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melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
5.0
nbonz4's review against another edition
3.0
sandeeisreading's review against another edition
3.0
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
MEET THE CHARACTERS
I usually enumerate the prominent characters in the book on this part of my review, but for this one, I'll just focus on the main character, Imogene.
Imogene never knew her mum. She only grew up with her dad, then eventually, her stepmother, Lindy, who was actually pretty nice.
I actually really liked Imogene and her persistence. She wanted what she lost to be found. She was going to do whatever it takes to get them back, to find out what happened in her past.
I really liked how she felt like a real teenager. She had angst, but not too much that it ends up being annoying.
THINGS WORTH MENTIONING
♦ THE ATMOSPHERE OF MYSTERY
This book really hooked me and got me glued to its pages. You really are curious as to what really happened and why Imogene's parents disappeared. You weren't sure if it was because of a supernatural reason or if it was just because they were depressed people. You have no idea what was happening, and I loved that.
♦ TEENS ARE REALISTICALLY PORTRAYED
Teens don't always make the most sound decisions. They make mistakes, they don't think things through, and are very often reckless. You'll see that here. But also, you don't see lovestruck teens who has nothing in their brains but boys or girls.
♦ IMOGENE HAS TERRIBLE PARENTS
I really hated her parents. They were selfish, and honestly, just don't deserve to have kids.
♦ IT WAS TOO SLOW
I'm not really a big fan of slow books, and for me, this was one of them. I get why because you'd have to build the tension, but then again, parts of it dragged longer than was necessary.
♦ THE CLIMAX WAS A LET DOWN
I was really expecting to be blown away by the revelation of what really happened to Imogene's parents… but I wasn't. Usually, I'm happy when a book surprises the shit out of me, and this one did, but not in a good way. I really wished it was something more.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, YOU'D PROBABLY LIKE:
I really couldn't think of any book like this at the top of my head right now.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I liked this book for the most part, but the ending really let me down. The thrill of the mystery was done well. Too bad the revelation really didn't deliver as well as I hoped it would.
pantsreads's review against another edition
2.0
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
4.0
This novel surprised me, and that can be a difficult thing to do. It wasn’t just that I had no idea where Im’s father was, but that the author’s writing style was powerful especially for a debut novel. I felt absolutely connected to Imogene, and desperately wanted to find out the truth right along with her. I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in just a few hours. This story was layered and complex, on the surface it is a mystery. Where is Imogene’s father? The twists and turns and ruts that Imogene falls into made it a first class mystery. It was also a moving tale of loss and mental illness, but was spun in such a way that there was nothing to pity in these characters. They were simply human as all of us are, and part of their flaws were battling themselves.
This story took place spread across many different cities in Massachusetts, and reading about Im figuring out how to find her father had me breathless at times. Every single character in this book grows in some way by the end of it. There was no good or bad in this book this was simply people struggling every day, and sometimes winning and sometimes losing. The emotions that this story brought to the surface were handled with care and sensitivity. I think everyone can learn something about themselves by reading this book, and I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.
“Whether it’s dead or alive, we can’t change the past.”
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2016/06/the-mystery-of-hollow-places-by-rebecca-podos.html*
brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good mystery story, but I admit to being kind of picky in my literary detectives. The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos was intriguing enough in its premise that I knew I wanted to read it.
Imogene has no memory of her mother. All she has the story fanciful story her father has told her since she was little of how they met and fell in love. Her father was a forensic pathologist and her mother was there to identify a body. When Imogene's father goes missing, he believes one clue behind with Imogene. A clue Imogene is convinced is meant to lead her to both her parents. With the help of her friend Imogene begins to look into her mother's past and follow a trail of clues that will hopefully lead her to the answers she's always pretended she didn't need.
