✨ Review ✨ Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

Vesper, working as a crummy waitress until she gets fired after nacho cheese burns a man she's waiting on, receives a wedding invite for her childhood bestfriend and teenage ex. She fled from home when she was almost 18, and prepares to return for the first time in six years. Her mom's a famous horror actress, and the family lives on a sort of religious compound out in rural New Jersey -- will they welcome her home?

Honestly, this one is great to go into without knowing a lot, so I recommend diving on in. I loved Vesper's sense of humor and snark and that made this lots of fun to read. It's definitely a slow burn sort of horror and things don't amp up for a while. I read some of the physical copy and listened to some of the audio and loved both!

This is a great horror book for those looking for a spooky season read without too much blood and gore and grotesquery!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.25)
Genre: horror
Setting: rural New Jersey
Pub Date: 19 Sep 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ slow burn horror
⭕️ family drama
⭕️ snarky main characters

Thanks to Berkley, PRH Audio, and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!

“‘You never cry,’ she’d said. ‘You never cry at all.’ She was right. I never did. I wasn’t sure if that meant I was strong, or that I was broken.”

Vesper Wright is in hell. The night she gets fired from her mundane restaurant job, she comes home to find an invitation from her estranged family to the wedding of her cousin and childhood best friend, Rosemary, and the one person she regrets losing touch with. Something is telling her she has to go, even if it means suffering through a weekend in the Satanist community she left years ago. When Vesper’s homecoming reveals a horrifying family secret, one that she alone seems to not have known, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own unexpected identity.

4.5 stars rounded up! So I always have 3 books going at any given time. An audiobook, an Ebook, and a physical book. That way I’m always prepared. 😝 But when I started this one it quickly became my only book because I just wanted to keep listening to/reading it. Thank heavens I had more than one copy!

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

This book was just awesome! I loved Vesper’s spunk, her horror movie actress mother, and her father of questionable lineage. Man she is a girl after my own heart. The audiobook was superbly narrated by @jercarparvo, who NAILED it! She IS Vesper.

If you are looking for a fun yet spooky read to add to your Fall tbr add this one now! Black Sheep is the entertaining, fun, and creepily hellish book you need in your life.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the eARC and thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is one of those books that I went into completely blind and I'm SO glad! The initial twist was one of those slow-blink moments where I had to re-read to make sure I understood it right and oh my gosh, that was wild.

This is definitely on the light side of horror. Like if you're looking to dabble your toes into the horror genre, this would be a good place to start. It's fast-paced, dark, a little gory, and definitely will give you some of those "wtf is happening" moments.

And while I LOVED the beginning of this book, the end lost me a bit. But overall, I had a really good time reading this and can't wait to pick up more from Rachel Harrison.

CW: You may not vibe with the content of this book, so please check TW's.

What's it about?
Years after leaving the toxic religious community that Vesper grew up in, she's invited back for her cousin's wedding and is forced to deal with her family's beliefs, dark secrets, and her own crisis of faith.

This was my first ever Rachel Harrison and, man, was I not disappointed. Vesper had all the world-weary, Nihilism perfect for an apocalyptic final girl. From the wholesome, down home personalities of the members of Hell's Gates to the ghastly decorations of Vesper's childhood home, I was laughing out loud at multiple parts of this book. With well-plotted twists and dark turns, Black Sheep is PERFECT for getting into the Spooky Season headspace.

CW: Satanism, death, body horror, Biblical apocalyptic scenarios, animal cruelty (largely off page)

Ohhhhh boy. I really am in my horror era. I enjoyed this one. It involves some truly horrifying characters- some being the people Vesper loves the most. This does explore family trauma although in an abstract way. I thought this was a quick read. It is horror, but not ummm terribly gruesome as horror can go. Vesper is a cynical delight and you’ll be rooting and terrified for her the entire time.

