A huge, huge thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC!

To know me is to know that any upcoming Rachel Harrison release is my most anticipated release. Naturally, So Thirsty sits at the very top of my list for upcoming titles being published this year, and, upon reading, this top spot is earned in spades. Sloane Parker is getting older, and with her birthday approaching, a sense of acquiescence emerges. Married to a man with a more than questionable track record in the loyalty department, Sloane spends her birthday with her (very) free-spirited friend, Naomi. In true Naomi fashion, Sloane finds herself on a night out with strangers of the weirdest variety in an effort to live a little. This night turns into something unexpected, something that pushes both Naomi and Sloane to reconsider their lifestyles and make some rather brutal choices. But what does this violent shove into the unknown look like? Is it something Sloane and Naomi’s friendship can survive?

The queen of the uniquely horrific female experience, Rachel Harrison has tackled her share of complex dynamics, relationships, and misfortunes. In her previous works such as The Return and Such Sharp Teeth, Harrison explores the complexities of female friendship in combination with unwanted, traumatic occurrences befalling women. So Thirsty also thrives in a similar space that unpacks what it means to handle unexpected, horrific changes through the lens of camaraderie and discovery of self-worth. Sloane and Naomi’s relationship feels utterly authentic; they love each other dearly yet see each other's flaws. Yet, despite the small idiosyncrasies that may drive each other slightly crazy, there’s so much love to be found.

Harrison’s character studies craft some of the most compelling arcs I’ve read in recent horror fiction. Meeting Sloane at the beginning of the novel presents a woman who has settled into her life, a place where she feels comfortable (to a degree) despite mistreatment from her husband. She feels like the embodiment of “the devil you know” as she does not want to rock the proverbial boat to attain fairness. This is in deep contrast to Naomi’s character, a woman who acts on impulse in the name of not wasting a single moment (think Samantha from Sex and the City but a little hippier). The situation they find themselves in at the crux of the novel only magnifies these qualities, initiating an evaluation of what these characters truly desire and forcing a state of metamorphosis, both figuratively and literally.

It’s no secret So Thirsty is a vampire novel, a unique subgenre of horror that typically entails blood and sex. While this novel manages to check those boxes, Harrison manages to turn this dichotomy on its head and uses vampirism as a means to explore female empowerment, desire, gluttony, and guilt. Your traditional, textbook vampire often oozes with lust and desire, ideas that are presented to Sloane as foreign objects. One of the deepest emotions she experiences is that of guilt, something that feels representative of a uniquely feminine experience. In truth, this repression of desires exemplified by Sloane feeds into an ugly, gruesome repository of self-loathing and unhappiness. The realization that her previous lifestyle was not substantial becomes overly apparent, not unlike a vampire going without blood. Harrison proves that desiring equitable treatment is not gluttonous, that space is yours to occupy, all through the relationship of vampirism and guilt.

A cellular inspection of the ties that bind, So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison blends the sexy, classic tropes of vampirism we’ve come to know and love with a nuanced, feminine experience that examines guilt, love, and indulgence. Both Sloane and Naomi provide a unique context to define what it means to be a friend in the face of the inconceivable, both rooted in reality and the otherworldly. Another stellar entry in her catalog, Rachel Harrison harnesses the supernatural to give us another widely enjoyable, moving feminine tale that should not be missed.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 on the recommendation of a dear friend of mine and it did not disappoint. Rachel Harrison's writing is engaging and I loved the world that she built and filled with interesting, complex characters. This is ultimately a celebration of the power of female friendship, with a dash of vampires on the side. I thought Sloane was an interesting narrator and I was intrigued to learn more about her life and relationships as she navigated her life, marriage, and friendship with Naomi. I thought both main characters also had great character growth and the supporting cast was also a delight. Highly recommend!

Title: So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
Genre: Horror
Pub Date: September 10, 2024

⭐️ 4/5

🩸Anxious FMC
🩸Unfaithful Spouse
🩸Trauma/Horror
🩸Fledglings
🩸Ride or Die Besties

Sloane gets more than she bargains for when she accepts a girls only birthday trip from her hubby to a mountain retreat with her bestie, Naomi. Sloane usually errs on the side of caution, but Naomi wants her to step out of her shell and brings her to an "adult group party" that ends in the women nearly dying... or, did they really die?

My Review:

I will admit that I'm a sucker for all things vampire. Essentially we follow Naomi and Sloane while they’re newly turned, trying to break all ties to the normal world and resist the insatiable thirst that comes with being turned. We get a little spice, some angst, nice character development, and a touch of gore! I read this in just a few hours and truly enjoyed it. If you love vampires it was a fun read!

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Berkley, for the digital review copy!

