If you're like me and are drawn to anything relating to cults and enjoy horror, you won't want to miss Black Sheep!

1 adored Vesper, a young woman who left her family's farm at eighteen, hoping to never return. Until a wedding invitation arrives on her doorstep. Her beloved cousin Rosie is getting married....to Vesper's ex, Brody. Did I mention that going home also means returning to the eccentric religious sect she was brought up in? Except they aren't just any old cult-they are a satanic cult!

I won't give away the awesome twists & turns this book takes. It's best left to unfold as you read or listen. Highly recommend this dark, emotional, feminist cult horror read!

I think I might not like Rachel Harrison's writing very much? I dnf'd "Cackle," I thought "Such Sharp Teeth" was corny but a lot of fun, and this I'm just not sure. I might have hated it? It was just a lot of "I'm so hot and cool and everyone hates me for it" and it took suuuuch a long time for anything to actually happen. The way the father was described felt very icky and overly romantic to me, like he was initially meant to be a love interest and not enough editing was done once they switched him to a father figure. I wanted a lot more from the mother-daughter relationship, and I desperately wanted to stop being asked to find the over-the-top sarcasm a compelling substitute for an actual personality. Finally, the ending felt really bleak and meaningless to me which left me feeling even more unsatisfied. All in all, this one was very much not for me.

It's best going into Black Sheep not knowing too much about it. I think what you really need to know is Rachel Harrison is renowned for crafting tales centered around complex female characters with a good dose of supernatural while delving into themes of toxic friendships, trauma, and intricate family dynamics. She skillfully infuses her stories with dark commentary and horror elements, setting them apart from the ordinary.

Part of the thrill of Black Sheep is figuring out the family dynamics between our main character, Vesper, and her family and why she is the black sheep. Harrison takes her time in the book's first half, gradually unveiling Vesper's personal history and upbringing. Vesper herself is a multifaceted character, displaying spunky, prickly, and cynical traits that add depth to her character. Her complex relationship with her scream-queen mother adds an extra layer of horror to the narrative, making it all the more engaging.

The slow pace pays off, and the story picks up in the second half, where that long-awaited dose of supernatural elements I was waiting for emerges. I eagerly flipped through the pages, captivated by the escalating tension and excitement that builds up with every page to a thrilling showdown and I enjoyed how it all came together.

Traveling Witches read with Debra.

Vesper has left her "cult" upbringing to sling hash at a local restaurant. She gets a special invitation to go home to a wedding between the guy she loved and her best friend.

Something compels her to go to the wedding.

I love some cultish books and I love dark. But this book? It's more tongue in cheek and I just wasn't feeling it.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Ohh I LOVED this one. I l listened to it as I read it, and honestly, it added so much more to it. Jeremy Carlisle Parker’s voice was perfection for this role. I thought I was prepared, but I was not. I was continually bowled over, although I had a sneaking suspicion of one of the twists. But that didn’t diminish my enjoyment at all. I was looking for clues to prove I was right 🤣 if you mention cults, I honestly don’t need anything else to jump in a join the fun, but this was a whole nother level of devotion. This might be one I reread out of enjoyment and to see what clues I missed the first time around, and that almost never happens!

Vesper left her family 6 years ago and never looked back. But after getting fired from her terrible serving position at a generic restaurant, she gets invited to a wedding. Back home. From where people leave and they can’t come back. Between her former best friend and cousin, and her ex boyfriend, the only guy she ever loved and who refused to leave with her. The audacity! But what else has she got to do at the moment, other than go back and make them feel terrible about themselves?

If I haven't made it clear from any of my other reviews of Rachel Harrison's books, let me do it here: I love her books! Her brand of horror is perfect for me, and it is perfect for an incredible fall read. "Black Sheep" is an absolutely terrific read from start to finish. I truly didn't know what to expect from this one. I highly recommend that you go in blind.

Vesper - I love that name - left her family because she did not want to be a part of their religious community. She did not believe in their views. So at 18 she left and did not look back. Out of the blue, she receives an invitation to her cousin's wedding. Vesper loves her cousin Rosie, and decides to to return home for the wedding. It is a decision that will change her life.

I have so much that I would like to say about specific parts of this book. There were times when I laughed out loud, and there were times when I was absolutely terrified. Rachel Harrison writes horror that makes you think. She links her horror to the real world, and encourages you to turn a metaphorical mirror on yourself. I love it!

