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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Have you ever walked into a restaurant, and the smells were amazing but then, once you sat down, ordered, and your food arrived, it was just...not exactly up to par. Smells great, looks ok, and tastes...like something you could have made at home for far cheaper and less disappointment.
That was this book.
The concept was absolutely a lot of fun: a woman and her best friend are turned into vampires after a night with strangers, and have to come to terms with their choices, their rocky friendship, and what they actually want out of life...all while being chased by hot vampires, struggling with their newfound vampirism, and getting into trouble.
The execution of that concept really fell flat for me, however.
Sloane was a buzzkill
I wasn't even halfway through this book, and I was tired of Sloane's constant woe-is-me, complaining, and debby-downing at every opportunity she got. Sloane finally starts becoming bearable at about 90% through the book, and that's just a really long time to sit in the head of a main character who gives Eeyore a run for his pessimistic money.
The ageism got old, fast
Sloane is turning 34 (or was it 35? I think it was 34) years old. So, of course, Sloane is an ugly old hag who can no longer enjoy life, intimacy, or have fun. She is no longer attractive, beautiful, or interesting because she is not
young
anymore.
You mean to tell me, a woman who is the same age as Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lawrence, Sarah Hyland, Emma Watson, and Margot Robbie is washed up? That she's no longer stunning and special? That her best years are gone and over?
The book never really addresses this. Sloane keeps feeling like an ugly old hag, keeps making disparging age-related comments, and then eventually just stops talking about it. There is never a moment of character development where she realizes she was wrong, where she reexamines herself and her opinions of age.
It just stops mattering because she's a vampire.
Yuck.
All the relationships in this book are more water than blood
Sloane and Naomi are the first 'relationship' that we really get to sink our teeth into. They've been friends since they were in high school, they are polar opposites, and they seem pretty annoyed with each other almost all the time. At no point did I ever see what kept them together, beside shared history. Naomi pokes cruelly at Sloane's "white bread suburban" life as a bored wife, and Sloane is both envious and worried over Naomi's lifestyle as a rockstar's groupie girlfriend. They never respect each other's choices, they never build each other up. They just tear down.
It gets worse when they are both vampires and coming to terms with their change in different ways. Sloane refuses to accept help from the other vampires (I still....don't know why?), which leads to her putting a fragile Naomi in dangerous positions. When Naomi attacks people, Sloane blames Naomi and talks down to her.
By the end, we are sold this sweet friendship relationship that I never saw them cultivate.
Sloane and Henry: Sloane and the 'heartthrob' vampire. He's ancient. He's broody. He looks like a rockstar (Rachel Harrison kept describing him as blond. My brain rewrote that. He has dark hair. Sorry, Rachel) and is seductive and honorable and has absolutely no personality. Man is brain empty. Man exists solely to make Sloane feel beautiful because he cant stop himself from wanting to have sex with her.
There was no romantic build-up. They met, Sloane ran away, his vampiric squad found her and Naomi, blew up a gas station, and then they had wild-crazy sex.
I was sold this book as both seductive/romantic, and a feminist study in female friendships.
It was neither.
That was this book.
The concept was absolutely a lot of fun: a woman and her best friend are turned into vampires after a night with strangers, and have to come to terms with their choices, their rocky friendship, and what they actually want out of life...all while being chased by hot vampires, struggling with their newfound vampirism, and getting into trouble.
The execution of that concept really fell flat for me, however.
Sloane was a buzzkill
I wasn't even halfway through this book, and I was tired of Sloane's constant woe-is-me, complaining, and debby-downing at every opportunity she got. Sloane finally starts becoming bearable at about 90% through the book, and that's just a really long time to sit in the head of a main character who gives Eeyore a run for his pessimistic money.
The ageism got old, fast
Sloane is turning 34 (or was it 35? I think it was 34) years old. So, of course, Sloane is an ugly old hag who can no longer enjoy life, intimacy, or have fun. She is no longer attractive, beautiful, or interesting because she is not
young
anymore.
You mean to tell me, a woman who is the same age as Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lawrence, Sarah Hyland, Emma Watson, and Margot Robbie is washed up? That she's no longer stunning and special? That her best years are gone and over?