Sloane’s husband gives her a birthday gift of a getaway with her best friend Naomi. Sloane and Naomi meet a group of party people and against her better judgment Sloane allows Naomi to convince her to hang out with them. All those warnings about stranger danger rear their heads as Sloane finds out the mysterious group are not what they appear and that monsters are real.
Another great Rachel Harrison read. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The first half feels like Thelma and Louise showed up at a classic Brad Pit vampire orgy only to have the mood killed by Van Helsing level horror resulting in confusion, thirst, and chaos!

Then the second half felt like the inner thoughts of every woman who was forced into a box and then conditioned to compare themselves against other women, tainting the beauty of their friendships but never letting it defeat you. I'm sure there are so many women who have struggled with self worth, unworthy love, sub-par partners, and an overall pressure to make themselves smaller and to be content with settling.

At times you dislike both FMC and can't understand their friendship but then you remember you love them and both their stories are unique and they behave the way they do largely due to the same, and different experiences theyve had.

I only wish I got almost an equal look into Naomi's head. I feel like a dual POV would have just pushed this over the top for me!

(And side note to anyone who would like to know, both FMC are childfree, there are no pregnancy tropes, and there are intimate scenes but no real spice)

Another darkly humorous read from Rachel Harrison. One of her strengths is exploring relationships between women in detail, outside of their relationships with men. Her books are feminist and strongly focused on the experiences of women. Slone Parker and her best friend Naomi have been sent on a getaway as a birthday present from Slone's husband. It's an opportunity to party, relax, and ignore the issues at home, including ennui, concerns about aging, and the repeated infidelity of Slone's husband. Naomi after meeting some mysterious strangers, convinces Slone to attend a party at their place. This one night changes everything for the two friends.

Recommended for those who like their horror with a side of humor like Grady Hendrix or those looking for a female centered horror novel with a deep dive into the complexities of friendship.

This isn't my first Rachel Harrison book, and it won't be my last. She has a way of drawing you into the world she's creating. I always have a blast reading her stories. Can't wait for more

Well, I had high hopes for this one. Because, vampires have been one of my favorite tropes for many years now. Unfortunately, this one fell very flat. The storyline felt rushed and I didn't enjoy how the dynamic with the spouse/boyfriend was just severed (not that it shouldn't have been, but the way it happened wasn't written well). I just felt like this book was just thrown together and, while I finished it, it probably should have been a DNF for me.

This was my first Rachel Harrison novel, so I had no idea what to expect! Now onto the review.

This book is not a typical vampire story nor is it heavy in the horror elements that I went into this book expecting. I know that Rachel Harrison is known more as a “pink horror” author, and I’m not quite sure. I still know what that entails but after reading this book, I think I have a better understanding.

I know that this book says it is a vampire story, but that is one small minuscule aspect of this book. I like to believe that the vampirism in this book is a metaphor for something more. To be a vampire is to not be scared of living, and to really take life by the horns because really you’re immortal now and what else are you supposed to do? 🧛‍♀️

In this book, we have Sloane who is about to have a birthday and who is a little bit scared of living her life and has necessarily settled for what she has — and then she has a friend named Naomi, who is quite reckless and wild, and to me both of these girls represent the two sides of how a woman is perceived in todays society.

There is the main theme of this book which is to not be afraid of living and that it’s never too late to go after what it is that you want. To not be scared and go for the scary. And then the theme of friendship is very heavy in this book as the friendship between Naomi and Sloane is the major element that drives this book forward. I would like to say that there isn’t much of a plot in this book that I necessarily saw so it is much more vibes, but it definitely works.

I was reading this book as I was experiencing my 34th birthday, and it was a comforting read, and it was answering questions that I was asking myself — what is to come as I’m gaining an extra year, which coincidentally enough is a question that Sloane was asking herself in the book.

If you love books about friendships, having a good time, a very light romantic love interest that just happens to be a vampire… then you will like this book.

Thank you to Rachel Harrison for sending me this book personally, it was clearly the best birthday gift/book I could’ve read during this time. 🖤

I love a good vampire novel. This is an OK vampire novel. Fun story, but I wanted to throttle every single character multiple times. I wish the novel had ended with Sloane deciding she was worth more than all the toxic relationships in her life and going out on her own. The end was fitting, but I honestly thought the whole thing was pretty... meh. Cute, but meh.

I was super excited to be approved through NetGalley to read an early copy of So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison, coming 9/10/24 from Penguin Random House, in exchange for my honest review.

So Thirsty opens on mid-thirties, play-it-safe Sloane dreading her upcoming birthday, and finding out that her husband has arranged a birthday weekend away at a fancy cabin for Sloane and her best friend Naomi. On the night before her birthday, Naomi drags Sloane to a party that changes the course of their lives forever.

