Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

"It's a cruelty of life that we can never protect our innocence. We can only watch ourselves lose it in retrospect. Scream at memories."

Anything by Rachel Harrison is always so unique, but this title caught me off guard when the plot finally dropped. It was dark and gritty and full of the human process. I will forever recommend Rachel Harrison and this book. The cover gave the plot away with such subtlety, and I love the juxtaposition with the lamb references. Solid 10 out of 10 read.

I wanted to like Black Sheep more than I did, and it's a testament to Rachel Harrison that I stuck with it, mostly just for the snarky narrator's voice and the fun set up.

Unfortunately, I found the Spirit Halloween Satanism to be a bit tedious, and eventually I grew mad at the narrator for not knowing what was going on when it was very obvious. After the first "twist," the plot didn't really leave many surprises and just kind of fell flat.

Rachel Harrison has quickly became a go-to author when I need a good horror book. After reading Cackle, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one!

Black Sheep had me hooked right from the beginning, and I loved how dark and strange this one was. I can’t wait to read more from her backlist and her upcoming release soon!

Side note: this one isn’t for everyone. Please check TW.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an egalley for review. Rachel Harrison is a go to author for me an this does not disappoint. What starts off as a coming of age, finding your place in the world novel (and when you boil it down, this is the core story), takes a darkly funny twist when Vesper goes home for her cousin's wedding. Vesper's family is not like other people's family. Vesper's father is not like other people's fathers. For a fun take on cults, religion and Satanism, read this.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’ve only read Cackle by Rachel Harrison and loved it. But because it was more of a cozy horror book, I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy her more hard-core horror, but this book was insanely fun. Once the fun twist is revealed (about 20% in), I was hooked and flew through this book.

Vesper has left her religious cult family behind and is living on her own in NYC. She works at a restaurant, lives a pretty boring life, but at least she can follow her own rules. However, her cousin is getting married and Vesper is invited back for the event. This is rare because once someone leaves the cult, they never get to come back. Vesper decides to attend, and the reader fully understands just what the cult is about.

This book was excellent. Vesper is a great main character, funny, strong, cynical, and sure of who she is. But her family is also strong, so she struggles with wanting to be a part of their lives but trying to distance herself from the cult. Loved this book.

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison was fantastic and I told all my friends to read it!! I was truly thankful to have gotten to read this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!

This was so good! If you love dysfunctional families, cults, and secrets in your horror novels then you should check this out! Even though this is a horror book, I like that there are funny parts along the way. It makes for a really enjoyable read.

I devoured this book in a day! It was so good and fun. I was instantly sucked into this novel and was pleasantly surprised with all the little twists throughout. Not the kind of cult I thought I was getting going into this book and that honestly made it that much better!

A fun reverse Prodigal Son story. Anyone who's ever been in organized religion will have a giggle.
Vesper is a character that anyone who has left their lifelong religious affiliations can relate to. Vesper misses her honored place but also depises the entitlement.
Family secrets, seeking approval from her mother and lost love all makes for a fun and relatable journey.

Rachel Harrison is one of the best at keeping you on the edge of your seat. The story revolves around Vesper and her crazy family. Vesper's mother, Constance, who Vesper doesn't get along with at all, is a horror movie queen and a Satanist, and her father is often absent. In fact, the whole town is Satanic. They live in a small town called Hell's Gate. Vesper left the town when she turned 18 because she doesn't believe in Satan.

She comes back for a visit to attend the wedding of her ex-boyfriend to her best friend. Of course, she doesn't stay in the town very long because of the issues with her mother, so she heads back to New York City.

A week later, her father visits her in NY and brings her home for a special birthday party. What happens next is full of suspense and horror. You won't believe what you just read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC! I am very grateful and happy to explore everything this author will write in the future as well!

"Black Sheep" by Rachel Harrison is a chilling and atmospheric thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats with its unpredictable twists and turns, delivering a satisfying blend of horror and psychological suspense.

Black Sheep follows Vesper, a young woman who left her super religious family 6 years before the book opens. When you leave the small town or Virgil and their church you are not allowed back. She grew up with her mom, horror star Constance Wright, but never knew much about her dad. When Vesper gets an invite to her best friend/cousin Rosie's wedding, she's surprised and even more surprising she decides to go.

Just like everything else I've read by Rachel Harrison I loved Black Sheep. I don't want to say too much as I think going into this book partially blind is great.


Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was my first book by this author and I’m so excited to read another one! I highly recommend going into this one blind. I’m so glad I did because I feel like it made the story even more shocking for me. I’ve always been fascinated by stories surrounding cults and that’s what initially drew me in. The writing was fantastic and the pace kept me flipping pages from start to finish. The characters were super interesting and made the story even more entertaining! Thank you to Berkley and Rachel Harrison for my gifted ARC!

Anything Harrison writes is a win. She has the ability to create flawed protagonists that I want to punch and drink whiskey with. Black Sheep is similar to her other horror novels in terms of the horror tropes. She's not going to give a lot of jump scares, but she will put you in horrific situations. Highly recommend.

Such a great read for the lead up to Halloween! 🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

At eighteen, Vesper left her very strict, extremely religious community knowing the consequences: she would never be accepted back into the insular sect. She works as a miserable chain restaurant, convinced he’ll is having to sing the trademark birthday song.

She is shocked to receive an invitation to her cousin’s wedding, and even more surprised to find the groom-to-be is Brody, Vesper’s former love. With half an eye to causing trouble, Rosie decides to return for the wedding. What she learns about herself and her family challenges her identity and all her beliefs, forcing her to reckon with the pull of family and tradition against her own sense of self and survival.

While I thought aspects of the book were predictable, I nevertheless really enjoyed reading it because Vesper has such a cynical, wry voice that she uses to try to hide her loneliness and vulnerability. She is beyond nature vs. nurture: she has to ultimately learn if she is tied by her family and community bonds or if she can stand by her own values.

Oppressive religious faiths (cults) always interest me, and here I was fascinated by the rituals and demands that ensnared the followers. Ultimately, it is Vesper’s story, though, so the novel doesn’t include some of the motivations that drive other characters like Vesper’s mother, something I was very interested in.

Saying anything more, I think, would be too revealing, but I will advise you to avoid spoilers! This is my favorite Harrison book so far because of Vesper and the tight plotting of the book, so I would recommend it if you have enjoyed her other books or you are looking for a good Halloween read for October!

"Black Sheep" was not my favorite of the novels that Rachel Harrison has written. Other than what Vesper's religious background actually was (wasn't expecting that), the rest of the novel was fairly predictable.

I still don’t know what to think of this book. It follows a girl who has left her community of Satanists but finds herself being pulled back. It was…something. I think I liked it? Maybe? 🤷‍♀️ The least helpful review I have ever done 💀

This was so snarky and fun and kept me guessing! I had suspicions, and they turned out to be mostly correct, but it is an absolutely pitch-black hell of a ride the whole time anyway. My first Rachel Harrison, but certainly not my last!