This had so much promise but ultimately wasnt for me. I liked the friendship themes, despite not loving either mc. The vampire gang was so interesting and I wish the author did even more with them. Once they leave and go on their “Bonnie and Bonnie” tear, it got too silly for me.

Rachel Harrison crushed it.

So Thirsty is a vampire story, and a damn good one at that. But it's also a beautiful story about age, identity, and friendship.

This was my third Harrison and, while I prefer Such Sharp Teeth and Black Sheep (I still can't decide which is better), So Thirsty was still damn good. Some of these descriptions were so gnarly and I loved it. I really think the "turning" sequence may be one of the best out there.

I also gotta give props to the dream mall - that was a really interesting idea and I think it worked really well, especially with the ending. The characters were all fun, the book itself was fun as hell. This book was also dark af. The scenes with Alice...

Being able to walk that fun and nasty line is Rachel's staple. Cozy horror my assssss.

So Thirsty is an extremely solid 4.25/5 for me. My biggest issue was the speed and length (that's what she said). No, but seriously — this book was great, but there were a few points I felt like things moved a little too fast and needed some more time. But, that said, I had such a good time that I would have enjoyed this being a 500-pager.

This was a fast and propulsive leave that I really think could've been better expanded upon and given more time and development. I actually liked almost every character EXCEPT our main character Sloane and would almost have prefered a book from Naomi's perspective. That being said, I did appreciate Harrison's depiction of (toxic) female friendship. This was my second novel by her that I've read, and I liked Such Sharp Teeth much more.

📖 BOOK REVIEW

📱 SO THIRSTY by Rachel Harrison
4.5 stars

Genre: horror
Did I cry: no
Publishes Sept 10, 2024

💭: 2024 has been my year of Rachel Harrison and i was soooo fired up to get my hands on her newest one. It would’ve been a great spooky szn read (as all of hers are) but i simply could not wait👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 What i love about Rachel’s books are that they’re classified as horror but only because they contain elements that are not real (e.g., vampires, werewolves, witches, Satan himself, etc) but otherwise seems like any ordinary thriller/mystery which i LOVE bec i don’t always love suspending my beliefs the way you have to with most horror novels.

The writing is (as always) SO GOOD it draws you in immediately and keeps you in until the last page. The characters are always hilariously honest & real, there’s never any wavering of reliability or weakness. The plot of this one was fun to follow and i was obsessed with the supporting characters. AND we have a little bit of an ambiguous ending here (unless i just didn’t understand the ending — likely) which always makes for a good opportunity to sit with my thoughts about the book and ~ponder~. My only thing keeping me from 5⭐️ with this one was that it just didn’t grab me the way that the others did, and the ending had me rereading it like 6 times.

I’D SAY, while you wait for this wonderful novel to publish, take a gander through Rachel’s backlist because they are allllll 5⭐️ from me.

Rachel does it again!!! Everything I read from her gets better and better. So Thirsty as sublime. I will recommend all her work!

Rachel Harrison makes you a reader who is thirsty for more of her antics as she writes such interesting and flawed characters in her works. While Black Sheep was my first adventure into the Harrison collection, her newest novel So Thirsty is able to keep me entertained and satisfied. The way Harrison creates characters that are fun, witty, elusive, exciting, and, just plain assholes is such a skill that I like to witness as I'm reading. I believe there should always be a tinge of humor in everything we write.

I don't know what type of horror I actually gravitate to more when I'm reading works like Harrison, but I know I enjoy the bad people getting it stuck to them in any way imaginable. I like the good people to be heroes and remembered. The characters in So Thirsty could not be anymore different, especially the female friendship between Sloane and Naomi. In a weird kind of way, they balance each other out and make for an eccentric duo. It was really fun getting to see them in tandem as they determine their new positions on life.

While Naomi is the over-the-top risk taker compared, Sloane is the introverted, leave-me-be pushover. I liked how two best friends who are certainly opposites in the most superficial things in life are able to navigate and transcend all the bad shit in their work and/or personal life. The voice of Naomi telling Sloane that she needs to "live" and have a sense of purpose pushes this theme throughout the book. Sloane is going nowhere fast because she refuses to push herself out of her own safety zones and comforts.

