I really wanted to like this novel. I've been on a bit of a roll recently with books about missing people with a focus on technology, blogs and using the powers of the internet and I've had very few duds. This was unfortunately a dud. Described as 'a deliciously dark and twisted debut about family secrets, true crime, and destructive obsession', this is less about family secrets or crime and more about the destructive power of grief with one hell of a lot of explicit sex scenes and some really uncomfortable scenes with a dying dog.

I will say that the author does a good job at depicting the chaotic unravelling of Teddy's life after her father commits suicide on the tenth anniversary of her sister Angie's disappearance. The mental health aspects are brought to the fore with great detail and as Teddy's behaviour becomes more and more unstable, things spiral in various ways. Teddy isn't the most likeable character, but you can relate to how the shock and grief of the two events makes her behave in unpredictable and odd ways.

Framed as a character study about how grief and obsession can overwhelm and become a destructive influence that can derail your entire life, this would probably be a three star novel at least. Even then, three stars would be the absolute max here and there's several reasons for that. Firstly, the sex. I'm not a prude and whilst I don't particularly enjoy spicy scenes, I don't knock stars off providing they are well executed. They are not well executed here. They are far too frequent, add very little to the narrative and felt incredibly forced. Second, the dog. Again, gratuitous and pointless, adding very little to the novel whilst being painful to read. Finally, the lack of actual plot and poor characterisations.

You'd think from the title that this would be all about Teddy going down multiple rabbit holes online and offline to solve the mystery of her sister. It's not and that's a shame because that would probably have made for a far better novel. Instead it's essentially about Teddy making bad decision after bad decision, with the sister mystery on the back burner until a really unsatisfying ending that doesn't really resolve anything. Add into that some of the oddest and unrelatable side characters I've seen in Mickey and Bill, this just never comes together into a cohesive whole.

So yeah, not one for me.

Rabbit Hole is one of the sadder books I’ve read recently, but so interesting, and such an accurate portrayal of how easy it is to get carried away and sucked into the darker sides of the internet - so easily found in Reddit forums and tumblr posts. I don’t read a ton of true crime, but I still found this enthralling and a book I didn’t want to put down. An excellent debut.

Rabbit hole is a very on the nose title for this book, which doesn't become evident until after you finish it.
This book is very much an uncomfortable visit into Teddy's mind as she tries to come to terms with the death of her sister, one that became "lore" on reddit. it is an attack on true crime as a genre and honestly, rightly so. I think my enjoyment of this book was slightly hindered by the pacing which at some stages felt a bit forced and disjointed.

An exciting thriller read with twists that keep you guessing till the end! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!!!

I liked the idea of this book more than the reality unfortunately! I can see where Brody was going with it but unfortunately it was just a bit more dark and heavy that I anticipated without keeping me as hooked as I had hoped.

A tightly woven, fast paced pull into the grip, the hold, that grief can have on a person - in this case, Teddy, after the disappearance of her sister, then the death of her father. Reddit pulls her in, unravelling her grief and her desparation to seek answers.

To say I 'enjoyed' this book may not be the correct description because this book is HEAVY. But I definitely appreciated this story about grief & obsession. The author perfectly describes the helplessness you feel when you're a bystander to another who is mentally spiralling.

Well written and kept me reading if even at times it felt uncomfortable and sad, this is a great exploration of grief.

It's well written and well plotted but not a book to read if you want to relax or read something light. Because the rabbit hole is real and the darkness of the holes is well described and you can feel it.
Excellent story even if I didn't read at the right moment (was a bit too stressed)
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In a narrative that tightly coils around the theme of grief's turbulent grip, this book presents a darkly captivating exploration of obsession and its profound repercussions. Through its pages, the novel skilfully exposes the insidious impact of true crime sensationalism, the relentless scrutiny of social media, and the weight of societal expectations on those grappling with loss and trauma. I'd recommend but do bear in mind there are trigger warnings that should be headed!

This wasn't quite what I expected but I enjoyed it all the same. A real insight into what can happen when grief takes over and people lose their grip on reality. I enjoyed it.

