Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody is a story of what happens to families in the aftermath of grief-- particularly when questions go unanswered for an extended time. Teddy's sister disappeared a decade ago and her father was obsessed with finding out who did it. When he kills himself, it falls on Teddy to solve both mysteries. Her life spirals out of control as she tries to get to the bottom of it all. She finds a Reddit sub where her was father active and a college student / internet sleuth who had been helping him.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of Rabbit Hole from Soho Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed how this was a good balance between lit-fic and mystery/thriller. There were just enough sinister situations and elements to move the plot along (a vandalized car, cyber stalking, and doxxing) yet there was also enough focus on Teddy’s disintegrating sanity and morality that kept the spotlight on character development. Kate Brody’s language, writing style, and story-telling seems to flex around Teddy’s stability, making her most disillusioned states feel like a fever-dream to read. She also used Mickey’s character really well to add to the overall sense of suspense and confusion. I found myself wondering at many points if Mickey was real or whether Teddy had made her up in her head. What are the chances that she meets a girl who reminds her exactly of Angie and they become partners-in-crime?

Although the supporting characters such as Mickey (her mysterious young friend) and Bill (her suspicious sad puppy boyfriend) gave the story more dimension, they themselves felt one-dimensional and unbelievable at times. I understand why Brody chose to keep an air of mystery around the characters for the majority of the book yet it seems like when the fog cleared they fell flat as meaningful characters. Then there were other characters you expected to learn more about (like her half brother for example) yet they never ended up making it into the story in an impactful way.

As a whole, the best part of this book for me was the commentary on true crime and online conspiracy communities. If the story had a different foundation, would I have enjoyed the book as much? For the most part, the story did keep me turning the pages and wanting to know what happened but once I closed the back cover, I didn’t feel the satisfaction I was hoping for from Rabbit Hole.

✏️ Favourite Quotes
“I read somewhere that most people die at 25, but are buried at 75”

“I understand what was meant by it, of course. By twenty-five, you’ve given up all your hopes and dreams, your novel-in-progress, your hot body, your plans to travel to japan. By twenty-five, you have a steady job and you’re right on track for your panic-inducing suburban middle age. But what’s so bad about that?”

“I walk across the lot and rocks barefoot, moving gingerly, still tender in that off-season way. Needing to rebuild what Dad always called our ‘summer feet.'”

“For a second, once, I thought—do I want kids? And almost instantly I tried to scrub the thought from my brain. why would I create another vulnerable little person I cant protect?”

This was absolutely not what it was advertised to be. I was expecting a thriller that would have me looking over my shoulder while reading, yet nothing much really happened.

The story focused primarily on grief—her sister’s and her father’s. It felt more like a cozy mystery with grief as the main theme, rather than the gripping thriller I was promised.

The characters were just not in it, making poor choices or totally out of touch with reality. There’s no drama, suspense, or sense of urgency. Instead, it’s just Teddy making one bad decision after another, endlessly ruminating on where her sister might be, and clinging to the fantasy that Angie will walk through the front door one day and everything will magically be fine.

Teddy needed to touch some grass and finally grief.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free book.

This mystery dives into a strange and thrilling case. As the clues unfold, the story gets more exciting. It’s great for readers who enjoy puzzles and solving mysteries along with the characters.

DNF - read through Chapter 2, not for me

The premise of the book was intriguing, but I couldn’t get past the gruesome animal death descriptions within the first chapter. If you’re able to get past that, it seemed to be shaping up to an interesting read but unfortunately was too much for me.

Perfect for true crime lovers and fans of Penance by Eliza Clarke.
An almost painful read of someone’s downward spiral but completely engrossing and I couldn’t help but be obsessed with it.

*Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

*Trigger Warning: Pet terminal illness

I had to DNF this book about 10% in. D: The book is well written and I was super hooked on the main story, but there is a lot.... a LOT.... of dying pet dog moments in that first 10% of the book. I know it is healthy to talk about grief and loss and stuff like this, but I just don't handle pet death well in books. This book had painful after painful detail about the dying dog and it wasn't just easy to pass over or flip by real quick because there was just a lot. Her sister has been missing for 10 years, her dead just kills himself, and then her dog has cancer. That's just more sadness in a book than what I'm looking for. I'm sure the book is really good, but I didn't want to read anymore about that poor doggo. Sorry.

Rabbit Hole is an in-depth character study and raw examination of grief. Readers of Lit Fic will find a lot to love in this novel. The story is dark and tense but if you're looking for a fast-paced thriller this isn't for you. Talented writer and bold story that doesn't care that its main character is not "likeable.".

I only gave this title 3 stars because of the extreme portrayal of a pet's death. Otherwise, this was definitely a puzzler of a book. If you've had a relative succumb to addiction, many parts of this will resonate.

