Cackle

My Review (Spoiler Free)

When Annie’s life is turned upside down following an unexpected breakup with her long term boyfriend, she abandons the shiny busyness of New York City to move to a picturesque small town upstate. The town is everything one would expect from a Hallmark movie - mom and pop shops, including a coffee shop owned and operated by a brooding widower and his teenage son, a weekly farmer’s market attended by all of the townspeople, and of course, the town eccentric, Sophie, who lives out in the woods. Annie and Sophie are quickly drawn to each other and become quick friends. Sophie leads Annie on a journey of self-discovery, self-empowerment, and overall encourages her to live life on her own, moving past the drag of her ex-boyfriend. 

This book has been described as dark, eerie, and thrilling, and honestly I completely disagree. The story and the writing keep everything light hearted and the few aspects that could be considered creepy are delved into enough to truly make it effective. The center of the story is the developing friendship between Annie and Sophie and Annie’s journey to becoming self-sufficient and learning to live for herself. It is a wholesome story and very easy to read. The writing style is not the best, there are a few slow spots and plot points that are ignored or never revisited. At times these aspects take the reader out of the story and can detract from the overall experience of the story. Cackle is a story to spend an autumn morning or afternoon with, but is not a story that will keep you up at night.