Black Sheep is a dark and twisted horror novel that will keep you up at night. The story follows Vesper, a young woman who returns home to her family's remote farm after her mother's death. Vesper is quickly drawn into the dark and disturbing world of her family, and she soon realizes that they are not what they seem.

Harrison does a masterful job of creating a sense of dread and suspense throughout the novel. The characters are complex and well-developed, and the plot is full of twists and turns. The novel also deals with some dark themes, such as family secrets, abuse, and violence. However, it is ultimately a story about hope and redemption.

I highly recommend Black Sheep to fans of horror novels. It is a well-written and thought-provoking novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

Here are some of the things that I liked about Black Sheep:

The characters are complex and well-developed. Vesper is a sympathetic and relatable protagonist, and I found myself rooting for her throughout the novel. The other characters are also well-developed, and they all have their own secrets and motivations.
The plot is full of twists and turns. I was never sure what was going to happen next, and I found myself turning the pages quickly to find out what would happen.
The novel deals with some dark themes in a sensitive and thoughtful way. The themes of family secrets, abuse, and violence are handled with care, and the novel never feels exploitative.
The writing is sharp and evocative. Harrison's prose is beautiful and atmospheric, and she does a great job of creating a sense of dread and suspense.
Overall, I thought Black Sheep was a fantastic novel. It is a well-written, thought-provoking, and suspenseful horror novel that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.

Here are some additional thoughts on why I liked Black Sheep:

I appreciated the way that Harrison explored the themes of family secrets and abuse. These are dark themes, but Harrison handled them with care and sensitivity.
I also liked the way that the novel dealt with the theme of redemption. Vesper is a flawed character, but she is ultimately a good person. I found it satisfying to see her overcome her challenges and find redemption.
I thought the ending of the novel was perfect. It was both satisfying and open-ended, and it left me thinking about the novel long after I finished reading it.
If you are looking for a dark and twisted horror novel that will keep you up at night, then I highly recommend Black Sheep. It is a well-written, thought-provoking, and suspenseful novel that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.

Vesper left her home town and her church 6 years ago, and she knows she can't go back. She just doesn't believe in their God...Satan, and their not-a-cult doesn't accept apostates. However, when she receives an invitation to a wedding between her best friend and ex boyfriend, she knows she has to go back and be petty about it. She just won't lead any prayers or sacrifice any lambs. Easy. She might even be happy to see her friends and family again, as long as she doesn't find out they've all been lying to her for her entire life.

Black Sheep is fun. Not an original concept, the ambivalent anti-christ, but it's an interesting choice to make the whole town in on it. Despite the fact that the main character is 23 and Not A Virgin, I'd think this was a better fit for YA shelves.

Rachel Harrison is one of my absolute favorite authors! When I started with The Returned, I had no idea what an awesome journey I was starting. Black Sheep is another dive into Harrison's world and I want to live there!

Tired of running from her past, Vesper Wright coasts through life as a waitress and a smartass but secretly acknowledges the connection she still carries for all she left behind. When she gets an invitation to attend a wedding for her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Vesper decides to use it as an opportunity to gain closure. She knows seeing Brody and Rosie together will be hard, but she’s determined to get through it if it means showing everyone that the church doesn’t control her anymore.

Or does it? Because soon after her arrival, Vesper finds herself sucked back into the church. It needs her, she realizes. But for what? Vesper wants to find out but knows the truth will be uglier than she’s prepared for. That it not only involves her and the church, but also her absentee father—who is convinced he is the Adversary, and Vesper is vessel of doom to carry out his apocalypse.
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My god I can’t tell you how much I loved this! Like imagine getting to see “The Omen” from Damien’s POV and that’s what you get with this—only much more bloody, terrifying, and better written! I really loved that Harrison wrote Vesper’s character to be darkly cynical,
morbidly curious, and stone-cold stubborn. She also really made the entire Hell’s Gate community feel so atmospheric that I literally felt like I was really there or watching a super immersive movie. Vesper is a fantastic MC and the journey of self-discovery she goes on is both horrifying and so very heartbreaking. She had a much rougher time than Sabrina Morningstar did!. I wanted to hug that girl so bad at the end. this was hands down one of THE BEST BOOKS I’ve read this summer and I so highly recommend!!!

What can I say!!!! My queen Rachel Harrison can do no wrong!! Another incredible main character! Funny super dark. If you like the movie Midsommar you’ll love this

I mean -- nobody is doing it quite like Rachel Harrison. Her books are so fun and spooky, with lots of laughs and twists and just overall fun vibes. I tore through this bonkers family reunion novel -- every aspect is hilarious, and Vesper is a main character you just automatically love.

