Cackle
By Rachel Harrison

I am so happy to start the month of October with a fun and cozy witchy read - Cackle by Rachel Harrison.

The story is centered on Annie who after twelve years has been dumped by her long time boyfriend - so she moves out of Manhattan to a small town upstate. The town is just so close to being perfect except for a minor spider infestation. A beautiful and enigmatic Sophie takes a special interest in her and they quickly become good friends - except why are some townsfolk afraid of her? I enjoyed this quick read that is focused on starting over, gaining confidence, and friendships.

I did not find this book scary at all, it was more of am uplifting friendship fiction with some witchy vibes enough to give you a good cackle.

It's beginning to feel like Halloween!

Annie's boyfriend of eight years just broke up with her, so she's forced to move out of NYC for a new job and less expensive place to live. In her new town, she meets Sophie, a beautiful woman who all the neighbors seem to fear. Annie tells the story in first person. The tone starts quite sad with a lot of maudlin thoughts about being alone. But ultimately, it is a book about being at a crossroads and choosing which path to take.

Cackle kept me guessing about Annie, Sophie, and magic. The writing is absolutely beautiful. The word choice, metaphors, and more all contribute to the feeling of magic woven throughout the book. If you like spooky reads with witches and spiders, this is a great fall choice.

Thank you to @berittalksbooks @thephdicabooks and @dg_reads for arranging a buddy read, and to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up

It is not often that I am so bored by a book. Not really sure why I kept reading beyond a determination that something had to happen, right?! Not really, I guess. The author does have moments wherein those awkward points we all find ourselves in are described (with a small magical twist at times). But the awkwardness of making assumptions, the awkwardness of trying to meet new people when you aren't really out of your own headspace, those bits were well done. There just wasn't enough content in the story to carry it beyond dumped and depressed woman woman moves to new town, meets mysterious stranger, discovers new stranger has magical tendencies and town is fearful of her. Sleepovers at creepy manse in the woods, back to town, another sleepover, back to town, another trip to the manse, back to town....nothing!! So after pondering this story more than I should have, sticking with one word - dull.

This was a completely different story than I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a thriller, but instead it was a book about friendship and self discovery with witches and spiders.

Annie is a people pleaser. She recently moved from Manhattan to a small town upstate looking for a fresh start after her boyfriend of many years dumped her. Once she is in town she is befriended by Sophie. Sophie is beautiful and charismatic, and she just wants Annie to live her life for her, not others.

There is something strange about Sophie, she looks ageless, all the townspeople are afraid of her, and she lives in a mansion in the woods. Annie feels different around Sophie, but she's not sure why.

I'm not a big fantasy reader, but I would describe this as "fantasy light." There is some magic and a spider that made me laugh out loud! I ended up really enjoying this one. I thought it was a fun read and would recommend it those that are looking for a non scary book with Halloween vibes.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Cackle is a nice spooky season read. With a little bit of tension rather than fright, this is a fun paranormal read. Annie is our needy, often apologizing heroine who has just moved into town for a teaching job after a breakup.. We see early on that she has a habit of trying to bend to fit herself into her relationships. In town she meets Sophie and is excited for her new friendship. But why are the people in town afraid of Sophie? The story has a nice feminist vibe and Annie finds some real independence. I am glad the author didn’t through in a romance and let her finding herself be the point.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the review opportunity to n exchange for my honest review.

Ah women, stop apologizing.

This was unexpected - and I hate writing that because it comes across a little mean spirited - but I simply mean, whatever you think this story will be based on reading the synopsis, I can guarantee this book will not be entirely what you presumed.

I freaking loved this story and was exactly the right horror read for me - powers that be help the poor reader during “spooky season” who doesn’t want to read bone shilling, disturbing horror but (gasp!) wants an itty bitty scary read to pair with the season. Cackle delivers for you my fellow scaredy-cats.

Cackle is charming and cozy, it’s spooky but not disturbing, it’s funny and feminist. It is this feminist conversation - why women make themselves small, why they apologize for being who they are, liking what they like, looking how they look. They bend, they contort, and why? How freeing it is when you can face life as you are, right in this moment. It’s a powerful goal that I know many of us struggle to attain and I appreciated Rachel Harrison’s message to us all. “He fears me because he is small. I will not shrink myself down to his size, or anyone else’s, for their comfort. For their appeasement.

If you’re looking for a quickly paced witchy story that is going to deliver small town charm, steaming cups of coffee, delicious descriptions of food, and a good dash of spook without the blood - grab ahold of Cackle and enjoy! That was perfectly delightful.

This was a great read, definitely genre-bending - you think it's going to be a contemporary romance but it's not. More paranormal than fantasy, but funny as well. Not especially scary but some tense moments. The main character is a little too needy, which got on my nerves, but that changes at the end. I like how it subverts expectations but I did find the ending a little flat, I would have liked more of a bang and another twenty-five pages or so. The writing is excellent and I will look for other books by this author.