This is one of my absolute new favorite books! It was one of the most fun stories I have read this year.
Black Sheep is dark, funny, moving and thoughtful. I found it such a cool twist on the satanic trope and Vesper is a totally memorable main character.
I will for sure be reading more from Rachel asap!

For my first foray into a Rachel Harrison novel I wasn't blown away, but I certainly wasn't let down either. She's come up with a unique story that is both entertaining and a little spooky, and I'm sure will be a big hit with fans of lighter horror. I want to say that had I not just read a couple of horror novels that did in fact blow me away I might have liked this one a smidge more, so take my thoughts with a small caveat. I do have to say that as far as plot goes it was fairly refreshing, adding some surprising twists into a sub-genre that seems to be fairly stagnant and repetitive. So kudos for that. I also really enjoyed how it approached the topic of rejecting your parent's core beliefs and how alienating that can both feel and be. I have no doubt that this book will make devoutly Christian readers rather angry for a number of reasons, and just the idea of that tickles me pink. Where I feel it stumbled a little bit was 1) I don't think it was quite as comedic as I was expecting it to be, based on the description and Harrison's reputation, and 2) the main character didn't quite work for me. I don't want to go into too much detail because of spoilers, and for this novel I think saying too much will spoil the fun of it, but something about our main character didn't work fully work for me. I'm not sure if it was that she was a little too manic-pixie-dream-girl, or what, I'm honestly not even sure I can put my finger on exactly what it is that rubbed me the wrong way, but it was enough for me to note as I was reading it. That being said I don't regret reading it by any means, it was a quick, fun story with a fresh spin on an old idea and because of that I will certainly not hesitate to point it out to people who are asking for a more light-hearted horror novel.

Vesper Wright is easily the black sheep of her family. When she left her very religious community at eighteen, she vowed to never look back. However, an invite to her cousin Rosie and Brody’s (Vesper’s ex and one true love) wedding may be what it takes for her to go back on her word.

BLACK SHEEP by Rachel Harrison was such a special treat!

I recommend going into this one as blind as possible (I kept my synopsis vague for that reason!) because the twists and turns this book took were truly *chef’s kiss*

I absolutely loved Vesper as a character and could relate to the messy dynamics between her and her fam, and also navigating the world as a twentysomething.

Definitely my fave from Harrison so far (though I still have some of her backlist to get through)!

Absolutely the perfect read for spooky season!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: September 19

I find this one really hard to rate. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and I was thrown for a loop, but not in a good way.

With that said, the writing was solid, and I think many will love this one.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I didn't know what to expect with Rachel Harrison's Black Sheep, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did. It was it was a perfect blend of creepy and comical. The religious community Vesper grew up in is one you'll never suspect and the family secret is a twist that is even better.

I honestly can't wait to go read Harrison's other titles now, especially if they're as good as this one was. Horror can be hit or miss for me, depending on the subject and the gore factor, but I really felt like this one had a perfect balance of everything.

This is definitely one to add to your spooky season reading list.
Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

I first discovered Rachel Harrison when I binged the audio of “The Return” on a long car trip. To say I was hooked is an understatement! So, I was really excited to get an advance copy of “Black Sheep” from Netgalley. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I can say that the main character, Vesper, while being conflicted about the beliefs of the religious cult she born in to, finds her true self and harnesses her power. What can I say, I love books with bad a$$ female characters!

Thank you to the publisher #partner for gifting me an ebook via @netgalley and the audiobook via @prhaudio
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I want to preface by saying that 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 by Rachel Harrison is the book that got me fascinated by the feminist horror genre and it was also among my top 3 books of 2021. So I always expect her books to have a fierce even if flawed female main character who propels the story forward with a lot of self-reflection and inner dialogue and also a little bit of destruction along the way. In that sense, 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒑 is yet again another of her masterpieces that delivers all her signature ingredients perfectly.
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Vesper is a black sheep and left her very religious family and their values six years ago but is now drawn back to it all when she gets an invitation that her best friend and Vesper’s ex-boyfriend are getting married. What draws her back to the very home she escaped? Is it wanting a little revenge that her only boyfriend and best friend hooked up after she left? Or is there something far more sinister at play? I’m sharing only about one third of the summary of what actually happens in this book. You wanna go in as blind as possible to savor this propulsive and twisted story! I promise you it’s action-packed especially from the moment a major plot line is revealed and there’s no turning back from then onwards! Black Sheep comes out next week and is the perfect addition to your Halloween season reads!

