Cackle
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- Create Date：2021-10-18 09:52:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rachel Harrison
- ISBN：0593202023
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Summary
All her life， Annie has played it nice and safe。 After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend， Annie seeks a fresh start。 She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate。 She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is。 The people are all friendly and warm。 Her new apartment is dreamy too， minus the oddly persistent spider infestation。
Then Annie meets Sophie。 Beautiful， charming， magnetic Sophie， who takes a special interest in Annie， who wants to be her friend。 More importantly， she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself。 That’s how Sophie lives。 Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie， wanting to spend more and more time with her， despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her。 And like， okay。 There are some things。 Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless， her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly， and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she？
Then Annie meets Sophie。 Beautiful， charming， magnetic Sophie， who takes a special interest in Annie， who wants to be her friend。 More importantly， she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself。 That’s how Sophie lives。 Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie， wanting to spend more and more time with her， despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her。 And like， okay。 There are some things。 Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless， her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly， and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she？
Reviews
Raven
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This was a light， amusing in places Halloween read。 Reminiscent of The Witches of Eastwick。
Teacherlady
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I had a very hard time liking the heroine because I just wanted to shake her and tell her to stop caring so much about what her asshole ex and other random people thought about her。 I wish we got to see more of her truly loving and accepting herself in the story but all in all a fun October read。
Eric
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This book was weird and sometimes silly and feminist and witchy and I absolutely loved it and will keep it to re read again
Michelle
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Cackle by Rachel Harrison is not my usual reading fare， but I enjoyed every minute of it。 Ms。 Harrison’s story of female empowerment has some spooky moments， but really it is more about breaking societal expectations。 After all， what is a witch other than a strong， independent female who doesn’t follow the rules set by others？Annie starts out as a rather pathetic high school teacher struggling to adjust to life as a newly single woman after her long-time boyfriend decides they are better as frie Cackle by Rachel Harrison is not my usual reading fare， but I enjoyed every minute of it。 Ms。 Harrison’s story of female empowerment has some spooky moments， but really it is more about breaking societal expectations。 After all， what is a witch other than a strong， independent female who doesn’t follow the rules set by others？Annie starts out as a rather pathetic high school teacher struggling to adjust to life as a newly single woman after her long-time boyfriend decides they are better as friends than dating。 For all that， she is equally relatable because of the fact that she always thought her path meant husband， children， and all the rest。 Meanwhile， Sophie is quirky and charming even if she is a bit ominous。 Watching Annie bloom under her tutelage is satisfying and inspiring。You would think that a book that uses spiders as personal helpers would be a bit too much for this arachnophobe to handle， but I have to admit that by the end， I even found those damn spiders endearing。 Cackle is what I would call a cozy witch story。 It might take place in the dead of winter in an old and drafty mansion crawling with secrets， but the whole thing is just too damn cute with a great message about needing no one but yourself。 。。。more
Ashley Holloway
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This was delightful。 Imagine a contemporary book about a people-pleasing woman moving to a new small town after a breakup from an 8-year relationship， BUT throw in witchy vibes and dark humor。 I wouldn’t really call this horror or a thriller， it was honestly pretty cozy most of the time， it did have some darker elements， but overall I’d say this is kind of a hard one to classify。 What I will say though is that I LOVED this。 I really liked that this wasn’t focused around the main character findin This was delightful。 Imagine a contemporary book about a people-pleasing woman moving to a new small town after a breakup from an 8-year relationship， BUT throw in witchy vibes and dark humor。 I wouldn’t really call this horror or a thriller， it was honestly pretty cozy most of the time， it did have some darker elements， but overall I’d say this is kind of a hard one to classify。 What I will say though is that I LOVED this。 I really liked that this wasn’t focused around the main character finding a new relationship， instead it’s about her growth and finding out that she doesn’t need somebody else in order to be happy。 Also there’s a very cute little animal side-kick that I won’t spoil the surprise of， but I loved him <3 。。。more
The Library Ladies
