of romance and mystery, but they felt like two separate stories rather than a cohesive blend. I believe that if these were two distinct standalone books, each storyline could have been explored and developed more fully, instead of splitting the focus between two somewhat unrelated narratives. Despite this, I was still surprised by the mystery's resolution, which was a testament to Modglin's talent. However, compared to her other works, this one didn't quite hit the mark for me.

3.5 ⭐️

I did enjoy the HOLLOW but something was missing for me. In the backstory, Carmen is in a sorta love triangle with brothers Jack and Dean. But after being together for over 2.5 years, when they broke up, I felt nothing. The premise was good. The story kept me interested but it was more a coming of age story than a thriller and also the ending….too rushed and disappointing for
all the build up.

Kierstin Modglin is one of those 'safe' writers, she never really lets you down, and while The Hollow didn't blow me away, neither did it disappoint.

It leans a little more to the YA side, but don't let that put you off, it is well-written and the characters, Carmen and her mother especially, are quite likeable. It also has a fair dollop of romance thrown in, which is very much this author's signature style.

I had no idea who the 'bad guy' was, and I enjoyed the build -up to the ending. The place - Hunter's Hollow - sounds amazing.

I give it 3 stars, bumped up to 4 for the amazing narrator, Diana Bustelo, who really stole the show.

Man I finished this one in an afternoon. This was a terrific book. It wasn’t as creepy as I expected with this cover (and this author) but I loved it. One character I went in thinking I would love and ended up disliking. Another I hated in the beginning and loving by the end. That’s the brilliance of this author. Her way with characters and settings add so much to the stories she writes.