The trauma of divorce was never written with such beautifully impactful trauma..

Every single sentence was like a punch in the gut, the writing was exceptional. It was candid and honest and you could feel the high lows along with the main characters.

Not my normal read and I don't think I like books like this but you won't be able to help getting sucked into the story and you might come out the other end slightly damaged like me.

4 stars

This is a beautifully written but nightmare of a story of two divorced parents who go through a significant trauma. I really enjoyed the narrator and the cadence of the story.

I initially started reading this book as an audio ARC which was kindly provided by NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and the publisher for review. However, I found that I was not getting along well with it and came very close to DNFing this book on audio. I had received the audio ARC after publication date, so I was able to go ahead and purchase the ebook to read instead; and I will say that I am so glad I did!

Jennifer Haigh is a gifted storyteller with a sparse but engaging writing style. Once I started reading the book on Kindle, I couldn't put it down. I thought the characters were well-developed and interesting. I didn't fully engage with any of the characters, but that did not lessen my enjoyment of the story, or interest in the plot. Rabbit Moon will assure you that despite time and distance, we are all connected and the universe is small. This is a wonderful story about love, loss, grief, and connections.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown & Company for the advanced reader's copy. I will absolutely be checking out more books by this author. 4.5 Stars.

This was a beautifully written, brutally honest story, with likable and empathetic characters who evolve throughout. Some parts are so candid, so painfully real, that I had to freeze and absorb the magnitude of the word I'd read. It's a powerful story of love and loss, heartbreak, healing, family, found family, and the ways we damage one another. It's about Chinese Americans and American Chinese, fish out of water, people struggling with identity and self worth. It's all the things that make us human.

This book hurt but I'm glad to have read it.

Rabbit Moon begins in China with a hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian and a car. The victim is Lindsey, a young American woman teaching English in China while trying to avoid college and her life back in the United States. Several years prior, Lindsey’s parents had divorced in a less than amicable fashion. Her younger sister, Grace, had been adopted from China as an infant. Already feeling like an outsider in her own family, Grace is now left to navigate high school and their disconnected parents alone.
Then comes the call — the one that strikes terror in the heart of every parent. Their daughter is in a coma, in a part of China far from where Lindsey had said she was living, and the outlook is grim. Claire and Aaron Litvak rush around the globe to get to their daughter. As they speak with doctors in China and back home, they are forced to confront not only their daughter’s condition, but also the fractures in their marriage and the long unspoken truths that have led them here.
It is the final perspective, provided by Grace, that really had the most impact on me as a reader. Her feelings about her parents, sister, birth parents, and how she sees her place in the world was powerful.
I listened to the ALC of this book which is narrated beautifully by Katherine Chin and Yu-Li Alice Shen.

I look forward to reading more by Jennifer Haigh.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Family drama tangled with the realities of living and working abroad. When a hit and run in a foreign country brings a cracked family back together. Personalities mix, tensions are high, and lives are on the line. Tangling together into a wild, traumatic, reunion across the pond.

When a young American woman living in Shanghai is struck by a car, her estranged parents rush to her side to untangle what has happened to leave her so broken. This relatively short story that focuses on Litvak family--their American daughter living in China and their adopted Chinese daughter living in America--keeps the reader engaged with its interesting storyline and compelling writing. While hoping for the satisfaction of a resounding "happy ending," it was clear that there can't be one. The characters and their stories are written true to life, and in life, those endings rarely exist. Instead, we all do the best we can, especially for our children. The question as the narrative unfolds is whether the Litvaks are doing enough to save their daughters and themselves.

This was a great snapshot of time. It was interesting to read a family drama this way. It is definitely one for people who like family dramas with a little mystery.

This was a good and engaging read. It felt like the author was trying to do a lot and managed it without making any of the elements of the story clash. But having so many characters, perspectives, ideas, themes, events, etc, made it difficult for me to determine the overall theme or point the book is aiming for. Mostly, I would have said it's a book about family and grief, not just the grief of the accident, but all the grief and hurt the family experienced that lead Lindsey to the night of the accident.

But the final chapter from an older grace really has me wondering if that is what the book was about perhaps that was the point but Haigh couldn't resist putting a nice little bow, a happy ending, into the final pages. I would have imagined it would have been more Sicily l difficult for all the characters to heal after everything but mostly by the end, everyone seems fine. Happy and able to move on with their lives. Having had a life full of grief myself, I'm not sure I buy that.

But the writing was good, the slow unfolding of the main plot and each characters background was compelling and overall the experience of reading this book was a positive one.

