"Sloane thought her birthday couldn’t get any worse than her husband sending her and her best friend on a trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York, without him, all so he could cheat on her while she was gone. But then the vampires showed up.

So Thirsty was such a compelling read. Vampires are my favorite paranormal creature to read about, but usually it’s in a romantic context. Harrison blew me away with her introspective take on what it means to be a vampire, and what it means to lose your humanity.

I fell in love with these characters almost immediately. Even through all the foreshadowing in the early chapters of So Thirsty, Sloane just felt so relatable. I was definitely anxious to get to all the paranormal stuff, but in hindsight, all the mundane happenings at the beginning perfectly set up Sloane’s morality issues later on in the story.

It was really this clash between her old life and new that truly made this book hard to put down for me. As a human, Sloane avoided conflict and kept to herself; she spent years with a cheating husband because it was easier to look the other way than to fight for her own happiness. But as a vampire, Sloane could no longer sit back and be passive. Denying herself, and her thirst, could easily lead to harm for both herself and for anyone around her.

Harrison truly explored vampires in a new way with this story. We do get some romance, or at least the beginning stages of one, between Sloane and Henry, the vampire who turned her. And while they do develop a physical relationship in between Sloane’s existential crises, the explicit parts are all fade-to-black, keeping the main focus on Sloane and what she is willing to do, and what she is willing to give up, in order to survive. Most of the vampire stories I read really play up the seductive, impossible-to-resist vampire persona, but Harrison turned common vamire myths on their head and created creatures who are multifaceted, sometimes lonely, and have dreams and desires - people who have to fight for their survival just like humans, albeit with a slightly different appetite.

So Thirsty was so much more than a vampire story. Harrison dove deep into the morality of wants and needs, and the effects deprivation can have on your body and soul. Sloane might not be the perfect little suburban wife she once was, but she knows what a monster looks like now - and it’s not always the vampire. "

This book was the perfect combination of gory, mysterious, stressful, fun, and romantic! Sloane is a woman who feels unimportant due to her mundane life and on the eve of her 36th birthday, she struggles with the idea of aging. When she and her best friend Naomi go on a trip for her birthday things take a turn, towards the immortal... With an amazing and kooky cast of characters who I found myself quickly warming up to and a dark and mysterious man whom I couldn't help but overlook every single flaw and just swoon for this book was deeply entertaining. Sloane and Naomi's friendship and love were so well developed and seeing their different personalities transform throughout the book was interesting. The ending almost had me sobbing and thank gosh for the epilogue because I wouldn't have been able to emotionally accept the ending otherwise. If you want a spooky book that has vampires, thrills, friendship, romance, a lot of self-discovery, and is little messy but feels real and honest this book delivers.

✨ Review ✨ So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison, Narrated by Brittany Pressley

Thanks to Berkley, PRHAudio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

So Thirsty brings us a vampire story that transcends genres including romance and horror (or maybe horror light).

Sloane sets off on a birthday weekend with her best friend Naomi in a remote luxury cottage. She's filled with angst over her stale relationship with her husband (who's cheated on her multiple times), her aging body, and just a general feeling of stasis. However, when Naomi plans a crazy night away, partying with strangers for her birthday, everything changes for them.

It's hard to talk about this one without giving too much away, but it went from 0-90 with slow, angsty narration in the first part to a wild-paced, frenetic story that followed. In some ways, the pacing felt a little whiplash-y, but I think this also made the story feel like an exciting rollercoaster ride.

I didn't love the writing style of this book -- it has lots of short and choppy sentences and fragments all stacked up. Switching to audio helped a lot, Pressley's narration is great, and it eased some of the clunkiness of these short sentences. I also adored the voices she did for the cast of characters that originated outside the US. Even switching back to the print book after listening, her narration made these characters feel more lifelike because I could imagine them through her voice.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot, and thought it was tons of fun, but didn't always love the writing in its pacing and style.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror, f/m romance, paranormal
Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
Pub Date: Sept 10, 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ horror that's not super scary
⭕️ a ragtag bunch of characters on the run
⭕️ vampire stories

This book is more about female friendship than vampires.

Sloane gets drawn out of her shell by her best friend, and the next thing she knows she's at a vampire party. This mysterious, odd group of individuals transforms these women's life and friendship. I struggled through their acceptance of "what" they've chosen to become with this ragtag group of vampires. The story was incredibly slow moving. The upside of this book was truly Henry.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley

This was such a fun and gory read, perfect for Halloween! I really liked the friendship between Sloane and Naomi first and foremost, and I felt like the depth of their friendship often took center stage. I loved the themes of second chances and morality. All of the vampire side characters were great! I'm becoming a big fan of Harrison's books and can't wait for her next one!