I am not going to give any spoilers or plot points away here. I truly loved Vesper. Her journey is fascinating, and she is just looking for her place in the world. She is a very believable character.

As I have said before, I love all of Rachel Harrison's books. "Cackle" and "Such Sharp Teeth" are two of my favorites. She writes strong, relatable female characters. I am looking forward to reading what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy of this book. I also downloaded the audiobook version of this story. I highly recommend all of the audiobook versions of this author's books. This book is a great place to start if this is a new author for you. It is the perfect fall book to read. It is out now!

I wasn't sure what category to classify this book. Part of me says horror, and apparently, this is what the author writes, but it wasn't horror like I usually see. Horror light, maybe? Or perhaps just a dark novel. I will say it wasn't until I was further into the book that I understood why it was classified in this genre. To give away that would ruin the book for the future reader.

Vesper left her family at 18 and ventured into the real world. Let's just say she grew up in a religious cult, and when you leave, you are cut off from everyone. However, she receives an invitation to her best friend's wedding, back in the cult, and she decides to attend. This sets off a chain of events that is just a bit insane. Vesper learns the truth about her family and is put into a position that she really doesn't wish to be in. I think she regretted going back to the wedding.

The story is quite intriguing, and there are twists that I didn't expect. At least not until we understood more about her family. It also explains a little bit more about Vesper and some situations that arose during her time away.

While I'm not sure I would read any other horror books, I do like to expand my horizons. This book might leave you in disbelief or perhaps even chuckling at different scenarios. I liked the ending, and it leaves me wondering about Vesper, her father, and the rest of her family. 

We give this book 4 paws up.

rachel harrison, queen of allegorical horror-comedy that actually features both a real and fantastical version of the concept she wants to comment on! loved everything about this!

A young woman returns home after a few years away only to find out something shocking about her family's history. To reveal what it is would be a major spoiler that you won't learn about until the half-way point. This book mixes humor and horror well, but I must admit I was underwhelmed following all the hype about this book and the author's reputation for quality writing. Just OK.

Black Sheep is the perfect title for this story. Once you read it, you will understand why. This story has dark family secrets that are both horrific and unimaginable. Vesper was a strong protagonist that was easy to like and sympathize with. I liked her from the very beginning of the story. Although Vesper’s mother Constance was a villain in this story, I did love the premise of her as a character. Hello??!! She’s a horror queen movie actress who collects creepy stuff like masks and cannibal lamps?! She would have made the perfect companion for Ed Gein! I guess the interest in the weird and macabre made me not dislike her, like many other readers probably will.

Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that the ending was my favorite thing of all in the whole story. It was filled with a cinematic climax that had me biting my nails. I loved the gory descriptions of Vesper’s dad showing his true form and the demise of some characters. Rachel Harrison has my attention as a new reader of her work, and I am excited to read some of her backlist titles now.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Rachel Harrison’s first two books, so this was a bit of a disappointment.

The Return was a terrifically creepy horror novel, and Cackle a delightfully macabre revenge tale. Such Sharp Teeth felt less successful, but was at least a compelling story.

Here in Harrison’s fourth book, things seem to have gone off the rails. Though the pacing is fine, there’s nothing scary about this book, and Vesper’s personal tale feels like one more Woman Breaks with Cult story, which never interests me much and isn’t presented in any especially unique way here.

It also bears mentioning that there’s a pretty significant difference between the church of Satan and a satanic cult, and this book seems to confusingly conflate the two. What’s happening here is much more evil cult in theme, but it’s presented as the church of Satan, which is not exactly correct and doesn’t help a meandering narrative that never really gets anywhere.

Harrison is at her best when she’s either scaring us senseless or appealing to our gleeful macabre revenge fantasies, and this book missed the proverbial boat on both of those things.

I was so scared to read Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison because I am admittedly a chicken. Now that I have kids, I am so out of practice with reading horror stories. I cannot handle anything with kids in danger. However, Cackle was soooo good that I knew I needed to give Black Sheep a shot. Add in that the audiobook is narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker, and friends, I am SOLD.