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（originally reviewed at thelibraryladies。com）Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel！I used to be terrified of spiders。 It was a phobia that I eventually outgrew， and now I usually do okay with arachnids （unless they are too big， as well as too big AND inside my house。 Then I’m not as fine）。 I’ve talked about eventually getting a tarantula as a pet， though my husband has nixed that idea。 So when I saw that Rachel Harrison had a new book coming out that touted not o （originally reviewed at thelibraryladies。com）Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel！I used to be terrified of spiders。 It was a phobia that I eventually outgrew， and now I usually do okay with arachnids （unless they are too big， as well as too big AND inside my house。 Then I’m not as fine）。 I’ve talked about eventually getting a tarantula as a pet， though my husband has nixed that idea。 So when I saw that Rachel Harrison had a new book coming out that touted not only the story of a witch， but also an adorable spider pet named Ralph， I was absolutely interested。 That is “Cackle”: the story of a woman a bit lost， a witch friend， and a kind and supportive pet spider。Is “Cackle” a terrifying follow up to the highly enjoyable “The Return”？ Not really。 But what it may not have in terror， it has oodles of in charm and feel good lady pal narrative。 Our protagonist， Annie， has found herself newly single after he long time boyfriend Sam breaks up with her due to no more ‘spark’ in their ten year relationship。 She takes a teaching job in the small town of Rowan， and immediately befriends Sophie， a charming， mysterious woman whom the rest of the town seems terrified of， or at the very least wary。 Annie is a relatable （though admittedly a little sad sack-y） main character who feels lost， and Sophie is properly mysterious and perhaps a little intimidating。 You blend that together and you find a story that has some familiar notes and beats of one woman helping another become self actualized， but is still framed in a novel way。 After all， I can’t think of other lady friendship stories that have a jovial spider named Ralph。 Yes， I’m obsessed with Ralph。 I loved seeing their friendship slowly grow and blossom， and how said friendship helps Annie become a strong and confident person， even if with that confidence comes a little bit of darkness that she never anticipated （as well as questions about whether or not Sophie is dangerous… she is a witch， after all）。 Oh， and a spider infestation， a set of angry ghosts， and newfound powers that may be running a bit amok。I went in expecting something a little more toxic， just because of how Harrison’s previous novel went， but “Cackle” is actually a really lovely story about two women who feel alone and isolated and then find joy in each other’s company。 It just so happens that one of them is a witch。 I really loved Sophie， from the way that she looked at the world to how Harrison addresses her past traumas （being a witch makes you a target， after all）， to how supportive， but also lonely， she is。 True， there are questions about her actual intentions and motivation， but it becomes clear that this is less a toxic friendship story， and more a woman discovering herself story。 Annie is the less interesting character， but as she starts to believe in herself， she starts to take her power back。 In some cases， literally。 As Annie believes in herself more， partially due to Sophie’s cheerleading， she starts to develop powers of her own。 And THIS is where some of the ‘horror-esque’ moments happen。 There are definite gnarly moments that involve spells， bones， blood， and more， but it never feels too scary and is always rooted with a tongue firmly in cheek。 True， I think that Harrison kind of leads us down a primrose path with some red herrings， but by the end I just had a smile on my face as two women go on a journey find friendship and self sufficiency in a society that has told them they have to tamp down their true selves。 It’s cathartic and enjoyable。“Cackle” isn’t the scary book I thought it would be， but it’s a good choice for a Halloween read if you want something a little spooky， but not terribly horror filled。 Why not spend the Season of the Witch with Sophie？ 。。。more
Julie
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🕷💚🕷 3。5 Stars 🕷💚🕷 This is the perfect time of year to pick this book up and enjoy a cackle or two。 It is a fast， witchy read， perfect for Halloween。 🎃 👻🧙🎃👻🧙🎃 and that COVER 😍Annie has recently been dumped by her longtime boyfriend Sam of 10 years。 She was living in Manhattan with him， but will no longer be able to afford rent and accepts a position upstate in a small town called Rowan， to continue her career as an English and ASL teacher。A few weeks before she leaves， her coworker Nadia takes he 🕷💚🕷 3。5 Stars 🕷💚🕷 This is the perfect time of year to pick this book up and enjoy a cackle or two。 It is a fast， witchy read， perfect for Halloween。 🎃 👻🧙🎃👻🧙🎃 and that COVER 😍Annie has recently been dumped by her longtime boyfriend Sam of 10 years。 She was living in Manhattan with him， but will no longer be able to afford rent and accepts a position upstate in a small town called Rowan， to continue her career as an English and ASL teacher。A few weeks before she leaves， her coworker Nadia takes her out to celebrate her 30th birthday。 🥳 After downing several drinks， Nadia decides they should have their fortunes read by a psychic in a shop she sees。 🔮 Nadia's fortune reveals that she will meet a man soon and move some place warm。 However， Annie's reveals nothing but darkness。 The fortune teller could not see her future at all， nothing about it， and that disturbs her。 