I went into this book knowing next to nothing about it, and I could not be more glad that I took that route. There were so many delicious surprises, and moments starting quite early on that made me gasp out loud. This book was furious, terrifying, and very satisfying to read. I loved Such Sharp Teeth, but now I am solidly team Rachel Harrison.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

This has been my second Rachel Harrison book, right after Such Sharp Teeth, and I think I have found a new favorite horror author. Harrison has such a way of getting right under the skin of her characters to display all their pain, fear, and insecurity while also having them sufficiently face down the true horror of their situations. Vesper, our lead, is someone who carries an immense weight of religious trauma, which only becomes more complicated and messy due to the specifics of her upbringing and family life. It's a situation so many can relate to, though, of course, not nearly to the same degree. The themes of reluctantly inheriting legacies, of fearing the traits and aspects we carry due to a few blood ties are especially resonant. The terror of this book comes from domestic and infernal sources, giving it a layer of relatability on top of some truly horrific moments.

I absolutely flew through this book, marveling at how naturally the narrative flowed. Everything starts at a slower, steadier pace, then gets absolutely bonkers towards the second half. I will say that this is a title where readers should be aware of trigger warnings such as religious trauma, cult activity, and abusive/neglectful parents. Other than that, this is definitely a book that you want to know as little as possible going in.

I always look forward to a new Rachel Harrison book, and BLACK SHEEP was a fun way to really kick off my spooky season reading. I loved following Vesper, a prodigal child of shorts who left her fundamentalist family group/cult when she came of age, and finds herself drawn back out of spite when she finds out her ex boyfriend is marrying her cousin. It sounds like the start of a perhaps spookier version of YOUNG ADULT (as we know that Rachel Harrison loves to do spooky subversions), but what we get is an engaging and at times pathos ridden examination of family, destiny, identity, and breaking away from a toxic family dynamic, even when the parts that seem least harmful may be doing the most damage. I'm going to be a little vague in how I delve into other aspects of this book, but I will say that this isn't just a dysfunctional family saga. Worry not, there are plenty of horror bits here to chew on, and Harrison still manages to tread the delicate but defined line of appealing to those who may not like too much gore or violence or dread, but do like a bit of a spooky tale to read in the Fall. I found it charming and a fun subversion of what one may expect from the set up at hand.

BLACK SHEEP is another winner from Rachel Harrison! She's a must read horror author for me, and once again I just delighted in reading a scary story from her creative mind.

I had personal reasons to not like this book though I understand other will love it for the same reason(s). I will say though that the author had thought of some twists that you won’t (I truly mean) see coming and that is a respectable accomplishment within the horror genre.

I found this a little slow for the first half or so, but then it really got cooking in the second half and I enjoyed the way the storylines paid off.

Mini synopsis: Vesper has just been fired when she comes home to a wedding invitation to her cousins wedding to her ex boyfriend. She vowed to never return to her childhood home but the wedding changes thing. Now she’s forced to face her upbringing & see if she can make it out again.

Who knew a book could have an absolutely, jaw dropping, didn’t see that coming twist 10% in?! I sure didn’t & I wasn’t expecting it here!! Now I know 10% in shouldn’t be a spoiler BUT since it’s not in the synopsis, I won’t mention it 🤐 this book is so camp! Goodreads has this labeled as “horror” and I think if you go into it expecting that you’ll be disappointed. It feels more campy family drama with a splash of “horror” (horror in the Sabrina the teenaged witch or Charmed way) at the very end! Vesper as a main character was interesting to follow & made me laugh out loud with her internal monologue bc she was so unserious about everyone & everything. The ending?! Okay i was truly not expecting that but i LOVE that she went there! I think the explosive ending followed by the “now” sort of epilogue left just enough questions open! The best parts of this are spoilery so I’m finding it hard to write a coherent review but just know it’s weird & funny & fast paced with a dash of paranormal. It makes me so interested in reading more from this author!

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for an early copy of Black Sheep in exchange for an honest review! This was my first novel by Rachel Harrison, and it won't be my last!
Vesper left home six years ago, wanting to start life on her own. She works at a restaurant but doesn't enjoy it. When she is abruptly fired, Vesper decides to accept an invitation to return home for her former best friend's wedding. Upon returning, she is met by her standoffish mother and the Satanist community that she left behind. As the weekend goes on, strange things begin happening and Vesper feels drawn back to her roots, though not willingly.
Vesper was a main character that I couldn't help but root for, with her witty humor and pessimistic outlook on life. I was kind of shocked to learn that she was a former Satanist, yet the way the story unfolded made it seem less outlandish than I thought. This was a mild horror novel that got increasingly gory towards the end. But otherwise, it felt like an irreverent coming-of-age story with a layer of cultish creepiness on top. This was a quick read and perfect for spooky season!

