Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC.

I really wanted to like this book. It was interesting but just not for me. I do not usually DNF books but I really wanted to on this book. I went ahead and finished it but I lost interest pretty early on.

DNF @ 15% - I think this being marketed as a thriller is what had me quitting early. I started to realize that the book was going to stay within the inner thoughts of our main character. And while that isn't terrible its just not what I was expecting going in.

Maybe I'll circle back and give it another try.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Rabbit Hole.
I was really looking forward to this one, but found myself disappointed. I wouldn’t consider this a thriller, as described in the blurb. The story seemed really slow and disconnected to me.
The narrator was great and the writing was good, I just don’t think the story was for me..

For full disclosure, while I imagine this audiobook was pretty close to finalized, some details may have been changed between the audiobook ARC copy and the official release. This review contains spoilers. Overall, I believe this book could have been improved with a little more consciousness of derogatory language and by easing the reader into the brutality of the narrative instead of putting a majority of the gory description in an animal death scene towards the beginning, which feels like it may ward people off of the book when that isn’t really the same level of visceral detail used throughout the rest of the book. Evening out the grisly details throughout the story or ramping them up towards the end instead could have done this some good. The strongest parts of this book, to me, were the characters and the complex interiority of the women central to it: Teddy, Mickey, Angie. The weakest aspect was in the twist, which was still relatively well-done, all things considered.

The pacing is fine: it’s quick and undaunting, unnoticeable. The structuring of the narrative was satisfactory, and doesn’t try to do anything fancy in presentation. Scene and chapter transitions were clear and uncomplicated. The use of exposition is concise, and conflict was relatively effective, feeling very intentionally written with an understanding of the messy dynamics that push human conflict. It wasn’t one of those cases of everything being driven by characters miscommunicating or being ignorant, but mostly, the actual flaws that real people have, the kneejerk impulse to lie and to spiral.

The syntax is clear without being too plain; there’s not a lot of repetition, and the few instances that stuck out to me are pretty spaced out and seem like parallels, feeling intentional rather than accidental or lazy. There aren’t really any instances where I feel it was over or under written: the prose is of medium density with a degree of ornamentation while the sentences are relatively unstuffed, not too much and not too little. Broadly, word choice feels very intentional, vacillating in a fantastic way between biting and aching.

Towards the beginning, there are a few scenes regarding animal death that felt heavy-handed and unnecessary. I don’t think the level of description of dead kittens was necessary for the metaphor being made paralleling the kittens and their mother to Angie and Mark. Some of the sex scenes are tired, but it almost feels intentional, particularly coming in when Teddy herself is trying to compensate the emptiness she feels with it, so I do think while I wouldn’t have missed them, those scenes pull their narrative weight. Overall, most of the scenes in this book do feel necessary. I’m ultimately glad I pushed through the couple of scenes that put me off.

It is worth noting that a bit of offensive and/or outdated language—for example, the usage of the R slur a couple times—is peppered through the book in a way that doesn’t really reflect anything more about the characters or add anything to the narrative. I wouldn’t have enjoyed that aspect even if it felt like there was a point, but it would have been at least more digestible if there was a critical lense being used there. Instead, it just seems out of place and pulled me out of an otherwise engaging narrative. The fact that word choice seemed so deliberate otherwise in the rest of the book made that aspect leave a worse taste in my mouth.

Character voice and dialogue are done very well here, and characterization is well-rounded and consistent. The development of the cast throughout the story is subtle but nuanced, and that feels incredibly real to me. They don’t end up right where they were, but they aren’t wholly different people on different journeys, either, not entirely. To me, the character dynamics were one of the shining parts of this book. There’s a lot of depth to the interactions they all have, the bones to pick and preoccupations, the good and the bad. All of the subplots are woven into the primary plotline masterfully, playing off of and paralleling each other; the narrative feels that much richer for it.