Imogene has spent her entire life never getting too close to anyone. She convinced herself that her dad was enough. She didn't need the risk. As a result, Immogen looks at most of her relationships as mutualism. She has a pretty amazing best friend who she is judgmental and dismissive of most of the time. Until she needs her help. Imogene is incredibly selfish and self-centered. It makes her incredibly real, but also frustrating to be in her head sometimes. However, there was a lot about her I understood and appreciated too particularly regarding her relationship with books. And Podos does not allow Imogene to escape the consequences of her selfishness and has her grow from the things she learns about herself and her relationships with other people. Jessa may be a better best friend to Imogene than Imogene is to her, but I enjoyed watching Imogene realize that and see that growth. Lindi, her stepmom, also suffers from the walls Imogene has put up in her mind and heart against others. Their relationship also undergoes changes and Imogene's appreciation of her stepmother grows as the story progresses. I really enjoyed this book for these relationships in particular, but also that it was so much about relationships in general. I also thoroughly appreciated how the relationship between Imogene and Jessa's brother, Imogene's long time crush, resolved. It was a unique and refreshing thing to see in a YA novel.
Both Imogene's parents suffer from depression or a disease that influences their behavior and emotions. Not having experienced what either of them do, I can not speak to how well this is handled for their particular diagnoses. I do like how the book portrayed the need for and helpfulness of therapy and medication. It really stressed how bad it is to trust your emotions and thoughts and how important taking the meds for continued health are.
The mystery of the book is not nearly as important as Imogene's personal journey. She isn't the detective she thinks herself, but her investigation and the way the author revealed each piece of the puzzle kept me riveted and reading. My big problem with the book is the end is a little too wrapped up. I would have preferred the end without the very last chapter (which is very much an epilogue even if it's not really called an epilogue). Imogene's character development up to that point was clear. Enough was figured out and set in motion for a hopeful future. The last chapter overdid that. This made me sad as the book was incredibly well executed up to that point.
The Mystery of Hollow Places is a book I definitely recommend to those who enjoy good character stories and puzzles.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher, Balzer & Bray, via Edelweiss. The Mystery of Hollow Places is on sale January 26th.
atmorrell's review against another edition
5.0
sarahlopod's review against another edition
4.0
cw: portrayals and discussion of bipolar disorder and severe depression
...with enough time and the right conditions, precious stones could grow in hollow places.
This was my second Rebecca Podos book (my first being her 2017 release Like Water) and it was just as great as I had hoped it would be. I was honestly shocked when I got to the end and realized that this was her debut novel. This was one of those books that sucked me right in and filled me with emotion. Following Imogene on her journey felt both meaningful and real. It was easy to see where her thoughts, feelings, and coping mechanisms (or lack thereof) came from. The story follows Imogene as she attempts to find her long-lost mother and, in turn, her newly missing father. While she has little in the way of clues, between her wits and the assistance of her best friend Jessa she starts out on a path that will impact her life forever.
I thought Imogene was a sympathetic, believable main character and enjoyed being inside her head. While her constant Sherlock references wore on me a bit, I understood the point being made. Her relationship with Jessa was appropriately complicated, I liked the reference to symbiosis as I think we all have friendships that rely on shared exchanges like these. There were some romantic undertones between Imogene and Jessa’s brother, Chad, but I think this was well-balanced and certainly wasn’t anything close to the main focus of the story.
I really enjoyed the portrayal of Imogene’s non-traditional family structure. She spent most of her life living alone with her father, who struggled with bouts of severe depression where his daughter had to fend largely for herself. Her mother left before she could remember and exists only in the peripheries of scattered photographs. Lindy, her stepmother, is a family therapist and recent addition to the family. To be honest, I never grew to like Lindy very much. While I could absolutely see where she was coming from and didn’t actively disliked her, I just didn’t think I was given enough to really develop much in the way of positive feelings toward her -- but that could definitely have just been me.
But if there’s one thing Dad’s bad times have taught me, it’s this: I never, ever want to have something I can’t survive without.
The only downside was that I didn’t love the end. There was a climax that I enjoyed, but after that I felt like I was just skimming the last bit to finish out the book. It was sort of like in movies where they have the on-screen text to explain what happened to each of the characters in the aftermath of the main plot. I personally didn’t feel that it added much, although I’m not sure what I would have suggested as an alternative.
Overall, though, this was an excellent read that I would highly recommend to lovers of contemporary YA, as well as those who like a bit of mystery in their books. I’m really excited to see what Rebecca Podos comes out with next, as she’s proven herself to be quite a strong writer! I think this is one that I’ll definitely be thinking back to in the future.
rachelwrites007's review against another edition
4.0