I rated Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody 4/5 stars. Kate Brody takes the reader down a "Rabbit Hole" of messy family drama, with mysterious texts and Reddit threads, and characters that are full of flaws and unlikeable traits. The narrator is determined to find the "why" when her father dies by suicide 10 years after her sister has gone missing. The reader follows the protagonist as she meets or reunites with people from her father's and sister's pasts, digs into the world of Reddit, and struggles with her relationships and job. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of characters, all with quirks and flaws that are relatable, but make the reader not quite sure whether you like them or not. These realistic characters have awkward interactions, flawed appearances, not-so-great histories, and sometimes they make poor decisions. The story was so interesting, and I did not want it to end. Unfortunately, the end was what brought my rating down, as it feels unresolved. It seems like the author has a great way of writing for this reader, but maybe she wasn't sure how to bring it to a close. Ultimately, I'll read other Kate Brody books, but I'll keep wondering about how this one really ends.

This was an interesting read. Ten years ago, Teddy’s sister, Angie, disappeared. She finds out that their father committed suicide on the anniversary of her disappearance and starts to seek out what made him do it. Teddy goes down the same rabbit hole of Angie’s unsolved case that their father did. She finds a subreddit (online community) that delves into all the details while also talking about their family which becomes just as triggering to her as it did her father.

Rabbit Hole is a dark and oppressive book that is more about what happens to the victims and their families rather than a mystery whodunit. It was too much of a slow burn and I really hated the majority of the decisions Teddy was making as she was self destructing. It was hard to read at times. But if you’re into true crime books, you will probably like this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press for this ARC. Rabbit Hole is out now.

Shouldn’t be marketed as a thriller. It was a slow burn and would have landed better if called a mystery/fiction. The characters were so much more examined than in typical thrillers

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Was really excited to read this one....but then found the pace to be a little slow for me. There were others that I read at about the same time & enjoyed more. But Rabbit Hole was still work reading & I will recommend to my readers.

Description
A page-turning debut mystery that’s as addictive as a late-night Reddit binge, about a grieving woman obsessed with solving her sister’s cold-case disappearance via the true crime fandom

Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, My Favorite Murder, and Fleabag

Ten years ago, Theodora “Teddy” Angstrom’s older sister, Angie, went missing. Her case remains unsolved. Now Teddy’s father, Mark, has killed himself. Unbeknownst to Mark’s family, he had been active in a Reddit community fixated on Angie, and Teddy can’t help but fall down the same rabbit hole.

Teddy’s investigation quickly gets her in hot water with her gun-nut boyfriend, her long-lost half brother, and her colleagues at the prestigious high school where she teaches English. Further complicating matters is Teddy’s growing obsession with Mickey, a charming amateur sleuth who is eerily keen on helping her solve the case.

Bewitched by Mickey, Teddy begins to lose her moral compass. As she struggles to reconcile new information with old memories, her erratic behavior reaches a fever pitch, but she won’t stop until she finds Angie—or destroys herself in the process.

Rabbit Hole is an outrageous and heart-wrenching character study of a mind twisted by grief, a biting critique of the internet’s voyeurism, and an intriguing exploration of the blurry lines of female friendship.

As an avid reader of true crime novels, I knew I had to get my hands on this one. In her debut novel, Brody does an excellent job keeping the reader engaged throughout the novel. I couldn’t put it down - highly recommend!!

I liked this a lot; very easy to sell to true-crime fans and mystery/thriller readers alike. Interesting plot and I didn't see the ending coming.

dark and harsh and brilliant. read those trigger warnings. i love the honesty and deep knowledge of true (!!!) crime and the internet present and grief and humanity here

Rabbit Hole follows the traditional thriller expectation of keeping you turning pages deep into the night, but also carries an emotional punch that took me by surprise.

In many ways, it’s equal parts one woman processing grief, taking the reader along for the journey of how it affects her mental health, along with the traditional “who done it” element of whether or not her missing sister is dead or alive and who was involved either way.

As I’ve mentioned in this space countless times, I’m extremely picky with any sort of mystery or thriller. Smart, propulsive, and heavy Rabbit Hole stands out as a high recommendation.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

This one of those books where I felt stuck between giving it a 3 or 4 but decided on the later. Going into this book after reading the summary I expected something different then what we actually get. I was expecting the decent into madness our main character Teddy takes but the journey was not at all what I expected.

I flew through this book in 3 days and found the mystery of it all of what happened to Angie super interesting. I liked the idea behind the Reddit forums because of how interested and obsessive people become with true crime. It made the book feel so real.

I wasn’t a fan of the multiple sex scenes throughout the book and the couple incidents of animal death, especially the last one mentioned. I understand why they were added, more so the sex scenes, to show how Teddy wasn’t coping well with the grief of both losing her father and her sister. But still, there was so many. The animal scenes felt so unnecessary and I’m just not a fan of those.

The characters felt real, the story felt raw and I was left feeling emotionally heavy at the end. I think you have to go into this book with an open mind and remember that real life grief isn’t pretty. This was an emotionally heavy book that takes you through all the ugly parts grief has to offer.

This book was not like your average mystery/suspense novel. The story follows a family that is torn apart by the disappearance of the eldest daughter. The story picks up 1o years later when her father kills himself. Mother and daughter are left to pick up the pieces and continue to try and solve the disappearance. The story is told through reddit threads and narrative form. The writing is elevated, but at times the story got a bit off track for me. All in all it was a quick read, I would pick up a book by Brody again.