Just like with Cackle and Such Sharp Teeth, two of Harrison’s earlier novels, the nature of the horror creature is evident from the start of the book, made clear by the title and cover art alone. I love this for two reasons. One, already knowing “this is a vampire book” means I’m not starting the book out trying to see things coming before they happen, which lets me enjoy the book much more in the moment. Two, it allows Harrison to really play around with foreshadowing and setting the vibes even in the earliest chapters when nothing has gone wrong yet. The way Sloane feels about the sunlight, the way she avoids looking at her mirror, her worries about aging, and the way she personifies her own teeth at the end of chapter two, were all delightful. None of those little nuggets felt forced, they all fit smoothly into the character and the narrative, and they were all perfectly on theme from the start.

That foreknowledge and foreshadowing could have been a dampener on the experience of the moment in the book when things go wrong, but Harrison’s pacing is on point. Combined with that, when the violence finally happens it happens so fast, emphasizing the feeling of the brutality in a way that completely makes up for having known all along that it would happen at some point.

Another thing I enjoyed was the way it becomes clear pretty early that Sloane is unhappy with her life but clings to the familiar easiness of it. It also becomes clear that things aren’t quite they way they seem at first. Sloane hasn’t always been the play-it-safe girl and her husband’s reasons for sending her on this nice trip have nothing to do with a happy and solid marriage. This sense of things not being what they look like carries on through the book, with certain revelations coming fairly quickly (the beautiful stranger at the bar is not as human as he looks) and some unwinding throughout the course of the novel (the party girl best friend might not be as happy as she seems, either). One of the vampires has even changed his name at some point before the events of the story.

The next paragraph will have some minor spoilers.

The thing I loved about that theme of things not being as they seem is that, once the nature of the vampires is revealed, that no longer really applies to them. Ilie and Elisa and Tatiana and Henry are exactly who they are. It may take Henry some time to explain his past, but he was up front with Sloane from the beginning about having what he considers a sad backstory in the first place. When he tells Sloane he will be honest with her, he is. And once Sloane and Naomi get through the initial difficulties of adjusting to a life as vampires, there’s a strong implication that they find within themselves the people they were before life wore them down, Sloane freeing herself from repression and risk-aversion and Naomi no longer compelled to try to outrun banality or mortality or both. The vampires are not perfect, and they’re not necessarily good, but they are true, maybe the only true things in the book, and I love that.

Okay, spoilers done. Continue reading the review spoiler-free from this point.

I really dig Sloane’s character and her voice. She felt real. Her specific backstory and current problems aren’t part of my experience but the way she handles them (or refuses to handle them) feels almost uncomfortably relatable—there’s something of a cautionary tale in Sloane as a character, and one that I think many women can relate to in some form or another. Harrison’s character writing is always strong, and her portrayal of women’s experiences and of the friendships between women always resonates deeply with me.

On a line level, I’m so into Harrison’s writing style. She deftly combines the moodiness of horror with modern vibes and turns of phrase that are often humorous or beautiful or thought-provoking or some combination thereof, and I am here for it.

And finally, the cherry on top of the whole experience of reading So Thirsty (and all of Harrison’s books, honestly) is that there’s this clear sense that she had fun crafting this book. When an author loves the work that they are doing, it shows, and in my opinion it really adds to the fun of reading that book. There’s a sense of real enjoyment and a genuine authenticity wrapped up in Harrison’s horror.

In conclusion! Five out of five stars for So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison.

Loved so much about this book! five our of 5 stars! Loved the dialogue about female friendship and the dark humor in it. Classic Rahcel Harrison.

<b>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishing team Berkley for sending me this ARC! Rachel Harrison is a new author to me and was captivated by this story the whole way through.</b>

Sloane (FMC) is introduced and her husband surprises her with a birthday getaway with her best friend Naomi. Sloane is not really feeling herself or this getaway. Well she has not really been herself in a long time. The story goes on and her and Naomi arrive at their getaway destination and its truly a luxurious place. To spark the trip and Sloane, Naomi tries to make Sloane live a little through spending some fun time out at a strangers place.......
<i>what they do not know is....their lives will be changed forever</i>

A character I found relatable: Sloane I found the be very annoying in the beginning, but also could relate to in so many ways. As a female in her 30s who is an introvert I can see where Sloane can be uptight and "logical" all the time. Sloane leads her life, not by her heart, but through logistics and statistics. She fears the "what ifs" and never really took risks.

Plot points I wished we had more of: I wished the author really showed more of Henry and Sloane's relationship and love interests...but I can see why not....

This story is more so about growths and connecting with one another through rough times. Its about trust, family, love and never giving up on those you love the most.

