Horror Book Preview: SCAREDY CAT by AJ Merlin

Nobody wants to be called a scaredy cat, especially a horror enthusiast. But what if someone not only calls you that but challenges you?

This week’s Horror Book Pick is SCAREDY CAT by AJ Merlin. 

Released in October 2025, the book is already on the bestseller's list and has garnered positive reviews. 

SCAREDY CAT Book Plot

Persy is a horror blogger and content creator. Haunted houses, movies, and urban legends, she does it all. And she has quite a following. 

When someone leaves a comment on her blog, challenging her and expecting a prize, Persy is immediately intrigued. Her mysterious follower wants her and is being encouraged by Persy’s own followers. 

When the game ends, Persy will find out the scaredy cat is just a handle or her ultimate truth. 

SCAREDY CAT Book Preview and My Take

As a horror blogger, I was immediately intrigued by this book’s premise. As the story opens, we see Persy in a haunted house, bored by the attractions. In fact, she thinks they are pretty mediocre. At one point, Persy falls while an actor jumps and accidentally trips. The owners are immediately nervous that Persy, whom they invited to review their haunted house, may give them a bad review. 

Persy, however, is too kind, and although she found the haunted house boring, she manages to give it a decent review. 

The first chapter is pretty comical and far from the theme the summary suggested. But you get to connect with Persy, and that is the important point. She also survives on coffee and sugary treats, so that is pretty relatable for a blogger. 

Anyway, Persy is then invited to collaborate with another content creator called the Squad Ghouls. They will be visiting Hangman’s Road House, and Persy is invited to join in on the live stream.

The next day, Persy meets with the Squad Ghouls and is introduced to them. When they read the house, the live stream begins, and they are all given earbuds to communicate with each other as well. 

Persy is disappointed when she goes into a shed and finds that the Squad Ghouls have set it up for the door to fall off the hinges or for the shelf to fall so that their viewers can think that there is some sort of haunting going on in the notorious house. 

After that, it is Ouija board time, and again, Persy plays along with her collaborators even though she knows they are the ones moving the planchette. 

By the end of the evening, Persy tries to make a polite exit but is suddenly asked a question out of script: Will she be visiting Miscreant Manor this year?

Persy is pissed, and it is obvious there is some past history that will be revealed later on in the book. 

The next two chapters left in the sample are mainly about Persy calling the Squad Ghouls about their planted tricks, and them getting nervous because, apparently, Persy is a big shot in the industry, and everyone is terrified of her reviews. 

Later, as she is checking her comments, she comes across the comment: I bet I could scare you, but there should be a prize involved. 

We have been waiting for this comment for a long time because it was in the summary of the book. 

READ OR SKIP?

The first chapter was comical and necessary for the setup and to get us to connect to Persy. Following that, a lack of horror scenes was kind of a bummer. Yes, we get it that most content online is staged, and so at certain points, it was being fed repetitive information. 

The story is intriguing, but it is taking far too long to gain momentum. For now, this is a SKIP for me.

But do check out the book and see what you think