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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.
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
the_great_katsby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Self harm, and Suicide
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
itsprobablybest's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
madisonmila's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was very interesting. A lot more focused on the character instead of the mystery than I thought, but I thought it was a very neat story of internet obsession and mental health in the wake of tragedy. I found the main character a bit frustrating at times, but I think some of that was the point. Additionally, there was some pretty graphic animal death at the beginning and another point that was too much for me personally. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Suicide
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
whathillarygraceread's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
his book has been marketed as a thriller. While it does have thriller elements and does revolve around a mystery, I don't really know that I would consider it a traditional thriller. In fact, I think certain aspects of the thriller plot are a letdown BUT this book really shines in exploring what happens when random internet sleuths get involved in real cases with real people involved in them. That's the reason I think people who like true crime, thrillers and mysteries should read this book.
The plot revolves around the unsolved disappearance of Teddy's sister, the impact on Teddy's family and the consequences of random strangers on the internet trying to solve the case. The entire time I was reading this, I couldn't help but think of Maura Murray and everything that's happened to her family since the collective internet decided to "solve" the mystery of her disappearance.
I recommend this one if you want a thought provoking exploration of what our current societal obsession means for victims and those closest to the victim.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
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
minimicropup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
1.0
Tough topics like grief and tragedy can be used to explore the harsh realities of life, and I knew they would feature prominently in this book. Unfortunately, it went overboard as if trying to be controversial or edgy, but instead felt heavy-handed and repetitive. As a result, it took me out of the story, and instead of being heart-wrenching, it became uninteresting. If you can look past what I couldn’t, you may find a story worth reading here.
Energy: Acerbic. Insincere. Pessimistic.
Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Maine, USA
Perspective: We follow a high school teacher who has experienced a lot of tragedy. Their sister went missing in high school, their sister’s dog is dying of cancer, and their father died by suicide. While clearing their father’s office, they unearth information about their sister’s disappearance.
🐺 Growls: Cliché or gratuitous use of ‘shocking’ language and events that overshadow the commentary and character study.
🐕 Howls: Spinning wheels and stalling out the plot. The synopsis is the B-plot at best.
🐩 Tail Wags: The writing itself wasn’t bad.
🤔 Random Thoughts:
Using a dog’s illness in this plot could have been effective, but the repetitive descriptions of its suffering felt excessive. The same can be said for the dog’s death and all the random cat torture and cruelty. This made me think it was trying too hard to get a reaction, like a child acting up to get attention.
This seemed more like a deep-dive character study exploring Teddy’s descent into madness and whether it was due to tragedy or inherent in her personality. Teddy’s increasingly destructive behaviour caused her to engage in reckless activities. I was here for it initially, but unfortunately, it suffered from the same repetitive tendencies. The sex scenes were often clinical descriptions of what to do to come, which made it seem like they were there to make some readers feel shocked or uncomfortable without any purpose or substance.
The synopsis also misleads how little online and social media is involved in the plot.
Ultimately, this story could have included meaningless sex, a dying dog, Reddit trolls, and an increasingly unhinged main character in a way that was impactful, even if discomforting. Instead, it was trying to use unpopular tropes but not confident enough to do so without regularly pointing them out in a disruptive way that overshadowed any meaningful exploration of heavy themes like grief and true crime toxicity.
----
Content Heads-Up: Animal cruelty and death (cats, dogs). Suicide. Suicidal ideation. Loss of a sibling. Grief. Loss of a parent. Loss of a child (teen). Loss of a spouse. Sexual content (consenting, intoxicated, addictive/destructive). Sexual assault. Addiction. Drug use.
📚 Format: Paperback
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content