Rachel Harrison is, without a doubt, one of the best ‘new’ voices in horror literature. Every time I see she’s releasing a new book I do my best to get an early copy, because I cannot wait to read them. Thankfully, I was able to do so with both Bad Dolls — which was great — and Black Sheep during this calendar year. In fact, I just finished the latter and wanted to share my thoughts.

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison is a book that I cannot say a lot about without threatening to spoil it. Thus, I’ll do my best to summarize without any sort of spoilers.

The story begins as twenty-three year-old Vesper sings yet another happy birthday song at the chain restaurant in which she works. It’s the third time that shift, and she’s grown to absolutely detest doing it, likening it to some sort of Hell. However, after an accident involving an injured customer, our protagonist finds herself quickly unemployed and unsure of what to do next. It’s after this frustrating night at work that she comes home to find a lavish envelope on her doorstep.

Inside the envelope is an invitation to her best friend and cousin’s wedding, with a note asking her to please come home for the weekend, or to stay. The thing is: Vesper hasn’t been home in six years, because her family is deeply religious and wants to control her life through their beliefs. Nobody is allowed to return after leaving, but they seem to be willing to make an exception for her. The question is whether she’ll return home and face her family’s dark secrets, judgement and beliefs all over again. To her credit, she decides to in order to see one of her favourite people get married, even if she’s marrying Vesper’s former crush.

The result is a dark, but not very scary book about going home and reuniting with a troubled family. One that is very much unlike any family you know. It’s a bit weird, it’s a lot dark and it’s quite interesting from start to finish. We experience everything through Vesper’s eyes, of course, and it’s all told in first-person. There’s a lot of depth there, too, which is nice.

Black Sheep may not sound all that great on paper. At least how I’m describing it. However, it’s a rather good book and one that is worth your time, especially if you’re a fan of the author, or horror in general. I had a hard time putting it down, and read it over the course of one night when I couldn’t sleep. That’s saying a lot. However, I must admit that I didn’t love this one as much as Cackle or Such Sharp Teeth before it. Regardless, it’s still well above average.

As with all Rachel Harrison books, this one is well written and easy to read. It’s also pretty hard to put down.

If you’re looking for a good, female written, horror book, Black Sheep won’t do you wrong. I quite enjoyed it, and find it easy to recommend.

This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided with. Receiving a free, early ARC, did not sway our opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and its publisher.

Y'all, I was not prepared for this book. I really liked this one!! I read it in 2 days on the boat in the sun. It was a darker book and I was glad I read it in the sunshine! I mean her family worshipped Satan after all. They were definitely a cult. They referenced pentagrams and said All Hail Satan. I was gripped from the first page to the last and loved the entire wild ride!!

Read This Book If:
🖤You want a book that has a very bizarre family dynamic.
🖤You enjoy books about a cult.
🖤You enjoy the MC who is the "underdog", for a lack of a better phrase, who overcomes in the end.
🖤A mixture or thriller and horror is what you want to read next.

On my Scale of Buy, Bargain, Borrow, Bud or Bust I'm rating this one a bargain. I'm so grateful I got this as an eARC but I am sad I don't have a physical copy for my bookshelves.

(will be posting a review to IG, GR and StoryGraph closer to pub date)

Thank you NetGalley for the DRC of this book. Black Sheep was so fun! I think it would make a great movie or miniseries. Vesper is returning to her deeply religious community after six years for a wedding and finds out the answers to questions she has had her whole life. Definitely notes of religious trauma, cult mentality, and family issues throughout a solid horror/drama. The writing is engaging and very visual. I am going to pick up more Rachel Harrison ASAP!

Yes! This was so fun and creepy. This is the best twist I have read in a while and it really makes you so excited to keep reading. Excited for this to come out to hand sell to everyone!

Rachel Harrison has done it again. Black Sheep is amazing and scary and intense and funny and sad. Like her other work, the setting is evocative and cinematic. Don't look up anything about this book just read it.

When Vesper turned 18, she left her rural life and religious family for New York City and never turned back. When Vesper left she was told that once she left the deeply religious community she was no longer welcome back.

Seven years later, she receives an invitation to her best friend Rosie and her ex boyfriend Brody’s wedding. Vesper’s mom Constance is a horror film star and has always treated Vesper very coldly. Even though she’s not in an rush to return the toxic environment she escaped, something on the inside is pulling her to go.

Another highly entertaining story from Rachel Harrison! I can always count on her for an original page turner. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. Similar to her prior works, Black Sheep is equal parts dark humor, and horror, centered around a badass female main character.

Thanks to Rachel’s incredible writing, so much of the story felt real. This book read just like a movie playing. And even though there are a few feel good moments in the story, the horror aspects were absolutely terrifying.

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison will be available on September 12. A massive thanks to Berkley Pub and Netgalley for the gifted copy!

It started out well - snarky with a little bit of ... bombastic descriptions, which is actually how I imagine a smart, religiously home-schooled young adult would sound after a few self-taught years away from her upbringing.

Vesper leaves her isolated, insular, evangelical compound days before her 18th birthday. She's getting by on her own, but not thriving. She decides to go back for a wedding. Her bestie/cousin/good-as-a-sister Rosie is marrying Brodie - who was Vesper's True Love. Things go way way way downhill.

I kind of lost interest towards the over-the-top denoument, and felt that loose ends weren't tied up after that. Some should not have been, but I felt a bit of a letdown. Still, will look for other titles by this author.