I’ve been looking forward this book, and it did NOT disappoint! 🖤

The title Black Sheep comes with a pretty clear implication. Indeed, our main character, Vesper, is the odd one out in her family—the super-religious family she’s been estranged from for six years. In the church her family is a part of, once you’ve left, you can never come back, which is fine because Vesper has no intentions of returning to the family farm. That is until, at the end of a really bad day, she receives a mysterious envelope inviting her home…for the wedding of her old best friend and her ex.

This invitation and how she responds turns Vesper’s life upside down. I really can’t say much more without spoiling the reveals that Rachel Harrison has expertly crafted for us readers. Let’s just say that, as things progress, the term “black sheep” takes on new and more disturbing meanings.

I absolutely LOVED reading this book! Harrison’s voice resonates with me so much that I feel like I’m in an easy conversation with a good friend. And the plot is so engaging that I found it impossible to put down. I HAD to know what was going to happen next, and I was astounded time after time. The places this story goes are so far from where it starts, but in the end, it’s so clear that this is where we were headed all along.

I will admit that there are a few tiny plot holes toward the end. And some may question if this story is truly horror, but there’s no doubt that what happens is horrific—and horrifyingly analogous to toxic family dynamics that are entrenched in harmful religious practices.

I can’t wait for others to read this so we can discuss it!

Full review posted to Goodreads on 6/18/23: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5273073601

Was very interesting on this story being told. Our main character is estranged from her family; she is alone but not truly happy. Weird things do happen to happen around her, and she really never understood why.
She is called back to her home, and you can tell she really doesn't want to go back, but she must.
This reminded me of The Omen series. The kid is part of the devil, and bad things always happen around the kid.
This book was entertaining, but I wasn't as in it as I had hoped. I didn't understand why Rachel didn't know that she was a part of this cult, to put it nicely. I understood why the devil himself was trying to get her to come home, but it just wasn't really what I was hoping for. It was a regular sorta horror story. It was missing some back story of the family. It sorta jumped right into bam, they are praying to the devil, which threw me for a loop for a minute. I may read something else by this author, but this book was just not for me.

I’ve read all of this author’s other books and really enjoyed them. This new one didn’t disappoint! A snarky/witty young female on a strange mission. Talk about skeletons in a family’s closet! Even though it was kind of campy and fun there were moments of deep clarity of life.

The best thing about Black Sheep is that it is funny. Mordantly so, knowingly so, and that’s part of what makes it so great. It’s also genuinely suspenseful, but it’s the way that it makes you care about its cranky heroine that makes it interesting.

Twenty-three year old Vesper Wright escaped her bizarre family years ago. Her mother was a former horror movie star and has always been distant; her father died young when she was a child. She and her beloved cousin Rosie were raised in in a cult called Hell’s Gate, where her father was worshipped, for reasons she doesn’t understand.

Vesper has escaped and now slings hash in a TGI Fridays-alike chain restaurant. An unfortunate incident involving melted cheese and a sexual harasser results in her being fired. Then the only thing that could ever convince her to return to Hell’s Gate happens: an invitation to the wedding of her beloved cousin Rosie – to her first love, Brody. Desperate for money, Vesper returns to her mother’s old farmhouse out of love for Rosie and healthy spite for everyone else. But the party waiting for Vesper has some ugly surprises in store. Can she leave Hell’s Gate behind her for good?

Black Sheep is gory as heck, sharp as all get out, and archly hilarious in the best of ways. Vesper has been through a lot, but a quitter she is not. Even though she goes through some incredibly dangerous situations she does not buckle.

I will leave it to the reader to find out if she makes it out of there alive. Be warned - this isn’t a romantic book, and there is crazy occult stuff going on between Vesper and her father. Her relationship with her mother is fascinating and easy to lose yourself in. Ultimately if you like your gore heavy, this will be a novel that will entertain you.

This is so wicked. It’s creative and creepy and sad. I loved the Victorian home and learning about the cult. Really fascinating. All the macabre details are so easy to visualize. This book says a lot about choice and free will. And about trauma. Harrison is a smart, talented author. Great book. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Harrison wrote another amazing read! I only read The Return to go by, but what a great follow up! Vesper was a good MC, she was easily likeable and relatable. I enjoyed going into this story quite blindly and that's what I would suggest to everyone wanting to read this- don't read reviews, just base it straight off the synopsis!! That's what I did and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It's tricky to review this without giving too much away, but in Harrison's writing fashion, it was a good read. I would highly recommend it.

