This one made me say "what the heck did I just read," in the best possible way.

Vesper essentially hates her life, and everyone and everything in it. She is waitressing in a chain restaurant to get by. Six years ago, she made the decision to leave her family and the religious cult she was raised in, just before her eighteenth birthday. She hasn't heard from anyone from her past since. One day a wedding invitation shows up on her doorstep for her best friend/cousin and her boyfriend she had to leave behind because he wouldn't run away with her. She takes her spiteful attitude on the road and decides to show up for the ceremony.

Plot twist - did I mention the religious cult worships Satan?

When Vesper returns home, it is just as miserable as she remembers. Her estranged father that she hadn't seen since she was a child makes an appearance and turns out to be the cult leader. He claims to be none other than Lucifer himself.

Vesper rightfully thinks, "oh eff this," and hightails it back to her boring miserable life but can't shake the feeling she is being watched. Vesper struggles with what to believe when strange things start to happen. Is she really the actual spawn of the devil??? When her father finds her and convinces her to return home once again, all hell breaks loose (quite literally).

This book was such a fun horror. It borderlined on campy and kind of silly for me, but I think that is why I loved it so much. I finished the book in one night because I couldn't put it down.

This is a great spooky season read.

Initial Thoughts
This was great! I love that the book took a turn that I didn't see coming which changed everything. Vesper grew up in a cult but has left to be on her own. Her life is less than glamorous and she doen't have any strong connections. Most people at the restaurant she works at think she is beautiful but horrible to be around. When she gets invited to her old friend's wedding she decides to go and things are set into motion. The story was entertaining and kept me guessing until the end. I liked Vesper and wanted to see things work out for her. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did a great job with the story.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.

Rachel Harrison's Black Sheep is the story about a cynical twenty something must confront her unconventional family’s dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle. 23-year-old Jesper Wright walked away from her family when she was 18. For the past 6 years, she has worked as a waitress. Until she is terminated after cheese explodes in a customers face. Faced with the real possibility of having to start over again. Vesper left home mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return.

But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep. Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie and her husband to be Brody Lewis. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn’t matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen.

What must be said is that Vesper grew up in Hell's Gate religious community which believes in Satan. The question becomes who sent the invitation to Vesper? It obviously was not her mother Constance the so called Scream Queen of Horror films. When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world.

*Thoughts* Vesper is a truly cynical soul with little happiness in her life, missing her father when, speak of the devil, he returns. It is hard to not say more for fear of spoiling the story. Her attitude takes on deeper meaning once you learn the environment she grew up in, taking family drama to a whole other level, truly making the devil shine in its dirty little details. The best parts of this story were the parts when the author goes back in time and explains to the reader what happened to Vesper that caused her to leave her "Cult" like family and try to make it on her own and the subsequent revelations of who her father is that she's been searching for for years.

Do you like cult stories? If yes, then Black Sheep is for you! The book is about Vesper Wright, who grew up in a tightly-knit religious community. She ran away from home at 18, never once thinking she’ll be back. But 6 years later, she receives a wedding invitation. Her best friend and ex-boyfriend are getting married! She decides to go home and attend the wedding. Strange things start happening to her and before long, she discovers that the truth as she knows it isn’t exactly true —- it’s far more terrifying than she can ever imagine it to be!

I’m actually still on the fence about this book. I don’t love it, but I also don’t hate it. It’s a unique kind of horror story: there were no ghosts or spirits or haunted houses to scare the bejeesus out of us. But there were unexpected scenes and subtle details that were hair-raising and will mentally spook you. I was somewhat uncomfortable reading about the religious aspect of the story, especially about the praises and chants. This is on me though, so don’t let this part influence you. Other than this, I had no other issues. As in her other novels, Rachel Harrison’s wry and dark humor is also very much present in our main character. I liked the redeeming finale, which I think was the best and most exciting part of the book.

Overall, it’s a short and quick read; one that every horror aficionado will surely enjoy reading. Thanks to @berkleypub @netgalley for my ARC. It sure tested the limits of my comfort zone!😅

Prepare yourself.

Black Sheep is a wild read!

The writing is super engaging. I was immediately intrigued by Vesper, our main character, and the story hooked me fast.

