Addiction memoirs — how many ways can one write about downfall without it becoming the same story? Well, this one stands out.

One, the author has a perspective that isn’t dominating quit lit: she’s very privileged, yes, but she’s also writing at the intersection of race and wealth. Sometimes wild privilege in memoir rankles me (the “just drop a couple hundred thousand on this thing and hire some staff and you, too, can be healed” vibe) but Cathcart Robbins owns her privilege, and even with that privilege, is still up against racial stereotypes.

Two: it’s really well written. Her voice is strong. The story is compelling. I think all memoirs are worth writing, and thus worth reading, but this one has some talent behind it.

My only critique — I would’ve loved to dig deeper, to understand more about the full process of healing rather than jumping to the happy ending epilogue.

I understand the value of this memoir in the vein of telling a personal experience, and though it can be something that would resonate with some people, I think the author is a little out of touch in thinking that her experience could resonate more than it does. It read more like a Bravolebrity Housewife than other addiction memoirs.

I love an addiction memoir, and this one was fabulous. Cathcart Robbins is vulnerable and shares her truth. The writing is strong and gripping. I read this book quick and never wanted to leave. I really enjoyed her reflection and the story was fascinating. The author does not hold back. Would recommend to lovers of memoirs!

I’m currently in a memoir era and loving it! This book was so good! Addiction topics/books will always get me because of some personal stuff but I love reading them because I love to see how people end up believing in themselves also love a happy ending! I definitely recommend this memoir by this strong queen Laura Cathcart Robbins

A very late eARC review coming to you today! This is a fairly new release memoir from podcast host Laura Cathcart Robbins about her addiction recovery journey amidst a stressful divorce from her ex-husband, a high-profile and extremely wealthy Hollywood producer. What made this book interesting for me was that I knew next to nothing about the author before starting, so reading this almost felt like a thriller in the sense that I didn’t know what would happen to her (spoiler: she’s totally fine now, she has her kids, and the divorce ended up being amicable). Robbins sets up her memoir with a few chapters on her childhood, adolescence, and early twenties, making it clear that her childhood traumas and fear set her up for postpartum anxieties that led her down the rabbit hole into sleeping pills, alcohol, and extra strength cough syrup. This book will make you furious at divorce lawyers, anxious on the author’s behalf, and relieved that she had the resources and the support of friends to make it out alive. The author’s word choice and writing style didn’t always land for me 100%, but, as Robbins states in her author’s note, this book carves out a necessary space for Black women in the addiction recovery and self-help catalogue. This book is there for you if you want to or need to read it.

Stash came out on 3/7 and is available basically everywhere. Many thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest, unpaid review.

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/v5hTPt_UrA4

Inspiring, well written, and I finished in one sitting. Definitely encourage anyone who has struggled with addiction to read this book. Uplifting in the best way.

This is an excellent story. The honesty that is poured in to memoirs such as this are crucial for understanding (and empathizing with) addiction.

I love addiction memoirs so when I saw this one I knew I had to read it. I just appreciate the vulnerability and insight into the mind of someone struggling with addiction. I think it helps bring compassion to the subject as a whole and an attempt at understanding for people who don’t know what it’s like.

This story is about Laura Cathcart Robbins and her fight against her dependence on Ambien while going through a divorce and custody battle. I thought Robbins’ writing was so relatable and found her enjoyable to read. Although a heavy subject, she was able to convey her true personality and make it entertaining.

This storyline actually reminded me a lot of The School for Good Mothers so I was slightly panicked because of how emotionally difficult that was but ultimately this story was super insightful and uplifting. I really appreciate Robbins’ sharing so much even when it doesn’t paint her in the best light.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an ARC of this book.

This memoir really pulls you in and connects you to the author. You can definitely feel her pain and angst as you travel through the ups and downs of her addiction. Robbins outlines how a traumatic childhood, difficult marriage, motherhood, lack of sleep, and being overwhelmed by life can lead to an addiction. Her trials and tribulations speak to her character and her strength. Excellent read!

The peak of Robbins's addiction to Ambien coincides with the dissolution of her marriage. Getting sober becomes a priority as she faces a potentially ugly divorce and custody battle. She gives a detailed account of her youth, the development of her dependence upon Ambien, her stint in rehab, and her fight to stay sober after she gets out and divorce proceedings begin in earnest. It felt at times too granular, and at other times, like big pieces were missing. It left me feeling like I knew too much about some stuff and not enough about others. There aren't many memoirs about addiction written by Black women, and I wanted to be more enthusiastic about this one, but the lack of insight made it feel flat.

On the surface, Robbins looked like the picture-perfect wife and mother. Privately, she was struggling with a crippling addiction to prescription pills and alcohol that made her life incredibly complicated. In this memoir, she recounts the difficult path to sobriety, from a painful divorce that she believed was even more complex with the additional layer of her addiction, to her journey through rehab and finding love and happiness again. Robbins is a very talented writer — her ability to tell such a emotional and moving story full of precise details and vivid memories is admirable. She’s incredible open and vulnerable in here, and reading about the way she pressed on through the challenges of divorce and rehab in order to keep her children was a highlight of the book. She is someone who was incredibly easy to root for throughout, and I’d highly recommend this one to anyone who is at a place to read a memoir about addiction, divorce, and finding yourself after trauma.

