This is a wonderfully gothic, dark academia novel. It immediately sucks you in and down the rabbit hole for sure. Ali is a wonderful character, who is blissfully naive. There are tons of references to Alice in Wonderland throughout the novel that really help to complement the darker themes of the book. However, I did feel that the pacing of the book was a little on the slower side which allowed for my attention to wander. I think this was also a missed opportunity for building the suspense and tension, as the slower pace allowed for a lot of that to fall through. I also felt that there was a bit too much descriptive area in the book and less actionable moments. I did, though, really enjoy the dual timelines and very much enjoyed the characters overall.

Secret society and dark academia. Alice in Wonderland inspired with lots of twists. Definitely a page turner until the very end.

Great pacing and enjoyed the overall story!! maybe enhancing a few character descriptions towards the beginning of the book, but otherwise i thoroughly enjoyed.

The Rabbit Club by Christopher J. Yates
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
4 stars

I was sucked in by the synopsis; dark academia, studying literature at Oxford, the oldest secret societies and I wanted so, so much to love this book.

I didn’t. I felt like the pacing was extremely slow and I had to push to slog through it. It didn’t hold my attention very well and I didn’t connect with any of the characters.

With that said, this book IS written extremely well. It has the elements that a dark academia novel should have. You catch the Alice in Wonderland and Brideshead Revisited (along with other classic novel,) references and the hints at Shakespeare. While I noted that I didn’t connect with the characters, they were still well developed, especially the main character Alistair. I think this is a case of this novel just isn’t right for me and while I didn’t enjoy it much, it’s wonderfully written, will be enjoyed by many, many readers and is deserving of more than an average three star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have to be honest in that I really wanted to love this book. The premise was extremely intriguing, and I love books that pull on the nostalgia of the 1990s. But, unfortunately, this book didn't hit for me like I wanted it to.

Ali is an intriguing main character and one I found myself cheering for, just as I was invested in his new found Oxford family. What didn't work for me was the addition of the Gel McCain story line. I understand the purpose of having Ali need and want to reconnect with his father; however, I felt that in the big picture of the book and themes it just convoluted the story. I wanted more time with Victor, Izzy, Guy, Emma, and even T-Bone in the 1990 timeline, and I felt cheated out of delving into them and their respective relationships with Ali.

I did enjoy the duel timelines and the air of mystery that surrounded the future timeline. This plot structure definitely kept me engaged and wanting to discover who our mystery guide was. And the pay off there was worth it.

If you're a fan of A Separate Peace, Dead Poet's Society, Catcher in the Rye, and even The Great Gatsby, then The Rabbit Club might be for you. Unfortunately, for me, I feel as though this books tried to be too many things and lost it's identity along the way.

My official star rating is 3 1/2 stars.

I was beyond excited to see this book on NetGalley. Was it really back in 2018 that I read Grist Mill Road? Time really does fly.
Ali arrives at Oxford, a world away from his home in Los Angeles. He was born in England, his father, a famous rockstar, who wasn’t the staying type. Ali has dreamed of not only studying here, but maybe even forging a relationship with his father.
He is a tad naïve, and definitely too trusting. I’m not going to give anything away, but readers, be ready, you’ll soon find yourself going down the rabbit hole. If you are intrigued by an academic setting, this story just might grab your attention too.
Did I finally get an inkling what was going on? Yes, I did but not long before the author reveal. Ali and William Goodwin mostly tell the story. I would like to say more about William, but that would be telling.
This publishes in July, and if you did not notice the fact that I am a huge fan of this author, you have time to read Grist Mill Road or Black Chalk if you have not already. Just saying they are both good too.

"The author of Black Chalk, "the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for" (NPR), returns with a mesmerizing new novel about a dangerous secret society at Oxford University, and the first-year Literature student whose life begins to unravel in its shadow.

When Ali McCain, an eighteen-year-old from Los Angeles, is accepted at Oxford, it's a chance to fulfill his dreams. To study English literature in England; to meet true intellectuals; and to glimpse the life he might have lived had his father - British rock star Gel McCain, legendary frontman of the Pale Fires - not abandoned him and his mother when he was a toddler.

But not long after he arrives at the storied campus, Ali is drawn into a dark, disorienting world where events grow more and more curious by the day. Trading on his father's name, he gains entry into one of Oxford's oldest and most selective secret societies, the Saracens. As he immerses himself in this rarefied world, he inadvertently sets in motion a series of events that might culminate in disaster.

A mind-bending literary house of mirrors, replete with bookish allusions and Easter eggs ranging from Brideshead Revisited to King Lear, The Rabbit Club is an arresting work of dark academia by the category's finest writer."