I was very excited to read a Rachel Harrison vampire book, and this lived up to my hopes for it. It's insightful into female friendship, trust, settling, and relationships. I didn't find it too scary, but it is about vampires so... there are definitely some more gory moments.

3.5
I absolutely love everything Rachel Harrison writes, so I was really looking forward to this one.
I do feel like it falls short compared to her other novels in my own personal ranking.
I absolutely loved that Rachel Harrison decided to do a vampire story, but I feel like the main focus was on Sloane and Naomi’s friendship. I really didn’t connect to either of them, which is usually a huge element in her novels. I always see a bit of myself in them. However, I found both women so irritating. I almost couldn’t handle how much I disliked them and how infuriating their choices and actions were.
I appreciate what the story did and was trying to do, I just don’t think it worked for me as well as her other books have.

Thank you Berkley Pub, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of So Thirsty in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book I’ve read/listened to by Rachel Harrison and I am strangely enough – a fan?! I never would have thought that I’d be one to like books about vampires but there’s something so engaging and fun about Harrison’s books and I for sure will be adding the rest of her books to my tbr!

I love how the author explores some deep issues while giving us an entertaining story at the same time. Here we have two women in their 30s, trying to figure out just what that means. We also get a good look at friendship as a whole. These two women may be complete opposites, but they have a bond that carries them through thick and thin.

I loved the vampire lore that was part of this book. This was the area I was most concerned about not liking but it ended up working just fine for me – though I will say, there is blood, so be warned! I mean, the title says it all!!!

So Thirsty is my first book by Rachel Harrison, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. To my pleasant surprise, Harrison combines multiple genres in this unique take on a vampire story. While listed as horror, the story has a more subtle, low-key horror vibe. Of course, it's filled with bloody scenes, typical of vampire stories, but it also incorporates elements of women’s fiction, romance, and a delightful friendship dynamic reminiscent of Thelma and Louise.

Sloane and Naomi are not exactly likable characters. Sloane tends to wallow in self-pity, while Naomi comes across as immature for her age. However, their unwavering loyalty to each other is admirable. I enjoyed the vampire gang; Ilie is particularly entertaining. That being said, I felt that their backgrounds could have been developed more thoroughly.

Brittany Pressley narrates the audiobook. Her narrations have always been a big hit for me. She includes multiple accents and a bit of an introspective tone for Sloane, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I highly recommend this format!

4 stars. Fact paced and dark thriller. If I’m being honest, I think I may need to read it again because there was a lot going on but made me really enjoy the paranormal aspect, which isn’t usually what I gravitate towards.

Rachel Harrison has done a great job of making her mark in horror with stories that tend to be women centered and take on feminist issues while also bringing on the scares. I was eagerly waiting for her to take on the vampire sub-genre, as she had done fun things with witches and werewolves, so I was very excited for SO THIRSTY. And it was another fun book! I enjoyed the complicated friendship between Sloane and Naomi, with Sloane being more cautious and Naomi being for free wheeling (which leads to their lives being changed forever when they become tangled up with some vampires), and the tension that arises between them no matter how much they really do love each other. I also liked the idea of a new beginning for a woman who has become perhaps too comfortable with a life that she doesn't REALLY want but is nervous to leave. I also liked the vampires in this book, they had interesting mythos and were also entertaining as heck. Another fun horror tale!

Look who's back

Back again

Rachel Harrison, is back

tell a friend.

Like what I did there? Sometimes I think i'm clever but i'm sure i'm just corny.

So Thirsty

This book is what nightmares are made of.

Let's just take a minute to admire this cover. I mean it's Harrison, did you expect anything less?

Ive been a huge fan of Harrison's since I first picked up Black Sheep, my love only grew as I finished Such Sharp Teeth but then came, So Thirsty, and my little black heart is quite literally swooning with joy.

So Thirsty, is not your typical thriller, this is much more than a couple of weeks of "over the shoulder glances" . This is a book that once you conclude, you will never stop thinking about it... EVER


Check out this teaser :

A woman must learn to take life by the throat after a night out leads to irrevocable changes in this juicy, thrilling novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Such Sharp Teeth and Black Sheep.

Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday. She doesn’t need a reminder she’s getting older, or that she’s feeling indifferent about her own life. Her husband surprises her with a birthday-weekend getaway—not with him, but with Sloane’s longtime best friend, troublemaker extraordinaire Naomi. Sloane anticipates a weekend of wine tastings and cozy robes and strategic avoidance of issues she’d rather not confront, like her husband’s repeated infidelity.

