achel Harrison has a rare skill with narration. Throughout her novels, her leads are relatable, flawed, humorous, and enjoyable. Her latest, “Black Sheep,” is no exception and may well be her finest to date. The cynical Vesper Wright had once left her home years ago, and never once looked back.

Until now. Vesper is the ‘Black Sheep’ of her family. Coming from a firmly religious background, Vesper desired more. The day she left, she was told she could never return. But now Vesper is invited to her cousin Rosie’s wedding.

Unfortunately, Vesper is plunged into a nightmare of reconnecting with toxic family and all their secrets. Even the ones that should remain buried.

From the start, Harrison’s writing is intelligent and sharp. Vesper’s narration is perfectly suited to the plot. Harrison filters toxic family and freedom through Vesper’s biting wit and never once does it grow dull. The dialogue and viewpoint remain snappy throughout.

But Harrison also excels in characterization. She weaves the portrait of an incredibly dysfunctional family and town, before mining it for all it is worth. Buried secrets in small towns are a horror staple, and Harrison makes it fresh and enjoyable.

The storyline comes to a cathartic and powerful conclusion. Thought here are several lulls in the pacing, Black Sheep is a well developed, delightful story that heralds another blast from Harrison.

8/10

This book is B-A-N-A-N-A-S in the best way, perfect for #spookyseason ! Definitely go into this one blind. Here is a brief synopsis. Vesper left home at 18 and when an invitation to her cousin and former best friend’s wedding appears begging her to come home who is she to reject the offer ? She was glad to have escaped her religious cult upbringing and her mother who is famous for being a scream queen in the movies but maybe it’s time to face her past. I loved this one!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads @prhaudio and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a fun, quick read. It’s a little under 300 pages, so not long at all, but it packs a lot into those pages, it was hilarious and horrific in equal turns, and I found myself explaining the basic plot of this book to anyone who would sit still long enough to listen because it just delighted me so much.

Let me say up front that I am a fan of Rachel Harrison. Her writing never fails to grab me and keep me up waaaay past my bedtime. "Black Sheep", although somewhat fun and irreverent, just didn't bring anything new or fresh to the tired horror trope of the reluctant grown child returning home.

I GUESSED THE ENDING ON PG 132 HEHE. this is a low 5, which is so rare, but i feel like it could've been longer & more intense in some scenes. however, i really appreciated the commentary on family & the unique perspective on religion all throughout the book, forcing readers to see the concept from a different angle. i love our main character's cyncism and sarcasm as well. this was the fastest I've flown through a physical book in weeks. Rachel Harrison is easily one of my new favorite authors!

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

Black Sheep has all the creepy vibes you may need to close out spooky season! It’s got a scream queen, a gothic house filled with movie paraphernalia, and a Satanic cult. Harrison’s take on classic horror themes is always quirky and fun to read!

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for this advanced reader!

#BookReview #Bookstagram #RachelHarrison #BlackSheep #BerkleyBooks #BookishLife #Reading #Bibliophile #BookPhotography #BookRecommendations #horrorbooks

This was such a fun read for Spooky Season. Harrison always has the most inventive twists on classic monster tropes and BLACK SHEEP is no exception. I got so many shivers and laughed aloud many times!

I'm always prepared to hand-sell Rachel Harrison to customers. Family drama, wit, and an eerie spin on an otherwise relatable dilemma - she's got a signature style and I will remain here for it.

This was my first Rachel Harrison novel, but it certainly won't be my last! It was the perfect creepy and thrilling novel for the season! MC Vesper is a cynical woman who holds many secrets about her past and family. She is difficult and unforgiving and a horrible friend so it's hard to feel any empathy for her. But I did and I hate that I loved her!

Harrison writes on disturbing and often grotesque topics but at the same time her writing is witty and full of sarcasm and laughs. I instantly loved her writing style. I definitely recommend you add this one to your October TBR!

I don't know why I didn't realize this book would involve a satanic cult when it literally has sheep in the title and on the cover. I like Rachel Harrison's writing, but I think she could've given us more wild, crazy, and creepy scenes with a topic like a satanic cult! I think back on a satanic panic type book like We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix and (unpopular opinion but) that one had so many fun elements. I was also expecting more of the cozy vibes I always hear that Rachel's books have. As for the horror level, I understand why it would be labeled as horror because satanism and lucifer can be terrifying for a lot of people, but I would say it's horror for people who don't normally read horror if that makes any sense. It's not going to scare the pants off of readers. I am still really interested in reading some of Rachel Harrison's previous books.

Meh. For all the hype this book has been getting, this was a real let down for me. Firstly, I would hardly describe this as horror. It's family dysfunction with a comic satanic cult bent. So maybe comedic horror? Is that a thing? To me it just felt like a rip off of Netflix's "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" with some people's roles changed up a bit, and no cat. But otherwise, Vesper is just a more unwilling Sabrina. I read the whole thing but found it a bit boring and entirely predictable. Meh.