But I wasn't creeped out. Not at first, anyway. I thought this was a story about a young woman kind of lost in the world, estranged from her family and their strict religion.

Which it is. But, then…

BAM!

When you get to the second half of this book, don't plan on putting it down until you're finished.

And that's all I'm saying. 🤐

*Huge thank you to Berkley Publishing for the free copy!*

This may be Rachel Harrison's best novel yet! She elevated her prose but kept the wittiness and snark she is known for, and I loved it.

Right before the 20% mark a twist is slapped down on the table and my eyes legit bugged out. It was so unexpected for me. Fun stuff. It only got wilder from there. Do yourself a favor, and go in blind for this one.

I loved that underneath the sarcasm that often laces Harrison's writing, there are deeper messages being explored about faith and family and how it feels to be born into a household you don't want to be in.

Can you ever really escape the very thing that you're made of? What happens when betrayal sets in? Are we all doomed to be connected to our family regardless of what we want for ourselves, or can these types of ties be successfully severed?

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for the early read. Get this horror tinged satirical story when it's published September 19th! I would love to see Diablo Cody adapt this into film, it is totally her vibe. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my shelves. If @rachelharrisonsghost writes it, I'll read it. 🖤

I really liked this one! It was fun and campy. I would recommend not reading too much about it before you start, so that you don't spoil anything about the story. I won't give much away in my review that isn't already mentioned in the basic book blurb.

There were very long chapters, but the writing was smooth, witty and vivid. Well balanced and so readable. Even her dialogue was good. The MC, Vesper, definitely has flaws and does a few things that make her unsympathetic but when it comes to her feelings on things like the general public and organized religion, I was with her 100%. (Though, for reasons, I would probably never be her friend.)

Vesper’s mother is clearly heavily based on Elvira and in this story the mother character is extremely unpleasant and hateful, whereas Elvira is delightful and a true inspiration so I found that distracting. But the benefit of this was the constant reminder that Vesper looks exactly like her mother, so as a result SHE kind of reminded me of Elvira as well and her sense of humor was a bit more fitting even if her wardrobe wasn’t always up to par.

This is one of those horror books that you really can't take seriously. You just go along for the ride and have a good time with it. Even the trigger warnings are somewhat mild, but I still wanted to include them. Things do get a little violent here and there. Harrison is a great writer. I'll definitely read her again! This is one of my favorite books of the year.

TW: Misogyny, animal harm (offscreen), domestic abuse

Vesper left home at 18 without looking back for a reason but now, now she's been invited to the wedding of her former BFF and her first love. What to do? She's crashed and burned at her job and she's curious about why she's been ask so...why not. Oh, and she's gonna press her mother for the identity of her father. Maybe, as it turns out, that was neither entirely a surprise or a good idea. Turns out he's been keeping an eye on her for years. This has great world building, interesting characters in Vesper, her mother, her aunt, and so on and a plot that keeps you turning the pages. It wasn't what I expected (although honestly, I suppose I should have) and it was a great read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Harrison gives good creepy chills and action.

Every family has a little darkness if you dig beneath the surface just a bit. Deep in the dark crevices, way back buried beneath the sunshiny smiles of your family. There is normally a little something lurking, waiting to come out. Rachel Harrison hits a grand slam with this crazy, intense book that will have you spinning until you are stuck inside a tornado, searching for a way out. The buildup is spot on. You will feel yourself be transported to the farm in New Jersey, which is anything but wholesome.

Vesper left her family behind at the tender age of eighteen. Trying to escape the strict religious confines that she was brought up in. She is also on the search for her father. A man she remembers with deep tenderness. A man always dressed in a suit, willing to play gin rummy, and always filled her with love. Her mother, a horror movie actress, who is the exact opposite. Icy cold, death stares, and insults flung at Vesper from an early age. When she finds an invitation to her best friends and first loves wedding, she decides to go back. To see if anyone has missed her or if they just went on living their lives. Not knowing what awaits her...

I inhaled this book in a day. Bring on the snacks, call in a babysitter, get on your comfy cozies, and get ready for a creeptastic read. Every family has a black sheep. You just never truly know why you are it. Thank you to Rachel Harrison and Berkley for this gifted, spinetingling read. It is sure to have you at the edge of your seat from page one!