Themes: Love, Loyalty, Trust, Betrayal, Sexual Content, Gore

Elements: Spicy scenes, Blood Bank Heists, Thelma and Louise Vibes

Spicy Rating: 2/5

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It really is more than just vampire killings and sex. Its about friendship and love. My heart really was touched by Sloane and Naomi's friendship.

Rachel, I do hope there is a sequel. I need to know more about Tatiana's story and Henry and Sloane's love life.

The first thing I did after finishing So Thirsty in one sitting was write down the note, “This feels like the therapy I have been needing for a while.” At first glance, this does not exactly sound like what the book offers up as a funny vampire horror book, but it felt far deeper than that. Harrison has once again blown me away with a story surrounding the importance and complexity of female friendship while also critiquing the societal expectations (ahem, the patriarchy) of women in America. She also does a glorious job of writing Sloane and Naomi in a relatable, albeit sometimes insufferable, way that had me loving (and hating) them.
So Thirsty is the perfect book for folks who enjoy horror that feels so relatable that maybe you had to write down some more notes for yourself to talk about in therapy, but in the best way possible! I thoroughly enjoyed this fun vampire romp and can not wait to reread it soon!

Take Thelma & Louise, a healthy gush of blood and Rachel Harrison's trademark feminist twist, throw it in a blender and out comes SO THIRSTY - a fun, entertaining smoothie ready to quench your craving.

Dreading her birthday, Sloane is surprised by her husband with a cottage weekend getaway with her longtime best friend and troublemaker, Naomi. Sloane is the cautious type, completely content with settling, but Naomi is determined to break her out of her shell and orchestrates a wild night out at a house party with mysterious friends. When things take a chaotic turn, Sloane is forced to face a life that has spun completely out of her control.

Harrison is top notch at writing relatable female main characters with a strong inner voice, witty dialogue and dynamic female friendships. I felt the unconditional love between Sloane and Noami while also feeling completely frustrated with how each one was acting. Basically, this friendship felt real and we get to witness how each character responds to their vulnerabilities and morality all while trying to accept each other. I did want a little bit more punch to the ending- while tension did grow towards the end, I never really felt a stronge sense of anxiety or dread. Overall this was a fast-paced, and entertaining read that is sure to satiate any fans of Harrison's previous novels. 4/5

A little thinky, a little gory, a little more realistic (for a vampire novel, anyway), a lot about love and relationships and friendships. What's life about, have do we navigate it, how do we choose who and what is important? Not something I expected from a vampire novel, but here we are.

Two thirty-something, life-long friends get together for a weekend to reconnect, celebrate a birthday, and relax. One lives a wild rockstar life, the other mundane. It’s no surprise when the wild one secures an invite for them to a house party hosted by an exotic man and his friends. Things get interesting/messy from there!
It’s no secret or surprise that this book is about vampires. But I delighted and surprised by it! In the past I’ve referred to Rachel Harrison’s books as ‘horror light’ because there’s just enough thrills, gore, and scary stuff to make them horror. Her characters, for me, are instantly knowable and interesting, and the settings vivid and memorable. Something about Harrison’s short novels just jive with me!

Rachel Harrison making her way through creating poignant horror-comedies featuring standard monster classics is just SO good. First and foremost, I appreciate that the relationship that grounded this novel the most was the friendship between Sloane and Naomi. Despite the romances and flings that surround the two women, it is consistently their friendship and their love for each other that drive both the plot and their character arcs. Sloane is the type of MC that I love. She's a little bit sad, but she knows it. She's a little bit weird, but she knows it. And all she needs to do is finally embrace herself and she can find the happiness that she's been keeping from herself. I was also intrigued by the ways that vampires worked in this novel. Harrison consistently uses monsters to be both literal and metaphorical in her novels, and I really love it. Vampirism includes all the things that it usually is in media -- hedonism, sexual appetite, recklessness, eternal life and chasing a high to stave off boredom and depression. But it also includes indulgence in the things that make you you and the things you desire, courage, found family. In order for Sloane to find herself, she had to die.

When a girl's weekend trip does not go exactly as planned, Sloane and Naomi find themselves thirsting for more than just cocktails and girl bonding. This fast-paced book is full of voracious vampires, forever friends, and violence galore! I drank this book up, and honestly, I'm thirsty for a sequel!

I’m a huge Rachel Harrison fan ever since her debut, The Return. I thought her cult novel, Black Sheep was my favorite…it has been dethroned. So Thirsty is amazing. This is the bestie vampire novel you need in your life. Pick it up if you like complicated relationships, girl’s girl energy, fun vampires you can root for, and also scary vamps that’ll haunt your dreams. Five stars.