This book is about Vesper Wright. Vesper works at a restaurant and is a twenty something living a pretty quiet life. She has quite a history though. You see, Vesper grew up in the Hell’s Gate cult. She ended up leaving at 18. Vesper is called back with an invitation to the wedding of her best friend and ex boyfriend. Rather than turning it down, she ends up going back home. There we learn about her mom, Constance Wright, who was a famous horror actress. Also, about her mysterious father who has been in and out of her life. Only, y’all there’s a huge twist with her dad. Also, this book for sure takes a supernatural turn.

I am so glad I read Black Sheep. It was a solid spooky season read for me. I like books that are creepy and not gory. I am not at all a fan of gore. There’s a smidge of gore and moments where I was like WTF is going on here. However, the best part is that this gives off that creepy feeling where we know something is sinister and off but not quite what it is. I love that. Also, Vesper kind of starts off as kind of… someone in need of growth and she really just is so dynamic by the end. The audiobook was worth the listen. Jeremy Carlisle Parker does an excellent job as Vesper, but also with the voice of Vesper’s father. It was easy to differentiate between the different characters. The audiobook is 9 hours and 54 minutes long – a superb spooky season listen, although I did feel a little awkward everytime they were like hail Satan hahaha.

One thing I love about Berkley Publishing is when they publish a thriller or horror book, you know it will be unique. As I started reading this one, I was sure I knew where it was headed. It eluded to a cult that seemed to be religious in nature, but of course there is always a twist.

Vesper is heading home. A place she’s stayed away from for some time because she isn’t welcome. She wasn’t sure why she was invited to the wedding. As the reader, I wasn’t sure why she wasn’t welcome and I had all kinds of guesses. I related to Vesper, because at times I am the black sheep of the family too.

This one explores family and community. Both personally and as a big picture. As I read I was slowly let in to all the secrets this community has. I am going to leave my review here so I don’t spoil anything. But if you are looking for something a little different than your average thriller, this will definitely fit the bill. Nothing is as straightforward as it seems and I couldn’t read/listen to this one quick enough to be let in on the secrets.

When listening to this one, I enjoyed Jeremey Carlisle Parker’s narration. She nailed Vesper in all her youngness and cynicism. You can’t go wrong with either reading or listening or both to this one. A perfect choice for the start of spooky season.

**Many thanks to Shelf Awareness, Berkley, and Rachel Harrison for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**

There's one in every family...

Vesper considers herself lucky to have made it out alive. Growing up in a hyper-religious cult, she was taught not to question and that her future would consist of perpetuating the next generation of cult members...so Vesper bolted at age 18 and hasn't looked back. Sure, her job at a local restaurant isn't exactly ideal, but who can put a price on freedom? She grits her teeth at the stereotypical customers who drive her crazy and tries to stay on her boss' good side (despite a couple unusual run-ins with the patrons that only seem to happen when she gets VERY angry...)

But when she gets invited to her former best friend's wedding, Vesper decides to fight back against the rules and return to the place she so long called home. At first, she's happy to see her friends and even puts on an artificial happy face in the presence of her Scream Queen movie star mother, whose icy demeanor hasn't warmed a single iota. Until a terrifying secret about her life, her past, her family, AND her potential future is revealed....and everything Vesper thought she knew about her upbringing takes an enlightening ---and terrifying---turn. Why DID Vesper's dad abandon her at a young age...and why is he back now? And though she tried to run, is there a force buried deep within her, stronger then she even realizes, that cannot and WILL NOT ever let her leave?

Rachel Harrison is easily becoming a go-to horror author for me. Her blend of snark, feminism, humor, insight, and OF COURSE eerie and sometimes gory horror is bar none some of the best and most creative writing in the genre right now. The female characters who lead her stories are all cut from the same strong, vibrant cloth...and all seem to have just the SLIGHTEST dark streak in them too. (Okay, sometimes it's NOT so slight!) Vesper was a very accessible character from the jump, and I had no trouble feeling empathy for her situation and the general state of her life after what she endured: her choices aren't easy at the beginning and become exponentially LESS easy as time wears on.

I would LOVE to get into more specifics re: Vesper's father and the BIG SECRET...but doing so in any fashion would basically spoil 70% of the book for you. Let's just say the publisher's blurb was written in a cryptic way for a VERY important reason...and leave it at that. This is a book where going in blind is not only optimal, but is sort of necessary for full effect. What I can tell you is that your expectations will be subverted, your funny bone will be tickled, AND you'll get that pull and twist in your stomach while reading some of Harrison's gorier sections...but it is ALL worth it in the end.

