Can a Book Be Great If You Didn't Actually Like It?

My Honest Catch the Rabbit Review

By Lana Bastašić

I’m an engineer by trade and a lifelong reader by passion, which means you won't find any stuffy academic critiques here. If you're looking for an in-depth literary analysis, this is your cue to leave. But if you're looking for real, relatable book recommendations from someone who simply loves a great story? Grab a coffee and stay a while.

I finished this book yesterday, and I’m still not entirely sure if I liked it.

I firmly believe that it's possible to recognize a book is objectively good without personally enjoying it. A truly good book doesn’t have to align with my personal tastes, but a book I like absolutely has to. That being said, Catch the Rabbit by Lana Bastašić is a remarkably good book—but I did not like it.

The Plot: A Post-War Bosnian Coming-of-Age Story

For me, this novel is a coming-of-age story wrapped in the trauma of growing up within the precarious stability of post-war Bosnia. The narrative is structured like a close friend explaining her personal lore, rapidly jumping between a recent road trip and childhood memories that provide crucial context.

I usually love this writing style because it reads like a mystery. Bastašić does a phenomenal job building a slow-burning intensity up to the exact moment that fractured the main characters' friendship.

The Toxicity of an Unreliable Narrator

Sara is our narrator, and I had to remind myself multiple times that she is a textbook unreliable narrator. She is incredibly stuck in her own head, viewing the world entirely through her own lens without ever considering the perspectives of the people around her. Could that be a trauma response? Sure. But this is a fictional character, so I get to judge her.

Sara harbors an idealized, borderline creepy obsession with her childhood friend, Lejla. Honestly? It completely reminded me of the movie The Roommate, where a girl becomes dangerously obsessed with her college roommate. At one point, Sara essentially admits she isn’t sure if she wants to be Lejla, hurt Lejla, or touch Lejla. It is pure, borderline obsession.

There is an entire scene where they orchestrate losing their virginity at the same time, and a massive part of the experience is just Sara trying to feel exactly what Lejla is feeling.

The kicker? When Sara brings this memory up to Lejla during their adult reunion, Lejla remembers the entire event completely differently. The obsession definitely didn't go both ways, even though they shared one of those intense, insular childhood friendships where no one else was allowed in.

Final Verdict: Is Catch the Rabbit Worth the Read?

Overall, this story brilliantly captures the ultimate fragility of childhood friendships and how dramatically your perspective shifts once you gain adult life experiences. It made me look back and remember the consuming intensity of my own childhood friendships, while simultaneously recognizing just how toxic they could be.

If you love complex characters, unreliable narrators, and dark friendship dynamics, you should absolutely give it a try.