So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison - Review
So Thirsty Review Snapshot:
What mood is this right for: You and your bestie desperately need a getaway.
Length: 8 hours 57 minute
Source: Libro.Fm
Where to Buy: Libro.Fm | So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison - affiliate link
Rating: ⭐⭐(2.5 Stars)
1 Sentence Summary: Vampires…
So Thirsty Synopsis
Sloan is turning 36 and dreading the thought of getting even one year older. She’s expecting her upstate New York birthday getaway with best friend Naomi to be filled with wine, books, and the sacred art of avoiding conflict. Naomi, however, has very different plans for how they should spend the weekend of Sloan’s 35th.
“Upon the arrival of my new forehead wrinkle, I Googled “existential crisis” directly after I Googled “Botox.” I’m aware that my imminent birthday is exacerbating this angst.”
Things take a turn when they meet a mysterious stranger at a small-town bar—and their spontaneous decision to attend his house party ends up having eternal consequences. With time suddenly on their side, Sloan and Naomi must confront the tangled mess of relationships in their lives… all while figuring out how to handle this new, insatiable thirst.
“I don’t really desire my life, but I’m reluctant to leave it. There’s comfort in the mundane, safety in the routine. In waking up and knowing exactly what my day will look like. I fear breaking my routine will break everything.”
My Thoughts:
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison was a book I wanted to love. On the surface, it had everything I usually go for: vampires, quirky horror, and a strong focus on female friendship. But unfortunately, it fell flat in nearly all of those areas.
The vampires? Somehow less desirable than a Cullen. The female friendship? Toxic AF. And it would’ve been fine—compelling, even—if they had acknowledged at any point that their lifelong friendship was a codependent, toxic cesspool. But alas…
Even though I didn’t particularly enjoy this book, I’m not counting Harrison out. This was my first book by her, and I’d still be willing to try another—preferably something vampire-free. Her writing style is solid, the themes had potential, but in this case, the characters and the problems they were facing just didn’t come together in a way that worked.
CAWPILE REVIEW OF SO Thirsty
I found the main character incredibly annoying—but to be fair, I think she was supposed to be. I don’t like rating characters based on how much I liked them, but rather on how well they were written. And in this case, the characters did work within the story. Their relationship was well developed and integral to the plot. So, while I didn’t like literally any character in this book, they were well written and felt intentional.
“I was maybe pretty when I was younger.”
This line made me want to jump inside this book, shake this girl, and scream:
“Babe, 36 with two incomes and no kids is literally the prime of your goddamn life.”
Atmosphere/Setting - 6
We get it—it’s upstate New York in the snow. Cool cool cool. Still, it was well developed and tied into the story effectively. Points for solid scene-setting, but you could tell me this story took place at a settled colony on the moon and it wouldn’t have changed anything about this book.
Writing Style - 6
The writing style was good. It wasn’t anything spectacular but it didn’t detract anything from the books.
Plot - 4
Oh my god the way this book was just entirely too long. My biggest gripe with books is when it feels like 1 small decision could have ended the book. Had they made the 1 decision to just stay after they got turned, we would have had no book. That is exactly what I felt about this book.
So Thirsty was also so confusing about what exactly it was trying to be. Is it a horror? mystery? lit-fic? romance?. There was just too much going on for all of those things to be done well.
Intrigue -4
I have to say the first 50% of the book, I was sold on the intrigue alone. What’s happening? Who are these mysterious strangers? What are they going to do now that they’re vampires? But the second half just dida not keep up. The tension died and there wasn’t much keeping me going.
Logic/Relationships - 3
Everything these characters did made me irrationally angry. Like… why, after becoming vampires, would you run away from the vampires who turned you? Nothing anyone did made logical sense. Their decisions felt chaotic and poorly motivated.
Enjoyment - 2
I did not enjoy this book. It was just so solidly fine.
Overall score = 31 /7 = 4.42 = 2 Stars
Rounded this one up to 2.5 since it was right on the cusp.
Audio Book Narration - 8
It was fine. I love when narration just feels like it doesn’t add or detract from the book. Neutral narration is the best narration.
Final Thoughts
So Thirsty had all the ingredients I usually love—vampires, offbeat horror, and messy female friendship—but the execution just didn’t land. The characters were well developed (even if wildly unlikable), and the writing was solid, but the plot felt bloated and directionless. A lot of the tension fizzled halfway through, and the character decisions often made zero sense.
Still, I wouldn’t write off Rachel Harrison. I think with a different setup—and ideally, no vampires—I’d be open to trying more of her work. This one just didn’t work for me.
Rounded up to 2.5 stars for effort, but yeah… it was a bit of a miss.
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison FAQ:
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Not necessarily. This book is more about female friendships and how we deal with issues in our life vs. vampires.
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No, not scary. There are a couple, very minor jump scares. There is some slight gore but nothing over the top,
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Yes! Despite not being my favorite book, I do think this is a great book club book. It would be fun to discuss. Especially if your book club is a group of girlfriends, it could facilitate a few great conversations about friendship and how we support each other.
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Source Story Graph
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Gore
Moderate: Sexual content, Infidelity, Cannibalism
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Stalking
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison Book Club Questions:
If you were in Sloan and Naomi’s shoes, would you have gone to the party? Why or why not?
How did the depiction of female friendship in So Thirsty land for you—authentic, frustrating, or somewhere in between?
What genre did this book feel most like to you: horror, lit fic, satire, or something else entirely?
What would you have done differently if you suddenly found yourself turned into a vampire?
If you’ve read other Rachel Harrison books, how does So Thirsty compare?