And one thing is for certain: after finishing this one, you will NEVER be able to listen to Sweet Child Of Mine exactly the same way EVER again.

4 stars

My favorite thing while reading is when a book's plot shocks me so much my jaw drops; Black Sheep is basically just a series of jaw dropping, "oh my gosh," "what the hell?!" moments. But also with a main character I really like, a dark sense of humor, and a super original story.

My advice is to go into this one knowing nothing about the plot other than what's in the blurb, so you can have the full jaw-dropping experience. Basically, the main character is estranged from her family because they're in a weird religious cult, but she was invited back home to attend a wedding.

I laughed, I gasped, I cried. This story is about family, generational trauma, religious horror, and choosing your own path. Rachel Harrison is a favorite author at this point.

Thank you to @berkelypub @prhaudio for the #gifted arc. I listened to this one while following along and loved the narration. Jeremy Carlisle Parker was the perfect choice.

Vesper Wright, clearly the "black sheep", returns home after 14 years away after receiving a wedding invitation from her cousin and former bestie, Rosie. She was always told that once she left her religious community she could never return home. Vesper isn't sure she should. She wonders if it’s a set up. She didn't have a great relationship with her mom and she wanted to get away from her religious upbringing. Vesper's family was a hot mess and it was obvious that Brody was still in love with her!

I read Such Sharp Teeth last year and was a big fan so I did not hesitate to pick this one up. I just love Rachel Harrison's writing style and this cult horror book did not disappoint. This is a perfect spooky season read. Dark, creepy with a twist. I don't want to give too much away here, but I suggest you go into this one blind. You will not be disappointed! She will continue to be an auto-buy author for me!

This book was bananas and I enjoyed every second of it. This is by far my favorite Rachel Harrison book. It was sarcastic, funny and yet creepy and I couldn't put it down.
It tackles tough family, a religious cult...maybe even a Satan cult, an indie horror actress and it just goes everywhere.
A great read for the spooky season.

3.5 stars!

Rachel Harrison has done it again, balancing humor with horror, and creating such a fun cult classic horror novel that is just creepy enough, but won’t have you too scared to sleep without the lights on.

I loved Vesper’s character, a strong female MC that has fled her religious cult family, until she receives an invitation in the mail to return.

Each story Rachel writes is so creative, and I always find myself on the edge of my seat with the fast paced twists, and all the secrets that start to unfold. For me, I just didn’t love this story as much as I’ve come to love Cackle and Such Sharp Teeth.

🎧I absolutely loved the narration by Jeremy Carlisle Parker, who I’ve been listening to for a few recent reads, and have really enjoyed. She always manages to really draw me into the storyline and I thought she was great!

📖𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗽
✍️𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻
🗓️𝟵.𝟭𝟵.𝟮𝟯
🩸𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿
★★★.5

*many thanks to Berkley, PRH Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I am not a binge reader. It’s rare when a book makes me stand still and read it in less that two days.

I binged this arc of Black Sheep. I couldn’t put it down.

Harrison is the queen of capturing the horrors of everyday life. Black Sheep follows Vesper, a 20 something (with a pixie cut!!!) who left a fraught home and never looked back. When she’s invited “home” for a wedding, she’s drawn back into the fold and the toxic home she fought to escape. Vesper remembers just why she left, and learns of the even darker underbelly of her “family.”

Black Sheep explores the idea that family is so much more than the blood in our veins. Just because we share the same blood as someone else doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily ours.

The scares in this one felt surreal and dreamlike rather than downright scary, making it a great intro to horror read this spooky season. While I wish some pacing was different and some reveals were revealed sooner, I was still enraptured by this book.

If you love found family and are curious about horror, grab a copy of it next time you’re at the bookstore!

This was SO much fun! I had such a great time reading this book. Vesper is probably one of my favorite characters of the year. Her sass and point of view is so interesting.

I honestly don't want to give any of the plot away! I went in blind and am so happy I did! It made the "twists" so much more fun and had me binging this.

If you are into cultish vibes and interesting family dynamics, then you have to pick this up for Halloween/ fall season!