This author never disappoints! I always know I’m in for an adventure with some shock and gore. Love how she builds worlds and characters

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison felt like it had great potential as a fun read for spooky season. I tried to get into it but I ultimately couldn’t. It felt like a YA read and while I can enjoy a YA book on occasion, the writing is typically not as engaging for me. The portrayal of the cult seemed like a jab on religion in general but particularly on Christianity. It was a little too over the top and tongue in cheek for me to really enjoy it.

I have posted this review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CymbtrgrhqD/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5833913418

And Amazon

This is a hard one to review without spoilers but I can definitely say it was incredibly entertaining. I loved so much about the main character, Vesper, her name, her attitude, her background and baggage with a horror movie star mom, it was all so well done. I always love a protagonist goes back home to confront her past type story and this one was no exception, when Vesper returned to her deeply religious family after running away when she turned 18. And as far as dark family secrets go, her family definitely had a juicy one.

I had a lot of fun listening to the audiobook, the narrator captured the sarcastic tone of the main character perfectly. My only problem with this book (and it's not a real problem) was that it was too short. While it absolutely accomplished what it set out to do within the boundaries of it's genre, I could have used 100 more pages to delve deep into the psychology and the background of all the characters because everything was really compelling.

The pivot around page forty GOT ME. Like--ok--let's freaking do this story! I went in expecting something totally different, but was still totally, utterly on-board. After that, it's maybe a little predictable, but in a "well--what else could possibly be happening" sort of way, but the ride was incredible. What a page turner. And the character work was really important and great. As someone estranged from their religious family, this read was weirdly healing? Just absolutely great stuff. LOVE Harrison & will read anything she writes.

Maybe the most obvious "twist" in the history of the universe. I can't believe everyone didn't know what was going on immediately and they were just able to enjoy it despite the fact. For me? I've failed with both this one and Such Sharp Teeth. I think Cackle might actually be more my speed. I might give it a go next Halloween season.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK! putting the amazing cover aside, this story captured me in the first chapter with the main characters humor. I immediately found myself relating to the main character, that is until the cult storyline came in. I am a sucker for the cult trope and this was such a unique take. My only gripe with the story is that the cult is called a satanic cult, and really it is more of a devil worshipping cult.
I wish the author seemed to know the difference because Satanism doesn't actually believe in a real devil, or any entity. It is focused on being your own master (complete autonomy of ones self) and devil worshipping is more where the "scary" sacrificing legit devil believers lie.
As someone who is well versed within that culture it was extremely frustrating to keep reading incorrect takes on Satanism that someone who doesn't know better might take away from the story and have unnecessary judgements on others in the world.
All that aside, I really enjoyed the disjointed family aspect and found the sarcastic humor of the main character really welcoming!

Another weird, page turning novel from Rachel Harrison. Her books, while usually labeled horror tend to be campier in nature than truly scary. Black Sheep which follows Vesper as she tries and fails to distance herself from her family and their eccentric religious group. After trying to make it on her own, she gets an invite back home to attend the wedding of her previous best friend. Once back home though, Vesper finds that not only has her strained relationship with her mother stayed unchanged but the other church members seem to be waiting for her return. As Vesper figures out what she’s missed, old family secrets are about to be uncovered. Will Vesper decide to stay home or will she attempt to leave again.

This book is not for everyone but if you enjoy a mixture of dark humor and horror, or enjoy Grady Hendrix style writing, then this is for you. Harrison has such a unique way of writing that truly transports the reader entirely. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I wouldn’t recommend this story to anyone who is uncomfortable with overly religious cults.

Overall, this was a fast read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Black Sheep is out now. Huge thank you to Berkley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"The devil was in the details."

In the devilishly clever Black Sheep by new favorite horror thriller author Rachel Harrison the details are right there revealing the main twist of this original, wild and quite fun tale of family drama, gory retaliations, and world ending consequences.

Vesper leaves her extremely religious family at 18, knowing she will never be welcomed back once she foregoes her religion. Now 6 years later she receives an invitation to the wedding of her ex boyfriend and once best friend. Surprised by being welcomed back, a bit angry about her boyfriend and best friend getting married, and scared to death to face her cold indie horror film actress Mom; she nevertheless heads back to the farming community that demands attending mass at least three times a week, giving thanks all day for the lord's blessing and never letting outsiders in.

I almost want to stop here because the truth about this religion, Vesper's parentage and her revengeful abilities is just a gift to unravel for lovers of horror thrillers. The way this writer lulls us into a sense of familiarity with the cult atmosphere, the acceptance of Vesper's mother as unfeeling, and believing the absence of her father in her life is because he wasn't part of this community is nothing short of genius storytelling.

I'm sure you have some ideas of where the story is heading but trust me there are still unbelievable moments of sheer shock. The religious reveal is creatively hilarious and having Vesper tell her story in the first person brings a sense of believability throughout this often "WTF just happened" ride.

Let's be honest, we all know being the black sheep is sometimes more fun, but in this book it may lead you to slaughter.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Berkley Publishing via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A magnificent book by the author of Such Sharp Teeth. Harrison manages to take us into the thrilling and dark world of a satanic cult and the daughter that escaped! But what happens when she gets a mysterious invitation to return to the cult for a wedding featuring her former lover and best friend? What transpires is a wonderful dive into horror.