I mean, seeing as we're in the middle of a dark academia celebration here hells yes to this book!

At the age of eighteen Allistair McCain is leaving Los Angeles behind, after he's been accepted to attend Oxford University. It's been his dream to study Literature in England, and have the opportunity to meet intellectuals at the university. He is also hoping to initiate a relationship with his legendary rock star father, Gerry McCain, who abandoned Ali and his mother, when Ali was a toddler. As Ali navigates his way through his new life, he longs to be a part of one of Oxford's oldest secret societies, using his father's fame as a way to gain entry. But Ali's desire to be accepted among the rich and elite of the Saracens sets a dangerous game in motion, that Ali could have never expected.

The Rabbit Club is a satisfying dark academia story, with a young, naive Ali entertaining a world of wealth and nepotism. His initial optimism is a great balance to the darker side of the story, and it made him a lovable character right from the start. Even though Yates is building the story toward tragedy, I was rooting for Ali throughout the book.

There are a lot of literature references in the book, and Ali is a big fan of Shakespeare. I enjoyed the fact that Yates used that as a connection between Ali and his father. I found that their relationship gave a lot of heart to the story, and I just loved the over the top eccentric personality of Gerry (Gel). Yates also uses a lot of references to Alice in Wonderland, and I thought it worked well with the darker themes in the book, especially paralleling with Ali's determination to be accepted into the Saracens.

I did find the pacing of the book to be a bit slow, and I think it missed the opportunity to build up the suspense and tension in the story. Some of the dark academia feel got buried, for me, under overly-wordy dialogue and long stretches of things that were happening that I felt didn't add much to the story. There are two alternating POVs in the book, and while I did initially enjoy the mystery of the chapters from William Goodwin, I felt they eventually became a bit repetitive.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story at the heart of The Rabbit Club, and I would recommend it if you love secret societies, university life, questionable characters, and the machinations of those in powerful positions.

This book was quite a ride! It's the story of a young American at Oxford who has a lot to deal with, and has echoes and callouts to (among other works) King Lear, Alice in Wonderland, Brideshead Revisited and a very quick mention of The Secret History. It's pretty dark and somewhat confusing and a puzzle to figure out, but I liked it a lot. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, and I wish there were a few more signposts to help me figure out things. 4 1/2 rounded down to 4.

This book had an interesting premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to its potential. The pacing felt uneven, with long stretches where not much happened, and the characters lacked the depth needed to make their journeys compelling. The writing style was serviceable but sometimes clunky, and the plot twists were either predictable or underdeveloped. While there were a few moments of intrigue, they weren’t enough to sustain the story. Overall, this was a disappointing read that left me wishing for stronger execution and more emotional impact.

Alistair "Ali" McCain is traveling across the pond to Cockbayne College at Oxford University to pursue English Literature and learn more about his infamous rockstar father, Gel McCain, who left when Ali was a toddler. Ali quickly finds a group of friends including those who move in the circles of the English elite. However, Ali's not-so-secret ambition is to join an exclusive social club, the Saracens however, his entry might just mean disaster.

After recently reading Black Chalk, I was so excited to return to Oxford through another one of Christopher Yates' novels. There are literary allusions abound--Shakespeare, Nabokov, and Carroll. While I am only familiar with Alice and Wonderland and Alice and Through the Looking-Glass, there were so many parallels, which were a joy to spot. I can only imagine how much more I would have enjoyed The Rabbit Club if I had been familiar with some of the other works mentioned. Using context clues, I deduced which college was real-life college was used as a reference and enjoyed the Cockbayne pronunciation fact (and Ali's reference to Kurt Cobain) that mirrors the pronunciation blunder most Americans, myself included, would make of Magdalene (am I right, is Cockbayne modeled off of Magdalene College?!). This ending was spelled out very clearly in a way that the ending to Black Chalk was not--I think there is something to be said for both approaches, leaving me more satisfied with the end to The Rabbit Club, albeit missing the ambiguity and mystery of a less overtly spelled out ending. I loved the reference to "games", both in the beginning and end, because whether is intentional or not, it connected Yates' novels and made me think that there was something grander at play--a higher, shadier power working behind the scenes. I have many more unformed thoughts, but overall I highly recommend this book. If I could give this half stars I would give it a 4.5/5. A 9/10 is more accurate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

When Ali first arrives in Oxford, bright-eyed and full of American positivity, he believes he is finally where he belongs. He finds a group of friends with whom he can discuss life and literature, miraculously reunites with his estranged father, and begins to rub elbows with some of England’s elite. What Ali doesn’t know though is that someone is playing a dark and manipulative game with him. One that may ensure he doesn’t leave Oxford alive.