Annie arrives in Rowan， a quaint， picturesque， quiet town。 Her new apartment is cute but weirdly infested with spiders。😳 After a hard day at school， she stops in a spirits store to grab a bottle of wine and meets Sophie。 She is so beautiful and welcoming and invites Annie to go to the local market on Saturday。 Annie goes and Sophie introduces her to a lot of the locals。 But something is odd about the introductions。 They all seem nervous and some seem fearful of Sophie。 But why？？？ Sophie takes to Annie and they quickly become friends。 Sophie encourages Annie to resist the urge to text or call Sam。 She wants Annie to live for herself， enjoy life。 🤘 She invites her to her mansion in the middle of the woods every weekend and they feast on meals that Sophie makes and good booze like blackberry wine。🍷 But weird things begin happening at the mansion。 Who is Sophie really？ Why does she appear ageless and why are the town people afraid of her？ I loved the feminist aspects of this book。 💪 The magical realism was also well done。 This definitely is not a thriller or incredibly dark; it falls more into the category of fantasy。 There were some parts that were slow and unrealistic。 But overall， this was a quick， good read to help you find your inner witch 🧙♀️。"It's astonishing what you'll accept when you want love。 When you need it。 You'll welcome it in any form， from anyone， anything， regardless of circumstance， however peculiar。 However fantastical。" 。。。more
Kim
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Audiobook - 3。5
Shawna
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Audiobook review: The first half of this book was kind of a light fun friendship story set in a quaint town。 We knew it was going to be quirky， as Annie’s new friend Sophie is quite different。 But the second half of this book turns dark and at times gruesome and a totally different vibe than the first half。 I’d rate the first half higher than the second ~ and I’m not sure how I feel about the ending。 But， this is a perfect Halloween month read， and the audio version was a great listen。 What I li Audiobook review: The first half of this book was kind of a light fun friendship story set in a quaint town。 We knew it was going to be quirky， as Annie’s new friend Sophie is quite different。 But the second half of this book turns dark and at times gruesome and a totally different vibe than the first half。 I’d rate the first half higher than the second ~ and I’m not sure how I feel about the ending。 But， this is a perfect Halloween month read， and the audio version was a great listen。 What I liked:•the narration•the guessing game of the first half•the developing female friendship What I didn’t like•some of the gory details •the friendship of the 2nd half •Ralph 😜•the end？If you love spooky， magical books， this is for you。 If you don’t， then skip it。 。。。more
Maren Hjorth
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Nothing too groundbreaking， but I loved its messages of independence and learning to stand up for yourself and what you want out of life。 Nice little lighthearted feminist horror for the season。 Still won't fuck with spiders， though。 Nothing too groundbreaking， but I loved its messages of independence and learning to stand up for yourself and what you want out of life。 Nice little lighthearted feminist horror for the season。 Still won't fuck with spiders， though。 。。。more
Jess Peterman
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I loved the writing style！ It was an engrossing read， and quick。 I loved the story itself， but I'm not sure I love the ending。 But I think that has more to do with my thoughts on Annie。 My book friends， I hate her。 Lol。 Let me know your own thoughts on this once you read it！ Overall I'd give this one 4 stars。 Because I don't like Annie。 😆A good amount of spiders （well， not *good*）， so be aware if you have arachnophobia。 I loved the writing style！ It was an engrossing read， and quick。 I loved the story itself， but I'm not sure I love the ending。 But I think that has more to do with my thoughts on Annie。 My book friends， I hate her。 Lol。 Let me know your own thoughts on this once you read it！ Overall I'd give this one 4 stars。 Because I don't like Annie。 😆A good amount of spiders （well， not *good*）， so be aware if you have arachnophobia。 。。。more
Melissa Ford
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I absolutely loved this book and I definitely need a Ralph in my life！ ❤️🕷❤️
Kat
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Not sure what I expected for this spooky season read… but discovering yourself is the lesson here。 It was an entertaining seasonal read。 Easy to read， entertaining with a touch of creepiness！
Patty
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I loved this one！ After a tough breakup， Annie leaves NYC for a teaching position in a small town。 It’s charming and there’s a cute coffee shop and a farmer’s market。 At first she’s lonely despite the warm welcome - until she meets Sophie。Sophie is unlike anyone she’s known before。 The rest of the town seems to be slightly afraid of her。 Annie welcomes a new friend and Sophie shows her that she doesn’t need a guy in her life to be happy。 After visiting Sophie’s mysterious mansion in the woods， s I loved this one！ After a tough breakup， Annie leaves NYC for a teaching position in a small town。 It’s charming and there’s a cute coffee shop and a farmer’s market。 At first she’s lonely despite the warm welcome - until she meets Sophie。Sophie is unlike anyone she’s known before。 The rest of the town seems to be slightly afraid of her。 Annie welcomes a new friend and Sophie shows her that she doesn’t need a guy in her life to be happy。 After visiting Sophie’s mysterious mansion in the woods， strange things begin to happen。 Ghosts appear。 There are lots of spiders。 Does Sophie have some kind of powers？ Should Annie be afraid of her too， or is she paranoid for no reason？The description of this one isn’t very accurate， “a darkly funny， frightening novel。” It was funny， but only slightly creepy at times…never “frightening。” Just a warning if you are expecting a thriller。 I didn’t mind at all because of how much I ended up loving it！ It reminded me at times of “The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina” and “Mexican Gothic” with the fantasy elements。 Perfect for October！ 。。。more
