Harrison once again keeping me fed with an entertaining horror lite read about the complexities of female friendship, existential dread, and choosing yourself. I really enjoyed her take on a vampire story. I’m a bit iffy on the ending and didn’t love the unnecessary half-baked romance, but this was a fun read. I find Harrison’s writing so relatable as a woman growing older and all the insecurities and hesitancies that come with it. I also really enjoy how she writes about friendships evolving over time.

Catch me in the dream mall, thinking about this book constantly until her next one comes out. Such Sharp Teeth and Black Sheep still reign supreme as my absolute favorites, but this is a close third.

Rachel Harrison is back to tackle another monster- vampires- and she does it so well.

So Thirsty tells the tale of two opposite best friends just living their separate lives, then turns into a bloodbath, and it's amazing.

Harrison's pacing is top tier, as usual, like a spider weaving a web tighter and faster as the story goes on. She has a unique way of making the characters feel real through small details.

This is the quintessential spooky season read and deserves to be on everyone's spooky season TBR.

I read this in a day, and while this review is mostly glowing, I will say I didn't love the ending, but the epilogue makes up for it, so 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

**Many, many thanks to #NetGalley and #Berkley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review- my opinions are my own.**

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison is a sharp and darkly humorous exploration of obsession and identity. While it delivers some engaging and thought-provoking moments, the story’s pacing and character development may not fully resonate with every reader.

While the cover and the title didn't exactly, immediately, clue me in to a major part of this story, when it did happen, I was actually excited for the turn of events.

Rather than a run of the mill girls weekend gone wrong type of story, Sloane and Naomi find themselves in need of help from the most unlikely of sources. Thus the impetus for the rest of the novel, my first from Rachel Harrison.

More than the horrifying choice that Sloane must make, this story is about living. Its about control, of self and of others. Sloane is the type of person who holds herself to a very high standard, but also doesn't allow herself to fully live because she doesnt believe she deserves it. She's constantly hiding from a trauma in her youth and believes that if she just does everything right and doesn't make waves, she will be able to control the narrative of her life. On the other hand, her best friend lives life like she's running out of time. Naomi is chaos personified. Each facet of both women's personalities are heightened when they go through their night of horror, but that also forces at least Sloane to reexamine her life and her choices. What does she want? How does she want to live? Is letting go really that bad? Is holding it all in, being careful and oh so perfect, really keeping you safe?

Under the guise of a semi supernatural horror, Harrison asks hard questions of her characters, and in turn, her readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

Rachel Harrison is simply one of my favorite modern horror authors. I have come to know Harrison's books to be full of wit but also the hard-hitting life moments that authors tend to avoid. This was no expectation.

Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday, she is in a loveless marriage with a cheating husband. When he sends her on a weekend getaway with her bestfriend Naomi, she is hesitant. 1. Sloane hates surpises. 2. She does not need another reminder that she is getting older.

While on this spur of the moment surprised three day getaway they meet Henry and from there the chaos ensues

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

Rachel has done it again! So Thirsty was everything I wanted it to be and more. I love how fleshed out our main characters are and I loved the vampire crew as well. Personally the crew reminded me of the vampires from What We Do In The Shadows, in all the best ways.

This was such a fun and interesting vampire book that I drank right up! Harrison’s books always leave me wanting more and more 🖤 can’t wait to see what she cooks up next!!

FAVORITE VAMPIRE BOOK OF THE YEAR!

This was SO GOOD! It was fast-paced, thrilling, different, spicy, and I DEVOURED IT. I loved the way @rachelharrisonsghost writes, she throws in whitty comments and the plots are always so spooky! Also, Henry is SO FINE. I kept envisioning him as Louis (Brad Pitt in Interview with a Vampire) add this to your spooky season tbr!!! It’s a must!

This was my first novel by Harrison and I think it may be my last. While technically the writing was great for a novel, I just ultimately think I am not the demographic for this book. I took a chance on it because I love vampire stories and this came across as a unique entry in the world of vampire writing. But to me the premise was lost somewhere. This is a very feminist book, which I love, but there was something where it just didn't mesh well. I think this was trying to be two things and it never fully leaned into either, resulting in a mixed back. I think if this had had zero vampires and been a book about women and their friendships, I would have enjoyed it more. It almost comes across as the vampire horror is an afterthought.

𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘.

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
Genre: Horror Fiction
Pub Date: September 10, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

I read Black Sheep last year and it was such an entertaining horror book!
And that made me super excited to read So Thirsty - this year’s new release by Rachel Harrison! Thank you so much to @berkleypub for the e-ARC copy!!

This story is centered around Sloanne and Naomi, two opposites, and their strong female friendship despite all the differences. SO THIRSTY is a paranormal horror story with vampires. I liked the focus of the story being on accepting unexpected changes in our lives and embracing ourselves.

This read is fast-paced and I flew through this book. I’m excited to dive into backlist by Rachel Harrison !!

I was intrigued by the premise of this - our main character has been dealing with marital problems (i.e. a cheating spouse) and her friend takes her out on vacation where they meet a group of strangers and begin partying with them. As the cover and title suggests, there are vampires involved.

This is my first Rachel Harrison book, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I've heard her previous novels described as "cozy horror." I would say this book has moments of horror (body horror, blood, gore), but it's not necessarily horror in tone. It's really a story about these two friends and their dynamics, with the trope of one being more reserved and cautious and the other being more wild and freewheeling.

This felt tonally all over the place - a "women's fic" story about marriage and finding your self-worth / life purpose, a story about vampires and satisfying needs/desires/thirst, a tiny bit of romance, and a story about lifelong friends. This leaned much more heavily on the women's fic side of things versus horror. Unfortunately, I also found the two characters to be painful to follow in their decision-making. I was more interested in a tertiary character, Alice, and wish we could've gotten more of her story.

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me, but you may enjoy it if you like a lighter horror read / friendship stories / stories about reigniting your passion for your life. 2.5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

My most anticipated release of the year did not disappoint! Rachel Harrison proves, yet again, why she is an auto-buy author for me; she consistently delivers excellently crafted (gothic) settings, relatable characters and satisfying endings. The female friendship central to the story is beautiful and tragic, raw and honest. When reading Harrison's books, I often feel like she must've been a fly on the wall during some of my conversations with childhood friends, or we've lived the same lives. Her books are always full of painfully cozy nostalgia, and this one is no different.
If you like spice, you're in luck- I wouldn't call this smut territory, but it's definitely RH's spiciest book yet! Unfortunately for me, I do not like spice lol... that is most of the reason for the 4 star rating rather than the 5 stars I typically give to RH. It's almost certainly a personal thing, but the inclusion of sex made the story feel a little more shallow than what we usually get in the relationship subplot, or maybe I just didn't connect as much to this particular love interest because vampires aren't really my "thing." However, the main character's relationship with their love interest is really the least interesting dynamic we have going on in this story, being overshadowed by their relationships with other side characters that range from endearing to traumatic in nature.
Emotional abuse and dependency are strong themes throughout the book, so be aware if you find those topics triggering.
Highly recommend reading if you want to chant "Girl Power!" through your tears. <3

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I love Rachel Harrison's books so much and when I heard about her latest novel, SO THIRSTY, I knew that I wanted to prioritize it as soon as possible. Rachel Harrison creates the perfect cocktail of horror, contemporary fiction, feminist-empowering stories I've read in recent years, and and SO THIRSTY is no exception!

The story is centered around Sloane Parker and her friend Naomi. Sloane is about to celebrate her birthday and when her husband Joel surprises her with a weekend getaway with her friend Naomi, Sloane feels a bit concerned that he didn't want to spend it with her. Regardless, Sloane is excited to catch up with her chaos addicted friend and the two spend a weekend away at a nice bed and breakfast while enjoying wine tastings and relaxation. When Naomi plans a night out with Sloane, the two meet a group of people at the bar and are invited to their house for a party, but it quickly takes an unexpected turn. Sloane and Naomi must come to terms with what their new normal will be whether they like it or not.