A new addition to the reading list of fiction exploring the dark side of true crime, joining the likes of <i>I Have Some Questions For You</i> by Rebecca Makkai, <i>Penance</i> by Eliza Clark and <i>Ordinary Human Failings</i> by Megan Nolan. This was a compelling read and I found myself pulled through the pages, nearly missing my stop on the tube a few times while reading it! The dynamic between Teddy and Mickey was the most intriguing part to me - knowing it will end in disaster but unable to look away. I also had a good cry over one particular part that I won't mention for the spoilers; a surprise, as I wasn't expecting this book to have that kind of emotional power. My only negatives were that it took a little while to get going, and I thought the ending was anticlimactic, but a solid four stars overall.

Unfortunately this one was not for me. I loved the premise but I think I was expecting more of a true thriller than what Rabbit Hole actually is. I really sped through the first 25% of this absolutely absorbed and loving it but after this I just found myself getting less and less interested and more and more actively disliking the book.

This is a story about grief and the ways it can consume a person. It was a fast paced read for me however I did struggle with the dog parts which made it difficult to read at times.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this sounded really interesting - I feel as though thrillers are normally solo endeavours so it intrigued me that this was a mother and daughter going through this turmoil together.

Unfortunatly this one was very dissapointing for me. I hated the scenes with the dog, very much not needed for the plot and really took me out of the story. Bad sex scene were more present than the dark and twisted family secrets, true crime and destructive obsession. This one was not for me.

For the depths of dispair are ever-changing, this is a gorgeously taut yarn about the horrors of grief, the strain it can have on relationships and the depths we'll go to for closure.

Rabbit Hole is something special and I can't wait to see where Brody goes next.

This book made me want to scream in frustration at Mickey and Teddy’s “friendship” as things began to escalate and lose control throughout the book’s progression. Overall, a great bleak and depressing read and one that had me hooked from the beginning and did not lose my interest as there were so much happening.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I think I went into this with the wrong expectations. I was expecting a thriller, something with a mystery to unravel and to have me on the edge of my seat. This was an exploration of grief and the lengths to which people will go when consumed by it. It was the story of a difficult family where a tragic moment is the point around which they all orient. I was expecting more of a look into the issues with true crime and the danger of it, but that was more a little hook to get people who like true crime in, rather than an actual exploration of it, overall it was decent but a bit too depressing for me at this moment in time.

This book was slightly different from what I was expecting. I expected a literary thriller along the lines of Notes of an Execution but instead it was more an unhinged main character story with a side of mystery. I personally was more interested in the mystery than the self destructive behaviour of Teddy Angstrom.

I didn't like a lot of the decisions Teddy made, I didn't like her unhealthy relationship with Micky or Bill and I didn't like the relationship between her and her mother. Whilst I enjoyed the plot at first, focusing on the disappearance of Teddy's sister Angie, her Dad's struggles and the Reddit rabbit hole she found herself drawn into, the second half seemed to focus less on that and more on Teddy's spiral into depression.

It's difficult to read about such self destructive behaviour and I found the book quite frustrating at times and became tired of all the decisions Teddy was making. It was quite draining to read. The ending I felt was just a bit ridiculous.

From now on, if a book is described as being about an unhinged main character, obsession and grief I'll probably give it a miss.

Read this if you enjoyed I'm a Fan, Motherthing or Death of A Bookseller

I really enjoyed Rabbit Hole. I thought the way Brody depicts grief as a never ending, non linear process was brilliant. Teddy in all her unravelling, was still a very lovable character to me and there were so many moments I wished I could jump inside the book, give her a big hug and hold her hand through the events (especially after the point which she sets herself down a very self destructive path). The profound sadness and impact of her sister's disappearance and her father's suicide take a nearly physical form. I found particularly thought provoking the influence of media and external factors in this story and the key point of how memories and facts (or uncovered truths) intertwine and what actually makes up the truth and what is our brain's way of protecting what and who will hold dear in our memories beautifully well written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for my free review copy, all opinions are my own.