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reedcodes's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Gore, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
alba_marie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is now my third book by him – after The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires and Horrorstör and I have loved them all.
One thing that seems important to Hendrix is voice – or lack thereof. Giving voice to the silenced, and pointing out the unfairness of those whose voices are dismissed or even taken away. In the Southern Book Club, he gives voice to under-appreciated 80's housewives who are repeated dismissed by their husbands when they attempted to bring their new neighbour's bad intentions to light. In Horrorstör, he gives voice to minimum wage employees who are often overlooked by society simply because they are defined by their jobs. And in this book, he gives voice to 80's teenagers – particularly teenage girls – whose fears and concerns and attestations are repeatedly ignored and belittled and even punished by their parents.
Hendrix is also quite clever in addressing the issues surrounding sexual assault without actually including a sexual assault. In the Southern Book Club, the vampire was used as a stand-in for a rapist – particularly in terms of how the women's accusations were treated by men.
Something similar happens here in My Best Friend's Exorcism... demonic possession is a stand in for unwanted bodily assault. He is more overt in this one, actually calling out rape. Adult reactions are similar in this book as Book Club – those in power do everything they can to deride and punish the accusers because in making their accusations, they are essentially rocking the status quo.
At times challenging, darkly comical, thought-provoking and gross, the book, designed to resemble an American 1980s yearbook, is certainly a standout, and I recommend this (or any) of Grady Hendrix's strange but superb horror books.
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, and Sexual violence
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Mental illness, and Classism
melliedm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Felt like the sapphic undertones were purposeful (lampshades! Lampshades everywhere!), but completely unfulfilled. How you can go from DBNQ to DAQ and then tell me how they ended and miss the chance to complete the sentence is a disappointment. But it was a fun read despite that.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Slavery
yoursparrow's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual violence
weatherd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Classism
yungblonde's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Excrement, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
maddox22's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
tayoreads's review
- 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? Yes
4.75
Will come back for a more in depth review.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
kurumipanda's review
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma
Minor: Body shaming, Infidelity, Rape, Terminal illness, and Forced institutionalization
the_comfy_cosy_corner's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism