If RH writes it, I’m going to read it. She is amazing at bringing so much life and imagery to her books. I can truly go on & on about her writing style. The main FMCs are so relatable and human (or vampire in this case LOL).

This gave me Thelma & Louise, Death Becomes Her, & slight Twilight vibes.

I only wanted more from the origin of the vamps and more from all of the characters in the group. It all came and left very suddenly. I wasn’t ready to leave them yet

Other than that, this was so so good. I love a story about friendships/found family and the dark, honest, truths about it. Very eerie, gruesome, slightly spicy and BLOODY! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to unsee Ms. Alice’s scenes and I LOVED the epilogue!!!

If you love RH, read this one! Enough said.

huge thanks to @netgalley & @berkleypub for this ARC!!! OUT SEPTEMBER 10th

Many thanks to #partner @berkleypub @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 9/10/24.

I am definitely in my #vampireera, and SO THIRSTY was so good and delicious, and perfect to read just in time for #spookyseason!

Sloane and Naomi have been best friends their whole lives, although they are total opposites. Sloane is about to celebrate her birthday, and her husband Joel surprises her for a long weekend getaway, but for her and Naomi. The actual night of Sloan's birthday Naomi has a surprise place she wants to take her with a group of people that she met the previous night at the bar. When the girls arrive at the party it wasn't the type of party they had in mind, but with the snow and roads so bad they are stuck with a group of people that will change their lives forever.

It was good. I read it in a day and enjoyed it but I really just wanted more from it. The ending confused me a tiny bit but that’s ok. I’m sure it’ll click once I have more time to think about it.

I love Rachel Harrison, I’ll read anything she writes. This book was a good time it just wasn’t her best book yet. A sexy slightly horrific vampire novel is what I’m here for but I just needed more.

Definitely recommend but it isn’t really horror based. It’s more light thriller than anything else.

So Thirsty is an insanely binge-able and bloody novel with the absolute best cast of characters. Sloane is celebrating her 36th birthday at a cabin in the woods, away from her POS husband. Her long-time friend (and shit show,) Naomi has just flown in from Europe and they are ready for a ✨ girls ✨ weekend.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) they quickly get tangled up with some ancient, other-worldly forces. Chaos ensues. This book explores the art of letting go and getting everything you’ve ever wanted, just by reaching out and taking it. Vampires have never really been my cup of tea but Ilie and Henry had me questioning everything.

Harrison is a master of making me say “what the actual f**k” multiple times in the same book, and So Thirsty was no exception. This was one of my most anticipated books for 2024 and I’m so glad to be able to recommend it for fans of horror, vampires, gore, and chaos!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC of this title!!**

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Trigger warning: gore, blood.

I really have enjoyed Rachel Harrison’s works in the past. I love her dry sense of humor and the way that she writes flawed, yet still highly relatable protagonists. And in keeping with her earlier works, both of these elements are present.

I enjoyed So Thirsty, but something seemed slightly underbaked. The two main characters—Naomi and Sloane are vivid and complicated. Their motivations and the way they approach their fears of living and maintaining control are some of the best formed elements of the plot. The book is just as much about complex, life long female friendships that have seen the evolutionary phases of adulthood as it is about vampires.

And maybe that’s the issue I had with the book. The vampire story seemed like it wasn’t entirely finished and like the pacing was inconsistent. The jump between the scenes seemed somewhat abrupt. It’s difficult to even put my finger on what was missing from the story, but at times it felt like the story didn’t really know where it was going fully.

It’s clear that the author had a great premise; a story about female friendship interspersed with a modern vampire transformation. And while the female friendship elements were flushed out, it felt like the vampire story lines were half formed.

My last comment is mostly on the categorization of the book. This book was billed as the horror genre, but it wasn’t totally accurate. The story has some gory sequences and uses themes of vampires, but isn’t particularly scary or thrilling. I’d say it’s more of contemporary fiction with a gothic setting. Horror fans looking for a conventional story won’t necessarily find what they’re looking for, and I think that the label could turn away some readers that would enjoy the story.

I was surprised by this book. I did not know much about this book as I began to read it. I like to go on the journey without much of a guide when I read and I was not disappointed by this ride at all! I did not expect the touching friendship or the themes on life choices and how we accept where we are even if it is not the best place for us. Sloane's story resonated with me more than I expected or would like to admit. Her journey to letting herself heal and change was impactful. My only complaint may be that the end seemed to happen quite quick and neat. But honestly, I'm not mad about it. I loved where our characters ended up. I'm glad I picked this up and went on this journey with Sloane.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early arc of this fun read!

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
Release Date: 9/10/24
Format: audio/ebook hybrid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve been a huge fan of Rachel Harrison ever since I read Cackle and I’ve since read everything she’s written! What I really adore about her stories are how she writes these beautiful and messy strong female leads and that their arcs usually revolve around some badass growth. So Thirsty was no exception!

I loved the themes of friendship and not needing to conform to society’s expectations of women that were woven throughout this book. It definitely had me hooked from the start and I was absolutely rooting for Sloane every step of the way.

Where I struggled with this book is that it felt like the same story as her other books just in a different font. While I do like that her recurring themes tie her larger body of works together despite them not being in a shared universe, I just felt a little bored.

It’s not a bad book, I was just a bit disappointed and hoping for a little bit more. A great start to the spooky season nonetheless!

This was a fun book! I have had mixed results with Rachel Harrison in the past, but this one did not disappoint. This is a story about friendship, feminism, and the choices we make that send our lives down radically different paths, all wrapped up in fun vampire candy coating. Harrison is saying so many things about the world we live in and the way that it treats women, but she's doing it while telling a really fun vampire story. The cast of characters is phenomenal, and the two main characters are very well developed. The story stretches from the Finger Lakes of New York to the streets of Prague, and there is not a dull moment. I read this book in a day. If you are a fan of the vampire genre, this is a must read.