Frosta Wings It
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Yasmine
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Cackle is a book on the humor side of the October spectrum of reads。 If you like satire， a little spook， and just some plain weirdness。 Annie was a frustrating character but that to me is what made the book realistic！ Not every character is likable。 It’s a unique， wicked story and reflects bringing out your little witch 🕷
Sun Goddess Moon Witch
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DNF - Heavy on the chick-lit and not enough witchy activity。 Gave up on the book because not only was it boring but the main character was unlikeable and stupid。 This book felt like it had very little to do with anything horror related。
Tonstant Weader
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Cackle is the story of Annie and how she found her own power after being dumped by her boyfriend。 They had been together for years and still shared their Manhattan apartment after he decided they should just be friends。 It was too painful for her so she found a new teaching job upstate。 She also found a furnished apartment in a small， picture-perfect town with a fabulous coffee shop， farmers’ market， and all the trimmings of cozy Americana。 Well， except there are an awful lot of spiders。Annie me Cackle is the story of Annie and how she found her own power after being dumped by her boyfriend。 They had been together for years and still shared their Manhattan apartment after he decided they should just be friends。 It was too painful for her so she found a new teaching job upstate。 She also found a furnished apartment in a small， picture-perfect town with a fabulous coffee shop， farmers’ market， and all the trimmings of cozy Americana。 Well， except there are an awful lot of spiders。Annie meets Sophie， a mesmerizing woman of extraordinary beauty。 She is warm， effusive， and charming。 She builds up Annie’s self-esteem and introduces her to the town。 Oddly， the people seem uncomfortable around Sophie。 Annie goes to Sophie’s house， reached by a creepy walk through the woods past some graves but arriving at this fabulous mansion where Sophie lived alone。 Well， except there are an awful lot of ghosts。Are the townspeople right to fear Sophie？ Should Annie be warier of her new friend？ What about when Annie’s ex comes to ask her to come back？Well， I loved Cackle。 It is not the usual sort of feminist consciousness-raising but that is what makes it fun。 Annie does grow from the passive beaten-down woman who left Manhattan brooding constantly about her lost love to a confident woman who can stand on her own。 How she does it may not work for you or me， but I am happy to see her cackle。I received an e-galley of Cackle from the publisher through NetGalley。Cackle at Berkley | Penguin Random HouseRachel Harrison author sitehttps://tonstantweaderreviews。wordpre。。。 。。。more
Jessica
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3。8 stars。 It was a fun read for the Halloween season。
Sarah
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Imagine moving into a new town and making a new friend， Sophie。 Sophie is exotic， beautiful， and so generous。 But Sophie is also strange; things float around her， her house is kinda haunted and she is weirdly feared by all the townspeople。 Will you remain friends with Sophie even though she is a little too obsessed with you and will do ANYTHING to protect you？
Shawn Ly’s Book Notes & Quotes
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“It’s so easy to adjust when you’re newly in love， when you’re all gooey， soft and malleable as an infant’s skull。 You make so much space in your life and in your heart， and when the person you love leaves， you’re all stretched out。 There’s so much room inside me that I don’t know what to do with， space I don’t know how to fill。 I’ve been waiting for it to shrivel up， for me to take my former shape， to be how I was before I met him， but it’s not happening。It’s been so long; I don’t even remember “It’s so easy to adjust when you’re newly in love， when you’re all gooey， soft and malleable as an infant’s skull。 You make so much space in your life and in your heart， and when the person you love leaves， you’re all stretched out。 There’s so much room inside me that I don’t know what to do with， space I don’t know how to fill。 I’ve been waiting for it to shrivel up， for me to take my former shape， to be how I was before I met him， but it’s not happening。It’s been so long; I don’t even remember who I was before him”“It’s love，” I say。 “I want love。”You want validation。” She’s not being mean。 Her tone is as soft and warm as ever。 She’s being honest。 Only the honesty is just as bad。“Yeah。 Maybe I do。”“You’re never going to get it。 Not from someone else， darling。”“We chuckle for a moment。 I savor it。 You never realize how special it is to share a random inside joke until something funny happens and you have no one to tell。 Then you realize how much of your life fades away without a witness”“Fate is just another invention to trick us into complacency。 Inaction。 If one assumes that they cannot change their circumstances， they won’t try。 When you think about it， really， there’s a myriad of ways we’re conditioned to passivity。 ”“It’s astonishing what you’ll accept when you want love。 When you need it。 You’ll welcome it in any form， from anyone， anything， regardless of circumstance， however peculiar。 ” 。。。more