How do I describe this book, especially without giving too much away?

Well, Vesper is estranged from her family, but decides to return to their religious compound to celebrate a wedding she is invited to. After that, I really can’t say anymore without spoiling the first surprise, which had me gasping out loud in total shock while also laughing at just how brilliant Harrison truly is. And that’s just the first surprise. Where this book takes you, I will not say anymore, just that it is a great read for spooky season.

✨ Review ✨ Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

Vesper, working as a crummy waitress until she gets fired after nacho cheese burns a man she's waiting on, receives a wedding invite for her childhood bestfriend and teenage ex. She fled from home when she was almost 18, and prepares to return for the first time in six years. Her mom's a famous horror actress, and the family lives on a sort of religious compound out in rural New Jersey -- will they welcome her home?

Honestly, this one is great to go into without knowing a lot, so I recommend diving on in. I loved Vesper's sense of humor and snark and that made this lots of fun to read. It's definitely a slow burn sort of horror and things don't amp up for a while. I read some of the physical copy and listened to some of the audio and loved both!

This is a great horror book for those looking for a spooky season read without too much blood and gore and grotesquery!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.25)
Genre: horror
Setting: rural New Jersey
Pub Date: 19 Sep 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ slow burn horror
⭕️ family drama
⭕️ snarky main characters

Thanks to Berkley, PRH Audio, and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!

“‘You never cry,’ she’d said. ‘You never cry at all.’ She was right. I never did. I wasn’t sure if that meant I was strong, or that I was broken.”

Vesper Wright is in hell. The night she gets fired from her mundane restaurant job, she comes home to find an invitation from her estranged family to the wedding of her cousin and childhood best friend, Rosemary, and the one person she regrets losing touch with. Something is telling her she has to go, even if it means suffering through a weekend in the Satanist community she left years ago. When Vesper’s homecoming reveals a horrifying family secret, one that she alone seems to not have known, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own unexpected identity.

4.5 stars rounded up! So I always have 3 books going at any given time. An audiobook, an Ebook, and a physical book. That way I’m always prepared. 😝 But when I started this one it quickly became my only book because I just wanted to keep listening to/reading it. Thank heavens I had more than one copy!

“It’s a cruelty of life that we can never protect our own innocence. We can only watch ourselves lose it in retrospect. Scream at memories.”

This book was just awesome! I loved Vesper’s spunk, her horror movie actress mother, and her father of questionable lineage. Man she is a girl after my own heart. The audiobook was superbly narrated by @jercarparvo, who NAILED it! She IS Vesper.

If you are looking for a fun yet spooky read to add to your Fall tbr add this one now! Black Sheep is the entertaining, fun, and creepily hellish book you need in your life.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the eARC and thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is one of those books that I went into completely blind and I'm SO glad! The initial twist was one of those slow-blink moments where I had to re-read to make sure I understood it right and oh my gosh, that was wild.

This is definitely on the light side of horror. Like if you're looking to dabble your toes into the horror genre, this would be a good place to start. It's fast-paced, dark, a little gory, and definitely will give you some of those "wtf is happening" moments.

And while I LOVED the beginning of this book, the end lost me a bit. But overall, I had a really good time reading this and can't wait to pick up more from Rachel Harrison.

CW: You may not vibe with the content of this book, so please check TW's.

What's it about?
Years after leaving the toxic religious community that Vesper grew up in, she's invited back for her cousin's wedding and is forced to deal with her family's beliefs, dark secrets, and her own crisis of faith.

This was my first ever Rachel Harrison and, man, was I not disappointed. Vesper had all the world-weary, Nihilism perfect for an apocalyptic final girl. From the wholesome, down home personalities of the members of Hell's Gates to the ghastly decorations of Vesper's childhood home, I was laughing out loud at multiple parts of this book. With well-plotted twists and dark turns, Black Sheep is PERFECT for getting into the Spooky Season headspace.

CW: Satanism, death, body horror, Biblical apocalyptic scenarios, animal cruelty (largely off page)

Ohhhhh boy. I really am in my horror era. I enjoyed this one. It involves some truly horrifying characters- some being the people Vesper loves the most. This does explore family trauma although in an abstract way. I thought this was a quick read. It is horror, but not ummm terribly gruesome as horror can go. Vesper is a cynical delight and you’ll be rooting and terrified for her the entire time.

