Cackle by Rachel Harrison

The synopsis for this book is misleading. It mentions that the story is dark, funny, and frightening but it didn't seem dark or frightening to me, when seen through the eyes of Annie, the main character. Even though Annie is sad due to her boyfriend of ten years dumping her (he says eight years but maybe really six years...how is that for not seeing the past the way your boyfriend sees it), the story has a lighthearted feel to it. Sure, you might not want to be a bully or rude or block headed if you live in the small town where Annie has a new teaching job, but from Annie's perspective, once she gets over thinking about Sam every single second of the day and night, she's in a pretty good place. And she has a friend now, two in fact, although one of her friends is a bit different than anyone she's hung around with in the past.

Sophie is beautiful, generous, popular (even if some folks seem leery), full of life, and ready to mentor Annie to live life for herself and not for anyone else. Sophie's forest mansion is a bit strange, has strange things going on in it, but then Sophie is a bit strange, too. Actually, Annie begins to suspect that Sophie is a witch, a witch that takes Annie under her wing. Brew a cup of hot tea and settle into a comfy spot for this cozy witch story. And say hi to Ralph for me.

Thank you to Elisha Katz, Berkley, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thoroughly enjoyed this well-written book of a woman finding herself and her power. There were times I felt author Harrison had been inside my mind.

Rachel Harrison's "The Return" was in my Top 3 list last year--I absolutely loved it--so I was very excited to see what her next book had in store. It's much less creepy but just as focused on friendship and its rewards and complications. I often wanted to shake Annie or bop Sophie on the head, but only because they were such fantastically flawed and human characters. I loved Ralph, even though he was more dog than spider in his actions. I figure he's the same as a Disney horse--a dog wearing another creature's skin, but not in a creepy way. A fun and interesting read all around, with just enough weird and spooky elements to give it a bit of an edge. Highly recommended to fans of her first book, witches, or adorable pets of a not-so-adorable nature.

I got an ARC of this from NetGalley for work. Not my usual ~cup of tea~ but I think I did enjoy this! I think the stuff with the ex hit a little too close to home for me - Harrison got the toxic ex down to a T. And when the protagonist finally realized she was over him I liked it a whole lot more. So, yeah, I appreciated this for being just different enough than I expected and also full of some surprisingly dark humor that made me laugh out loud at times. And gosh, what a perfect book to theme a book release party around.

How should you spend Halloween this year? 🕷🕸
A. Eat way too much chocolate 🍫 because you have an excuse to.
B. Discover your inner 🧙🏻‍♀️ Witch.
C. Both answers are correct.

The answer is C-both answers are correct!

Sam and Annie. Annie and Sam. They have been a couple for 10 years, and Annie thought the next step was marriage while Sam thought it was to break up and be “just friends”.

Yeah-that old line.

So, Annie has accepted a new teaching job upstate and is leaving Manhattan for the small, picturesque town of Rowan, to lick her wounds in private. But, she immediately meets, Sophie, a beautiful, independent woman who lives her life unapologetically and seems to want to help Annie to live her life the same way.

But, Sophie has had many years to learn this lesson-possibly hundreds if you are to believe what is said.

I wasn’t expecting a feminist slant to this book-and not a whole lot happens as the two women hang out, but it was a QUICK-often humorous read-UNIQUE, CAMPY and UPLIFTING!

Who ever decided that being a WITCH was bad, anyway? 🕷

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up!

Thank You to Elisha at Berkley for inviting me to read an early gifted copy of this delightful book, provided through NetGalley! AVAILABLE October 5, 2021 so pre-order now if you would like this to be your Halloween read !

I love all things witchy, so I was immediately drawn to this book, love the cover!!! Don’t be too afraid to read this one, you will meet some wonderful characters that you can root for and have some great life lessons reaffirmed.

Annie has just turned 30. She is leaving Manhattan where she has lived for 10 years. Her boyfriend since she was a teen has broken up with her. After 10 years he thinks they should stay “friends” but move on. Annie is devastated!!!!! She has loved Sam and lived with him for years, she thought they’d get married, he has other ideas.

Annie takes a job as a teacher in a small town in upstate New York. The town is so pretty, quaint, idyllic in fact, almost like a story book!! The people she meets are friendly and her apartment is great, just what she was looking for!!

