Kate’s Review: “So Thirsty”

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Book: “So Thirsty” by Rachel Harrison

Publishing Info: Berkley, September 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A woman must learn to take life by the throat after a night out leads to irrevocable changes in this juicy, thrilling novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Such Sharp Teeth and Black Sheep.

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.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

It is October 1st!! We are officially at the start of my favorite month of the year, and we are also officially in full on Halloween Season, with that most blessed of holidays happening as the month comes to an end. And like I always do for October, I am starting my Horrorpalooza Celebration, in which I dedicate all of my book reviews to horror centered reads. I am always eager for this time of year and this celebration, and I decided that I wanted to kick it off with Rachel Harrison’s new novel “So Thirsty”. I love Rachel Harrison, and I was very eager to see what she was going to do with vampires, as I’ve really liked her takes on other horror sub-genres and how she makes them perhaps a little lighter, while still having some great scares. And “So Thirsty” was a great way to kick things off.

Harrison has always approached horror stories with a quick wit and some well done beats that find quality scares while still being approachable to those who may not be as entrenched in the genre, and she continues that pattern here. Our story is simple: life long friends Sloane and Naomi are going on a girls trip for Sloane’s 36th Birthday. Sloane is feeling stuck in a rut with a cheating husband and boring routine, while Naomi has been traveling Europe with few constraints and a side of flakiness. In hopes of loosening Sloane up, Naomi gets them invites to a big isolated house with some oh so charming strangers, and before we know it Sloane and Naomi have been turned into vampires, wondering what happens next, but perhaps also seeing a new beginning. As a plot it’s great. I love the idea of being changed into a vampire acting as a new start or a way to get one’s groove back, and I thought that Harrison made the vampires in this story appropriately predatory while also being very fun and genial. Less blundering than the “What We Do in the Shadows” group, but not as menacing or cruel as the “Near Dark” nomads. I really enjoyed all of them and their banter and humor, but also liked how nasty they could be when needed (and when their vampiric nature called for it). And there were definitely some moments in this book that were pretty scary and even gory, without being too over the top. Which would make it more accessible to people who are looking for something this Halloween season but may not like things to be TOO bloody.

I also really enjoyed the character development between Sloane and Naomi, both as a friendship pair and as individuals. As Sloane is our main character I expected it for her story arc, and while it didn’t really go outside of the box of ‘ennui and people pleasing woman who is approaching middle age finds her spark again’, I thought that it was a very satisfying storyline to follow. Her frustrations with her life (a boring job, a cheating husband, few things that bring her joy) felt pretty realistic, as did her hesitance to try and change things out of fear of what that change could do to a life she already knows, even if it’s boring and unsatisfying. I also enjoyed her chemistry with Henry, who starts as a mysterious guest at the ill fated party they attend, and turns into a symbol of what Sloane’s life COULD have should she be willing to take a leap (though it’s not like she’s going to have a choice). But what surprised me story wise was that we also got to see a bit of growth for free spirited party girl Naomi, who seems to have the opposite issue of Sloane, but is still in need to confronting how dissatisfied SHE is, even if it’s for different reasons. We don’t get into her head nearly as much, but Harrison knows how to imply and hint at Naomi’s own inner conflicts. And seeing both of these women be confronted with a life changing moment in time, and having to suss out and hash out their complicated friendship because of it, was an arc that I quite enjoyed. Harrison really has a knack for displaying all the ups and downs of female friendships and how they can be incredibly gratifying and fulfilling while also having complexities that can hinder them. Sloane and Naomi are another solid example of that.

“So Thirsty” is a fun way to kick off Horrorpalooza! I always look forward to Rachel Harrison for the spooky season and this one didn’t disappoint!

Rating 8: A fun and introspective tale about friendship and embracing oneself no matter what changes may occur, “So Thirsty” is another entertaining and satisfying novel from Rachel Harrison!

Reader’s Advisory:

“So Thirsty” is included on the Goodreads lists “I Support Women’s Wrongs”, and “Pink Horror Genre”.