It's official- Rachel Harrison is my favorite author. She's laugh out loud hilarious; her books have just enough creepiness without being difficult to read; and she makes you really root for characters that aren't typical heroes or heroines. I think her writing gets better with each book, as this one is probably my new favorite. I've said it before about other writers, but when I say I can't wait to see what Harrison writes next, I GENUINELY mean it. I. Cannot. WAIT! 5 out of 5 starts, easily.

This was a great perspective on cult-like communities. I was not expecting a supernatural element, but I was not mad about it either. It was a great read.

I really loved this one. Rachel Harrison does a great job of putting a spin on family drama. I loved Harrison’s first book - The Return - and this one feels so much like it fits into that realm. A fast read, this one will make you feel better about your own family issues. Can’t wait to see where she goes next.

I usually enjoy devouring Rachel Harrison's cult classic styled horror novels one after another. I cannot help myself but to finish them in one sitting. The pacing is always fast, riveting, and heart-throbbing. The heroines are broken but resilient, powerful, embracing their inner strengths to heal and become their own heroes. They seem like the best distributors of feminism manifest, embracing their superpowers without needing the approval of a man to find their way in the world as we hear them roar!

In this book, we are introduced to Vesper, who also carries the main characteristics from the author's usual style. She left her family behind to find her way in the big city at a young age. But in her mid-twenties, she is still struggling in her waitressing job, has no real friends, and acts reserved, too straightforward, and a little mean, which doesn't help her to connect with other people. The night she's wrongfully sacked from her job, she finds an envelope at her doorstep that might have been sent by her eccentric family she left behind. It seems like she didn't achieve a great job because they knew where she was living from the beginning. Inside the envelope, there's a wedding invitation belonging to her cousin and only best friend, Rosemary, and her first love and first kiss, the boy she loved, Brody. They are getting married, and a special note under the invitation tells her she's missed a lot, summoning her to this special occasion.

Vesper gets angry and feels betrayed. Of course, she decides to join the wedding even though she never thought to return back to the family farm. Because her family is not only an eccentric religious group, but they are also a powerful satanic group. She is also not happy to spend time with her neglectful ice queen mother, who is a very famous indie horror movie scream queen. But she finds herself attending the rehearsal dinner as all eyes are drawn to her.

Besides her estranged relationship with her mother, Vesper tries to find the traces of her father, who is her childhood hero and who disappears out of her life after Vesper makes a confession to him. She doesn't know his true name to find out his whereabouts. But she realizes attending the wedding will open up a can of worms she never thought. When she finds out the ugly truth about her family that she cannot digest, she is pushed to make a decision: run as fast as she can or be part of this madness! What will Vesper do?

Overall, it's a brutal, dark, strange, and a little gory but also entertaining horror novel with parts of Harrison's brilliant dark sense of humor (I snorted a laugh each time Sweet Child O'mine played!).

I'm looking forward to reading her another epic horror release sooner!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this brilliant book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.