SO THIRSTY is unique because it's a story about people turning into vampires and coming to accept it. There's so many metaphorical messages within this center of conflict that ring true for different types of things going on within peoples' lives. I found the journey of these new vampires utterly intriguing and also very satirical that I couldn't put it down and finished within two sittings. The is the ultimate testament to a good novel! I did not looooove the ending, as I felt like it ended a bit too early, but overall this book is an amazing installment in Rachel Harrison's rolodex of supernatural modern-day horror reads. If you've read and enjoyed any of this author's previous works, you will hands-down love this one. Rachel Harrison has become an auto-read author for me, so make sure you put this one on your TBR!

I didn’t like this novel by Harrison as much as I have liked her others. Sloane and Naomi don’t have a good relationship/friendship, so I didn’t feel anything for them as they went through their problems here. I’d have to say their friendship was toxic, and I would have cut out any ‘friend’ who treated me like Naomi did Sloane. There was so much petty bickering..! There was no love, or support shown by either of them. These women also seemed like caricatures to me. There was nothing new added to the “besties retreat” trope, or the ‘newly turned vampire’ trope. Also the romance was too insta-love to me. I seriously hate that.
This whole novel was slow, and somewhat fragmented. I was able to finish it quickly because it was short. I would have loved to have learned more about Henry and his friends, and how they came together, and their backgrounds. That would have been fascinating. There was no resolution to any of the conflicts these characters had, either. And why were these vampires all homeless? Why weren’t they rich as can be..? It’s so weird.
I cannot recommend this novel as much as I would other novels by this author, because of all of these issues. But also because it was missing the snark that I loved so much in other Harrison novels, and just felt kind of meh.

When I review a book, I ask myself two different questions: Did I like it? Will YOU like it? And the answers to those might be very different.
I read Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison and thought it had some appeal, so when I saw this, I was intrigued. Sloane is a woman dealing with an unfaithful husband and the prospect of a discontented life. She meets up with her best friend, wild child Naomi, for a spa weekend. When they meet some strangers, things go sideways.

It sounded like an interesting woman-comes-into-her-power story, but it didn’t deliver for me. For one, the main crux of the story sounds like a strong female friendship. We’re TOLD that these girls have been tight friends forever, but I see no reason why. In fact they seem toxic together. They’re mean and catty to each other at times, and there was no support or love shown. They seemed more like reluctant acquaintances than best friends. Don’t tell me, show me.

I am personally not a fan of romances that don’t feel earned. You saw someone in a bar, didn’t speak to them, but decided within 5 minutes that they were your soulmate, whom you’d love forever? Then you creepy stalk them? There are a lot of readers that like that dynamic, and if you do, then this won’t bother you. For me, it’s a hard no.

Perhaps the biggest problem was there was no payoff. Sloane had a lot of issues, but did she make progress on any of them? Was there any resolution to the conflicts? Not that I saw. Also, and this is a nitpick, but that’s just me – vampires that can walk in the sun? NO. NO. Creatures that powerful and deadly MUST have some kind of weakness to counterbalance their power! And not being able to see yourself in a mirror just isn’t enough. Letting them walk around in the sun if they want just makes them too overpowered, and that turns me off.

This book didn’t appeal to me. But will it appeal to you? It’s fast paced and a quick read, it has broody vampires, it has sex. If you’ve liked Harrison’s other books and that sounds like what you want, then take a look. But for me, the characters were too immature and shallow to hold my attention for long.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion, and I’m sorry it wasn’t a better one.

This was my first book by Rachel Harrison and I'm now a screaming fangirl. I don't know how I've managed to make it this long without reading any of her work, but clearly I've been missing out because YES YES YES.

So Thirsty is an unbelievably fun time. The moment I picked it up, I was sucked in and captivated by the story, I read it in less than a day. Sloane and Naomi are two of my favorite characters that I've read this year. They are polar opposite besties, pulling both the best and the worst out of one another. When Naomi drags Sloane on a birthday trip that she has no interest in going on, things get a little....toothy. What follows is a path of destruction as they attempt to figure out their new bodies and cravings.

There's some romance, a lil spice, a healthy dose of friendship and a whole lot of bloodshed. AND it's funny! This book made me laugh out loud so many times! Honestly, I just loved every single page!

If you're looking for a fun, sexy, cozy vampire book - LOOK NO FURTHER. So Thirsty is your girl and I promise you there's no way you won't enjoy yourself!

Now, onto the rest of the Harrison backlog!

"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.