Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody

29 reviews

stellahadz's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read Gillian Flynn's Dark Places in January, and I wondered at the time what the story would have been like if it had been written in the era of ubiquitous true-crime content like podcasts and subreddits. Rabbit Hole is as close as I've gotten to an answer to that question. It's an enthralling story about the aftermath of the main character's sister's disappearance and her father's death. It's more character-driven than most thriller novels, and the mystery is less about the "who" than the "how" or the "why." I understand some people's disappointment with some aspects of the story, but I thought it achieved its aims pretty well. It kept me engaged from the very first page, and although I wish some of the character arcs and storylines had been tied up a little more neatly, I think the point was that life isn't always like that. 

I'd advise checking the content warnings for this book, and I'd generally recommend not reading it at all if animal cruelty is tough for you to read about - the instances in this book were just about at the limit I could handle, and I usually have a pretty strong stomach. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse

gingerchew22's review against another edition

It isn’t my type of book is all. It was a bit too dark and messed up, and didn’t focus that much on the actual crime and death/disappearance aspects. Got super twisted in a not good way at the end, and I just didn’t feel like I could finish. I understand this is just a matter of opinion but this book just didn’t do it for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use

katwalke7's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Rabbit Hole does a really good job at underscoring the grotesque obsession that people have with true crime. A lot of other authors have made poor attempts at this trope, but this book is the only one I've read that actually achieved a unique perspective. While some part of this book are really dark and difficult to stomach, it added to the overwhelming grief experienced by the main character. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Drug abuse and Sexual content

sydresnik's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

meghanmccall's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse and Sexual content

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Gun violence

luverbyrd's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Starts dark and stays dark. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Mental illness and Pedophilia

_janethereader_'s review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

dondodd's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

Hated the ending ruined the book

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Suicide

books_in_badgerland's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is an interesting book. The reviews are on the low side (~3.2), and I can see how it wouldn't work for everyone.  I, however, devoured it. 

When Rabbit Hole first came out, I saw reviews on all ends of the spectrum, and all were helpful in setting up my expectations. Whether readers loved or struggled with it, they gave the feedback that rather than a twisty thriller, this was book about grief, loss, and the attempt to find answers. 

While this was marketed towards thriller readers, I think it will be successful for those of us who love bleak, weird, emotional, and maddening character-driven stories. I re-read the synopsis, and in my opinion it was on point. 

The title, Rabbit Hole, fits perfectly. On the tenth anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, Teddy’s dad dies. As she cleans up his office, she finds evidence of his deep dive into Angie's disappearance. As the book goes on, Teddy takes over her father's search. While there are some mysterious storylines, I see this book as a character study of Teddy while she spirals. Through Reddit threads, she meets folks connected to her sister, but will any of them have answers? If they do, what purpose do they ultimately serve? She feels sad, lost, and wonders what purpose answers could serve. 

Teddy makes shitty decisions that make it hard to root for her at times. It’s a testament to Brody’s writing that while thinking “Teddy, whyyy”, I also recognized her deep heartache and her desire to grasp at anything for a moment of respite. 

I appreciate gritty, emotional stories, and I will absolutely read more by Kate Brody.

Rating: I really liked it! (4)

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Drug abuse, and Suicide

emmymk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death and Drug abuse