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

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

15 reviews

elonn's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

3.5

This was a story about friendship, trauma, and the horrors of both the supernatural and the real world. The bond between the two main characters felt authentic, and I appreciated that the girls in the friend group weren’t typical female stereotypes found in most high school or coming-of-age stories. It also accurately captured how school friendships are often based on proximity rather than shared interests—the girls barely liked each other but were still “friends,” which felt very true to real life. I also loved how

the final exorcism drew on symbols of Abby and Gretchen’s connection

. The power lifter evangelists made me laugh as I vividly remember guys like that performing at church as a child.

What stood out most, though, was how the cruelty of the time shaped the girls’ experiences. The apathy, ignorance, and casual cruelty from family, friends, teachers, and authority figures were just as awful—if not worse—than the actions of the demon. The story unflinchingly portrayed the racism, rape culture, and exploitation of young girls in the 1980s, capturing a world where they had no allies, not even each other.

Some things didn’t work for me. The inclusion of images like magazine quizzes and food journals felt like a good idea in theory, but their sudden appearance late in the story and abrupt disappearance made the concept feel out of place and unfinished. The ending also

dragged on unnecessarily into old age, and the lack of resolution around Molly’s murder felt like a missed opportunity.

Despite its flaws, this messy, imperfect story accurately depicts the terror and heartbreak of being young and vulnerable in a cruel world.

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jj_whatsherface's review

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dark funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

any book containing the phrase "Tommy Cox, defend us in battle," is an automatic win.

And then defeating the devil with a soda can, an eighties song, and the power of love is just the cherry on top.

Beautiful book, perfect cast, made me feel both happy and a little disgusted at the same time. A beautiful encapsulation of the 80s satanic panic.

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glorifyed's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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wolfism's review

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dark emotional sad tense

4.25

I can't relate to the book in some ways. I was not born in the 80s and I'm not from the US. So I'll have to trust Grady Hendrix it was like that. Many sentiments, attitudes and behaviors were appalling to me, although not unfamiliar, even growing up in the 90s and 2000s. In a way I liked that he did not sugarcoat anything, seeing as in recent years the 80s have been pretty romanticized a bit too much without balancing it out in mainstream media.

I wouldn't call it an enjoyable book. Just seems the wrong word for it. But I liked it. I was definitely emotionally invested starting half way in. It was also rage inducing. It was infuriating, especially the adults. It didn't even have anything to do with refusing to believe someone was possessed by a demon. We didn't even get that far with them. I did consider if the demon might have warped their senses, but I'm not entirely sure.

It deals with a lot of heavy shit. It's very dark and I rarely could find the fun in the story that some mentioned. There were a few slightly funny moments, but for me it was very overshadowed. I would not tell anyone "Here read this book, it's a fun, nostalgic read set in the 80s". Sometimes it was painful to read. It made me really emotional. The light in this book was Abby and her friendship with Gretchen. If you have a Abby in your life, man, hold on to them. She made mistakes (some she can't be blamed for because she is a child, was desperate and thought naturally grown-ups could be trusted with things), she wasn't always nice, she did wrong. She was a teenager. Such a good character in my opinion. It was impactful which is always good. I can imagine reading it for a second time.

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daniraewrites's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Easily one of the best horror novels I've ever read, one of the best novels of any genre in fact. Grady Hendrix writes the intensity of female friendships with such intimacy and realism. Coupled with sickening body horror and genuinely terrifying demonic possession I could barely put this book down, especially in the final third. Well worth reading, but a read of the trigger tags wouldn't hurt if you are sensitive to any horror themes.

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