Reviews with content warning for Ableism - My Best Friend's Exorcism

Really enjoyed the book gave me mean girls/the exorcism vibes. Would've given it higher but unfortunately it Included alot of uses of ableist slurs which I know in the 80s was more of the norm but in my opinion added nothing to the overall story so definitely could've been left out.

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schomj's review

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funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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sunshinesyst3m's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Dear lord~ I’m sure others would have liked this book, I just… didn’t and low key regret not DNFing it.

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skyejay95's review

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dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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tonylovd's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

there are a LOT of triggers in this book so be careful about those

i was reluctant going into this book because two teenage girl main characters written by a man? a little worrisome. but i sort of realised that the book was satirical towards what horror stories of that genre are usually like. the characters are all very stereotypical 1980s teenage girls, but it didn't slow down my reading or deeply negatively affect my experience reading it.

the pop culture references were wonderful. i found a lot of small moments to be funny while reading.

and wow this book was such a page turner. i couldn't put it down; i was overcome with the sole thought of what happens next?

i would recommend it for people looking for something stranger things-esque

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geenawrites's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

While long in the tooth, "My Best Friend's Exorcism" is a solid teen horror that's also a fairly compelling thriller as well.

If you're looking for something to read this Halloween, I'd definitely recommend giving this a try.

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owenwilsonbaby's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

"The devil is loud and brash and full of drama. God, he's like a sparrow."

This was camp and fun! I loved it. Scary enough to be a quick, compelling read but not so disturbing that it interfered with my love for the characters. Hendrix's depiction of teenage isolation and anxiety was at times painful to read but delicately amplified the wider horror plot and tropes at work. The real demon is high school!!

Not going to articulate this very well but I think this book's willingness to tackle both the joy and terror of growing up in the eighties is its primary strength. There's a romance and excitement to the setting and time period but it avoids indulging a simplified, homogenised version of the American past that Myke Bartlett identifies in media like Stranger Things. Its exploration of class, racism, ableism and rape culture works to create an uneasiness at the heart of this horror story. Abby has to face down the devil whilst also battling prejudice and a lack of understanding from her peers and the adults in her life.

I don't have many criticisms, and those that I do have I think I can put down to the fact that this book is first and foremost oriented towards young adult readers and therefore written with a different demographic in mind. I did at times wonder if the story may have benefited from the complexity of exploring queerness (hence Abby's penultimate 'dearly and queerly!' confession) but I can appreciate the centring of platonic love and female friendship when recent nostalgic outings like Stranger Things and the IT movies seemed to, at least initially, explore male friendship. All that said, I really enjoyed this book. It made for a good break from long reads, and the pacing, prose and imagery were particularly fantastic.

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mallory10100's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

based on the cover, i expected this to be a campy fun horror, but it was actually quite disturbing. pay attention to content warnings!!

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