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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
carolinerosereads's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
haley_mil_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
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
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
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
soulmates's review against another edition
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
tabitha_thorns's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Made me genuinely sick to my stomach (in a good way) for most of the book. An excellent exploration of the main character going mad. Foreboding, full of dread, but the ending is a little lackluster. It suits the tone and mood of the story but eh, could have ended in a more compelling way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Self harm, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide
A dog in desperate need of medical care is denied it.afasanello's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Antisemitism
emmajaneishere's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Alcohol