4.5⭐!

Once again Rachel Harrison's blend of feminist popcorn horror hits all the right notes!

The first half feels like Thelma and Louise showed up at a classic Brad Pit vampire orgy only to have the mood killed by Van Helsing level horror resulting in confusion, thirst, and chaos!

Then the second half felt like the inner thoughts of every woman who was forced into a box and then conditioned to compare themselves against other women, tainting the beauty of their friendships but never letting it defeat you. I'm sure there are so many women who have struggled with self worth, unworthy love, sub-par partners, and an overall pressure to make themselves smaller and to be content with settling.

At times you dislike both FMC and can't understand their friendship but then you remember you love them and both their stories are unique and they behave the way they do largely due to the same, and different experiences theyve had.

I only wish I got almost an equal look into Naomi's head. I feel like a dual POV would have just pushed this over the top for me!

(And side note to anyone who would like to know, both FMC are childfree, there are no pregnancy tropes, and there are intimate scenes but no real spice)

Rachel Harrison has done it again—So Thirsty is officially my new favorite book of hers!

The story centers around Sloane, who is grappling with the approach of her 36th birthday. Stuck in suburbia with an unfaithful husband who doesn't really understand her, Sloane is terrified by the thought of change. On the other hand, her best friend Naomi is her polar opposite, living life to the fullest and embracing every moment.

When Sloane's husband, Joel, plans a surprise birthday getaway for Sloane and Naomi to reconnect and enjoy some much-needed girl time, it seems like the perfect escape. Sloane and Naomi truly are the best of friends, bound by love and loyalty, but what happens when their lives are turned upside down after one night out? Naomi meets a handsome stranger at a bar and persuades Sloane to attend his house party the next night, where things quickly take a strange and dark turn. This is not the kind of party Sloane had in mind, but could the mysterious and alluring Henry intrigue her enough to let loose?

This book is a bloody good time (pun fully intended!). 🧛🏻‍♀️ Rachel Harrison’s storytelling is captivating from the very first page, weaving together wit, horror, romance, friendship, existential crisis—and yes, vampires. The blend of genres creates a unique and thoroughly engaging read that kept me hooked until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Berkley Publishing for providing me with an ARC of So Thirsty. I’m thrilled to have had the chance to dive into this unforgettable story before its release!

Naomi and Sloane are two best friends that never expected their night to end the way that it did. Naomi just wanted to celebrate Sloane’s birthday by having a fun night out. This party wasn’t really Sloane’s type of fun, but she agreed to go anyway. While on vacation together, they go to a party with a group of people that they don’t know. Naomi is invited by one of the guests. Once they arrive, Sloane has a weird feeling about the party. She seems weary about the people that are there. The next morning, they realize that they are changed in a way that can’t be undone. From this point forward, these two women are vampires. The story takes a turn as they slowly learn what it means to be a vampire.

I don’t normally read vampire books, but this storyline seemed interesting. I like how the author made it feel like a realistic event taking place when they were transformed into vampires. It was simply a woman making a deal to save her friend. I thought it was neat how this group of vampires just lived side by side the humans, but they keep their true identities hidden. The author’s writing kept me engaged throughout this book. I was eager to find out about how the women would adapt to no longer living as humans.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I waited as long as possible to start it because I knew I wouldn’t want it to end. It’s fast-paced, bloody and a lot of fun.

I loved our main character and her relationship with her best friend, and actually I loved the vampires too. Harrison is so good at writing complicated female characters that you can’t help but cheer on as they transform into a stronger person. I loved the epilogue and could have read on and on.

If you enjoyed Cackle, you’ll love So Thirsty just as much. Thank you SO much to Berkley for my eARC. So Thirsty will be published next week.

So Thirsty was the second book I've read by Rachel Harrison, and it was a fast-paced, paranormal thriller that I could not put down. I thought the pacing for the first 20% of the book was a little slow, but once it took off, I couldn't stop reading, and I devoured this in a day. She is quickly becoming an insta-buy author for me.

I liked that this story was very character-driven, and I loved the themes of friendship, feminism, love, and mortality explored in this. At times, it reminded me of a modern Thelma & Louise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

Anyone who loves vampires, friendship, horror, and a bit of nonsense is really going to get behind this book.

I typically don't pick up a lot of horror books, but the synopsis sounded so intriguing that I found myself wanting to know more. This book was so delightful, but in a really unhinged sort of way. It pushed the edges of what I was comfortable with, horror wise, but at the center of it is a truly great story about the friendship between two women, the lengths they will go for each other, and a lot of really horrific vampire fun.

You don't want to miss this one, especially for spooky season.

This may be my new favorite vampire book. This one was right on the edge of how much horror I could handle. But I could not put it down. I identified with the MC so much about being cautious and warning others to be more cautious! There was non stop and terrifying action in this book.

Thank you @BerkleyPub for the free book! #BerkleyBookstagram #berkleypub #BerkleyIG #berkley #SoThirsty

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐒𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

𝟒.𝟓★

This was my first book by Rachel Harrison and now I’m planning on reading all of her books! This book was phenomenal! It was fast-paced and from the start it just felt so unsettling and I could not stop this one once I started. This is such a bingeable book and the perfect fall book!