⭐⭐⭐⭐4 Stars
Rabbit Moon was a beautiful exploration of multiple lives, and their intersection surrounding Lindsey - an American young woman who has moved to China, leaving her family in America - after she is involved in a hit-and-run accident that leaves her comatose.

This story is exquisitely written, exploring timelines of Lindsey, her sister, Mother and Father, and the people she has met in China. The writing was beautiful, setting the scene spectacularly and allowing you to feel what Lindsey feels as she transitions through stages in her life.

I really enjoyed this book, I felt very curious and impatient to find out how the story unfolds and greatly enjoyed it. However, in the last perhaps 20% of the book I felt it start to drag. Some of the stories felt unnecessary, especially after what felt like a natural end. There was beauty in some perspectives, and I understand the point for them to exist within the story, but I think the detail slowed down the end of a really greatly paced story.

I listened to the audiobook of Rabbit Moon, and the atmosphere setting at the start was absolutely lovely. I really enjoyed the narrator, they had excellent pacing and tone for the characters, and I felt (not that I know) the accents and pronunciation of the Chinese words was spectacular, as were the French accents. The Australian accent was a bit too intense (as most are!) as was the English, but overall, an amazing job!

Many thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of Rabbit Moon to read in exchange for an honest review.

Four years after their bitter divorce, Claire and Aaron Litvak get a phone call no parent is prepared for: their 22-year-old daughter Lindsey, teaching English in China during a college gap year, has been critically injured in a hit and run accident. At a Shanghai hospital they wait at her bedside, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

I loved the unique differences between the characters. Not sure if I can describe quite what I mean. Just know that every single character is different and they have something unique that draws the reader to them. They have quirks that every one of us can relate to, especially in the time of stress. And these parents are under immense pressure.

This tale had me really wondering where it was going. There were so many directions this author could have taken this story. I love the direction she chose and the secrets that were kept…even from the reader!

I have read several books by this author and they have all been wonderful! And this one is another good one!

The narrators, Katharine Chin; Yu-Li Alice Shen, are superb!

Need a suspenseful tale full of secrets…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

“Rabbit Moon” is my second read by Jennifer Haigh, as I read “The Condition” a few years back and was curious to see where her storytelling would go next.
This novel is a somber family drama, mostly set in Shanghai, where a fractured family reunites in the aftermath of an accident. As they navigate their present, long-buried complexities and unresolved trauma from the past begin to surface.
The story explores heavy themes like adoption, child abuse, sexual violence, death, and the intricate dynamics of family. It’s a slow-paced and emotionally heavy read, and while I appreciated the vivid descriptions of Shanghai, I didn’t love how the culture was portrayed.
The characters themselves left me feeling a little detached. There wasn’t much personal growth nor a sense of resolution.
That said, there was a shift in point of view toward the end that I really enjoyed. It added a fresh perspective and gave the story a bit more depth. It salvaged the experience for me.
One definite highlight was the audiobook narration, both Katharine Chin and Yu-Li Alice Shen delivered excellent performances that elevated the material.
Overall, “Rabbit Moon” didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but I appreciated the ambition behind it and I will look for Haigh other works, as I think she’s a talented writer.
Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
“Rabbit Moon” published April 1/ 25.

A broken family. An unbreakable bond of sisterhood...

Claire and Aaron Litvak are divorced parents of two daughters - Lindsey, 22, their natural daughter, and Grace, 11, adopted as an infant from China. Despite their age gap, the sisters are loving and devoted to each other. The parents are divided, angry, and bitter towards one another. This family is fractured.

Claire and Aaron are notified that Lindsey is in critical condition at a Shanghai hospital from a hit-and-run accident. They arrive separately and wait contentiously by Lindsey's bedside with questions...

"Rabbit Moon" is memorable, with much to digest for a relatively short novel. It feels heavy, dark, and sad; it has the heaviness of the unknown, the darkness of secrets and lies, and the sadness of unspoken regrets.

Haigh's writing is beautiful, evocative, and addictive, and I didn't want to put this book down or for it to end. I instinctively knew I would love this even before I started reading. I do have one teeny niggle: I wish it were a little longer to accommodate more of Grace's voice and her innate joy. Sharing this could have lightened the heftiness of this heartbreaking story.

This was an immersion read; the audiobook is narrated by Katharine Chin (Lindsey) and Yu-Li Alice Shen (Grace), who recounts the story flawlessly and delivers the perfect first-person voice for Lindsey and Grace. The result is an enjoyable listening experience.

"Rabbit Moon" is the first book I've read by Jennifer Haigh, and it will be one of my favorite reads for 2025!