Finished Rachel Harrison's Black Sheep today and had a BAA-last (yes!). A charming and unpredictable story about growing up in a dark "you can never go home again" tragedy. Harrison continues to capture relatable main leads who earn all your attention. Like her previous titles she uses the backdrop of horror to explore being an adult and the directions life takes us.
I wouldn't let the horror label scare you away(intended joke) from this one either. Harrison is great at transcending the genre and putting forth a character in Vesper who any fan of cynical dark humor and being annoyed by your family will love.
Mostly I look forward to some reviewer using the joke of this being or not being the Black Sleep of Harrison's career. That bad pun will bring me joy, almost as much joy as this book did.

This seems counterintuitive because I'm writing a sort-of review, but DON'T READ TOO MANY REVIEWS OF THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU READ IT. I've already seen several reviews with spoilers in them that ruin one of the best surprises of the story.

I will not say anything more about this book, other than it is fast-paced and weird and chock-full of Harrison's epic snark and wit and feminist commentary, and I love her and everything she writes.

READ THIS.

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison is a fantastic story about a young woman's struggle with her inner nature versus who she wants to be, or not be. It drew me in from the first page and kept me wanting to know more about Vesper Wright and her family. You might see the twist coming, but the exploration of what it means to Vesper, who has tried to escape from the pull of her community, and how she comes to terms with her past is compelling. A spooky must-read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Rachel Harrison has a great writing style for the horror genre, it worked overall with what I was hoping for. The characters did everything realistic and they felt like they should be in this universe. I found this to be a tense read and it worked overall. I look forward to reading more from Rachel Harrison.

Rachel Harrison is one of the best horror writers out there. Horror, humor and even heartwarming at times I always look forward to her books . Vesper a waitress has not been home in many years . She gets a wedding invitation to go baby home and it accepts . I don’t want to say much more for fear of giving anything away . Just go read this and be surprised. Loved it

I’ve been a fan of this author since I saw the cover for her book “such sharp teeth”

I was immediately drawn in by the unique, fun, yet thought provoking plot. It was no different for this book. This cover captures your attention right away and the premise sucks you in. The talented writing is what makes you stay.

My favorite of Harrison's so far! This is for fans of cult fiction, someone who grew up in a complicated family, and those who want a complicated kickass protagonist. I wish it would have been a little longer but only because it was so good. The characters and setting were so richly detailed.

23-year old Vesper grew up in a religious cult and she was told if she left, she could never return. That didn't stop her from leaving at age 18 without looking back. She finds work as a waitress at a chain restaurant. Unfortunately, she gets fired after an unfortunate incident. One day, she gets an invitation to her cousin, Rosie's wedding that is to be hosted at the family farm. She decides to return home even though there's a chance this could be a trap. Her toxic family is far from normal. Her mother, Constance, used to be a horror film star and she's cold as ice. Vesper's homecoming brings up a huge, terrifying family secret. She's forced to face her beliefs (or lack thereof) head on.

I love this book! It's so atmospheric and dark which is perfect since it comes out in the fall. Vesper is cynical but for good reason. I love her attitude and how tough she is. I really didn't expect the direction it took. It's hard to surprise me so that says a lot! I'm being careful not to give anything away, so I can't say much more about the plot. Just pick this up! It's so weird and creepy and just perfect.

No one has a “normal” family, but Vesper has always stood out. She left home at eighteen and never looked back. She grew up in a highly religious cult, and never wants to return. That is until she receives a wedding invitation from her favorite cousin.

Vesper decides to return home for the wedding, but things feel off from the get-go. When a terrifying secret is revealed, Vesper is forced to reckon with everything she ever thought true. Will she be able to escape again? Or is she stuck for good this time?

This was such a fun read! I had never read a book by this author before and I am excited to say I loved it! This will not be my last. I love a good cult story, and this one was extra fun for being a satanic cult. This book was a wonderful horror book - it wasn’t too gruesome, but it was atmospheric and captivating. I loved the supernatural elements to this one – they were a lot of fun and just added to the atmosphere. The pacing was well done, and I didn’t want to put the book down because I just couldn’t wait to the end. This is one of those books that I would love to watch the movie of (if done well) it would just be fantastic.

A big thank you to the publisher Berkley Publishing, @berkleypub, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for an amazing horror book, then check this one out September 19th!

Additional links will be added closer to publication date.

4.5 rounded to 5 stars.

I have never been disappointed with a Rachel Harrison but this might be my favourite. It's a fun blend of bleak humour, sarcasm, family issues, and, of course, horror. I think Harrison is getting a little darker with each book and I fully support it. Full of quippy, quirky characters, it's got the feel of a light read with moments of meaning and terror that give it beautiful depth. Keep writing, please, Ms. Harrison.

I usually hesitate when it comes to cult style stories. But oh boy, I couldn't put this down! I loved Vesper as a character and her interactions with her family and what she goes home to. Even though once you leave you can never go back, except when they invite you to a wedding and then everything goes nuts.

This was such a captivating horror novel and I love everything I've read from Harrison so far.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC for an honest review.

What a wild ride! Harrison is great at taking a supernatural premise and grounding it in a very real believable real world, making for horrifying and hilarious storytelling.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I got this book for free, in exchange for my honest opinion via NetGalley.

This was my first Rachel Harrison novel, and it certainly won't be my last.

I devoured this book. I've read my share of cult style horror, but this is by far the best one.

At age 18, Vesper left behind her religious family for a new start. Now a twenty-something, she is struggling in all aspects of her life. Then, on the same night is she fired from her job, she finds an invite to her cousin's wedding. Which is odd, since once you leave, you can never come back. Vesper decides to attend the wedding and all hell (literally) breaks loose.

There was only one plot twist I saw coming, and that was Vesper's dad. Speaking of her dad, this book needs to be made into a movie, and the role of her dad needs to be played by Pedro Pascal. I am leery to go on, as I may spoil the novel. Just know, that it is beyond worth the read.