Sloane Parker has no desire to celebrate her birthday this year, but her husband makes plans to send her away for the weekend with her best friend, Naomi. Sloane and Naomi are complete opposites, and while Sloane is hoping for a relaxing weekend, Naomi has other plans. When Naomi plans a wild not out with some mysterious strangers, it takes a horrifying turn that changes both of their lives forever.

Posted on Goodreads on September 4, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around September 5, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on September 10, 2024
**-will post on designated date

Thank you Berkley for my free ARC of So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison — available Sep 10!

» READ IF YOU LOVED «
🐺 Such Sharp Teeth and/or Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
🥀 A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
👻 September House by Carissa Orlando

» SYNOPSIS «
Sloane is kind of miserable, and her approaching birthday is not helping. Aging sucks. But her deadbeat husband sends Sloane on a surprise getaway with her best friend Naomi, which is helping. Until Naomi pushes for a wild night out with a bunch of sexy strangers, who turn out to be into even crazier things than Sloane expected. Will Sloane and Naomi survive the choices they've made, much less the eternal consequences?

» REVIEW «
Listen, I love Rachel Harrison. Her books can do no wrong — horror with heart? Let me at it. So if you've read her before, you know what you're getting here. A lot of story and character growth with fun horrific components. Sloane is whiny and pitiful at first, but she grows on you. Same with Naomi's wild child vibe. By the end, I loved them both, and the closing scenes just made my heart happy. Where are all these sexy European vampires at?!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am a huge fan of Rachel Harrison and probably always will be. As soon as I see she has a new book coming out it gets immediately added to my TBR list. No, I don't know what it's about but I'm reading it.

I consider Rachel Harrisons work as "cozy horror." That being said, Thirsty has all of the same elements that I have grown to love from Harrisons books. To my surprise though, Thirsty has some surprising new elements! We've got some spicey scenes and bloody violence in this one! The cozy aspect of this book is the warm, at home, full trust feelings you have with your best friend. Even when things change and there are challenges, you work it through and your bond deepens.

The book is about two best friends who face a new life together as new born vampires. They drop their old human problems, including the problematic men in their old lives and they move on to greater, grander adventures. Learning to be vampires in a modern world.

There is a love interest but I didn't feel like it was exciting. They talked a lot about "Do you feel that? That connection between us?" And as a reader.... no, no I do not. What is there between you two? Cuz I don't see it. It felt juvenile and bland. No seasoning on that chicken thigh. I'm not really complaining though bc I'm not a fan of romance anyways.

On to the good stuff- there was blood. There was carnage. There was fighting scenes. There was brutality! There was what vampires do best.... besides those sexy time scenes. Yummm. It's not toooo graphic nor detailed. I feel like Harrison was dipping her toes into some new waters and she was testing it out. I'm all for it.

I actually wouldn't mind reading a sequel to this to see more character development, how they change and adapt to their new lives and become more bad ass. And I might be a little nuts but I got some Romy and Michelle (from Romy and Michells Highschool Reunion) vibes, along with The Lost Boys vibe reading this during certain scenes. I'm crazy tho.

As always, I enjoyed the journey Harrison put us on.
Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for accepting me for this ARC for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Berkley Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So Thirsty is a great mix of vampires, and the power of friendship. Sloane and Naomi have such a strong and unbreakable bond. You can see how much they care for one another through the obstacles they face as they come to terms with their new life. Each friend approaches their new life differently and it was interesting to see two polar opposite reactions. Their new vampire friends become more like family as they help them navigate their changing world. I enjoyed all of these characters and wish we got to see more of them. The ending was great! Exactly as I had hoped. There was plenty of excitement and drama to keep me hooked to the end. You won't want to skip this one!

Rachel Harrison FANS… this is for you!

I was more than happy to read this dark, fast paced paranormal thriller from the mind of some of my favorite horror reads! I love the feminist themes Rachel weaves into her stories add in a vampire universe and you have a perfect Fall eerie read!

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy!

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.Andthebookshelf/

If RH writes it, I’m going to read it. She is amazing at bringing so much life and imagery to her books. I can truly go on & on about her writing style. The main FMCs are so relatable and human (or vampire in this case LOL).

This gave me Thelma & Louise, Death Becomes Her, & slight Twilight vibes.

I only wanted more from the origin of the vamps and more from all of the characters in the group. It all came and left very suddenly. I wasn’t ready to leave them yet

Other than that, this was so so good. I love a story about friendships/found family and the dark, honest, truths about it. Very eerie, gruesome, slightly spicy and BLOODY! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to unsee Ms. Alice’s scenes and I LOVED the epilogue!!!

If you love RH, read this one! Enough said.

huge thanks to @netgalley & @berkleypub for this ARC!!! OUT SEPTEMBER 10th

Many thanks to #partner @berkleypub @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 9/10/24.

I am definitely in my #vampireera, and SO THIRSTY was so good and delicious, and perfect to read just in time for #spookyseason!

Sloane and Naomi have been best friends their whole lives, although they are total opposites. Sloane is about to celebrate her birthday, and her husband Joel surprises her for a long weekend getaway, but for her and Naomi. The actual night of Sloan's birthday Naomi has a surprise place she wants to take her with a group of people that she met the previous night at the bar. When the girls arrive at the party it wasn't the type of party they had in mind, but with the snow and roads so bad they are stuck with a group of people that will change their lives forever.

It was good. I read it in a day and enjoyed it but I really just wanted more from it. The ending confused me a tiny bit but that’s ok. I’m sure it’ll click once I have more time to think about it.

I love Rachel Harrison, I’ll read anything she writes. This book was a good time it just wasn’t her best book yet. A sexy slightly horrific vampire novel is what I’m here for but I just needed more.

Definitely recommend but it isn’t really horror based. It’s more light thriller than anything else.

So Thirsty is an insanely binge-able and bloody novel with the absolute best cast of characters. Sloane is celebrating her 36th birthday at a cabin in the woods, away from her POS husband. Her long-time friend (and shit show,) Naomi has just flown in from Europe and they are ready for a ✨ girls ✨ weekend.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) they quickly get tangled up with some ancient, other-worldly forces. Chaos ensues. This book explores the art of letting go and getting everything you’ve ever wanted, just by reaching out and taking it. Vampires have never really been my cup of tea but Ilie and Henry had me questioning everything.

Harrison is a master of making me say “what the actual f**k” multiple times in the same book, and So Thirsty was no exception. This was one of my most anticipated books for 2024 and I’m so glad to be able to recommend it for fans of horror, vampires, gore, and chaos!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC of this title!!**

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Trigger warning: gore, blood.

I really have enjoyed Rachel Harrison’s works in the past. I love her dry sense of humor and the way that she writes flawed, yet still highly relatable protagonists. And in keeping with her earlier works, both of these elements are present.

I enjoyed So Thirsty, but something seemed slightly underbaked. The two main characters—Naomi and Sloane are vivid and complicated. Their motivations and the way they approach their fears of living and maintaining control are some of the best formed elements of the plot. The book is just as much about complex, life long female friendships that have seen the evolutionary phases of adulthood as it is about vampires.

And maybe that’s the issue I had with the book. The vampire story seemed like it wasn’t entirely finished and like the pacing was inconsistent. The jump between the scenes seemed somewhat abrupt. It’s difficult to even put my finger on what was missing from the story, but at times it felt like the story didn’t really know where it was going fully.

It’s clear that the author had a great premise; a story about female friendship interspersed with a modern vampire transformation. And while the female friendship elements were flushed out, it felt like the vampire story lines were half formed.

My last comment is mostly on the categorization of the book. This book was billed as the horror genre, but it wasn’t totally accurate. The story has some gory sequences and uses themes of vampires, but isn’t particularly scary or thrilling. I’d say it’s more of contemporary fiction with a gothic setting. Horror fans looking for a conventional story won’t necessarily find what they’re looking for, and I think that the label could turn away some readers that would enjoy the story.

I was surprised by this book. I did not know much about this book as I began to read it. I like to go on the journey without much of a guide when I read and I was not disappointed by this ride at all! I did not expect the touching friendship or the themes on life choices and how we accept where we are even if it is not the best place for us. Sloane's story resonated with me more than I expected or would like to admit. Her journey to letting herself heal and change was impactful. My only complaint may be that the end seemed to happen quite quick and neat. But honestly, I'm not mad about it. I loved where our characters ended up. I'm glad I picked this up and went on this journey with Sloane.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early arc of this fun read!

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
Release Date: 9/10/24
Format: audio/ebook hybrid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve been a huge fan of Rachel Harrison ever since I read Cackle and I’ve since read everything she’s written! What I really adore about her stories are how she writes these beautiful and messy strong female leads and that their arcs usually revolve around some badass growth. So Thirsty was no exception!

I loved the themes of friendship and not needing to conform to society’s expectations of women that were woven throughout this book. It definitely had me hooked from the start and I was absolutely rooting for Sloane every step of the way.

Where I struggled with this book is that it felt like the same story as her other books just in a different font. While I do like that her recurring themes tie her larger body of works together despite them not being in a shared universe, I just felt a little bored.

It’s not a bad book, I was just a bit disappointed and hoping for a little bit more. A great start to the spooky season nonetheless!

This was a fun book! I have had mixed results with Rachel Harrison in the past, but this one did not disappoint. This is a story about friendship, feminism, and the choices we make that send our lives down radically different paths, all wrapped up in fun vampire candy coating. Harrison is saying so many things about the world we live in and the way that it treats women, but she's doing it while telling a really fun vampire story. The cast of characters is phenomenal, and the two main characters are very well developed. The story stretches from the Finger Lakes of New York to the streets of Prague, and there is not a dull moment. I read this book in a day. If you are a fan of the vampire genre, this is a must read.