The reader should take note of the ways women have to lack desire, passion, and the ability to be all they can be. The author definitely shows us by the end how you can never truly know what to do if you never take a risk and try either. Your life just might be unraveling into a masterpiece once you risk moving forward.

Thank you to @berkleypub for the gifted copy and to @prhaudio for the gifted ALC.

3.5 STARS

I love vampires. I always have. And this novel is a great addition to my favourite... trope? sub-genre? monster canon? I don't know what the right term would be, but this book is awesome. I love that it's centred around best friends, and it's got Harrison's humour infused throughout. I'm sucker for found family of almost any kind, so you combine that with best friends and vampires and I'm on board. I was on board anyway, but I just LOVED this book so much. If you love vampires, tales about friendship, and also horror, this is the book for you.

Entertaining read, not quite the journey I was expecting the plot to take, but it definitely kept me invested from beginning to end. A different kind of vampire story than is typically written and that made it enjoyable.

<i>First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

I honestly don't know what to say, y'all. This was my first Harrison book, even though I have been wanting to read [book:Cackle|61058915] & [book:Black Sheep|69704909] for ages. I was really excited for this book, but mostly I found it to be boring.

It was like 40% of the way through before we got to vampires!

Sloane is insufferable, to me. She doesn't know what she wants, she's constantly waffling, and I wish she would just make up her goddamn mind.

Overall, this was very meh for me. Plenty of other vampire books out there I wish I had read instead of this one.

So Thirsty,is a vampire book where it feels like everything goes wrong. The characters are “unlikeable” and frustrating. I read two vampire books over the summer of 2024 and So Thirst especially got me itching to rewatch True Blood. Thank you Berkeley Publishing and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

Rachel Harrison is definitely a new auto-buy author for me!
So Thirsty gave me the perfect vampire vibes that I was looking for during spooky season. It has a bit of a different take on vampires than I’ve previously read and I really enjoyed that!

i got 30% of the way through this one and literally NOTHING had happened except two friends met up for a girls trip... and then all of a sudden they were at a weird orgy? and that is when i DNFed this one, no regrets!!!

turns out rachel harrison books really aren't for me, i'm 0 for 3 at this point and should have learned my lesson

Rachel Harrison is becoming known for her unique brand of cozy horror and So Thirsty is no exception. So thirsty is Harrison's take on vampires just as Cackle was her take on Witches and Such Sharp Teeth was her take on werewolves. Sloane is the part of us that would rather play it safe than risk heartbreak and disappointment, but when playing it safe is no longer an option she is faced with all the choices of an immortal life. Hit close to home, but in the best way possible.

his book had an intriguing concept—thirty-something vampires with complicated, long-term friendships—but ultimately fell short for me with its lack of depth. The relationship between the characters felt shallow, and their friendship lacked more genuine development. Sloane’s character leans toward self-righteousness, which may resonate with readers who enjoy more flawed, introspective protagonists, while Naomi’s bold, risk-taking nature provides a strong contrast. The romance incorporates a fated mates element, though it unfolds quickly, leaving room for interpretation. Despite some pacing issues, this story presents thought-provoking themes about friendship, identity, and the search for meaning—elements that readers who appreciate character-driven, reflective narratives might enjoy.

I may be in the minority in saying this but I absolutely loved this!

In this book we are following Sloane, a woman conflicted about her aging self and obsessed with always making the best and safest decisions, even if that means sacrificing her happiness. We are also following Naomi, Sloane's best friend and resident party girl. The women are brought together after some time apart to celebrate Sloane's birthday - a girls trip weekend - where things get a little more bloody and adventurous than either woman anticipated.

First off, I loved the writing in this. I feel like with each new book Rachel Harrison is getting more confident in her writing style and it just so happens to be one that I adore. I will admit that Sloane and Naomi were a bit insufferable as characters but I truly feel like that is one of the author's strongest suits when it comes to the stories that she tells - none of her characters tend to be particularly likable or easy to root for and they receive no stand out redemption arc over the course of the story. Instead, the characters are flawed from the beginning and remain flawed until the end and I think that goes a long way in making the characters feel more realistic and relatable.

