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terihans75's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This one creeped me out to no end! A bit long and a bit of gore but well worth the read. The audiobook is especially creepy!
astoria333's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thecurseofchris's review against another edition
5.0
If I didn't have a hunch about it already, "Imaginary Friend" proves to me that I could never be on BookTok. If I did, I'd get in fights with people on there because they'd tell me how bad this book is and I'd have to let them know that they have no idea what they're talking about. Because this book is absolutely awesome!
Seriously, how does this book *only* have a 3.55 rating?! That is criminal! Look, I get that the horror genre isn't for everyone. There's a lot of unsettling content in this book. But everything about it is so captivating that even if you're creeped out or unsettled, you want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next.
Chbosky's writing is incredibly well done (and it's elevated by the performance of the audiobook narrator). People complain about the book's length but that is exactly what makes it so special. It definitely has a "slow burn" aspect to it, but the chaotic payoff that you get in the climax *works* because you spent the last 500+ pages setting it up. Could the book have been trimmed down a little? Probably. But I think it'd lose some of its impact at the end if you did that.
I've never read Stephen King, but this is exactly how I would imagine one of his books to be like. I think most of the people who hated this book went into it with pre-determined expectations and let the twists & turns that occur fight against those expectations. Go into it with a fresh mind, and know that it's probably not going to go the way you think, and I promise you that you'll enjoy it much more.
Seriously, how does this book *only* have a 3.55 rating?! That is criminal! Look, I get that the horror genre isn't for everyone. There's a lot of unsettling content in this book. But everything about it is so captivating that even if you're creeped out or unsettled, you want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next.
Chbosky's writing is incredibly well done (and it's elevated by the performance of the audiobook narrator). People complain about the book's length but that is exactly what makes it so special. It definitely has a "slow burn" aspect to it, but the chaotic payoff that you get in the climax *works* because you spent the last 500+ pages setting it up. Could the book have been trimmed down a little? Probably. But I think it'd lose some of its impact at the end if you did that.
I've never read Stephen King, but this is exactly how I would imagine one of his books to be like. I think most of the people who hated this book went into it with pre-determined expectations and let the twists & turns that occur fight against those expectations. Go into it with a fresh mind, and know that it's probably not going to go the way you think, and I promise you that you'll enjoy it much more.
witpip's review against another edition
1.0
THIS BOOK WAS TERRIBLE! WASTED 22 HOURS OF MY READING TIME TO THIS SHIT.
Probably has spoilers on number 5.
I don't know what the big deal is about!
1. I thought this would be a book about a little boy's decent into mental illness. um.. NOPE
2. This book could have ended 100 Chapters before it actually ended.
3. Too much unnecessary detail. It almost seemed like Chbosky wanted to flaunt pretty sentences.
4. If I had a dollar for every time this book printed CHRISTOPHER
5. So basically everyone in town went to hell, was freed, and had a happily ever after. A bunch of bullshit.
I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!
Probably has spoilers on number 5.
I don't know what the big deal is about!
1. I thought this would be a book about a little boy's decent into mental illness. um.. NOPE
2. This book could have ended 100 Chapters before it actually ended.
3. Too much unnecessary detail. It almost seemed like Chbosky wanted to flaunt pretty sentences.
4. If I had a dollar for every time this book printed CHRISTOPHER
5. So basically everyone in town went to hell, was freed, and had a happily ever after. A bunch of bullshit.
I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!
letamcwilliams's review against another edition
4.0
The first part of this book was STELLAR but I think homeboy got himself into a pickle with such a massive plot. Still would recommend though
666thylacinus666's review against another edition
1.0
thE enD oF thE booK iS writteN likE thiS anD I founD iT tO bE reallY obnoxiouS.
I wanted to like this book, I did I did, however it reads like an unremarkable Stephen King inspired YA one would find in a free box.
I was hoping the sheer length of this novel would mean for greater revelations within the spooky stuff but no, just your run of the mill good vs evil. If you read this and find yrself thinking about giving up on this unnecessarily long book, do so and read something else.
I wanted to like this book, I did I did, however it reads like an unremarkable Stephen King inspired YA one would find in a free box.
I was hoping the sheer length of this novel would mean for greater revelations within the spooky stuff but no, just your run of the mill good vs evil. If you read this and find yrself thinking about giving up on this unnecessarily long book, do so and read something else.
lishalynn813's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Great book until it started to involve major religious overtones. It could have wrapped up after the first 400-500 pages. The last 300 pages were hard to get through.
skepticcurmudgeon's review against another edition
2.0
The first 60% was so good, but the book turned into a bloated hot mess. No focus, no pacing, and suffering from contrived plot twists the author didn’t sell. A good stern editor could have saved it, but alas it was published in this state.
rballenger's review against another edition
3.0
Type of read: Commuter (listened to and from work)
What made me pick it up: Chbosky is one of my favorite authors and I'm trying to read more of his work.
Overall rating: I absolutely loved the beginning of this book. There are some extremely subtle but fun wordplays that go on throughout the pages. Little clues are left and repeated throughout and make you feel like you're figuring it out but really give nothing away.
I was incredibly annoyed by how long this book was. I think I set myself up for failure by reading some of the reviews before I started the book and by having to finish the book in a specific period of time before my loan was up at the library (a lot of people had this on their holds list so no renewal possible). So it lost me a bit toward the end because I just wanted it to get to the point. I will say, I didn't expect the ending...at all. I just wish they'd gotten to that point a little bit sooner.
Overall, I liked this book. The writing kept me interested. Would I read it again? Probably not...mainly because I feel like once you get to the end it takes away from the beginning...but I'm definitely not mad that I read it. Would I recommend it? Eh...to a very specific audience.
What made me pick it up: Chbosky is one of my favorite authors and I'm trying to read more of his work.
Overall rating: I absolutely loved the beginning of this book. There are some extremely subtle but fun wordplays that go on throughout the pages. Little clues are left and repeated throughout and make you feel like you're figuring it out but really give nothing away.
I was incredibly annoyed by how long this book was. I think I set myself up for failure by reading some of the reviews before I started the book and by having to finish the book in a specific period of time before my loan was up at the library (a lot of people had this on their holds list so no renewal possible). So it lost me a bit toward the end because I just wanted it to get to the point. I will say, I didn't expect the ending...at all. I just wish they'd gotten to that point a little bit sooner.
Overall, I liked this book. The writing kept me interested. Would I read it again? Probably not...mainly because I feel like once you get to the end it takes away from the beginning...but I'm definitely not mad that I read it. Would I recommend it? Eh...to a very specific audience.
carolyn0613's review against another edition
2.0
This is a somewhat creepy tale of a boy who goes missing in a forest. I started to read this but it was so long winded that I felt I'd been reading for a very long time and I was nowhere near finishing and nothing had really happened. I'm afraid that I had to stop reading and move on. DNF