I think the matters of subject, theme, and message in this book are expertly layered. There’s a narrative throughline between the brutality of trauma voyeurism in true crime spaces, cruelty towards other living beings while remaining complicit, and being compassionate even when it hurts like a motherfucker and requires you to let someone go even if you don’t want to. In particular, there’s a potent recurring theme regarding rabbits—baby bunnies being peeked at by Angie and Teddy in flashbacks, being told not to touch them and thus alienate them from their mother; the rabbit that Bill’s friend hunted and gave to him being served to Teddy, who comments on the rabbit’s “being murdered”, but still eats meat; the titular rabbit hole of true crime—that I found incredibly impressive. The handling of grief as a theme is compelling, and often, I found it resonated a lot with me. The writing style is a good fit for the story being told. While I don’t tend to enjoy first person narration, it’s handled very well here. This is one of the few books I’ve read where I feel it being told in a different narrative perspective would have been a detriment.

This narrative as a whole is very well-crafted and coherent, and though there are some choices that I dislike, I do think I understand the vision. While I think would have been more effective for the Mickey twist to have either not been what it was or not existed. I initially expected the conclusion to the central mystery to further stick the knife to the problems in the true crime community, something where no one online was really “right,” where maybe there’s some answers but they aren’t satisfying for the internet sleuths. I don’t hate the way it ended, but I was pretty unsatisfied throughout the last couple of chapters before it.

For the most part, the major characters have pretty satisfying arcs. I like the resolution we get for Teddy, and Mickey’s resolution is solid but open-ended. We leave their relationship on a bittersweet bruise of an image, the two of them talking and not really being able to close the gap. I don’t like Bill—his relationship with Angie just isn’t redeemable to me—and I find the solution between their relationship unsatisfactory but it seems like that’s the point: the unsatisfactory, not quite healthy relationships people are driven to by loneliness and tragedy. I think Mickey was the most memorable of the characters, and Teddy is a close second.

I’d recommend this to adults who have a critical interest or complicated relationship with true crime. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who might be negatively impacted by vivid portrayal topics of grief and animal death in particular. Personally, I’m interested in seeing what the author will create in the future, and would be interested in reading more from her.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody follows our main character Teddy, who is trying to piece her life back together after her father commits suicide. Her father was digging into the truth behind the disappearance of his daughter, Teddy's sister. Teddy discovers a new world of true crime on Reddit, and her world unravels as she learns more about the night her sister went missing.

The premise of this story was interesting, and the plot held my attention well enough. I felt that the end was a bit anticlimactic, and I was waiting for a more intense conflict to happen. This story has a similar feeling to Animal by Lisa Taddeo. If you enjoy a bit of a slow burn story that is more of a character study of a person's life during a crisis mode, then Rabbit Hole would be a great book to pick up.

I did appreciate the overall discussion of true crime and the acknowledgement that there are real people living the horrors of these cases that others are viewing for entertainment. I would have liked to explore that more and hear more about how the voyeurism of others impacted Teddy throughout her life.

Thanks to RB Media, NetGalley, author Kate Brody and narrator Rebecca Quinn Robertson for the chance to listen to an advance copy of the audiobook. The story of Teddy and her desire to find out the truth of what happened to her sister ten years ago is kicked into high gear when her father commits suicide and she finds out he has been making mysterious payments to strangers for the past several years. When she finds out one is a psychic and the other is a teenager who looks like her sister she realizes she needs to find answers for herself and her mother in order to move on. Thankfully she she meets Bill who gives her the emotional support she didn’t even know she needed. The final answers are heartbreaking but also heartwarming in some ways as things are resolved in different relationships. Well written and nicely narrated I enjoyed it so much I listened to it in the course of one day😊definitely recommend this one.

After her father commits suicide on the tenth anniversary of her sister's disappearance, Teddy starts to go down the rabbit hole that is online cold case discussion. Teaming up with a young amateur sleuth, Teddy tries to finally solve her sister's case.

I wanted to like this one. The cover was cool and the idea of someone intimately involved in a cold case getting involved with the online community seemed like a cool one. Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me. Not only did I feel like fully 50 percent of the story had nothing to do with the actual disappearance, but the inconsequential bits were pretty off-putting. For example, there was discussion of tasting cremated remains, excessive descriptions of extremely bad ('bad' like awkward, unsatisfying sex, not 'bad' like kinky) sex, and a graphic scene about slicing off your own skin on purpose. If you can overlook that and keep going, you'll find and an extremely long, drawn out description of a dog dying that included Teddy pretending like she was doing a service for the dog by letting him die over several hours before eventually ending his suffering (not a spoiler, this is part of the 50% of the book that did nothing to further the plot). It was so disgraceful I was sick to my stomach listening to it. If I had purchased this book I would have DNF'ed it at that point for sure, but it's so important to finish these and I appreciate the copy, so I finished the last 20% in short stints and unfortunately found more of the same bizarre stuff.