Family is hard, but family it’s even harder when they’re in a Satanic cult!

Vesper is in her 20s, just barely getting by in the city. She then gets brought back to her family’s farm because of some mysterious letter that showed up after leaving behind the cult. Then some sh*t goes down. It’s hard to like any of the members, but I did enjoy Vesper as a main character!

I think the story was lacking a little more depth. I wish I got to know more about Vesper and the family she left behind. It all of a sudden turned into a ritual at the end, but I was wanting more to happen before it. It was very entertaining and comical at times.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Vesper Wright — she’s a lonely 24 year old, working a dead end job at Shortee’s, which a chain restaurant reminiscent of TGI Friday’s. Years ago, she escaped her family’s tightly knit religious community, as well as a toxic, faded horror film star mother. She’s has been struggling to find her footing since. One night, she comes home to find an invitation — her childhood best friend Rosie and her first love Brody are tying the knot back home. She feels compelled to return, even though she thought leaving meant she was exiled.

But waits for her in Virgil, NJ? Closure? An olive branch? Or…something else?

Either way, when she returns, the darkest secrets of her past are unearthed and she’s forced to face them — or else.

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Okay so this was a fun, breezy book and I really enjoyed it! Like a lot. The vibes were fantastic. Rachel Harrison explores the ties that bind and those of us who suffered due to dysfunctional family dynamics in a way that never feels anything other than compassionate, yet empowering. It was a bit short, I wish I’d had more time to get to know Vesper and her family’s culture before things POP OFF but I enjoyed the time I did have.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC; I’m looking forward to getting a physical copy in September 2023!

I was a little nervous because this was categorized under horror but wow, it was more of a psychological horror and it was amazing!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Rachel Harrison is an auto buy (and auto rec) for me! I love her work so very much!

This latest finds Vesper, a down on her luck former waitress, returning to her family home for the first time in years.

Alongside general family trauma (an actress mother who never seemed to care), her cousin is set to marry the only man Vesper ever loved. But it was all Vesper could to do escape her family and their religious teachings.

Of course this is Harrison so the book is dark and twisty horror fun!

I love Harrison's characters. I love her writing. And I love the fact that all in all these are horror stories I'd rec to genre fans and newbies alike!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

“Hope is like candy, I thought. It’s sweet in the moment, until it rots your teeth out.”

I absolutely LOVED this book! It’s so well written and such an original idea. I was biting my nails halfway through it. I love the character development that Vesper goes through. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for your next spooky read!

Well this was different! Without spoilers I’ll say I liked this a bit less than Such Sharp Teeth which I found had a bit more bite - ugh sorry pun intended. I thought this might be a bit like Sign Here from last year which did a lot of world building and wish that had more of that here. There was a lot of exposition on mundane things Vesper did vs hearing more about life on a cult ranch or about the characters. I found this to be a quick read and it was enjoyable overall.

A one-sitting read.
A heroine to root for,
dark, twisted, funny.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I write haiku reviews on Instagram but am happy to provide additional feedback.

Rachel Harrison is one of my favorites. She writes engagingly fun horrors that also meaningfully exemplify the real life traumas that many of us have experienced. Black Sheep was another fine example of her talent.

Not everyone knows what it’s like to be the black sheep of the family. Many will never fight the pain of being the one the family never accepted until they finally decide they just don’t need that acceptance after all. Unfortunately, some of us do get it and I think this story will speak to readers who’ve made some hard choices after countless years of pain.

But even if you can’t relate, Harrison has still penned an entertaining story that can be enjoyed at face value. Plus, she included stringent religious beliefs (aka cultish) as a part of her main character’s background. I love a good cult story, and this was definitely a good one, and it included a few surprises (one that truly shocked me and one I saw coming) along the way.

I liked the ties Harrison made to the reality of a dysfunctional childhood, especially when she addressed the confusion of worshiping a specific family member only to realize that they aren’t who you believed them to be. We can’t see things as clearly in childhood as we do in adulthood. The layers of betrayal felt bitingly authentic, despite the fantastical portrayal. I felt the ending was especially strong with this symbolism and it spoke to the still broken child within me.

The story was honest in its depiction of the grief that lingers, even after we’ve walked away from our horrific upbringings. I only wish I’d felt the strength of all its symbolism earlier on, but my expectations were awfully high since the trauma parallels of her last novel (Such Sharp Teeth) were exceptionally vivid all the way through.

I am immensely grateful to Berkley and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.