4.75⭐

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Audio, and Jennifer Haigh for the gifted DRC and ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh, published by Little, Brown & Company/Hachette Audio

This book was everything I hoped it would be from reading the description and other reader's reviews. The narrators were also fantastic
I liked the characters, they were real and the author described them well, I also liked  her description of the setting in China. The plot was good, I liked how the story unfolded and we find out about Lindsey present day, but also the events of her teenage years that led to how she feels about her family. Lindsey's parents story also unfolds and how their relationship has become broken and then finally her sister's story. I really liked the ending, I didn't expect it, so it really added to the story. I liked the analysis of family and feelings from different characters perspectives
I have not read this author before, but will definitely pick up more of her novels

Rabbit Moon is about family estrangement, cultural displacement and the fragile connections between parents and children.

The story begins with 22-yo Lindsey Litvak's accident in Shanghai, unraveling her secret life abroad as her divorced parents, Claire and Aaron, navigate a foreign land to save her.

While the premise is intriguing, Lindsey's character feels inconsistent, and her actions lack depth, making it difficult to fully connect with her journey. The novel's ending—especially the inclusion of Lindsey's sister Grace as an adult—feels unsatisfying and somewhat forced.

The narration by Katharine Chin and Yu-Li Alice Shen is a standout feature, bringing emotional nuance to an otherwise uneven story. Their performances elevate the listening experience with skillful delivery and authenticity.

Overall, Rabbit Moon struggles to fully land its message. Three stars for compelling narration and moments of emotional resonance.

Special thanks to Hachette Audio and Little, Brown & Company for an advanced listener copy via the Netgalley app

I looked forward to this book but was extremely disappointed- it was very disjointed and difficult to follow.

I enjoy books about the complexity of human emotions, and I’m always fascinated by each person’s journey through this life, and how it marked them or made them into who they are. In this book we learn about each character’s journey and motivations, starting with Lindsey, the main character for most of the book. We learn about her mom and dad, their marriage, their outlook on life and on Lindsey herself. We learn about her little sister, an adopted Chinese girl. We learn about Lindsey’s best friend, Johnny Due, and even about her concierge in the building where she lives.

The author slowly reveals character, sometimes taking a detour just to unwrap a minor character’s view of life. I found the whole book fascinating and unusual. As Lindsey lays in a coma, her parents wander Shanghai in a daze, her best friend morns, and events swirl around her like a minor storm.

I wasn’t expecting the last chapter, told in the voice of her little sister, in the year 2031. The sister reveals where everything has led to and how her family has changed. I though it was nice finishing touch to the novel. In her sister’s observations, we hear so many universal truths about human nature and it reassures us that whatever path we take, it is similar to every human’s; just the details differ. It’s all about love and self-love. That is all there is.

I highly recommend this beautiful and unusual novel/audiobook.

I gave this book a 4.5 star rating! It’s different from the genres I usually read but I really enjoyed the story. It is emotionally hard hitting and you should definitely check out trigger warnings. But I think that it is a very thought provoking and interesting read.

I listened to this book and I thought the narrators were both great. I actually felt a little thrown when the second woman started talking, it was so far into the book that it felt weird but only for a minute. Katherine Chin (Lindsay) and Yu-Li Alice Shen (Grace) both did a good job.

Lindsay is a young woman who went off to China to teach English with her boyfriend. She had only finished two years of college but was so unhappy with her life that she wanted to get away. She was still angry with her parents, mostly her mother who she felt had ruined her life when she found out about an affair with a much older man. Lindsay was a gorgeous young woman but had terrible judgement when it came to attachments to men. When she is hit by a car in Shanghai and ends up in a coma, her divorced parents fly over to try to help. In flashbacks we learn all about Lindsay's life and her adopted sister Grace who was born in China.

I found the story very sad for the missed opportunities for Lindsay and also for her mother who seemed to be a scapegoat for Lindsay's anger. I know these things happen in real life but as a mother of a grown daughter, I just wanted to shake her and say listen to your mother!!

Late in the book we hear from Grace and get more understanding of her life and struggle to fit in.

I definitely recommend this book and listen if you can. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A compelling family drama about a divorced couple who learn their biological daughter, Lindsey has been in a hit and run accident in Shanghai and is now in a coma. As they fly across the globe to be by her side, they confront their past and we slowly learn what Lindsey's life was like in China. I really enjoyed this, especially on audio, the novel touches on sex work, adoption, self-harm and mental health, infidelity and more and is perfect for fans of books like Celeste Ng's Little fires everywhere. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!