Author guide

Rachel Harrison Books in Order

Rachel Harrison is a contemporary horror author whose fiction combines supernatural terror, dark humor, and explorations of friendship, family, identity, and womanhood. Her novels include The Return, Cackle, Such Sharp Teeth, Black Sheep, So Thirsty, Play Nice, and the forthcoming Kiss Slay Replay. She is also the author of the separately published novella The Veil and the short-story collection Bad Dolls.

horrorsupernatural fictionshort fiction

Catalog record updated August 25, 2026.

Rachel Harrison's Newest Book

Kiss Slay Replay

novel · First published 2026

It’s the picture-perfect wedding The venue is dreamy, the weather is beautiful, love is in the air—and Willa Sullivan is having a bad time. She’s excited to celebrate her best friends finally having the big wedding they’ve always wanted, but this is the first time she’s seen her ex-fiancé in months, and he brought a date. Everything feels off, like she stumbled into an alternate universe. But things start to look up when Willa meets Danny, the groom’s charming and single childhood best friend. When they sneak off together, their rendezvous is interrupted by a masked killer terrorizing the reception. Willa and Danny fight to save the ones they love and survive the night, but the killer is unrelenting. A final girl Willa is not. Or is she? She wakes up and it’s the morning of the wedding. She just had the most intense nightmare of her life. Only as the day unfolds, there are some uncanny coincidences that make her question whether it was really a dream, déjà vu, or something more sinister. After a horrifying turn of events, Willa comes to understand that she’s stuck in a loop of carnage and terror that she must learn how to escape or else suffer a fate worse than death—being an eternal wedding guest.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

The Return

Her debut novel and a representative entry point into her contemporary horror fiction.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Sort works

Novels (8)

The Return
novel · 2020

Julie is missing, and no one believes she will ever return - except Elise. Elise knows Julie better than anyone, and feels it in her bones that her best friend is out there and that one day Julie will come back. She’s right. Two years to…
The Veil
novella · 2021

Sally has recently left an unfulfilling job to volunteer at a living history museum, where she is assigned to the Death House. Every day, she dons Victorian mourning garb and describes traditional funeral services to tourists. It sounds…
Cackle
novel · 2021

A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return. All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being…
Such Sharp Teeth
novel · 2022

Rory Morris isn’t thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby’s father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the…
Black Sheep
novel · 2023

Nobody has a “normal” family, but Vesper Wright’s is truly...something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back—mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t…
So Thirsty
novel · 2024

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.…
Play Nice
novel · 2025

A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house novel from the USA Today bestselling author. Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life…
Kiss Slay Replay
novel · 2026

It’s the picture-perfect wedding The venue is dreamy, the weather is beautiful, love is in the air—and Willa Sullivan is having a bad time. She’s excited to celebrate her best friends finally having the big wedding they’ve always wanted,…

Short fiction (1)

Bad Dolls
short-story-collection · 2022

In “Reply Hazy, Try Again,” an indecisive young woman finds a mysterious Magic 8 Ball that might just have the answers she’s been looking for…or might lead her down a path of self-destruction. In “Bachelorette,” a bridesmaid attends her…

Frequently asked questions about Rachel Harrison

Who is Rachel Harrison?

Rachel Harrison is a New York Times bestselling author known for contemporary horror fiction and short stories, often combining supernatural elements with dark humor and women-centered themes.

Sources: rachel-harrison.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)

Where does Rachel Harrison live?

Rachel Harrison lives in New Jersey with her husband and their cat.

Source: rachel-harrison.com (opens in a new tab)

What did Rachel Harrison study, and what jobs did she have early in her career?

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Writing for Film & Television from Emerson College. After graduating, she worked on television game shows, in publishing, and for a bank.

Source: thebramstokerawards.com (opens in a new tab)

Which writers and works have influenced Rachel Harrison?

Harrison has identified Shirley Jackson as a major inspiration and has praised Diablo Cody’s film Jennifer’s Body for its women-centered horror and nuanced exploration of female friendship.

Source: libraryjournal.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Rachel Harrison been nominated for?

Her debut novel, The Return, was nominated for the 2020 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

Sources: thebramstokerawards.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)