Can we just start off by saying how much I absolutely love this book.

I don't generally read horror books since I don't usually find them scary and all the books that have been recommended to me have been predictable, but this book threw me for a loop right off the bat.

Right off the back, Vesper alludes to her strange upbringing. We quickly find out she was in a cult as a child and once she left, she was forbidden to ever go back. After receiving an invitation to her best friend and cousins wedding, she decides to go home for the sake of her cousin, but this is the start of some pretty crazy things.

I don't want to ruin the wonderful surprises between these covers, so I will leave it there, but trust me when I say, you will not believe what kind of cult this is.

Obviously, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. It was one twist and turn after the next. A wonderfully sinister story that made my toes tingle with every evil page. Great read!

Shockingly, this is the first book I read by Rachel Harrison. I own some of her other books, I have others in my online carts, but this was my first foray into her writing. And it did not disappoint!

After breaking away from her family and their strange beliefs, Vesper receives an invitation to come back and she decides to go. Because why not? What does she have to lose? Plus, she still wants to find out who her mysterious father is once and for all. However, after being there for only a short amount of time, she quickly confirms that it was a huge mistake to come back....a horrifyingly huge mistake.

I was immediately drawn to the main character, Vesper. Although she's cynical and self-centered, her personality didn't bother me. It was endearing somehow and entertaining. After getting to know her more, her personality traits were also completely understandable.

Throughout the first chunk of the story, even though I was entertained and hooked, I was left wondering how this was a horror story. But then realization came in hot. Literally.

I appreciated Vesper's independence and her insistence to challenge the beliefs she was born into. Even though she makes poor decisions here and there, at her core, she's a good, strong person.

This book is PERFECT for spooky season and one that you'll likely fly through. I had a lot of fun with it.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for access to this arc.

I'm not usually one for horror. I don't like horror movies and don't watch them (a coworker also hates them but watches them for the delicious thrill of being scared shitless by them). I rarely read books with the label but after checking out the excerpt for "Black Sheep" something compelled me to give it a whirl. Vesper Wright learns an important lesson. Not "you can't go home again" but in her case "you shouldn't go home again."

I liked how the book serves up some faux horror in the various movie props that Constance has accumulated over the course of her career and which she insists on displaying all over the house. Growing up with that must have been difficult. The true nature of the cult is revealed suddenly and with – dare I say? – glee. I’ll try not to spoil things and will admit that I had read some reviews that hinted enough to give me an idea of what to expect but it still took me aback to see it in black and white. Yes, I know devotees actually exist but the people in the book are *devoted*.

Faux horror gently slides into the realms of discomfort as Vesper remembers her upbringing – something she had just thought of as “normal” while growing up. That’s bad enough but the toxic relationship she has with her mother is another form of awful. Is it better to have a Mommy Dearest or a mother who ignores you when she can and makes it clear she wants little or nothing to do with you when she can’t?

Things get real at the end. And by “get real” I mean get messy and horrid. Since the book is told in first person POV, it’s clear that one person survives after things go to hell in a handcart but this person will have scars (real and mental) for life and a whole lot to discuss with a therapist (which happens). Vesper might be seen by some readers as unlikeable (her co-workers call her Your Highness) but she gets shit done and often others don’t like this sort of person. There were a few times when I thought, “Really, Vesper? How could you be this naïve about your life?” I enjoyed the book but I’m still not someone who is going to go looking to read horror books.

The nitty-gritty: An unexpected and bloody homecoming awaits the protagonist of Black Sheep, Rachel Harrison's latest, a thoroughly entertaining surprise of a story.

“All happy families are alike, I thought. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Once again, Rachel Harrison has surprised and delighted me with an outstanding story that did not take the expected path, but veered off into something altogether unique and horrifying. This is also the part where I mention that this is a spoiler free review, and by that I mean I’m not divulging the big reveal, which happens about 20% into the story. This is going to make it very difficult to review the book, because I want to talk about everything. But I went in completely blind, and I think you should too. There are plenty of spoilery reviews on Goodreads if you want to know more.