The book never really addresses this. Sloane keeps feeling like an ugly old hag, keeps making disparging age-related comments, and then eventually just stops talking about it. There is never a moment of character development where she realizes she was wrong, where she reexamines herself and her opinions of age.
It just stops mattering because she's a vampire.
Yuck.
All the relationships in this book are more water than blood
Sloane and Naomi are the first 'relationship' that we really get to sink our teeth into. They've been friends since they were in high school, they are polar opposites, and they seem pretty annoyed with each other almost all the time. At no point did I ever see what kept them together, beside shared history. Naomi pokes cruelly at Sloane's "white bread suburban" life as a bored wife, and Sloane is both envious and worried over Naomi's lifestyle as a rockstar's groupie girlfriend. They never respect each other's choices, they never build each other up. They just tear down.
It gets worse when they are both vampires and coming to terms with their change in different ways. Sloane refuses to accept help from the other vampires (I still....don't know why?), which leads to her putting a fragile Naomi in dangerous positions. When Naomi attacks people, Sloane blames Naomi and talks down to her.
By the end, we are sold this sweet friendship relationship that I never saw them cultivate.
Sloane and Henry: Sloane and the 'heartthrob' vampire. He's ancient. He's broody. He looks like a rockstar (Rachel Harrison kept describing him as blond. My brain rewrote that. He has dark hair. Sorry, Rachel) and is seductive and honorable and has absolutely no personality. Man is brain empty. Man exists solely to make Sloane feel beautiful because he cant stop himself from wanting to have sex with her.
There was no romantic build-up. They met, Sloane ran away, his vampiric squad found her and Naomi, blew up a gas station, and then they had wild-crazy sex.
I was sold this book as both seductive/romantic, and a feminist study in female friendships.
It was neither.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity
i had a really important atmospheric circulations exam that i didnt study for at all so i could read this
UPDATE: i got a 45!
UPDATE: i got a 45!
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoy Rachel Harrison's writing and stories. They always keep me entertained and curious about where the plot is going to go. This was a fun journey, but the destination missed the mark for me. There was so much set up and once it actually came to the vampire portion - it felt quite rushed. I loved all of the themes of women friendship and what it means to deny our wants and desires as women.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My most anticipated release of the year did not disappoint! Rachel Harrison proves, yet again, why she is an auto-buy author for me; she consistently delivers excellently crafted (gothic) settings, relatable characters and satisfying endings. The female friendship central to the story is beautiful and tragic, raw and honest. When reading Harrison's books, I often feel like she must've been a fly on the wall during some of my conversations with childhood friends, or we've lived the same lives. Her books are always full of painfully cozy nostalgia, and this one is no different.
If you like spice, you're in luck- I wouldn't call this smut territory, but it's definitely RH's spiciest book yet! Unfortunately for me, I do not like spice lol... that is most of the reason for the 4 star rating rather than the 5 stars I typically give to RH. It's almost certainly a personal thing, but the inclusion of sex made the story feel a little more shallow than what we usually get in the relationship subplot, or maybe I just didn't connect as much to this particular love interest because vampires aren't really my "thing." However, the main character's relationship with their love interest is really the least interesting dynamic we have going on in this story, being overshadowed by their relationships with other side characters that range from endearing to traumatic in nature.
Emotional abuse and dependency are strong themes throughout the book, so be aware if you find those topics triggering.
Highly recommend reading if you want to chant "Girl Power!" through your tears. <3
Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
If you like spice, you're in luck- I wouldn't call this smut territory, but it's definitely RH's spiciest book yet! Unfortunately for me, I do not like spice lol... that is most of the reason for the 4 star rating rather than the 5 stars I typically give to RH. It's almost certainly a personal thing, but the inclusion of sex made the story feel a little more shallow than what we usually get in the relationship subplot, or maybe I just didn't connect as much to this particular love interest because vampires aren't really my "thing." However, the main character's relationship with their love interest is really the least interesting dynamic we have going on in this story, being overshadowed by their relationships with other side characters that range from endearing to traumatic in nature.
Emotional abuse and dependency are strong themes throughout the book, so be aware if you find those topics triggering.
Highly recommend reading if you want to chant "Girl Power!" through your tears. <3
Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes