"But I’m not horror-struck. Not sickened or afraid. I’m not at all upset. I’m thirsty."

Sloane is dreading her upcoming birthday. Birthdays only serve as another reminder that she's getting older and that her mundane, suburban life is passing her by. Her husband, Joel, plans a getaway for her and her bff since childhood, Naomi, at a swanky hotel. Sloane isn't sure whether she should thank or suspect him. Reluctantly, she goes and meets up with Naomi. Nay, ever the reckless, free-spirited troublemaker, is determined to use the getaway to force Sloane in to living her life once and for all. But when a wild night with mysterious strangers goes completely, bloodily awry, they're lives are changed forever. This could be their chance at a new life... but at what cost?

I've been wanting to read some Rachel Harrison for awhile and despite the fact that vampires aren't my favorite creature of the night, So Thirsty was a genuinely fun read! Sloane is a relatable protagonist, made all the more real by how much she could frustrate me. She's insecure and punishing herself for her past. As a reader, distance gives you clarity. But as a fellow messy human being (not human turned vamp, in my case), I really felt for her struggles to trust others and allow herself to feel again. To feel worthy of love between friends, trust between lovers, and joy amongst a found family.

Part of me expected something more to happen, like some mystical, magical twist about her fate that would explain her almost magnetic pull toward the vamps. But honestly, I'm glad it didn't. I like a kind of simple, yet unconventional vampire story where these normally irresistible, selfish creatures care about consent and responsibility. A story about how even when you've given up, you can find yourself again (even if is through buckets and buckets of blood 🤷‍♀️🩸).

Thanks to @netgalley and @berkleypub for the chance to read this one early! So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison will be in bookstores everywhere September 10th!

#sothirsty #netgalley #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagramreview #vampires

I'm torn about my opinions after reading this book. On one hand I loved the vampire characters, especially Henry. On the other hand I severely disliked our main protagonists Sloane and Naomi.

For a book that's supposed to be about vampires it seemed to focus more on the petty bickering friendship between the two main characters than the more interesting backstory of the vampires around them.

I wanted to spend more time learning everyone's histories, the lives they'd lived surviving as vampires for centuries, how they get blood and travel in a modern world where everything is being recorded and uploaded at light speed, and delve more about the mysterious Feeders.

Instead, the majority of the book feels like a disjointed road trip focusing on a pointless argument between two women who say they're best friends but act more like jealous rivals.

I really wanted to like this book but in the end it felt too slow and fragmented for me to fully enjoy.

So Thirsty is SO GOOD. First off, endless thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC copy, I was thrilled when I was approved for this book because I’ve been craving it. So thanks! Now for the review: if there’s two things I love about about Rachel Harrison’s books, it’s her ability to encapsulate all aspects of womanhood into horror aspects, as well as her strengths in breaking tropes, or freshening up the lore we’ve known for centuries. So Thirsty does just that and more. Never a dull moment, never a “we’ve seen this before” take on vampires, all while getting you to care so deeply for these characters, you’ll ride through everything with them to the last page. If you’re looking for a book blessed with dream malls, best friends, Jersey girls, Wegmans (my second home), and disaster obsessions, this one is so for you! Cheers to the upcoming release day!

I love Rachel Harrison’s books and am fairly rabid about reading them as soon as I can get my hands on them, but this was not my fave by her.

It had some elements of my actual fave (Such Sharp Teeth), with a somewhat aimless young-ish woman who encounters a supernatural being and has her entire life changed — but it was missing the snap and snark that I loved so much in SST (and Cackle and Black Sheep for that matter) and left me feeling kind of meh.

I think my main issue was not particularly liking Sloan
— Rory in SST was righteously furious about everything, which made her relatable and fun to root for — but Sloan just kind of muddles along, unhappy in her marriage, bored at her job, and bulldozed by her (obnoxious AF) bff, but then an ancient vampire is transfixed by her (?) It felt off.

There were parts of this that I really liked, and I'll be a Harrison fan for life, but overall this fell kind of flat. Oh well. Onward and upward.

Rachel Harrison does it again! She’s always supplying us with a fast paced, page turning, hold your breath reading experience and I can’t get enough!! I can’t pick a favorite of her books, she is my new favorite genre.

This book is a great option for anyone who is wanting to read something perfect for spooky season, especially if you are a fan of vampires. Rachel Harrison is an amazing author for this type of book and I have loved her books for a while now. In terms of the books she has written, I will say that this wasn’t necessarily my favorite. However, it brings back some of the major themes exploring some spooky and horrific elements without being fully in the horror realm.

I really loved this. I was so sad when it was over, I wanted it to last forever. Blood, friendship, new beginnings, remembering who you are while becoming something new, it was wonderful. It sparked a longing in me to live, and an appreciation for my lifelong best friend. I love the banter between Sloane and Naomi, their friendship felt so familiar. Everyone deserves a friendship like theirs. I also loved the romance aspect of this. This book did something for me that I didn’t know I needed.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

It was a fun read but left me wanting. I wanted to see much more from Henry and more of his backstory. Wanted more details on the rest of the crew. I feel the time spent Sloane and Naomi arguing could have been used to get us more deeper into the vampires.

This book is consistent with Rachel Harrison's other works and is a nice addition to her series of monster books. It was a little too similar to Such Sharp Teeth, but with vampires instead. I find her plots to be a little rambling but she has very good characters and a writing style that is very easy to get through. Overall a good read but not a new favorite.

Delightful twist on a vampire tale. While the horror elements are what I expected (plenty of gore and sexual situations but not really scary, per se), what elevated this for me was the voice of the main character and how strongly the plot is driven by the choices the characters make. I've heard Harrison interviewed on a number of Horror-related podcasts, but this was my first time reading her work Hope to explore more down the road.

Sloane and her longtime best friend Naomi are on a birthday weekend gifted by Sloane’s unfaithful husband. Naomi is impulsive and she accepts an invitation to a strangers party that changes them into vampires.
This plot has been done before and Harrison brings nothing new to the table. Both Sloane and Naomi are annoying by themselves, but their passive aggressive relationship is too over the top. Slow to build plot line with a tepid finish.

Unhappily married and extremely lonely Sloane, finds herself in the presence of unlikely company when a surprise birthday weekend getaway turns into something more than she may have bargained for. A whole world of vampires and an insatiable thirst for blood are now the ways of Sloane’s new life. What seemed consequential of unwanted risks, turns out to be newfound freedom and happiness. Sloane discovers family, friends, and her own happiness in the most unexpected ways.
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Rachel Harrison paints a gorgeous portrait of a lonely woman stuck in the only way of life she knows. This is the first ultra-sexy vampire novel I have read that is so feminist forward, and not for a male gaze, I’M OBSESSED. Miss Harrison, you have me looking at these undead, blood-dependent creatures in a WHOLE new light!

3.5 Stars
Sloane Parker is less than excited when her husband surprises her and her best friend, Naomi, with a birthday trip… a girl’s weekend away in a cozy cabin. Sloane hasn’t been able to find much happiness or thrill in her life lately, and Naomi is determined to change that. Against Sloane’s wishes, Naomi plans a crazy night for them with some strangers they met the night before. The night takes a dark and wild turn, and Sloane and Naomi’s lives are changed forever.
Forced to leave her old life behind, Sloane is on a path to determine if she can find happiness or joy again. This new life will take some major adjusting after all - new friends, new rules, new cravings…
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I thought this was such a fun read! It’s such a cozy little horror book with just enough gore but plenty of feel-good vibes. It’s a story of friendship and how it’s never too late to find yourself.

Cackle is one of my favorite books and this one had a similar vibe yet didn’t quite live up. I felt like it was lacking in character development and history of the vampires - I would’ve loved to know more. The romance also felt a bit rushed and there were definitely some cheesy parts.

What I liked:
- Friendship theme
- The gore
- The cozy horror vibes
- The epilogue!

What I didn’t like:
- How the romance played out
- Lack of character development of vampires
- Some plot points felt random or underdeveloped

All that said, I really enjoyed this quick spooky read and think it’s a perfect book to cuddle up with for spooky season!

Rachel Harrison does such a good job writing horror in a unique and different way. Her take on different horror elements is refreshing. Her female main characters are always so quirky and end up finding ways to better their lives.

This book was a quick read and different than other paranormal stories I have read. The two main female characters are likable and relatable. It’s truly a story about friendship and found family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

GoodReads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6710603406

I really enjoyed this one, more than I did Black Sheep, less than I did Sharp Teeth (Sharp Teeth is my favorite of Harrison's books thus far). If I have a gripe about this book, it's simply this: I really wanted the heroine to get out of her "I hate myself, I'm a monster now" mode, and wanted her to start wrecking stuff. Once she did, I liked her a lot more. If I'm going to read about vampire ladies, I want them to go full-on "eat the patriarchy, eat the rich, eat the incels". I support women's rights and I especially support their wrongs, and the wrongs, once we got there, were GLORIOUS.

Also, I really wanted one character to get eaten, but alas. He lived.

A quick read focused on the relationship between two best friends on a girls weekend. Rachel Harrison is so great at building that unsettling, off-kilter vibe that keeps you in suspense!

Thanks to NetGalley for free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

So Thirsty is the perfect Fall read! It features everything you have come to love from bestselling author Rachel Harrison: complicated relationships, supernatural creatures, and a raw, real protagonist that you'll be rooting for.

Vampires are something that have always fascinated me. Even as a young child I wanted to have fangs and roam through the night. Alas, I grew up to be human with no interest in human blood, so work it shall be. No fun at all.

Seeing Harrison release a vampire novel, I threw my money at whoever would grant me a copy. What an exciting time to be a blood thirsty ghoul. There was something amiss when it came to this novel though. *fake faints* I was kind of let down by it and it just didn't live up to my bloody expectations. What a cruel, cruel world.

This started off slow. I mean molasses dripping slow. I know we couldn't just jump right into the mouth of a hungry beast but that's what I wanted. No tap-dancing around waiting for the inevitable to happen. It took some time to get there but we eventually did and it got better. Even with all the blood spilling and lurking, it still wasn't my cup of blood.

So Thirsty was an okay vampire novel. There were parts that I liked and it was enjoyable to a point. There was something missing for me and I'm not sure what. I can see other readers really loving this one.

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison is a vampire story like no other. Solane has been unhappy since college. Her best friend since middle school Naomi, who lives life to the fullest and lets nothing get in her way. For Solane's birthday her husband Joel sends her and Naomi to a resort to celebrate. Naomi just wants to drink and have fun, while Solane wants to stay in and do nothing. The first night out Naomi ditches Solane at the bar to talk a guy. Thats when Solane notices a stranger lurking in the shadows. The next night Naomi and Solane show up the house of the guy that Naomi meet to party with his friends. Solane wants nothing to do with the people or the party and wants to leave. The night turns into her worst nightmare when they are both attcked by a creature and Naomi is dying from her wounds. In order to save them Solane must make the ultimate choice that she can not take back and will change their lives forever. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Berkley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

Rachel Harrison is a gift to writing. Her stories are so insanely approachable, they're fun, they're tragic. So Thirsty (for me) is about a woman who got so good at believing she didn't deserve things that she forgot how to allow herself to live, to be happy. Also, about our friendships and relationships, and how they're hard and infuriating, and sometimes impossible, but sometimes they'll save your life. Or end it, I guess. I'm rambling. Harrison works magic with her stories, and I'm so on board for more and more and more.