Vesper left her home and family behind six years ago, after growing up in a strict, religious community that demanded complete obedience and devotion to the church. Since then, she’s been working dead end jobs trying to make ends meet, but it’s been a struggle finding her place in the world after spending eighteen years having all your decisions made for you.

But one night, after a horrible shift at work, Vesper comes home to find a fancy red envelope sitting on her doorstep. When she opens it, she’s shocked to see a wedding invitation from her family, inviting her home for the wedding of her best friend Rosie and her ex-boyfriend Brody. When Vesper left, she knew she’d never be welcomed back, because once you leave the church, you can never return. But now she has been invited back, although it’s a mystery as to who actually sent her the invitation.

Vesper decides to attend the wedding, despite her misgivings, but the siren call of familiarity and home is hard to resist, even though deep down she knows it’s a bad idea. And guess what? It turns out to be a terrible idea, because Vesper is walking into a situation she knows nothing about and can’t control. And when her long lost father shows up at the reception, Vesper’s world is turned upside down. Getting through the awkwardness of the wedding is one thing. Making it out in one piece is quite another.

Black Sheep is a horror story with supernatural elements, although I can’t really say more than that without spoiling things. The author drops little hints in the beginning about the nature of those elements, and I knew right away that something was off with the religious cult Vesper came from (although Vesper herself insists it isn’t a “cult,” but that word seems to fit so I’m using it). But most of the horror stuff happens near the end, and up until that point this is mostly a story about family ties and trying to break away and live your own life. Take out all supernatural elements and you have a funny, emotional and very awkward story about how hard it is to go home, especially if you’ve left on bad terms.

Rachel Harrison has a talent for writing quirky, interesting female protagonists, and Vesper is one of my favorites. The story is told in first person from her point of view, and her thoughts are messy and chaotic and full of emotion and uncertainty. Vesper isn’t always likable and she doesn’t always get along with people. Her observations about life are caustic and full of black humor, but inside she’s still a vulnerable little girl seeking love and acceptance. There’s a lot of emotional turmoil surrounding Vesper’s mother and father, and they were both fantastic characters as well. Constance Wright is a famous “scream queen,” a horror movie actress with a macabre decorating style. (Her house is full of horror movie memorabilia and props and other spooky furnishings. Think the Addams Family and you’ll have a good idea of what sort of environment Vesper grew up in!) She’s also an extremely cold person with very little love for her daughter, although their interactions were hysterically funny at times. Then there’s the big mystery of Vesper’s absentee father, who left when she was a child. All Vesper knows is that she loves him dearly and wants to find him, but Constance refuses to give up any information about him. I figured out who he was almost immediately, but that didn’t take away from the fun of watching the clues unfold.

To call this family “dysfunctional” is an understatement, but I loved that the author explores themes that everyone can relate to, no matter how normal you think your family is. And because this is a story grounded in religion (but don’t let that scare you off—it’s not what you’re thinking), Harrison touches on faith and belief (and non belief) and how it isn’t always healthy or normal. Vesper has to come to terms with the way she’s been raised and the huge, awful secrets she discovers at the wedding, and I thought the way she came out on the other side was very well done.

The story gets weirder and weirder as it progresses, and the climax was over-the-top but absolutely perfect. Harrison’s vivid writing brings Vesper’s and her strange family’s stories to life, and I guarantee you won’t want to put the book down once you start reading. This one’s a winner, folks. Don’t miss it.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

This is absolutely everything that I could’ve wanted in a book. We have a cult, religious horror but flipped to be about Satanism and escaping that religion, family drama, romantic drama, a Scream Queen, a house filled with oddities, and Satan himself. Cancel all of your plans for September 19, and read this book. You will not regret it.

Rachel Harrison was becoming a favorite of mine, and with this novel, she solidified that I will read whatever she writes.

I have so many notations from the book and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy to add notations, as well as to add to my very meager pink horror collection, and I already have plans to give this as gifts.

This was weird, poignant, and spot on. I loved it, and in case it wasn’t obvious, this is a 5 star read that should be firmly at the top of any spooky season TBR.

