Rachel Harrison never misses! Another 5-star horror novel from a writer who is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

So Thirsty is a wildly unpredictable ride that takes you into the heart of a friendship and a transformation that’s as thrilling as it is horrifying. Sloane Parker is the kind of character you can’t help but root for—even as she’s stuck in a rut of dissatisfaction with her life. Her birthday is just another reminder of her stagnant existence, especially with her husband’s infidelity looming over her. But when her best friend Naomi drags her out for a birthday weekend getaway, things quickly spiral into something far more dangerous and life-altering than Sloane could ever imagine.

The beginning is a bit of a slow burn, but once it gets going it does not stop. What begins as a seemingly innocent weekend of wine tasting and avoiding uncomfortable truths takes a sharp turn into the unexpected when Naomi introduces Sloane to a wild group of strangers. The night gets out of hand, and the results are both bloody and strange, leaving Sloane and Naomi forever changed by a dangerous, seductive force.

So Thirsty fits right in with Harrison's other work, showcasing her signature blend of horror and wit. If you’re in the mood for a bloody, seductive tale with plenty of twists, this one delivers in spades.

I was really excited for this book but could not stay interested. I love all thing vampires but So Thirsty couldn't keep my attention. I will be trying again at a later date.

Rachel Harrison is a genius and smashes another book out of the park! I love a vampire story and then mix it with female friendships you've got a recipe for one amazing story. I will read anything Harrison writes!

This was my first book by Harrison!

Sadly, I was SO bored with this book. I probably should have dnfed this book but saw all the amazing reviews and kept going.

Ugh just not for me.

2/5 stars

I’m not normally a vampire or supernatural reader, but I connect with Rachel Harrison. And I love the off the beaten path horror books from Berkley/Ace publishing.

Friendship fiction and vampires seem to go together. Two friends who never see each other go away and stumble into more than they bargained for.

Definitely fast paced and I’m not sure if cozy horror is a thing but if it was this would definitely be a part of it. It grabs the horror edge without all the gore.

Centered around relationships. Sloane and Naomi the aforementioned friends. Sloane and Joel an unhappily married couple. Sloane and her new friend Henry.

It also centers around who you are. It’s Sloane’s birthday and she is contemplating all that has brought her to a point in her life she’s feeling her life slipping away. I really resonated with this and my past.

I wanted to know more about the characters and all their worlds held. And I definitely was guessing where this one as headed.

Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite female narrators. She never disappoints and always chooses the right pace and tone. She easily nailed Sloane’s indecision and regrets and seamlessly moved into the frenzy of the second half of the book.

This kept my interest from start to finish.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times…vampire fiction is in and Rachel Harrison's newest should definitely be on your list! Two friends, one night, and a split-second decision changes the trajectory of their lives forever. And god…does it ever make them THIRSTY.

To make a great story even better, Britney Pressley narrates the audiobook and she is one of the most talented voice actors currently recording. I am an audiobook junkie and there are a few names that will make me move a book to the top of my listening list. Brittany is one. Each character has a different voice and personality. I love her versatility and she truly brings the terror and uncertainty of this situation to life.

At the heart of this book is a story of true friendship. I love the relationship between Sloane and Naomi. Even though they are complete opposites, their bond cannot be broken. Even when times get tough (and bloody), they prove what true friendship looks like.

I LOVE RACHEL HARRISON!!!! I have never had anything negative to say about one of her books, I think they were made for me!

Sloane Parker is not looking forward to her birthday. It's just another reminder of how OLD she's getting and that it's all just been kinda...boring. When her husband gets her a weekend getaway with her best friend Naomi, Sloane looks forward to louging around and drinking wine. And continuing to ignore her husbands' blatant infidelity.

What she GETS, however, is a whole other thing. After a night out with Naomi who blindly leads her into a crazy party that feels way too wild for Sloane, they wake up back at their cozy hideaway feeling a little...different. Craving...a totally new sustenance. Their lives have literally changed forever.

Rachel Harrison is growing on me. I started with Cackle last year and, while I could see the appeal, I was left feeling maybe I was too old for Harrison's books. Next I read Black Sheep and felt like maybe I wasn't. After So Thirsty, I am totally on board. I AM NOT TOO OLD FOR THIS (I'm only 46!). Harrison's books are fun, feminist takes on tired tropes made new again with her deft sure hand. What a wit. I will read everything she writes until I'm 90 or dead. Highly recommended.

3.5 stars

This book was fun and had a lot of potential. I have really enjoyed Rachel Harrison’s other books but this one fell flat for me. It held so much potential but felt very service level and underdeveloped at times. I really liked the characters and was expected a lot more but felt a tad let down.

*Thank you Berkley for an advanced finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating 2.5

This work started off quite strongly. I loved the premise and the idea of it focusing on a strong female friendship, plus vampires. The vampires were fun at the start, their depiction enjoyable, and I liked how varied they were. I also enjoyed the issues that arise from being a vampire in the modern world, which made for some entertaining moments. But the female friendship was more toxic than strong, and I wanted more character development/depth and growth throughout the book, especially from those two.

There’s no real plot, and the characters weren’t strong enough for this to be a character-driven work. It was nowhere close to being a horror. The female friendship certainly wasn’t empowering and the female MCs weren’t easy to cheer for. So I don’t really know what this book was trying to be.

Don’t read this looking for horror. Do read this if you like vampires in a modern setting and toxic friendships. My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for sending an early copy of this book for review!

I loveee Rachel Harrison, which makes me sad to say that I think this is my least favorite of all her books to far :/ That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this one, but it didn’t pack a punch quite like the other books in her back log

There were so many parts of this book that I loved including the healing of a lifelong female friendship, a woman finding herself and forgiving herself for past mistakes, and of course the vampire romance that will always be a favorite storyline of mine.

However, the overall plot and storyline of this one didn't make me fall in love as much as Cackle or The Return from the same author did. If you loved Such Sharp Teeth, you will really like this one!

This book was great. I LOVE Rachel Harrison's writing. This is my second book by her and I can't wait to get my hands on more of her books.

This book is about Sloane Parker, a woman feeling burnt out on her routine life. After finding out that her husband is cheating on her, she is whisked away by her chaotic best friend Naomi to have a weekend away from it all. They decide to spend time with some interesting (to say the least) strangers and... some life-changing events occur.

The best thing about this book was the relationship between Sloane and Naomi. They are semi-toxic at times but truly and fully love one another and only want the best for the other and it shines through the narrative and really makes you feel for them both and root for them to stay close. This is a book about the ferocity of female friendship and loyalty. But also, it's a book about how to break through and live your most authentic life when you're at your lowest.

I thought the writing was superb, and the plot moved at an even pace that had me flipping the pages into the night. A true ode to what could be if we stop getting in the way of ourselves. Plus... VAMPIRES.

4 stars.

I love Rachel Harrison's fun, dark, quirky, contemporary stories but this one fell a little flat for me. I didn't connect with the characters like I did in her previous works, and found their journey less compelling. It might just not be for me and I still look forward to her future works

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

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.