Reviews - My Best Friend's Exorcism

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13.9k reviews for:

My Best Friend's Exorcism

Grady Hendrix

3.9 AVERAGE

lassie's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

vic__toria85's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

animegovie's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional tense medium-paced

k8_fitz's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

poda_'s review against another edition

2.0

I listened to the audio book for this, and I really didn't enjoy. The audio book itself was fine, I just didn't like the book and the only reason I didn't DNF was because it was something I could just listen to while playing Diablo 4.

I didn't like the main friendship, I think it represents well a 16 year old co-dependent slightly toxic friendship (I think all 16 year old girls have had one). But I wasn't rooting for them. I didn't really get the music references that are usually referred to in other reviews because I'm not an 80's baby. I got some of the obvious ones but they didn't enhance the book for me like it did for other people. I also didn't think it was very funny or engaging.

I think this book can be very problematic for one main reason that I think everyone has already stated. The need to include a slavery day in spirit week was bizarre and absolutely unnecessary. Anyone who defends it as "that was the 80's" or the south was like that, I need you to just think about it a little harder and maybe go work on yourself. This book was written this decade, by a man who should know about modern ideas. The inclusion of it added nothing to story (if it was story relevant then fair enough, I don't think we should censor that these things happened) but because it wasn't story relevant it felt unnecessarily racist. I think it needs mentioning and critiquing so people don't think that this is okay to do.

So as a 90's baby this didn't give me a nostalgia trip and I didn't like the characters very much. I think if you are from the 80's or into that era you might enjoy this book more, but it wasn't for me. I think people who like Stranger things for the setting would really enjoy this book, but I ain't that person.