Stash is a wonderful memoir about addiction and the battle to sobriety. The FMC (Laura) goes to incredible lengths to hide her addiction/secret. In addition to her addiction, she faces other challenges. A possible divorce and custody battle, race, gender discrimination to start. In this emotional read, we follow her journey to self love and her battle to sobriety. I highly recommend this well-written book that will grip you from beginning to end. It is nothing short of phenomenal and inspirational.

In Stash: My Life in Hiding the reader got a first had account of prescription drug abuse and the intimate thoughts of a person in the throes of addiction. I have personally never been addicted to any substances, but through reading this book I felt the pain, the compulsions, the necessity of the Ambien for the author and felt like we got a small glimpse into the struggle of addiction some face. It was a very enthralling story, truly hard to put down because as a reader I wanted the author to succeed and couldn't wait to get to the point where she did so. I felt like I was there with her when she went to recovery and after, coming back home and figuring out how to live life as a "normal" person again. It was riveting at times, and I feel like the author painted the picture of life as an addict as accurately as possible.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this memoir. All opinions within this review are my own.

Stash reveals much pain. I think Robbins described herself accurately when she said she was a chameleon for most of her life. She studied her environment and then became it.
She squelched a lot of pain from her childhood and that carried over into adulthood.
Robbins abused pills and alcohol to cope.
I think writing this book is part of her continuing catharsis-letting go of the past.
It’s an eye opening read about one woman’s attempt to regain control of her life.

"The fucked-up truth is that being loaded is the only way I can continue to show up for my family. Loaded equals numb. And numb makes me bulletproof."

Robbins is a very talented writer, no question. I really enjoyed the honest portrayal of her MH and pill addiction. I struggled with her time in rehab which I found drawn out and could’ve been shorter. She also had a very privileged road to sobriety including taking a private jet to a 40k treatment center that I felt could’ve been acknowledged more directly. Not denying her pain, addiction in any form is awful and hard. Lastly, I really didn’t enjoy the rehab romance and felt it could’ve been left out.

Regardless, kudos to anyone who writes a memoir - pick this up if any of the topics resonate with you. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I appreciated the authors honesty and candor. But this felt a bit repetitive and all the pill discussing overwhelmed me. She definitely was able to capture my empathy.

Thanks to Atria Books for the review copy - I absolutely love memoirs, especially in women's addiction experiences.

I have read a LOT of memoirs in this category, and Stash brings a different perspective to the space, as Robbins talks about not only the challenges she faces in her addiction, but also as a Black woman who is often the only one in many of the spaces she comes into throughout her process of recovery and in her day-to-day life. She tackles addiction, divorce, lying, hiding, recovery, all with the backdrop of priviledge as a Hollywood director's wife, and reconciling this with a very fraught childhood/adolescent experience. The author does not shy away from being very real with the reader as she experienced the uncomfortableness in her life. I would definitely recommend this one to check out.

Stash
By Laura Cathcart Robbins
Review and Rating 4 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this memoir. It is an open and honest look at addiction, both to prescription Ambien and alcohol. It is also the story of the breakdown of Cathcart Robbins marriage, and the lengths she went to, to subsequently rehab her addiction and keep her children.
I loved most of Cathcart Robbins writing but at times she could be off putting with her lack of understanding of just how privileged she was and continues to be. Average people , or people with an addiction problem, have absolutely none of the resources that Ms. Cathcart Robbins had such easy access to. I am glad she was able to kick her addiction and think this is a story that will appeal to a wide audience.