This is also a book that is packed with social commentary. Sloane, as a character, is faced with the realities of aging as her birthday arrives and it is not something that she is happy about. There are no punches held when it comes to talking about how society treats aging women and the ways that you are perceived (or rather not) as you become an older woman. The author also uses Sloane to comment on codependency and the ways in which we will sacrifice ourselves and what we want and what may actually be best for us in order to maintain those relationships. There is this allure of the status quo but that same status quo can also lead to us being overcome with longing for anything new that can make us grow. It is showcased with both women in this story how we can thirst and desire wanting to feel wanted, wanting to be successful and wanting to have a good time and not focus on just our responsibilities.

It also goes without saying that this book is a hell of a good time. Things are bloody and gory - as one would expect with a vampire novel - but there is so much more. There are orgies, car chases, explosions, and plenty of comic relief. I also picked up on some of the more subtle nods to iconic friendships like Thelma and Louise, especially in the end, and I also thought the vampire characters and their relationships with one another were so hilarious and kinda wholesome. I know that there could be some issue taken with Naomi as a character and how toxic she seems but, in my opinion, both women were toxic to one another and every unhinged thing that Naomi does in the course of the book totally tracks with her as a person. I think that since we see Naomi primarily through Sloane's eyes we see her as worse than she really is. I think that is a commentary on how we can get so wrapped up in the mundane aspects of our lives and think so poorly of those in our lives who are trying to pull us out of that comfort zone and grow as people, for better or for worse.

The epilogue was another great aspect of this book. I feel like, oftentimes, epilogues can be pretty hit or miss but I loved seeing how it wrapped up the story and that we got to know for sure where all of our characters ended up. Ultimately, I had a fucking blast while reading this on the surface level and also loved all the social commentary and metaphors that were lying deeper in the narrative. It wasn't anything new or groundbreaking in terms of the genre or with vampire stories but it was well done.

I'm conflicted about this one because part of me loved it but part of me also really didn't. My main issue is with the characters and feeling annoyed by them for most of the story. I think the vampire aspect was done really well and that's what I loved most about this book. I think I'll continue reading anything Rachel Harrison publishes but Cackle is still my favorite by far!

3.5*

If you enjoy Thelma and Louise, but wish it had more vampires, this is the book for you.

Funny, gritty, and with heart and depth, Harrison weaves a perfect tale of spooky and silly.

Though I found the book to be sluggish in places and hard to power through, I enjoyed it overall.

I absolutely adore Rachel Harrison's work and I really enjoyed this one. This particular book isn't my favorite of hers but I still very much enjoyed it. This was definitely her most gruesome and gory book to date which perfectly fits with the theme. I also found these monsters to be the most unnerving of all her monsters. Overall the horror aspect of this was amazing.
I also found the relationships in this book to be really realistic. The female friendships especially felt very genuine in how complex they were. I also really liked one of the male vampires. I found his easy and funny personality to be very refreshing.
The only thing that brought this down was the romance. It felt very Twilight to me and I feel like we've moved past that as a community. The stalking and meant to be thing just felt creepy to me. It also felt like Henry was taking advantage of the situation to get what he wanted. Henry was really what brought this down for me.
Overall this was a solid book. It was perfect for the spooky season and a great addition to Harrison's catalog. I definitely can't wait to see what she writes next.

Genre: Horror

Format: Audio

4.5🌟 - I really liked it!

Thanks @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the #gifted physical and audio copies!

Summoning all Twilight girlies with this one! Hello vampires! I love the way Rachel Harrison writes so much. Her humor is EVERYTHING! She truly has become an auto-buy author for me.

This is very much a Thelma and Louise vibe, and I was here for it! Her books read like a movie, and I would love to see this adapted one day to screen! This one was amazing on audio 🎧! Feminist themes woven with female friendship, this is one to add to your fall list.

Now time to read her whole backlist!

So Thirsty was absolutely wild!! Like what did I just read?!!? This book kept my attention the entire time and I was dying to sit down and read every night. Rachel Harrison never disappoints.