So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
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Web ID: 20312144Meh
I was a little disappointed in this book. I loved Cackle and Such Shape Teeth so much that I had high hopes for this one. It was just ok to me. 3.5 stars
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
explores who you are
I’m not normally a vampire or supernatural reader, but I connect with Rachel Harrison. And I love the off the beaten path horror books from Berkley/Ace publishing. Friendship fiction and vampires seem to go together. Two friends who never see each other go away and stumble into more than they bargained for. Definitely fast paced and I’m not sure if cozy horror is a thing but if it was this would definitely be a part of it. It grabs the horror edge without all the gore. Centered around relationships. Sloane and Naomi the aforementioned friends. Sloane and Joel an unhappily married couple. Sloane and her new friend Henry. It also centers around who you are. It’s Sloane’s birthday and she is contemplating all that has brought her to a point in her life she’s feeling her life slipping away. I really resonated with this and my past. I wanted to know more about the characters and all their worlds held. And I definitely was guessing where this one as headed. Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite female narrators. She never disappoints and always chooses the right pace and tone. She easily nailed Sloane’s indecision and regrets and seamlessly moved into the frenzy of the second half of the book. This kept my interest from start to finish.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Okay Fiction
Actual Rating 2.5 This work started off quite strongly. I loved the premise and the idea of it focusing on a strong female friendship, plus vampires. The vampires were fun at the start, their depiction enjoyable, and I liked how varied they were. I also enjoyed the issues that arise from being a vampire in the modern world, which made for some entertaining moments. But the female friendship was more toxic than strong, and I wanted more character development/depth and growth throughout the book, especially from those two. There’s no real plot, and the characters weren’t strong enough for this to be a character-driven work. It was nowhere close to being a horror. The female friendship certainly wasn’t empowering and the female MCs weren’t easy to cheer for. So I don’t really know what this book was trying to be. Don’t read this looking for horror. Do read this if you like vampires in a modern setting and toxic friendships. My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
let down by weak characterization
There's a certain awkwardness to the writing style, with lines like "This sudden grimness provides a nebulous sense of relief, like tonguing a sore in the mouth" & "The memory of my nightmare returns, heavy and searing, like someone dropped a hot stove on my chest". The story revolves around Sloane & her best friend Naomi, and most of "So Thirsty" is devoted to their attempts to survive as vampires and fit into a new way of living. Sloane has to be one of the most frustratingly passive characters ever, and seems to have little to her development (over and over she blunders into things & has others, including Naomi, drag her into bad situations). Her passivity is in stark contrast to her best friend's impulsiveness. Both are written as very young, and I had to keep reminding myself that these were actual adult women. Their transformation into creatures of the night seems to barely alter their personalities, until somewhat in the Epilogue, where the reader is left wondering how it all happened (what would have been actually interesting to read about!). This horror novel feels barely horror at all, though there are some nice scenes (the vampire 'turning' scene, the confrontation with the Alice character, etc). It all reads like a regular fiction novel that had some horror elements tacked on to it.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Funny and disturbing
Thank you to PRH Audio and the author for the gifted audiobook. Even though I'm not usually into horror books, this one really caught my attention. The characters' witty exchanges and dynamic personalities overshadowed the more gruesome aspects, making it a thrilling and fun experience. Sloane and Naomi's intense yet endearing friendship added a whole new layer of depth to the story. It's a rollercoaster of emotions and I couldn't get enough of it! And let me tell you, Brittany Pressley's narration is absolutely incredible. The way she effortlessly brings each character to life with distinct voices is just mind-blowing. It's like she's a whole cast of actors rolled into one. This phenomenal audiobook is out now, and trust me, you do not want to miss out on this exhilarating experience!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Lot at Stake in this Vampire Novel
