A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.

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?

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304 pages

Average rating: 6.57

108 RATINGS

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10 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

blewballoon
Nov 21, 2024
6/10 stars
As I was reading this book, I thought I would describe it as "unhinged." It starts out sane enough with a main character who feels like a person. A person who is in a bad place emotionally, but still a person you can relate to. As she is thrust into more bizarre situations and interactions, it is harder to understand why she does what she does. In some instances she's obtusely passive and ignores what should not be ignored. In others she's overly confrontational and aggressive. I started to lose my sympathy and understanding of her and any of the other characters and never really got it back. The side characters and Sophie never feel completely fleshed out. Sophie is so performative and mysterious you never get closure on what she's really like underneath it all. I did like the ending, and I flew through the book, it was easy to read and kept me engaged even if a lot of the time I was just asking myself "wtf?"
Anonymous
Nov 01, 2024
10/10 stars
Everything Rachel Harrison does is PERFECTION. This is definitely my favorite novel of hers!!
VicChic20
Sep 21, 2024
10/10 stars
It was a quick read but quirky, humorous, descriptive. The author pulls you in fast into this story. I loved the characters.
poptart626
May 31, 2024
10/10 stars
read this book at a relatable time in my life and boy was it liberating! a good read and really kept me intrigued the whole time. finished it real quick. love the witchy vibes and the great advice entwined in conversations between the characters.
paige.tysick
May 24, 2024
6/10 stars
it would’ve been better if the main character wasn’t so whiny😭😭 still good enough to finish but yeah

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