This one made me say "what the heck did I just read," in the best possible way.

Vesper essentially hates her life, and everyone and everything in it. She is waitressing in a chain restaurant to get by. Six years ago, she made the decision to leave her family and the religious cult she was raised in, just before her eighteenth birthday. She hasn't heard from anyone from her past since. One day a wedding invitation shows up on her doorstep for her best friend/cousin and her boyfriend she had to leave behind because he wouldn't run away with her. She takes her spiteful attitude on the road and decides to show up for the ceremony.

Plot twist - did I mention the religious cult worships Satan?

When Vesper returns home, it is just as miserable as she remembers. Her estranged father that she hadn't seen since she was a child makes an appearance and turns out to be the cult leader. He claims to be none other than Lucifer himself.

Vesper rightfully thinks, "oh eff this," and hightails it back to her boring miserable life but can't shake the feeling she is being watched. Vesper struggles with what to believe when strange things start to happen. Is she really the actual spawn of the devil??? When her father finds her and convinces her to return home once again, all hell breaks loose (quite literally).

This book was such a fun horror. It borderlined on campy and kind of silly for me, but I think that is why I loved it so much. I finished the book in one night because I couldn't put it down.

This is a great spooky season read.

Initial Thoughts
This was great! I love that the book took a turn that I didn't see coming which changed everything. Vesper grew up in a cult but has left to be on her own. Her life is less than glamorous and she doen't have any strong connections. Most people at the restaurant she works at think she is beautiful but horrible to be around. When she gets invited to her old friend's wedding she decides to go and things are set into motion. The story was entertaining and kept me guessing until the end. I liked Vesper and wanted to see things work out for her. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did a great job with the story.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.

Rachel Harrison's Black Sheep is the story about a cynical twenty something must confront her unconventional family’s dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle. 23-year-old Jesper Wright walked away from her family when she was 18. For the past 6 years, she has worked as a waitress. Until she is terminated after cheese explodes in a customers face. Faced with the real possibility of having to start over again. Vesper left home mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return.

But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep. Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie and her husband to be Brody Lewis. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn’t matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen.

What must be said is that Vesper grew up in Hell's Gate religious community which believes in Satan. The question becomes who sent the invitation to Vesper? It obviously was not her mother Constance the so called Scream Queen of Horror films. When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world.

*Thoughts* Vesper is a truly cynical soul with little happiness in her life, missing her father when, speak of the devil, he returns. It is hard to not say more for fear of spoiling the story. Her attitude takes on deeper meaning once you learn the environment she grew up in, taking family drama to a whole other level, truly making the devil shine in its dirty little details. The best parts of this story were the parts when the author goes back in time and explains to the reader what happened to Vesper that caused her to leave her "Cult" like family and try to make it on her own and the subsequent revelations of who her father is that she's been searching for for years.

Do you like cult stories? If yes, then Black Sheep is for you! The book is about Vesper Wright, who grew up in a tightly-knit religious community. She ran away from home at 18, never once thinking she’ll be back. But 6 years later, she receives a wedding invitation. Her best friend and ex-boyfriend are getting married! She decides to go home and attend the wedding. Strange things start happening to her and before long, she discovers that the truth as she knows it isn’t exactly true —- it’s far more terrifying than she can ever imagine it to be!