Many, MANY thanks to #NetGalley and #Berkley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. My gushing over this novel is my own opinion and is completely warranted.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for my e-ARC of Black Sheep!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🐍 ever escaped from a cult
👩🏻 never got along with your mother
💭 have moved things with thoughts alone
🏚️ grew up in a house of literal horror memorabilia

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Nobody has a “normal” family, but Vesper Wright’s is truly...something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back—mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep. 
 
Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn’t matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen.
 
When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such a cool book focusing around a cult that took a twisty spin I didn’t quite see coming! I loved Vesper! Sure; she’s a bit cold and aloof, but deep down she doesn’t want to hurt people, she just wants to be alone, and after an upbringing like hers, I couldn’t really blame her. I went into this one blind (other than knowing it was a horror novel of sorts) so I was pretty blown away by all of the twists and honestly had no idea how this one would all play out! It was nice to see Vesper take her life by the reins in the end though. If you’re into cults and horror, I recommend grabbing this one!

This book takes a very unique twist on the cult plot line and I loved it! Shocking within the first 10 percent and then it just keeps getting weirder in the best way possible.

While, I thought sometimes things felt rushed and a bit messy…overall? It was a fast and easy read that kept me guessing.

I would recommend to all my friends looking for a thriller palette cleanser that goes a direction you may have not seen before.

If I go down a rabbit hole on the internet its often on cults, as I am so fascinated by them. From their leaders to the followers, cult are a mystery we will never truly understand the "why."

Harrison has written a book that highlights a Satanic Cult, it members and rituals. This devilishly delicious story tells the tale of one that got away, only to be lured back by her family. Travel to hell and back, as you won't be disappointed.

Thank you Berkley for the complimentary copy.

This borderline realistic horror is a hard book to review without spoiling/revealing too much. I thought about DNFing this book when I hit the lull in the middle, but I decided to keep reading to see where this one would go. While it did take a different direction that I was expecting, I did really like the direction it did go in; however, I wish there was more of that. There was a flashback of an incident and two that happened in the present, but that was it and I wanted more. I wasn't the biggest fan of the romance that was present in this one and I don't feel like it added anything to the story. This one did actually creep me out so much at one point I had to look at my window to make sure no one was there, which is what I want from horror novels. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy horror novels and books about cults.

On the surface, Vesper Wright might seem like your typical angsty twenty something. Equipped with a sinister wit and a devil may care attitude, Vesper still oddly relishes her present day, humdrum lifestyle-the devil you know and all that. But you’d be happy with the mundane too if you grew up how Vesper did-the world she comes from anything but boring.

When Vesper left home she vowed never to return, come hell or high water. But hell might just freeze over when she gets an invitation to her cousin Rosie’s wedding. Rosie was always her favorite relative, but Vesper can’t help but feel a little bit salty about who she is marrying-Vesper’s ex. Still, Vesper is confused. After cutting ties with her family’s religiously devout beliefs, it was understood there would be no turning back. But with this invitation comes journeying back to a world Vesper left behind, even if it will hurt like hell to do so.

Black Sheep is a part darkly comedic, part classically derived horror story. Vesper is a truly cynical soul with little happiness in her life, missing her father when, speak of the devil, he returns. But her irreverent attitude takes on deeper meaning once you learn the environment she grew up in, taking family drama to a whole other level, truly making the devil shine in its dirty little details.

The perfect fall read, Black Sheep is a fiery farce about dysfunctional families, and one hell of a tale at that.

Short synopsis: Vesper left home and her highly religious community at 18, never to look back. That is until she gets a wedding invitation for her cousin Rosie. Now she trying to reconcile while finding more about her family’s hidden secret.

My thoughts: In efforts to not spoil the big reveal, I’ll keep this somewhat vague. The main reveal and twist just wasn’t for me. The story itself was fun and filled with dark humor, family drama and secrets, and a bit of gore, but the main topic is just off setting for me.

I can picture a number of people really enjoying this, and being excited by the twist and family secrets. It reads really quickly and the characters definitely added to the darkness of the story, especially Constance and her Horror film star occupation.

Read if you love:
- Religious Cult vibes
- Rebellion
- Strong female characters
- Dark humor
- Horror books