Anneliese Grassi
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🕷 When Annie gets dumped by her longtime boyfriend of 10 years she decides to move and get a fresh start。 When she gets to her new town she finds it almost Hallmark like and perfect， however， there just may be an issue with spiders。 Enter Sophie， the most beautiful woman Annie has ever seen， and they become instant friends。 But what secrets is Sophie hiding and why does everyone act so strange around her？ 🕷🕷This is a great book about the ups and downs of friendships with a witchy spin。 I love ho 🕷 When Annie gets dumped by her longtime boyfriend of 10 years she decides to move and get a fresh start。 When she gets to her new town she finds it almost Hallmark like and perfect， however， there just may be an issue with spiders。 Enter Sophie， the most beautiful woman Annie has ever seen， and they become instant friends。 But what secrets is Sophie hiding and why does everyone act so strange around her？ 🕷🕷This is a great book about the ups and downs of friendships with a witchy spin。 I love how Sophie builds up Annie and helps her grow， although she is a bit stalkerish and creepy， never knowing when she will show up physically or in her mind！ I love Ralph， the spider 🕷 friend！ He put such a cute unique spin on pets！ Overall， it was an easy enjoyable read， perfect for the season！ 🕷I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway as an ARC。 。。。more
Debbi Smith
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What an amazing book！ Every woman has a little bit of a witch in her， and this book brings it out。 I highly recommend this very enjoyable book。
Idina Jomia
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A witchy， light-hearted book （not as dark as I expected）。 Recently released， I am surprised I did not see it advertised anywhere else on GR！ Enjoyed the book。
Robin Mixon
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I just completed Cackle by Rachel Harrison。 This was a much anticipated read for me！ Just look at the cover - it is just so cool！ I just found this so disappointing。 The main character is worried about finding love and being liked and always whining about her life。 The other main character keeps assuring the first she doesn’t need to be liked or loved but said character is ‘but you like me， right！？’ OMG！ I did like the spider （I am not a spider lover）。 I would say if you like Practical Magic you I just completed Cackle by Rachel Harrison。 This was a much anticipated read for me！ Just look at the cover - it is just so cool！ I just found this so disappointing。 The main character is worried about finding love and being liked and always whining about her life。 The other main character keeps assuring the first she doesn’t need to be liked or loved but said character is ‘but you like me， right！？’ OMG！ I did like the spider （I am not a spider lover）。 I would say if you like Practical Magic you might like this even though it does not have the same sister vibe。 I gave this one 2 stars。 。。。more
Amara Santi
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Great book。 Keeps you wondering what is really going on until the very end while at the same time sharing some great life lessons。
Stephanie （That's What She Read）
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If you've ever watched a Hallmark movie and wished that the main heroine would have not ended up with the lumberjack/baker/Christmas tree farm owner， but instead would just get herself a witchy gal pal then this book is for you！ If you've ever watched a Hallmark movie and wished that the main heroine would have not ended up with the lumberjack/baker/Christmas tree farm owner， but instead would just get herself a witchy gal pal then this book is for you！ 。。。more
Jen Maurer
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As a 30 year old educator in NYC I related almost too well to the protagonist。 I， too， would love to escape to the charm of upstate New York。 For this reason， I really REALLY wanted to love this book。 However， I found it to be too spooky to be fully charming and too sweet to be fully spooky。 This on again off again genre bending was not my cup of tea。 Overall， the book was still good but I wish the plot was maybe a tad less grotesque for what I was looking for from the book。
Jane
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***1。5***Almost grade school simple， kept waiting for drama/big reveal。 Nada。Dylan Moore did a fine job。 2。75 speed wasn't fast enough。 ***1。5***Almost grade school simple， kept waiting for drama/big reveal。 Nada。Dylan Moore did a fine job。 2。75 speed wasn't fast enough。 。。。more
Laura
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This book was good but was a bit too much of a mash up of genres for me。 I thought it would be spooky but it wasn’t at all。 It felt like more of a novel about a woman coming into her own more than anything else。 I also would have loved to know more about Sophie’s background。 I still enjoy Harrison’s writing and would absolutely read more by her but this one wasn’t my favorite。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cackle
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cackle&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cackle&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0