Stash

March 13, 2023
In this vibrant if light debut, The Only One in the Room podcaster Robbins recounts her yearslong addiction to Ambien after pulling herself up from high school dropout to Hollywood PR exec. Spurred by her cratering marriage and the stress of keeping her past hidden, Robbins got high, hid Ambien doses inside her designer clothes, experienced crushing withdrawals, and fished undigested pills from her own vomit, all while growing increasingly afraid she might lose custody of her kids in a messy divorce. Eventually, she checked into a $40,000-a-month desert rehab facility, where she fell in love with a fellow addict who helped her achieve and maintain sobriety. Robbins’s characterization of her husband—mostly just a specter playing hardball during divorce negotiations—is disappointingly thin, and the general pace can get too breakneck to let important moments breathe. The story is moving, though, and Robbins has charisma to spare (“If hiding in plain sight were an Olympic sport, I would be a gold medalist,” she quips). Readers will breeze through this dishy, heartfelt confessional, but may be left wanting more.

June 10, 2024

In her debut memoir, Robbins, host of the podcast The Only One in the Room, reveals how her addiction to pills changed her life and affected those around her. Sensitively narrating her story, she freely discusses how she used cocaine as a teen, dropped out of high school, fabricated a past that included a fictional college diploma, and later married a major Hollywood director. With her marriage, she became a woman of privilege and eventually a mother to two beloved sons. Her marriage included much social stress. Robbins allows her anxiety to show, describing how she struggled to balance her newly invented self with her inner, secret side. To relieve the pressure, Robbins calmed herself by mixing sleeping pills with alcohol. This was a temporary fix, however, leading to addiction and the unraveling of her marriage. Robbins's nuanced conversations with her divorce attorney regarding her background, addiction, and desire to check into a rehab facility are a highlight. Her tenderness for Scott, a patient whom Robbins emotionally bonded with while in rehab, is palpable, as is her desperation to return home to her two sons. VERDICT An engaging story of finding sobriety and learning self-love.--Stephanie Bange

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