This is one of my absolute new favorite books! It was one of the most fun stories I have read this year.
Black Sheep is dark, funny, moving and thoughtful. I found it such a cool twist on the satanic trope and Vesper is a totally memorable main character.
I will for sure be reading more from Rachel asap!

For my first foray into a Rachel Harrison novel I wasn't blown away, but I certainly wasn't let down either. She's come up with a unique story that is both entertaining and a little spooky, and I'm sure will be a big hit with fans of lighter horror. I want to say that had I not just read a couple of horror novels that did in fact blow me away I might have liked this one a smidge more, so take my thoughts with a small caveat. I do have to say that as far as plot goes it was fairly refreshing, adding some surprising twists into a sub-genre that seems to be fairly stagnant and repetitive. So kudos for that. I also really enjoyed how it approached the topic of rejecting your parent's core beliefs and how alienating that can both feel and be. I have no doubt that this book will make devoutly Christian readers rather angry for a number of reasons, and just the idea of that tickles me pink. Where I feel it stumbled a little bit was 1) I don't think it was quite as comedic as I was expecting it to be, based on the description and Harrison's reputation, and 2) the main character didn't quite work for me. I don't want to go into too much detail because of spoilers, and for this novel I think saying too much will spoil the fun of it, but something about our main character didn't work fully work for me. I'm not sure if it was that she was a little too manic-pixie-dream-girl, or what, I'm honestly not even sure I can put my finger on exactly what it is that rubbed me the wrong way, but it was enough for me to note as I was reading it. That being said I don't regret reading it by any means, it was a quick, fun story with a fresh spin on an old idea and because of that I will certainly not hesitate to point it out to people who are asking for a more light-hearted horror novel.

Vesper Wright is easily the black sheep of her family. When she left her very religious community at eighteen, she vowed to never look back. However, an invite to her cousin Rosie and Brody’s (Vesper’s ex and one true love) wedding may be what it takes for her to go back on her word.

BLACK SHEEP by Rachel Harrison was such a special treat!

I recommend going into this one as blind as possible (I kept my synopsis vague for that reason!) because the twists and turns this book took were truly *chef’s kiss*

I absolutely loved Vesper as a character and could relate to the messy dynamics between her and her fam, and also navigating the world as a twentysomething.

Definitely my fave from Harrison so far (though I still have some of her backlist to get through)!

Absolutely the perfect read for spooky season!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: September 19

I find this one really hard to rate. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and I was thrown for a loop, but not in a good way.

With that said, the writing was solid, and I think many will love this one.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I didn't know what to expect with Rachel Harrison's Black Sheep, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did. It was it was a perfect blend of creepy and comical. The religious community Vesper grew up in is one you'll never suspect and the family secret is a twist that is even better.

I honestly can't wait to go read Harrison's other titles now, especially if they're as good as this one was. Horror can be hit or miss for me, depending on the subject and the gore factor, but I really felt like this one had a perfect balance of everything.

This is definitely one to add to your spooky season reading list.
Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

I first discovered Rachel Harrison when I binged the audio of “The Return” on a long car trip. To say I was hooked is an understatement! So, I was really excited to get an advance copy of “Black Sheep” from Netgalley. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I can say that the main character, Vesper, while being conflicted about the beliefs of the religious cult she born in to, finds her true self and harnesses her power. What can I say, I love books with bad a$$ female characters!

Thank you to the publisher #partner for gifting me an ebook via @netgalley and the audiobook via @prhaudio
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I want to preface by saying that 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 by Rachel Harrison is the book that got me fascinated by the feminist horror genre and it was also among my top 3 books of 2021. So I always expect her books to have a fierce even if flawed female main character who propels the story forward with a lot of self-reflection and inner dialogue and also a little bit of destruction along the way. In that sense, 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒑 is yet again another of her masterpieces that delivers all her signature ingredients perfectly.
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Vesper is a black sheep and left her very religious family and their values six years ago but is now drawn back to it all when she gets an invitation that her best friend and Vesper’s ex-boyfriend are getting married. What draws her back to the very home she escaped? Is it wanting a little revenge that her only boyfriend and best friend hooked up after she left? Or is there something far more sinister at play? I’m sharing only about one third of the summary of what actually happens in this book. You wanna go in as blind as possible to savor this propulsive and twisted story! I promise you it’s action-packed especially from the moment a major plot line is revealed and there’s no turning back from then onwards! Black Sheep comes out next week and is the perfect addition to your Halloween season reads!