Oooh this was a good one for Halloween! A little bit of spook, but not to0 much which was perfect since, if you are a reader like me, I don't like anything too scary! If you like things that go bump in the night, witchy world building, lots of spiders, and mysterious back stories, then give Cackle a go!

This book is more quirky than spooky, contrary to the description. The story follows Annie from NYC to a quant small town upstate, after her break-up with a boyfriend of many years. She arrives in a village that is overly pleasant, and befriends Sophie the town patriarch.

Annie spends considerable time brooding through her emotions and alcohol throughout the story. With Sophie’s help, Annie find the self-assurance to move forward to let go of the past. And, Sam is the worst kind of ex-boyrfriend, THE WORST!

This coming of age story involves a mysterious and unique friendship, a pet spider name Ralph and some "witchy" factors. Everyone needs a Ralph in their lives even if you are spooked by spiders. This creepy-crawler has a cute bed, a bow-tie and hat and is incredibly adorable.

Cakle is a wonderful kick-off to my hair-raising reading. Let this witty page-turner put a spell on you!

Thank you to Berit @berittalksbooks, Kenzie @thephdivabooks and Deborah @dg_reads for hosting a buddy read for this book and Berkley and NetGalley for the complimentary copy.

Annie's long time boyfriend who she had been living with and also thought was going to marry tells her they should break up. You know cause they are more like roommates, which was news to her.
She moves upstate to a small town to start over and grief her lost relationship, befriending a very fancy well put together woman. She plans a coffee date but the locals behavior towards this woman is curious. She brushes it off but some weird things start to happen that she can't ignore.

At first I was kind of bummed that there was no romance to end it but really she learned to love herself and that it was ok to be alone. She had been in back to back relationships since high school, defining herself by being in a relationship. We forget that we have to learn to be with ourselves and love ourselves as much as we want to be with others. Our need for acceptance can be found doesn't have to be found in another.

Perfect for spooky season! Just be aware this is actually a little creepy and there really isn't any romance except the ones that fell apart lol.

It's a fun friendship witchy book with creeptastic vengeance, pet spiders, budding powers, and real independence.

Thank you berkleypub and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Well! Annie is adrift after Sam breaks up with her after so many years together so she takes a job as a high school teacher in a small town in upstate New York and an apartment in an even smaller town. There is an unusual number of spiders in the apartment but the town is delightful, even if the kids at the high school are hateful. Then she meets Sophie, who introduces her to all sorts of delights at her mansion in the woods. THere's something odd about how the town reacts to Sophie, but Annie writes that off to the fact that Sophie essentially owns the town. Then weird things happen. Very weird. Annie finds herself wrapped into Sophie's orbit but Sophie is both a kind and jealous friend,. No spoilers from me because I was impressed with how Harrison ramped up the tension and the reveals. I liked this one for the characters, the relationship between Annie and Sam, the town (O to have these latte options), and so on. I know it's over the top in spots but it really works. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Great entertaining read.

I had so much fun reading this - Annie was super relatable at times, and I just LOVED Sophie (I mean, how can you not!?) I'd classify this as "cozy horror." It's definitely a perfect read for spooky season, but it's not likely to give anyone nightmares (although some parts are icky and unsettling!)

Also, the cover is PERFECTION.

Wow what a book! This one was way different than what I was expecting! I have read one other book by this author and that one was very unique as well so this one I can see how it was kinda similar in the ways of her writing. It definitely had a lot of witchy vibes throughout the whole book. I couldn't quite figure out at first who or what Sophie was but as the story went on i started to get the feel for her character and what made her different. And oh my all the spiders in this book, I already hate spiders and now I wont look at spider the same way again after all of them in this book!
Just a very unique, weird but yet creative and fun book. Perfect book to read around Halloween time or just fall in general.
Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read a early copy of Cackle.

After Annie's live-in boyfriend, Sam, breaks up with her, she's devastated. Sure, she figures maybe they have gotten a little too comfortable lately, but she cannot imagine ever being with anyone else. As a school teacher, she knows she can't afford to live on her own in Manhattan, and at 30-years old, she's too old to get a roommate. Sam is keeping their apartment and Annie agrees she'll move on.

She applies for a teaching position in a small town in Upstate New York and when it is offered to her, she accepts. After that, things begin to fall into place rather quickly. She ends up finding the perfect apartment, minus the tiny spider infestation, and the entire town seems warm and inviting.

Unfortunately, as Annie tries to settle into her new life, she is still just as heartbroken as the day she left the city and her old life behind. She can't stop thinking about Sam and running endless what-if scenerios through her head.

Then she meets Sophie, a confident and mysterious local woman, who seems to have the entire town in the palm of her hand. Intrigued from the start, Annie begins to spend a lot of time with Sophie; pretty much every spare moment. The good news is, Sophie is great at helping her take her mind off of Sam and her aching heart.
But when Annie can no longer ignore mysterious traits about Sophie, her circumstances begin to tip a toe into the ominous unknown.

I absolutely loved this story with my whole heart. It truly has such a powerful message. I think it will resonate with a lot of Readers. It's for anyone who has ever had a broken heart and found themselves on the other side, or anyone who needs to find the other side, pick this book up. You're stronger than you know!