But when they arrive at their rental cottage, it becomes clear Naomi has something else in mind. She wants Sloane to stop letting things happen to her, for Sloane to really live. So Naomi orchestrates a wild night out with a group of mysterious strangers, only for it to take a horrifying turn that changes Sloane’s and Naomi’s lives literally forever. The friends are forced to come to terms with some pretty eternal consequences in this bloody, seductive novel about how it’s never too late to find satisfaction, even though it might taste different than expected.

Fall is upon us and what better way to welcome it than by reading something paranormal? If you’re like me, and you enjoy a modern twist on the classic vampire tale, then So Thirsty is for you. It’s a sort of coming-of-age story between 2 lifelong friends, who were forced to confront their midlife issues when they became Undead. I really liked how the author explored the essence of being a woman in their 30s. Aside from the feminist aspect, I also enjoyed the deep friendship that Sloane and Naomi had. I didn’t care for their lovelives or the other characters, but I was deeply invested in their ride-or-die loyalty to each other. I wished the story was longer and didn’t end abruptly. But overall, it was a delightful read for me. Thanks to @berkleypub for providing me a digital ARC.

Rachel Harrison is a new to me author and I’ve circled around her books for a while now. I will admit that a story about best friends turned bloodthirsty vampires appealed to me, which is why I finally hit that request button when it came up for review.

This is the story of two best friends, complete opposites in every way, who get caught up in a terrifying situation. Sloane Parker is a woman who lives a mundane life, settled into her comfortable domestic existence, turning a blind eye to her husband’s affairs, and worried about her aging body. Her best friend Naomi is wild and untamed, working for her rockstar boyfriend’s band, she travels the world and lives free and unencumbered.

For her upcoming birthday Sloane’s husband gifts her a long weekend away with her BFF at a resort out of town. Sloane can’t decide whether this is a ruse to get her out of the house or a genuine gift. But she’ll take the time away with Naomi. The resort is nice, and they reconnect immediately. Then at a bar on a night out Naomi meets an intriguing man who invites them to a party the very next evening, and despite Sloane’s misgivings, they go. That’s when everything goes to hell.

First let me say, I read this book cover to cover in a little over five hours. I literally could not put it down. This is a book about friendship, loyalty, letting go of the past and accepting your future. Think Thelma and Louise but make it vampires. There is a hint of romance, lots and lots of blood and gore, and two friends who love each other, but are having a hard time adjusting to their new normal. And their new dietary needs.

I really enjoyed Sloane and Naomi’s friendship, which never wavers despite the circumstances. The story is faced paced, full of terrifying, yet exciting moments and a cast of characters that spice up the pages. Even the ending appealed to me. I kind of expected something drearier, so I was happily surprised at how it all wrapped up.

Overall, So Thirsty was a bloody, gory, yet fun read. As soon as I finished, I immediately decided to dive into this author’s backlist. I would recommend for fans of the genre or someone looking for something different for Halloween.

#SoThirsty:⁣
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Thanks for the free audiobook @prhaudio #PRHAudioPartner ⁣
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“To exist is to participate in destruction.”⁣
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I saw Brittany Pressley was the reader so immediately I had to get the audio. There’s no way I’m passing up a vampire Brittany Pressley audiobook. Not in this economy. ⁣
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Honestly, the only thing I can think of to describe this book is: holy shit. It’s full of action, adventure, debauchery, horrible exes…i I mean there’s so much in a book that has less than 300 pages and i ate it up. I finished this book in one day because it was phenomenal. ⁣
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The dynamic between Sloane and Naomi was so good. They have an old tried and true relationship, to where you’ve never can outgrow it. They’ve seen you at your worst, and best, and it was beautifully written. Their banter was equally hilarious, and I was laughing, which is what I really needed last week. ⁣
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I want to make all the punny things like “it was delicious read, I drank it up” “it quenched my thirst from my book hangover” but I’ll just leave it with I needed this book and it truly delivered. ⁣
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Out tomorrow, Sept. 10th, but it is an @aardvarkbookclub pick, and so beautiful in person.⁣
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QOTD: name an iconic duo, or what you’re having for dinner.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley and Ms. Harrison for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. I'm new to Ms. Harrison although I've had my eye on Black Sheep for a while.

Sloane is a tired, restless, underwhelmed woman of 30something (36?) who is starting to feel age creep up and has for some time felt unsatisfied with her husband (whom she has caught cheating twice). Said husband plans a birthday surprise for Sloane that involves a girls' trip with her best friend Naomi, currently touring Europe with her boyfriend's band, which Sloane finds suspicious for multiple reasons. Naomi and Sloane have known each other since school days and are literally polar opposites: Sloane picks the staid, safe, conservative route, whereas Naomi is the wildest of all wild women.