Not a single thing about this book worked for me, but the grimy, dark vibe is great for fans of Gillian Flynn's darker stuff.

This book was interesting. Not what I expected, but I appreciate it for what it is.
I think my biggest complaint is that the entire book has momentum to the climax (we obviously don’t know what) then it just feels like it abruptly ends, and we never get there.
I loved the ending, however. I thought that seeing the protagonist go through the mental breakdown she does, and end up where she does is a beautiful redeeming story. I honestly just saw us being somewhere else at the end of this book.
I don’t know if I would classify this as a thriller. Maybe more of a suspense, and I would prepare to be left with questions.
The writing was great and the audio book was done very well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book sounded so promising as I love true crime style novels but it fell so short. It was not faced paced, it was not very thriller-esque, it was kind of confusing & I didn't really understand what half of the novel had to do with the story. I don't think I would recommend but I still thank author Kate Brody & Recorded Books for giving me an ALC of this debut novel.

I just read "Rabbit Hole," and it was a really good story. The main character is searching for answers about her sister, who disappeared 10 years ago, and her father, who took his own life on the 10th anniversary of her sister going missing. It was interesting to see how grief can make you do things you wouldn't normally do. I liked the book a lot, and the story kept me hooked, making me want to know what happens next.

3.5 stars
This book was so so sad. I don’t think it’s fair for what a deep and compelling story it is to classify it as a thriller as that sets up a certain expectation for an exciting and twisty story and this is not that. Instead, what unfolds is an exploration of grief and subtle critique of true crime fanatic culture. Following Teddy throughout this ~year of working through unresolved feelings of loss and abandonment was heartbreaking. I really wanted to be able to give her a hug.

I thought so many of the elements unfolded and worked together so nicely and I really appreciated a look into how online forums and civilian obsession with unsolved crimes can often lead one down a very dark road.

All in all, I did enjoy this book. I also really liked the narrator. Something about her voice was so buttery and comforting - although I had to speed it up quite a bit for a comfortable listening pace.

Again, not a thriller and I think a lot of people will be disappointed if that’s what they’re expecting despite it being a pretty good story.

Rabbit Hole is Kate Brody’s debut suspense novel about one sister’s grief and her neurotic true crime obsession. Teddy’s older sister Angie went missing a decade ago and when her father takes his own life in grief, she discovers his involvement in an online community dedicated to solving Angie's disappearance. As Teddy digs deeper into the investigation, she becomes obsessed with finding the truth.

This audiobook was addictive and haunting. I felt I was right beside Teddy the whole way. Fantastic character builds and great twists kept me up late to finish this in one day. Kate Brody’s got something special here:)

Links to outside reviews to come…

Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody
★★★ 3/5 stars

First Book of 2024 & a Debut Pub Day review!

✦ Synopsis
10 years ago, Teddy's older sister, Angie, went missing. Her case remains unsolved. Now Teddy's father has killed himself. Unbeknownst to his family, he had been active in a Reddit community fixated on Angie, & Teddy can't help but fall down the same rabbit hole. Conspiracy theories from Reddit seduce a disaster-prone woman into an obsession with solving her older sister's cold-case disappearance.


✦ My Thoughts
The netgalley tagline “A twisty debut exploring the dark side of true crime fandom-perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn & My Favorite Murder” got me, but it was a bit misleading. This book didn’t read as a thriller to me, I would say it’s more of a slow-burn character study about grief, loss, & searching for answers.

Written in a stream of consciousness style, it was interesting, but confusing at times. You really stay inside of the MCs head exploring her grief, spiraling mental health & destructive coping strategies. The ending left me wanting more answers, but the tension was high, & the emotions were raw. I definitely felt like I had gone down the rabbit hole with her.