I want to thank Atria Books, NetGalley, and Laura Cathcart Robbins for providing me with an eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. #NetGalley


Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

This is a raw unflinching warts and all memoir of Cathcart Robbins’ addiction to Ambien (plus cough syrup plus alcohol). I applaud Cathcart Robbins’ honesty particularly given that her husband is a high profile Hollywood mover and shaker and she was raising two small boys during the depths of her addiction, all of whom will have presumably read this. The memoir is compulsively readable and the author’s road to recovery is hard earned and well deserved. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC

I enjoyed this memoir as a mother. It was really about coming to terms as yourself and motherhood. The addiction was very accurately portrayed, especially the time in rehabilitation. I felt and emphasized with Laura. Having been in similar situations as her, I recognized all of the emotions and inner turmoil. This addiction memoir is unique, in that she has an extremely privileged life. Although sometimes certain comments (why would she stash clean urine in a $2000 Gucci Hobo bag?!) came off a bit cringy, it’s very important to recognize that addiction happens to anyone - and it looks no different. The race aspect of Laura’s experience was also important because it is an additional level of inner shame that she shouldn’t have. That’s a reason why I pulled this particular quote.

“All the more reason why they can never find out that I, the Goldilocks of Black moms, as a drug addict. If I were ever exposed, I would take every other mom down with me in ruin.”

Stash comes out 3/7.

I really appreciated this very honest memoir about addiction and recovery. The author was not too graphic but also was very honest.

A powerful and heartbreaking read. Anyone who has a family member who suffers from addiction will be taken on a rollercoaster ride. Beautifully told and excellently paced.

A very tender, honest depiction of the realities of addiction and rehab -- if you've ever had anyone in your life who seemed to have it all together and you were baffled by finding out they had a substance abuse problem, just couldn't understand how they could be "like that"... you need to read this book. Laura Cathcart Robbins lays herself bare here, and in doing so may help so many people. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

Laura Cathcart Robbins gives an honest portrayal of her battle with addiction. This isn't an easy read (not based on her writing, its fabulous) but purely because of the topic at hand. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I've been on a memoir kick lately and many of them include addiction. Stash felt different then the rest, though. It was very captivating and, at times, I forgot it wasn't a fiction story. Laura really opened up every part of her life and mind in the writing of Stash and I found myself rooting for her almost immediately.

Wow ! This book was compelling, sad, & happy. By telling her story, Laura might be able to reach people who are struggling with addiction. She opens up about her addiction to prescription drugs (Ambien) with vulnerability & grace. This is a great story of you don't always know what is going on behind closed doors.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

A really compelling story of addiction and the rehab process. With honesty, and good pacing, this is different than many "addiction" novels, as Laura's drug of choice was Ambien, not an illegal drug.

Vivid and unflinching, I would recommend that everyone, not just someone who has struggled with addiction read this.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC!

STASH is a great addition to the addiction memoir genre, and the first I’ve read that details the risks & realities of Ambien so clearly. I appreciate how candid the author is about things others might be tempted to gloss over - particularly how the lies she told to protect her increasing drug/alcohol habit are built on a long history of not telling anyone the truth about herself. I found this one of the most compelling parts of the book, how even her husband didn’t know the traumatic things she’d experienced and been part of before she met him. She gives us a vivid portrait of what it’s like to be inside the swirling mind of addiction, tormented by past/present & fear of the future all at the same time, and her writing about the rehab process is complex, crisp, and vivid.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

Laura is a true talent. I can't even count how many addiction memoirs I have read and this is among the very best. This book really stayed with me even after I tore through it. Laura is honest, forthright, and unafraid to share the deepest parts of her. I wish I could give this more than 5 stars. The storytelling kept engaged and turning the pages well into the night. I didn't want to put this book down.

This was a different addiction memoir because it was about a woman who despite never graduating from high school and having a ton of problems lives a pretty privileged life as the wife of a very successful man. I guess it's sort of like Matthew Perry's memoir where he is still a sad lonely addict but has the money to go to rehabs in private cars. Except she seems a lot nicer and it's easier to be sympathetic to her because she actually seems to have feelings. Really a wild ride.

I read a lot of books on addiction and recovery and, while there is nothing groundbreaking here, the story is compelling and I found myself compulsively "turning" the page on my tablet to find out what would happen next.

The story is told well and the author is very honest with her role in the situation of drug abuse. I also was fascinated by the powers of Ambien as I normally read books with heroine, alcohol or crack addictions. I knew very little about Ambien and how addictive it can be. The author did a great job of informing the reader and, in some cases, making me feel horribly about the whole situation.

The writing is right on point and the pace makes the story develop perfectly.