At the girl's retreat, Naomi talks Sloane into going to a house party with strangers that is not what it appears, with some pretty long-lasting consequences: the two women are now vampires. (This is NOT a spoiler.) The rest of the book is split between Naomi and Sloane learning to handle their new craving for blood, and Naomi and Sloane resenting each other. When they were human, I really liked both Sloane and Naomi as characters; they both seemed vulnerable and prickly and relatable to me as a woman of (sort of) similar age. They both struggle with answering the questions: have I got what I hoped for out of life? Am I where I wanted to be? And with WHOM I want to be? Is this the best I can hope for, or is there more? … I feel like these questions basically reflect a general human experience, especially for women, and I felt so invested in both characters finding their answers.

Then they turn into vampires, and everything goes upside down. Now, Sloane and Naomi are consumed with their craving (basically, they’ve been turned into blood junkies) and both are filled with resentment towards each other. Naomi seems to feel that Sloane is a buzzkill, a downer, too stuck in her rut to embrace change and opportunity. Sloane feels that Naomi is reckless, selfish, impulsive and rash, and blames Naomi entirely for the predicament they’re in. Their entire longstanding friendship seemed to erode and turn toxic as soon as they weren’t human anymore. As invested as I was in the story overall, I began to really dislike the characters: Sloane’s wallowing and festering resentment was repellent, and Naomi’s obliviousness and impulsivity even more so. The other vampires’ involvement felt very tangential to the story, which really seemed to focus on Sloane and Naomi: a toxic, vampiric Thelma and Louise.

Despite souring on the characters in the second half, I really enjoyed the book. It was a fun ride and I actually really liked the characters even as I disliked them. I wanted to see what would happen, if the two of them would drive off the proverbial cliff, or if they would lean into their new (eternal) life as vampires. I will definitely check out more by this author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rachel Harrison is an instant read author for me. Her books are horror which I never read but she has such great characters, humor, wit, and the right amount of camp injected into each one that I’m always hooked! This one was no exception. I loved the friendship in this one and how messy/real the dynamic felt. I also loved that this was a new vampire genre—no twilight here. It felt new and fun and is the perf book for spooky season.

Is it even spooky season without a new Rachel Harrison book? Fall has become synonymous with a new release, and I eagerly look forward to the latest in her fun, spooky lineup. I think I say this every time, but So Thirsty is my favorite yet. What woman can't identify with Sloane as she gets older and falls into a rut? I mean, she loves her Dyson vacuum nearly as much as I do. Or maybe you can identify with the more impulsive Naomi, but, either way, I hope everyone has been fortunate enough to have a friend like they are to each other. When things get crazy and life takes a turn they weren't expected, that's when So Thirsty gets really interesting, and I was there for every bloody minute of it. While I say "every bloody minute". (because...vampires), and it's technically listed as horror, it's not gory. It's the perfect mix of snark, spook, and sisterhood.

I've always loved Rachel Harrison's approach to horror writing. It's eerie, it's chilling, but it's also fun to read her because her writing sparkles! So Thirsty is no exception. There's horror and heartbreak in this one to be sure, but there are also many laugh out loud moments too. The main character, Sloane is dealing with the dissolution of her marriage to a serial cheater. She's on a birthday getaway with her childhood best friend, Naomi, to a Winter Resort where they hope to reconnect and have a wild girl's weekend away. They meet up with a group of international jet setters in a bar and agree to get together the next night to party. That's where the whole thing takes off onto an odyssey of learning not only how to survive, while letting others survive, but also how to transcend. The journey is dotted with all sorts of interesting and harrowing situations, but also charming, if homicidally so, characters who have centuries of wisdom they want to share. Harrison masterfully blends horror and humor into a book that will have you chilled in parts, and laughing out loud in others. Her dry humor and descriptions of situations are wonderful and refreshing in a horror book. I've loved every book of hers I've ever read, and this one is no exception! Treat yourself to this wonderful spin on a vampire tale!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Berkley for this arc!

This book in one word; delicious. Just delicious for my reader brain. I mean, the cover in and of itself was a standout, but with a fantastic story within? How could I not be in love. Sloan was such a fantastic character study - the fear of aging, being undesirable and growing out of love was so present on the page that just being in her brain felt like a treasure. And of course, the horror elements were just out of this world good, ESPECIALLY as we approach true spooky season.