Talk About a Weird Party

 

TITLE: So Thirsty

AUTHOR: Rachel Harrison

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: September 10, 2024

PAGES: 304   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: 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: I've read one other Harrison book, Cackle, and really enjoyed it so when I saw she was releasing a vampire-focused tale, picking it up was a no-brainer. And it became even better when Berkley granted me an early digital copy to review.  

Sloane is living a pretty mundane life.  She constantly worries about turning older and all the things in life she might have missed out on because of something that happened while she was in college.  In addition, Sloane is also ignoring the fact that her husband is a lying cheat because it's easier to stay with him and not risk too many changes than it is to leave him.  Sloane pretty much buries her head in the sand several times throughout the day.  

As her birthday nears, Sloane receives a surprise gift from her husband, a weekend getaway with her long-time bestie she hasn't seen in years due to her boyfriend touring overseas.  Sloan has always been envious of Naomi's life and the two couldn't appear more different.  However, as the book progresses, the reader learns they are more alike than they initially seemed.  While away, Naomi meets a mysterious man and arranges for her and Sloane to go to a private party.  Sloan is afraid of going somewhere to party with complete strangers but is tired of playing it safe.  She has no idea how unsafe things are about to get because look at the cover, we just KNOW there are gonna be vampires. 

I really loved this book, and it was a perfect read for my #Vamptember reading challenge.  Sloane wasn't the most likable character, and Naomi was pretty annoying, but I enjoyed seeing their story progress and learning more about how they became such close friends. And surprising enough, this book was pretty savage at times.  These are not your glittery romantic vamps.  I mean, a few of them do have a few morals, but overall, they go after what they want and need, and it isn't pretty.  There's plenty of carnage and dare I say it, blood to go around.

I definitely plan on going back and reading Harrison's backlist at some time.  She has yet to disappoint me and the only reason this isn't a 5-star read for me is that I felt I needed a bit more filler between the last chapter and the epilogue.  Another 40 or 50 pages couldn't have hurt in my opinion.  If you love vamps and don't always want the fluffy, romanticized type, then this is the book for you!

MY RATING: 4 Paws