“Only Jersey girls would think heaven is a mall.” Gerascophobia - the fear of aging. Someone with this phobia may experience a need to hide signs of aging, avoiding the topic of getting older and birthday anxiety. Sloane doesn’t have birthday anxiety, she just really hates her birthday. “I Googled ‘existential crisis’ directly after I Googled ‘Botox.’” After being forced to have some fun for her “another year older”, Sloane is joined by her fashionable best friend, Naomi, for a weekend away. Although they have been friends forever, Sloane and Naomi lead vastly different lives. Where Sloane feels stagnant, Naomi is traveling the world with her famous musician partner. Determined to show Sloane the time she deserves, the two venture out into the nightlife of the Finger Lakes. They find themselves in the thralls of some unlikely characters causing Sloane to ask if they bit off more than they could chew. This night out ends up becoming the longest night of their lives. Lives that are eternally changed. Lives that they can finally start living. “I was freaking out about getting older. Now it doesn’t seem so bad. I’d be so lucky to grow old.” Off the back of Black Sheep, Rachel Harrison gives the reader another unconventional story of a theme we see time and time again. So Thirsty is not a typical horror read. It’s alluring, self-reflective and a little sad. I’ll be honest, I have a very love/hate relationship with vampires. My favorite vampire movie is The Lost Boys(1987); I think that’s why I love So Thirsty as much as I did even though I'm not the biggest vampire fan. Because this story isn’t about blood sucking monsters and their lore; It’s about friendship, specifically female friendship, self-discovery and change. I don’t think Sloane is afraid of growing older, I think she is afraid of missing out. She stood out for me so much more than the rambunctious Naomi, because women, especially women over thirty, all have a little bit of Sloane in us. She is safe out of necessity, yet she takes a traumatic event and betters herself from it. I get emotional thinking about this story because Rachel Harrison speaks of such raw female experiences, in all her works, but So Thirsty specifically covers such chilling themes that you almost forget it’s a vampire story, until everyone is covered in blood. “It’s the worst feeling in the world, knowing you’ve taken the sight of your own face for granted.” Character development was at the forefront of this novel. Both Sloane and Naomi show who they are, they change physically, mentally and emotionally over the course of So Thirsty and manage to transform into the women they are meant to be. It doesn’t come easy for these two either. They are flawed characters who don’t always make the right choices, but the lifelong friends are supportive of one another because they just want to see the other not just live but thrive. Sloane and Naomi ooze Thelma and Louise(1991) energy. For the brief amount of time the reader is with these characters, Rachel gives us so much of their personality that the reader understands each one’s thought process and recognizes how they are experiencing things differently. Because of this, the story is fast paced without feeling rushed. I enjoy the fact that Rachel Harrison introduces the reader to the “monsters” within the first quarter of the book. The clan of vampires, while not the main focus of this vampire novel, are seductive and quirky enough to keep the reader entertained. She for sure leans into the sex appeal of these immortal beings in a way that I have never seen her write before. I can’t wait to see what new, out of the ordinary tales she comes up with in the future because So Thirsty feels like a juicy start. See you all in the dream mall!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
So Thirsty for Rachel Harrison Books
I actually rated this 5 stars last night but then I thought about it some more and now I've changed my mind. Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this but I personally feel like I didn't think Sloane and Naomi resolved their issues in a satisfying way on the page. They would get close to really hashing it out and then Sloane would back off. And listen ok, as a conflict avoidant girlie, I totally get it. I write and delete many confrontational messages that I don't actually have the guts to say. But I wanted Sloane to have that growth of character, to really live and confront things in her life that were hard for her to deal with. I'm glad she confronted Joel, but she really needed to have a serious talk with Naomi about their friendship. I don't know, I feel like, you know, no spoilers but they must have discussed it at some point by the end but I wanted to see it. I'm glad Rachel Harrison writes horror, as a horror lover, but honestly, if she ever wanted to write some chick lit, I would be so into that. I was really into the first half of this book, the set up of everything. Rachel has a satisfying way or writing her characters very true to life (or at least true to my life lol) and I know I groussed a little on another book that nothing happened until half way through but with this one I'm like "Nothing was happening but it's fine, I love it!" And this is why you shouldn't take my reviews seriously lol. But fr though, if you don't meet me at the dream mall, then baby, I don't want it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fantastic Vampire Book
So Thirsty was the second book I've read by Rachel Harrison, and it was a fast-paced, paranormal thriller that I could not put down. I thought the pacing for the first 20% of the book was a little slow, but once it took off, I couldn't stop reading, and I devoured this in a day. She is quickly becoming an insta-buy author for me. I liked that this story was very character-driven, and I loved the themes of friendship, feminism, love, and mortality explored in this. At times, it reminded me of a modern Thelma & Louise. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing this ARC!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com