I’m actually still on the fence about this book. I don’t love it, but I also don’t hate it. It’s a unique kind of horror story: there were no ghosts or spirits or haunted houses to scare the bejeesus out of us. But there were unexpected scenes and subtle details that were hair-raising and will mentally spook you. I was somewhat uncomfortable reading about the religious aspect of the story, especially about the praises and chants. This is on me though, so don’t let this part influence you. Other than this, I had no other issues. As in her other novels, Rachel Harrison’s wry and dark humor is also very much present in our main character. I liked the redeeming finale, which I think was the best and most exciting part of the book.

Overall, it’s a short and quick read; one that every horror aficionado will surely enjoy reading. Thanks to @berkleypub @netgalley for my ARC. It sure tested the limits of my comfort zone!😅

Prepare yourself.

Black Sheep is a wild read!

The writing is super engaging. I was immediately intrigued by Vesper, our main character, and the story hooked me fast.

But I wasn't creeped out. Not at first, anyway. I thought this was a story about a young woman kind of lost in the world, estranged from her family and their strict religion.

Which it is. But, then…

BAM!

When you get to the second half of this book, don't plan on putting it down until you're finished.

And that's all I'm saying. 🤐

*Huge thank you to Berkley Publishing for the free copy!*

This may be Rachel Harrison's best novel yet! She elevated her prose but kept the wittiness and snark she is known for, and I loved it.

Right before the 20% mark a twist is slapped down on the table and my eyes legit bugged out. It was so unexpected for me. Fun stuff. It only got wilder from there. Do yourself a favor, and go in blind for this one.

I loved that underneath the sarcasm that often laces Harrison's writing, there are deeper messages being explored about faith and family and how it feels to be born into a household you don't want to be in.

Can you ever really escape the very thing that you're made of? What happens when betrayal sets in? Are we all doomed to be connected to our family regardless of what we want for ourselves, or can these types of ties be successfully severed?

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for the early read. Get this horror tinged satirical story when it's published September 19th! I would love to see Diablo Cody adapt this into film, it is totally her vibe. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my shelves. If @rachelharrisonsghost writes it, I'll read it. 🖤

I really liked this one! It was fun and campy. I would recommend not reading too much about it before you start, so that you don't spoil anything about the story. I won't give much away in my review that isn't already mentioned in the basic book blurb.

There were very long chapters, but the writing was smooth, witty and vivid. Well balanced and so readable. Even her dialogue was good. The MC, Vesper, definitely has flaws and does a few things that make her unsympathetic but when it comes to her feelings on things like the general public and organized religion, I was with her 100%. (Though, for reasons, I would probably never be her friend.)

Vesper’s mother is clearly heavily based on Elvira and in this story the mother character is extremely unpleasant and hateful, whereas Elvira is delightful and a true inspiration so I found that distracting. But the benefit of this was the constant reminder that Vesper looks exactly like her mother, so as a result SHE kind of reminded me of Elvira as well and her sense of humor was a bit more fitting even if her wardrobe wasn’t always up to par.

This is one of those horror books that you really can't take seriously. You just go along for the ride and have a good time with it. Even the trigger warnings are somewhat mild, but I still wanted to include them. Things do get a little violent here and there. Harrison is a great writer. I'll definitely read her again! This is one of my favorite books of the year.

TW: Misogyny, animal harm (offscreen), domestic abuse

Vesper left home at 18 without looking back for a reason but now, now she's been invited to the wedding of her former BFF and her first love. What to do? She's crashed and burned at her job and she's curious about why she's been ask so...why not. Oh, and she's gonna press her mother for the identity of her father. Maybe, as it turns out, that was neither entirely a surprise or a good idea. Turns out he's been keeping an eye on her for years. This has great world building, interesting characters in Vesper, her mother, her aunt, and so on and a plot that keeps you turning the pages. It wasn't what I expected (although honestly, I suppose I should have) and it was a great read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Harrison gives good creepy chills and action.