This book got me curious to learn more about Laura, her life, and her work. She’s written some good and interesting stuff. This book was so real and so perfectly and well described the reality of life with addiction. There was so much pain and love in this book that was beautifully expressed. For that reason, it’s a tough read—but an amazing one.

📚Advanced Book Review 📚
Title: Stash: My Life in Hiding
Author: Laura Cathcart Robbins
Release Date: 3/7/2023 (Available now)

I always admire authors who write memoirs because it takes a bit of vulnerability and courage to write about your life, the good, the bad, and the ugly. That’s exactly, what Laura Robbins does in her book. She bares her soul by letting her readers into her life, specifically her struggle with addiction and her contentious divorce.

After years of hiding her addiction from everyone—from stockpiling pills in her Louboutins to elaborately scheduling withdrawals between PTA meetings, baby showers, and tennis matches—Laura Cathcart Robbins settles into a complicated purgatory. She learns the hard way that privilege doesn’t protect you from pain. Facing divorce, the possibility of a grueling custody battle, and internalized racism, Robbins wonders just how much more she can take

I was cheering for Laura Robbins the entire time I was reading her memoir. It definitely was an emotional read that tugged at my heart. I’m glad she wrote such a compelling story that educated, inspired and even entertained me.

I received an electronic advanced copy (eARC) from publisher Atria books and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

In her memoir STASH: My Life in Hiding, Laura Cathcart Robbins, an affluent Black woman living in LA, recounts her addiction to prescription medication and her divorce that served as the catalyst to her time in rehab.

The most interesting aspect of this memoir was the way Laura spoke candidly about the intersection of race as well as privilege. She is transparent about the ways in which her wealth afforded her opportunities for rehabilitation that others may not have. Her musings on being a Black woman married to a white man in Los Angeles was fascinating as well.

I appreciated Laura’s introspection as she was able to view her decisions through the lens of a person in the midst of addiction as well as someone with more life experience five years after the fact. It is amazing to me that she was able to operate at such a high level in her personal life as she battled this addiction.

I read STASH with a combination of print and audio. Laura narrates the audiobook herself and I loved hearing her story directly from her. Her memoir wrapped up quite neatly, and while I hope this is true, I would have loved to hear more about her time after rehab. Addiction can be a lifelong battle and hearing her perspective on how this plays out in her current life would have been interesting.

Pick up STASH if you're interested in an honest perspective on addiction and enjoy memoirs about motherhood and marriage.

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: March 7, 2023

Many thanks to Simon Audio and Atria for an electronic ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Stash is the story of Laura, a powerful woman of color in a glamorous Hollywood world with a secret addiction to Ambien. Laura describes her heartbreaking journey to sobriety amidst divorce driven by her love for her children.

Laura’s addiction makes her very unlikeable at times when her one-track mind focuses on how she will get through a period of withdrawal and/or to her next fix. However, as unlikeable as her decisions were, it was also heartbreaking how those decisions weren’t entirely in her control. Her story describes her struggle with race and class, as well as how the trauma in her childhood shaped her into who she is today.

Memoirs about addiction are always fascinating to me, and this time was no exception. I didn’t really know anything about addiction to sleeping pills and didn’t realize the effects they had on your memory. This book could be hard to read and I found myself having to try to “neutralize” what I read by picking up a book with lighter content. Regardless, I flew through the book and also recounted it in detail to any of my friends who would listen as I was reading it. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 stars (5 stars rounded up).

The only thing I did not like about this book is that it was so hard to read that I definitely would not re-read it (my criteria for it being a 5 star read vs 4 star).

Laura Cathcart Robbins has written one hell of a book. This isn't one that I'm going to be able to get off my mind for a while and honestly, I wouldn't want to. She's gone through a lot and she doesn't hold anything back. being completely straight forward about her experience. I highly recommend this book and thank you to Net Galley and Atria books for the opportunity to read it early.

This was a really good way to end February and a really good nonfiction read discussing some very hard hitting topics.

Laura being a wife of a prominent Hollywood Producer. She enjoyed the finer things in life, but that didn’t make her immune to addiction. I enjoyed her candor throughout the book and was sympathetic to her struggles and cheered her on as she sought treatment.. A well written memoir that grab hold and didn’t let go until I finished it. This is a book that resonates with me as I am fighting my own demons with addiction.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Atria for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Atria books for Stash, a memoir by Laura Cathart Robbins. Stash pulls the veil back on what addiction looks like beneath the guise of privilege, money, and power... addiction hurts even as readers may see this as a memoir of privilege. I think that approach would undermine the value and power in this story that does also ask us to think about power and privilege as experienced by a Black woman navigating spaces that may not be inclusive, spaces that perpetuate racism or stereotypes, and spaces that perpetuate solo status and stereotype threats... addiction stories matter and I appreciate the story that should center readers on the experience of addiction and call us to remember that privilege does not prevent the harm of racism and the loneliness of being underrepresented in white spaces.