Into the Hollow

The hollow was the perfect place to hide.

Or so Free's dad thought. His plan: flee California with Free's five-year-old brother illegally in tow, hide out in the mountains of West Virginia, make fast cash during ginseng season, then escape to a nicer place where the law can't find them. Free isn't thrilled about living in a holler alongside drug dealers and thieves, but she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep her family safe. Unfortunately, with their father disappearing into the woods with increasing frequency, Free and her brother exist largely alone. Until their neighbor Cole appears with lots of questions.

Cole's spent his entire life in the holler-and his entire life working out a way to leave his druggie mother and incarcerated brother. As the editor of the school newspaper, he's an expert at getting to the bottom of a story, and he's determined to crack Free-who seems un-crack-able.

When the family she was desperate to protect is ripped apart, Free turns to Cole for help, the only person willing. But while her plan escalates, Free can't deny the pull she feels toward the boy with too many questions-and who holds just as many secrets. As they become closer, she finds that Cole might need her help as much as she needs his.