Listen: I love some good dark academia, especially when it incorporates English literature. If We Were Villains is not only one of my favorite dark academia books, but one of my favorite books of all time. So, I’m always going to end up comparing any new dark academia that I read to Villains. The bar is high.

This book was chock full of literature references, and I really enjoyed the way they were layered throughout. It was super satisfying in terms of picking out patterns and themes between the events of the book and the literature that the characters were discussing. The writing and pacing are sharp and there was never a dull moment for me; I wanted to keep coming back in order to figure everything out.

What I found less satisfying was the ending. I was surprised when I went to turn the page and suddenly there wasn’t any more left to read. I didn’t feel like I came away from the book with a good sense of certain characters’ motivations. Just to be powerful? Just to be manipulative and evil? I’ve seen some things that indicate there are connections to the author’s previous book, Black Chalk. I haven’t read that one, so it’s possible that reading that book connects some dots that weren’t connected here.

All in all, this is a solid dark academia read. Do I still prefer If We Were Villains? Yes. Is this still an exciting read that scratched my ever-present dark academia itch? Also yes.

Dark academia is usually a genre that works for me, but I had to DNF this at 56%. I felt like it just took too long to get to the meat of the story! I really enjoyed the beginning and the set up and Ali learning about his father, but it seems to have just gone off the rails and "lost the plot". I'll be interested to read more reviews when this comes out, maybe I'll need to pick it up again!

"The Rabbit Club" is more than just a mystery novel; it is a profound exploration of privilege, identity, and the human condition. Yates' storytelling is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant, making this book a must-read for fans of dark academia and literary fiction. It is a novel that not only entertains but also encourages readers to reflect on the intricate dynamics of ambition and belonging. Highly reccomend!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing (along with #HanoverSquarePress) for the magical opportunity to read and review the newest (and long-awaited) novel by Christopher J. (CJ) Yates. Being a big fan of his two previous novels, Black Chalk (2013) and Grist Mill Road (2018), and interacting with him on a few social media platforms over the years, my experience with this book was next-level fun.

From approx. a quarter-way in, I had the thought - "this one is SO FULL of Easter Eggs it should come out in April, not July." There are literary easter eggs and references all over the place (and favorites too - Lewis Carroll, Shakespeare, Waugh, Nabakov - and then references within references. My mind LOVES puzzles and this book has absolutely everything AND pulls it all off by weaving that everything into one incredible narrative adventure. I'm being very careful not to reveal any spoilers but Mr. Yates, again, revisits the set of Oxford Uni (and creates a cast of characters who are layered, enigmatic, and, at times, both lovable and detestable)!

There's a Mick Jaggeresque, philandering, hard-drinking, rock star "dad" who gets a second chance at becoming (in my opinion) Father of the YEAR to his main-character son, Alistair. There are Ali's new friends (and enemies?) at Oxford, a coveted secret club membership, romance, and, as mentioned, a father and son reunion. CJ Yates even makes references to Black Chalk at different points within the novel (as well as Black Milk -- read it and find out).

My advice - READ THIS BOOK. But even more - READ THEM ALL. He is a talented and extremely knowledgeable writer and it shines through in all of his work. His literary, culinary, musical, and academic knowledge resonate outward from the most interesting and addictive characters.

Thanks again to all (especially the writer) for another home run. More please!

On shelves July 8, 2025.

pretty interesting and kind of like a Secret History-esque work and story. would definitely read again. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Overall this was a satisfactory read. The switching back and forth between multiple perspectives became tiresome as a plot device. This was especially true with the voice of Goodwin speaking directly to the reader. His tone and phrasing was so monotonously repetitive that I found myself skipping through those sections. Was that character designed to be a caricature of the other? Of course, but it was annoying and did not add to enjoyment of the story. Overall the plot lacked depth of development, with really only the one main plot line, which was not carried out with much suspense or mystery. If I had to give it a star rating, it’s a 2.5 out of 5, at best.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy of this book. This book was just not my cup of tea. It was very hard for me to get into and I hated Ali. I did enjoy the atmospheric feel and the descriptions of Britain and Oxford at the time. I know someone else will really enjoy this book!

I really enjoyed this book. I think the characters and tensions were built up well and the pacing help to keep the story moving in a way where I was able to sit with what I had while also looking forward to each new revelation that occurred. I was looking for a good dark academia-type book, and this is what I needed. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it to others