Annie doesn’t have a lot of self confidence or self assurance. She wants to make a fresh start but doesn’t know if she can let go of Sam. She spends a lot of time brooding in her apartment and drinking the nights away.

THEN SHE MEETS SOPHIE!!

Annie and Sophie seem to bond from the start; Sophie is so kind and inviting. She is like a balm for Annie’s downtrodden self esteem. She is beautiful and self assured. But some of the townspeople seem to be afraid of her???? WHY????

Annie has found a friend who teaches her how to cook, how to enjoy doing things just for your own enjoyment. They have some great picnics and fun nights together. Annie will have to decide how she can move forward and let go of the past!!

Sophie is very mysterious and of course there are some supernatural elements in this book: here’s a peek, no spoilers, this is in Annie’s class of unruly students:

“I suspect the ordeal is over and consider what I should do next when the blob starts to move . . . .Tiny black sticks poke their way out of the gelatinous spit. IT’S A SPIDER. A SPIDER THE SIZE OF A FAT BABY FIST. AND IT’S ALIVE”. “The classroom is silent. Horror is, apparently, an effective tool for silencing a class.”

This is really a late stage coming of age novel with some great “witchy” elements. Annie grows a lot during the novel which I always enjoy. I would recommend this book for anyone from mid teen years and up!!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

This novel is set to publish on October 5, 2021.

Will post to Amazon upon publication

Posted on Goodreads, EW and Barnes and Noble

This story was different and I wouldn’t classify it as horror, it’s definitely more women’s lit. I found nothing in this story to be horrific. Some small instances are strange and funny given the circumstances but totally expected and not scary at all.

Now that’s out of the way, I really did like the story. It kept me intrigued and was well written.

Annie moves to a small town outside the city she’ll be working in and befriends the stunning and secretive Sophie. Everything seems normal until one day it’s not.

This story is more focused on the journey to self-realization than the horror that could make you doubt staying up past bedtime alone to read.

This is a good, solid 4-star read for me. If it had the make you’re skin prickly effect, it would be 5-stars.

A delightful read! I was expecting something a bit more tense and scary, based on Harrison's previous novel, and while there are a few spooky moments here and there it's much lighter, with quite funny moments and turns of phrasing. I really enjoyed Annie's voice. More than anything, I love the way this story is grounded in female friendship - a friendship that is dynamic, and sustaining, but also fraught and sometimes a little bit unhealthy. It's something I loved about Harrison's first book, The Return, too.

I loved Rachel Harrison's The return so i was eager to read her new novel and i was not disappointed . Twisty , thrilling and slightly humorous this novel is not one you want to put down . Cackle is your must read for Halloween or any other day

Oh, this was super fun! Love her writing style - lots of silly thoughts in Miss Annie’s head. Gobbled this up rather quickly. So happy when I come across a book that just flows and I don’t have to struggle with. Great plot - my feminist daughter will love it. Was worried about the ending but didn’t disappoint!

Harrison has a way of depicting the true horrors of the world, in this case how hard it is to make friends as an adult. Her progtagonists feel real and deal with fantastical situations in ways that are relatable, including when they accept weird things but also don't want to deal with them right away. Who can't relate to the story of a woman who moves to upstate New York and decides that she might as well become a fucking witch!

This darkly funny book has a few scares, but it is primarily a story about friendship and finding one’s own power. Harrison has a fantastic way of taking genre tropes and giving them a little twist. I just loved this.

Twisted tale of a school teacher that flees a failed relationship to start anew in a quiet New York village ruled by a woman that is a witch. The residents are afraid of her but our protagonist befriends her and strange things start happening. This was a fun read with well-developed characters.

What a delightfully witchy read! This book is a fun mash-up of anti-romance,“women’s fiction,” and cozy-mystery aesthetic. The metaphor of magic as Annie’s post-breakup evolution scratches both the supernatural itch and that feeling that maybe it *could* be fun to turn the tables on men who blithely use women as accessories that also do dishes. With the caveat that this one isn't that deep, the characters are archetypal and the plot is very expected, the novel was still an enjoyable read. If you want some not-scary sorta-horror, this one should be on your Spooky Season Reading List for sure.

the antithesis of your typical romance novel, this book is a quirky, fun, and sinisterly empowering tale about the importance of female friendships and embracing your inner witch. if you like the ‘good for her’ subset of books (or if you think of the lucille bluth ‘good for her’ meme when you watch the show ‘snapped’) then you’ll have fun with this one. even though this book as marketed as a horror novel, it’s to the horror genre what cozy mysteries are to the mystery & thriller genre. i guess that makes this ‘cozy horror’? 😂 that’s to say - this book isn’t scary or creepy or even particularly suspenseful, but it is atmospheric and fun to read.

however, the beginning of this book was a bit rough around the edges (take some classic whining about an ex and being lonely and then repeat it so much that if i never hear the name ‘sam’ again, it’ll still be too soon) and i didn’t really click with the writing style the author uses, but once sophie appears in the life of our main character, the magic (lol pun) starts to happen.

