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hello_lovely13's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Sexism
Minor: Body shaming, Death of parent, and Body horror
If you have arachnophobia, do not read this.cinthiaurora's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked this up because I wanted something spooky, but still lighthearted and easy to read, and the good news was that this delivered. While Rachel Harrison’s writing WAS easy to read though, I found her writing flowed really well and was very introspective. Premise of the book sounds like a pitch for a sitcom, which for me is a plus. If it WAS a sitcom I would watch 10 seasons of it. Good read if you know what to expect!
I deducted .5 because Annie and Sophie never kissed. And another .5 because at a certain point it was just unbelievable to me that Annie moves to a pretty new town where she befriends a LITERAL WITCH who cooks for her and makes her dresses and shows her her own magic powers AND has a cute little spider side-kick….and she’s STILL thinking about her loser ex-boyfriend? She’s literally insane. Also I really thought for a minute there that all the character development we did manage to get from her would be undone when she decided to see Sam. I literally had zero faith in her. None whatsoever. So a pleasant surprise she turned it around in the end. Anyways, Annie and Sophie should have kissed. I don’t care if Sophie was a little toxic. I support women’s wrongs. Otherwise pretty solid read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, and Cursing
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
aimzthereader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Didn’t like any of the charaxters, the spiders creeped me out, I got angry at a ton of the decisions… yet I still really enjoyed the book . The writing was really great . She decscribed loneliness, heartbreak, anxiety, depression, and unease very well
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infidelity
katiemack's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have found the perfect book (well, for me) for Spooky Season, and this is it.
Annie is a teacher who moves out of NYC after her boyfriend Sam breaks up with her; she move into a place in the picturesque, perfectly cozy autumnal New England town of Rowan; and she meets Sophie, a preternaturally youthful and elegant woman who commands power over the little town. I adore the way Harrison wrote Annie; she's relatable and sarcastic and, in her own way, empowering. Through Sophie, she discovers her own strength and learns to depend on herself rather than the other people in her life.
The prose is hilarious and biting with just enough horror to keep you on your toes. Pick it up before Spooky Season ends.
Annie is a teacher who moves out of NYC after her boyfriend Sam breaks up with her; she move into a place in the picturesque, perfectly cozy autumnal New England town of Rowan; and she meets Sophie, a preternaturally youthful and elegant woman who commands power over the little town. I adore the way Harrison wrote Annie; she's relatable and sarcastic and, in her own way, empowering. Through Sophie, she discovers her own strength and learns to depend on herself rather than the other people in her life.
The prose is hilarious and biting with just enough horror to keep you on your toes. Pick it up before Spooky Season ends.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, and Cursing
wevan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Blood and Body horror
Minor: Drug abuse and Vomit
sarahholliday's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I absolutely loved The Return (Harrison's first novel), but Cackle just didn't hit the right note for me. It felt like the story stayed very surface-level, possibly because we never go to really dig into the minds and lives of the other inhabitants of Rowan due to the close first-person narration.
While I liked that both Sophie and Annie defy categorization as "good" or "evil," and really appreciate the obvious feminist argument being made re: independent, confident women, I also felt like that approach was only possible because Harrison refused to interrogate the moral complexities of the women's choices.
That being said, this was still a delightfully creepy-without-being-scary read focused on female friendship and the importance of finding one's sense of self. Fun, spooky, and perfect for Fall reading!
While I liked that both Sophie and Annie defy categorization as "good" or "evil," and really appreciate the obvious feminist argument being made re: independent, confident women, I also felt like that approach was only possible because Harrison refused to interrogate the moral complexities of the women's choices.
That being said, this was still a delightfully creepy-without-being-scary read focused on female friendship and the importance of finding one's sense of self. Fun, spooky, and perfect for Fall reading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, and Body horror
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent
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