So fun and witty and bloody with amazing themes of friendship while serving up great horror and mystery!

Have you ever had a thirst so strong that it consumed you? Every thought, every breath, leading back to your desire to drink. You are going out of your mind thinking of a way to curb your ever-building thirst...

Sloane and Naomi have been friends since they were in school. Always joined at the hip. They even have the same dream, leading them to the same destination over and over. Sloane is quiet and more reserved, while Naomi is daring, reckless, and sucks the life out of everything around her. For her birthday, Sloane's husband is treating them to a girl's weekend. Naomi is determined to have Sloane get out of her own way and have a blast. That night out leads to a change in their entire lives. They find a group of friends who are a little weird, seem a bit rough around the edges, and Naomi jumps all in. Sloane is bound and determined to get back to the hotel. But they never make it back. Their lives have taken a dark turn. Where they lust after one thing...blood.

If you need a spooky vampire read, this one has it all. It is fun, edgy, romantic, and brings a different vibe of vampires to the table. I do wish the vampires in the book were more fleshed out. I would have loved to know where they came from and how they became creatures of the night. Thank you to Berkley Publication for my finished copy of this creeptastic read.

I think Rachel Harrison is a master at balancing relatable themes/topics through a fantasy or paranormal lens. Sloane and Naomi are flawed people with many insecurities but their loyalty and friendship to one another truly knows no bounds. I loved the vampire side characters that they meet and the eventual romance Sloane had with Henry. Another thing I love about this authors books is the way she slides in the horror elements as some scenes were gruesome but in a way that was highly entertaining. It was nice to see the two women come into their own with this new perspective on life and figuring out that they actually don’t have to settle and can embrace their true self. I wasn’t expecting to love this but it just hit all the right notes for me and I was pleasantly surprised. Can’t wait to read whatever the author writes next!

Reading this book was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I’m glad I gave it a try. The story introduced me to a fascinating world of vampires that left me wanting more. The friendship dynamics were compelling, and I found myself genuinely caring about the characters. There was a bit of insta-love, which felt somewhat rushed, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.

By the end, I wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, but strangely, that didn’t bother me. The story’s ambiguity didn’t turn me away; instead, it added a layer of mystery that kept me intrigued.

If you’re open to stepping outside your usual genres and don’t mind a bit of uncertainty, this book might just surprise you as it did me.

This was my first book by this author and I quite enjoyed it. I could totally empathize with the FMC and her having an existential crisis. The best friend character drove me quite nuts and I don’t think the friends have a healthy relationship, but their banter made things interesting.

The bits of gore throughout the story were just the right touch to offset the humor. My library customers will love this horror/comedy!

I love vampire books and I love this author, so this book was a delicious and delectable reading experience for me. It's sultry and sensuous, it's vulnerable and questioning, and it left me wanting more. I feel like the ending left room that if Harrison wanted to write a second book featuring these characters she could.

I loved the relatability of the characters. Traversing old and rocky relationships, staying stuck in a place when you know you should move otherwise you will just continue to sink. Being forced to break out of one's rut, the importance of having a supportive truly great friend even if they are rough around the edges, aren't we all a bit rough around the edges?

If you like Rachel Harrison, if you like horror romance, if you like vampire books, then this book may just be for you and I hope you love it as much as I did.

SO THIRSTY is the perfect book if you're in the mood for a spooky read! I liked that it also incorporated true friendship and a touch of romance as well. The overall story was very engaging and unforgettable. I've never read anything with vampires and I really can say I actually enjoyed it. Rachel Harrison is a talented writer and I will be reading her back catalog now.

Many thanks to Berkeley and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared closer to publication day on my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews).

3.5 rounded up - I enjoyed this enough but definitely not my fav of Harrison’s. I liked themes of female friendship and choosing how you live your life. But I found Sloane and Naomi a bit grating, in opposite ways, which I think is partially the point but there were times where I was rolling my eyes at them. There’s a little bit of romance, which was fun and I wanted more from. I think my biggest issue is that even though this delves into big topics, it all felt fairly surface level. But if you look at this more of just a fun ride and don’t think too hard, it is a good time that obviously gave some Twilight vibes!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for my e-ARC of So Thirsty!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🩸 love a good vampire story
👯‍♀️ would do anything for your bestie
🫥 have ever felt invisible
🎂 dread your birthday

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

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.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

Another amazing one from Harrison! I loved Black Sheep last year, so I was really excited to see what she came up with next. This twist on vampires was a lot of fun. I loved that she got to experience it all with her best friend, Naomi. The story is a lot deeper than becoming a vampire though - Sloane is dealing with deeply rooted trauma and trying to finally let go of it all, not just to save her relationship with her best friend, but to accept her new life as a vampire. The story is a bit on the long side, but the action and thrills of it all really ramped it up at times. Overall, a fun one, especially if you’re into vampires!

This was fine. It’s like if the writing in Twilight was good in a lit fic way. I liked the characters but have beef with the plot. It was a bit boring. I kept waiting for something big to happen and it felt very pedestrian. The ending should have made me emotional but it didn’t. It felt rushed and muddled and their decisions didn’t make sense to me. I could tell that it was meant to feel special but it fell flat for me.

Harrison does not disappoint. This book is the perfect spooky season - vampire romp you've been waiting for. Loved it! Dang. I'm so thirsty. Please excuse me...

I just adore Rachel Harrison and So Thirsty was fabulous. I will forever read anything she writes! Will purchase for my libraries.