✦ Read if you like:
- cold cases
- unreliable narrators
- true crime + internet sleuthing
- doggie best pals

*be sure to check trigger warnings before you read this one, it’s very heavy*

Thank you to Netgalley, Kate Brody, RB Media, + SoHo Press for the opportunity to read + listen to this ARC ◡̈

3.5/5

Rabbit Hole was a challenging read for me. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but I don't think it was this. I think I went into the book expecting a fast-paced, twisty-turny thriller. Instead, this was more like a slow, dark character study that follows a protagonist who begins to unravel as she uses social media and new social connections to investigate her sister's decade-old disappearance.

I would absolutely recommend checking the content warnings for this book. I found the writing to be fairly anxiety inducing, and there were multiple scenes that made me feel gross and uncomfortable. But this is honestly a testament to Kate Brody's strong writing. She successfully wrote an unlikeable (self-described "revolting") protagonist who made some truly infuriating decisions, and as a result I spent most of the book feeling either horrified or stressed out.

This last paragraph isn't necessarily a spoiler, but you might want to skip it if you want to go into the book with no knowledge or expectations. I personally found the ending to be frustrating. I expected more resolution, and the fact that the mystery remained mostly unsolved was unsatisfying. I also didn't love the way Teddy (protagonist) began to question her own memory and reliability right at the end of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to listen to this audiobook version of eARC. I was extremely disappointed. This book was not suspenseful or fast-paced. I found the book to be a bit boring at times, with a lot of unnecessary parts. For this to be in the thriller category is shocking. I’ve read a lot of thriller books, and this was not a thriller to me, in my opinion. I want something that keeps me on the edge and makes me want more after each chapter. This book didn’t do it for me, unfortunately, it’s very dark, and sad. If you love dogs, I wouldn’t read this. The character study is intriguing, and the writing is strong—just more of a slow-burn book. 3/5 stars for me, and maybe I will give it another chance now that I know what to expect. This book is about heartache and grief. Don’t go into the book like I did with the thought of reading an intense, suspenseful, thriller and maybe you’ll like it.

As an enjoyer of true crime documentaries, I was happy to get an advanced copy of “Rabbit Hole.” The book is seemingly described as a true crime-like investigation into the missing sister of our protagonist, coupled with the trappings of conspiracy theory consumption from the internet. To my surprise and disappointment, there was zero thriller or suspense aspect to this book. I’m not sure how that’s possible given the subject matter, but the missing sister aspect played serious second fiddle to the main character’s general meandering about and making questionable life choices. There is no satisfying resolution to this book and the lack of any real interesting plot made this one drag a bit. 2 stars ⭐️. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

Kate Brody's Rabbit Hole is the kind of modern fiction so deeply rooted in present-day American life that it feels like it could happen to anybody. I'm incredibly impressed that this is her debut novel and, of course, madly jealous at the same time. I'm nothing if not honest.

Rabbit Hole follows Teddy, a 20-something English teacher whose father has just died by suicide near the anniversary of her sister's disappearance more than ten years ago. Teddy falls down a (what else) rabbit hole of conspiracy theories attached to her missing sister, and the story that ensues is compelling and heartbreaking.

Teddy is such a rich, complex character, and I love her so much. She makes good decisions and also terrible decisions, but I don't want to wring her neck like I do with a lot of protagonists. I really just want to give her a hug. Maybe I'm feeling sentimental since it's January. The story is a mystery but also a character study that dives into loneliness, parental incompetence, and how grief, especially when mixed with the savagery of today's Internet, can destroy our sense of self. Not to mention, it's a gripping page-turner! Rabbit Hole is out today 1/2 and is also great on audio. What a fantastic book to start the year!

Unfortunately I didn't end up enjoying this book as much as I had hoped, I found it hard to get into at points. I really wanted to enjoy it!

I feel like this being marketed as a thriller is maybe doing it a diservice. This had so many things I enjoy going for it, but ultimately it fell a little flat and monotonous, and the ending was abrupt without really wrapping things up in any sort of satisfying way. Also, more than enough descriptions of mediocre-to-bad sex.

Thank you to NetGalley & RB Media for the arc!

Thank you NetGalley for my first ARC.

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. I enjoyed the writing but the story itself was not what was expected. Teddy is highly unlikable, the mystery could have been so much fun had the story stuck to it and was left extremely disappointed.