The way Harrison wrote Annie, what she was going through after the dissolution of her long-term relationship, it was extremely relatable. I was feeling every emotion she was feeling. After she met Sophie, it was indeed distracting. I was equally intrigued by Sophie. What was going on with her? She was completely enchanting, mysterious, sexy, addicting; I wanted to know everything about her. I think I would have fallen for her as quickly as Annie did.

The small town, spooky vibes are on point throughout this story. It's one of those stories where the locals act a little strangely around the new girl and you want to know why! Also, this is the perfect book for Autumnal vibes for someone who maybe doesn't want to get too scary. Although, I will say, there were at least a couple of scenes in here that gave me legit chills.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I finished this at the end of August and it is still fresh in my mind. I have no doubt this will be on my Favorites list for the year.

Annie is dumped by her long-term boyfriend and leaves NYC to take a teaching job in a picturesque small town in upstate New York. She befriends a mesmerizing, agelessly beautiful woman named Sophie, who everyone in the town seems both eager to please and lightly scared of. Sophie challenges Annie to question everything in her life and things get weird. Also: spiders.

Is cozy horror a thing? If not, it is now. I loved this book. It was never scary-scary, but there was enough of an edge to keep it feeling just a little bit creepy. I loved Annie’s awakening and how she came to terms with everything Sophie showed her. The end was perfection.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a fun, spooky-adjacent Halloween-y read.

“It’s best not to be specific with wishes. Otherwise, you end up getting what you think you want instead of what you really need. How dangerous.”

Rachel Harrison’s Cackle is just so fun and I loved everything about it. I was expecting horror similar to Harrison’s The Return – which I loved - but this is more of a warm uplifting story about the bonds of friendship in the face of loss with a side of witchy goodness!

Annie and Sophie are the perfect Ying and Ylang when it comes to friendships; Annie is new to the town of Rowan, just out of a long-term relationship that ended with a blindside to her self-esteem and Sophie, well, she’s beautiful, independent and wickedly funny.

The setting of Cackle couldn’t have been more perfect! It is snort *cackling* funny, warm and inspiring and for me, a confirmed arachnophobe, well, maybe I’ll look at the wee beasties a big differently now. I cannot recommend this enough!

My thanks to @BerkleyPub and author @RachelHarrisonsGhost for the absolute pleasure of reading Cackle!

A lighter witchy read that borrows from romance tropes but isn't a romance - after a bad breakup Annie moves to a small town for a teaching job and starts noticing spiders and other strange occurrences and an entire town that seems afraid of her new friend Sophie.

This comes out October 5th and I found it in NetGalley, and liked the title. I heard about it in passing on the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books podcast.

"Cute" is not a word I expected to use to describe this book, but that is exactly what this was. It is cozy and light-hearted and not scary at all.

This book's overall message is told from a feminist angle and was focused on finding yourself, personal growth and learning to enjoy your own company. I really enjoyed figuring out what Sophie's deal was and watching how her relationship with our main character Annie unfolds.

Our little creature friend in this was seriously ADORABLE! Normally I am terrified, but I wanted to cuddle up to this one and read it bedtime stories.

I loved watching Annie's character growth. This book has a great message on multiple fronts. If you are not a fan of true horror but want a recommendation for a cozy, witchy, not scary read for Halloween this is your book!

Thank you to #netgalley and #berk for the advance copy of Cackle in exchange for an honest review!

I went into CACKLE expecting a horror story, or at least a scary follow up to Harrison's previous book THE RETURN. But when it wasn't the scary tale I anticipated I wasn't too upset because this is a charming and clever book about friendship, finding one's own voice, and the joys of having a friendly spider named Ralph. CACKLE is more about protagonist Annie becoming self sufficient and confident after being dumped by her long time boyfriend, and after living in a world that has told her that if she will be miserable if she is alone. Enter Sophie, the mysterious and alluring (if a little overbearing), her new friend in her new town who wants Annie to be all she can be. And who just so happens to be a witch. I loved seeing their friendship form and grow, and how Sophie's influence on Annie is something that makes Annie feel good about herself. After THE RETURN, which dealt with a crumbling and toxic friendship between two women, I thought we'd see more elements like that, and while there are certainly warts and problems with the friendship between Annie and Sophie, they feel real and not as dire. Sophie is a super charming character in her own right, and her secrets and motivations are held close to the chest which gives some air of mystery and suspense about what her deal is. And while I wouldn't call this a horror novel as a genre, there are plenty of moments that have horror elements sewn into them, though it's clear that Harrison is having some fun and wants to reader to be having fun too.

All in all, CACKLE is a good fit for the Halloween season reading list if you are looking for some kinder, gentler horror. It fits in with the holiday reading stack even if it isn't super scary. It's still a fun time that I enjoyed immensely.

I absolutely adored this book. It was like a warm hug, encouraging me to accept and be my true self. It stayed focused on the protagonist, even though her friend has what seems like a fascinating backstory, which helped prevent things getting too complicated. I will happily reread this.