I adored Rachel Harrison's first book, The Return, so I could not wait for her second. Cackle was riveting and amazing. I cannot recommend highly enough! I will read anything this woman writes!

I enjoyed this book. Quick, fun read. I think fans of the "cozy" kinds of books would really like this, too. Will definitely read more by this author.

I know that most of you start cackling so loud as soon as finish this book.

It’s freaking weird, eerie, disturbing! But this is great kind of weirdness combined with originality, uniqueness, absurdity and balanced dosage of sarcasm with feminism and girl power messages I truly enjoy!

I liked this batsh*t crazy journey a lot! My casting choice for Annie is Emma Stone and my choice for actress who should play Sophie is absolutely Angelina Jolie! Both women gave me creepy, bitchy, witchy vibes I experienced during my read!

It was fast pacing,interesting story you’re drawn into as soon as you devour the first chapter. Poor Annie celebrates her birthday with her colleague she doesn’t know much! She has to move to the small village upstate by leaving her nearly one decade long Manhattan life! Because her boyfriend she grew up with ( we can use this term after dating for ten years) dumps her when she accepts marriage proposal.

So she is the one who has to change her life completely and make fresh start by getting teaching job at high school.

And at the birthday day, her friend forces her to visit a fortune teller who gives her bad news about her dark and not so promising future!

She gathers her things, saying goodbye to Sam who is still love of her life ( or she thinks so) , starting her journey! Thankfully the town resembles Storybrooke from Once upon a time series. The people are welcoming her with open arms, acting kind and friendly. Her apartment is also charming minus the spider infestation.

And when she stops by at the liquor store, she meets with eccentric, sophisticated Sophie who invites to meet her at the Farmer’s market. As they spend more time together, they get closer. Annie is so happy to find a great friend as she still licks her wounds after her traumatic breakup.

But townies seem like thinking otherwise. They act like they are afraid of Sophie who lives at a gorgeous mansion reminds us of American Horror Story’s famous Murder House. Actually there are ghosts luring around the house just like Ryan Murphy’s famous mansion.

This is not the only creepy thing about Annie’s new friend. Sophie has some powers and as she continues to spend more time together she starts seeing the changes about herself which terrify her a lot!

There’s a witch of their town everybody beware or! What makes Annie by bonding the relationship with Sophie? She also crosses the dark side. What will happen to her at the end?

My favorite character of the book is obviously Ralph. The protective, friendly, smart creature stole my heart.

I found this story so smart, entertaining, peculiar, outstanding!

I wasn’t a big fan of the author’s debut Return but this book exceeded my expectations and earned my weirdest funniest nonstop cackling five stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Cackle is a bit of an anti-romance. Annie has moved to a new town, she has a new job, and has just made a new friend, Sophie, who people seem to be a little afraid of. Annie must work through her recent heartbreak and find out who she really is. She has powers and strength that she never knew she had-she just needs to figure out how to embrace them.

Annie's life fell apart when her boyfriend of ten years ended their relationship. Not being able to afford life in the city, she takes a job in upstate New York and rents an apartment in the small town of Rowan. Everyone in Rowan is kind to her, especially Sophie, who is beautiful, glamorous, and puts the other townspeople on edge. As Annie learns more about Sophie, she also learns more about herself and her own power.

<i>Cackle</i> is labeled as a horror novel because it has a witch, a creepy mansion, and a few spiders. But there are almost no scares in this book. There are a few moments that had the potential to be scary, but fell flat. The end is anti-climactic, and there's only one scene that's really "suspenseful." It's really just a book about a 30 year old woman who is figuring out how to be single with the help of a new female friend.

Rachel Harrison is great at thinking up interesting concepts, but not so great at doing anything with them. Both her books have started off strong and petered out to a lackluster end.