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brutallybookish's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
1.5
I know so many people who love this book, and I was so excited to read it during October for a spooky read, but it was just not for me. It reads much more like a YA novel than a true horror novel, and there's nothing wrong with that - it's just not my style. While the 80's nostalgia was so well done, and the references were wonderful, that's about where my love for the story ended. I felt that the racial content was unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story, and the ending became a bit redundant. I had trouble getting through the physical book, so I switched to the Audiobook, and the narrator was great, which was helpful in keeping me from adding this to my DNF pile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Vomit
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault
therealjessica's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
I don’t know why I keep giving this author a chance. Once again it’s clear that Hendrix cannot write female characters well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Minor: Slavery
elliebasta's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, and Vomit
Moderate: Animal death and Sexual assault
jordanog4's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
hxlleann's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, and Alcohol
hocuscrocus's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I usually don't like it when books set in the 80s go for the nostalgic references all the time, but the ones in this book felt natural and fun. I enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
afterplague's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was really looking forward to this one, and it just didn't live up to my expectations at all. I'm thinking that Grady Hendrix just might not be the author for me. I'll give him one more chance, but this one was pretty rough for me.
I'm not saying that the book was completely irredeemable or anything like that. I was just incredibly frustrated with the sexual assault aspect of the plot. I'm going to go into some spoilers here, so if you'd like to remain unspoiled please be aware.
I wouldn't say it's a spoiler to mention that Gretchen, the titular "best friend" becomes possessed by a demon. The book is literally called "My Best Friend's Exorcism." But, as the possession is beginning to take hold, Gretchen starts acting strangely and through her rambling Abby, the main character, gets the idea that Gretchen was sexually assaulted and THAT's why she's changing.
Grady Hendrix is a man, and in both of his books I've read rape has been a main plot point. I'm not saying that as a man you can't write about rape, you can. It's also not uncommon in the horror genre, but I don't think that Hendrix treats it with the gravity that one should while writing about the topic, especially in this novel.
Abby tries to tell Gretchen's conservative Christian parents about it and they accuse Abby of trying to slander Gretchen's reputation and kick her out. She tries to tell a teacher and gets the same response. Everyone ostracizes Abby, and this plot point end with Abby just deciding the best thing to do is to keep her mouth shut about it. What is Hendrix trying to say with this plot point?
It is the 80's, and I understand that sexual assault wasn't treated the same way back then. However, this plot point is very serious for the ultimate answer in the book to just be "Abby ruined her life trying to help her friend who she thought was raped, and everything would've worked out the same or BETTER if she hadn't said anything." I would also like to remind you, Gretchen WASN'T RAPED. I don't understand why this plot point is in the story. It was SO frustrating to see everyone around these TEENAGERS do nothing except brush it under the rug. I can accept that if the whole story was coming to a point about it. If maybe the story was fully a metaphor about sexual assault utilizing a demonic possession as a framing device... maybe that would be okay. But 100% of the Grady Hendrix books I've read so far have involved rape, and it starts to feel a little weird coming from anyone but especially a male author.
There were some parts I actually enjoyed about the novel. I think that the way Gretchen's possession progressed was really unique from what I've seen in other demonic possession stories. The way that Gretchen was being used as a vessel to not only inflict pain on herself, but also those around her was really fascinating to witness as well. It seems realistic as to why a demon would possess a person in the first place.
I also loved the Christian strongmen. That actually threw me back to my childhood where a group of these guys would tour my church once a year or so. I actually have a SIGNED bandana from these dudes. I wish I could remember what they were called!
The ending of the story was also interesting. The answer wasn't religion, but instead friendship. I think the author did a good enough job setting up Gretchen and Abby to the point where I found their friendship really sweet and believable, and the way they ended up was really heart-warming.
I'll give it to Hendrix, his writing is good! It's gross and horrifying, but I wouldn't say I was scared at any point. The worm thing was basically the worst of it. Oh also, dog death. Sorry. I usually don't enjoy animal death, and I thought this one was really unnecessary. It was done to shock the reader, and I wasn't particularly impressed by it.
I just wouldn't recommend this one. Maybe if you have some nostalgia around the original 1980s Exorcist movie, but I wasn't even alive when that movie came out so...
The cover absolutely slaps, though. Whoever designed this cover to look like a VHS cover, I love you and I think you deserve a massive raise!
I'm not saying that the book was completely irredeemable or anything like that. I was just incredibly frustrated with the sexual assault aspect of the plot. I'm going to go into some spoilers here, so if you'd like to remain unspoiled please be aware.
I wouldn't say it's a spoiler to mention that Gretchen, the titular "best friend" becomes possessed by a demon. The book is literally called "My Best Friend's Exorcism." But, as the possession is beginning to take hold, Gretchen starts acting strangely and through her rambling Abby, the main character, gets the idea that Gretchen was sexually assaulted and THAT's why she's changing.
Grady Hendrix is a man, and in both of his books I've read rape has been a main plot point. I'm not saying that as a man you can't write about rape, you can. It's also not uncommon in the horror genre, but I don't think that Hendrix treats it with the gravity that one should while writing about the topic, especially in this novel.
Abby tries to tell Gretchen's conservative Christian parents about it and they accuse Abby of trying to slander Gretchen's reputation and kick her out. She tries to tell a teacher and gets the same response. Everyone ostracizes Abby, and this plot point end with Abby just deciding the best thing to do is to keep her mouth shut about it. What is Hendrix trying to say with this plot point?
It is the 80's, and I understand that sexual assault wasn't treated the same way back then. However, this plot point is very serious for the ultimate answer in the book to just be "Abby ruined her life trying to help her friend who she thought was raped, and everything would've worked out the same or BETTER if she hadn't said anything." I would also like to remind you, Gretchen WASN'T RAPED. I don't understand why this plot point is in the story. It was SO frustrating to see everyone around these TEENAGERS do nothing except brush it under the rug. I can accept that if the whole story was coming to a point about it. If maybe the story was fully a metaphor about sexual assault utilizing a demonic possession as a framing device... maybe that would be okay. But 100% of the Grady Hendrix books I've read so far have involved rape, and it starts to feel a little weird coming from anyone but especially a male author.
There were some parts I actually enjoyed about the novel. I think that the way Gretchen's possession progressed was really unique from what I've seen in other demonic possession stories. The way that Gretchen was being used as a vessel to not only inflict pain on herself, but also those around her was really fascinating to witness as well. It seems realistic as to why a demon would possess a person in the first place.
I also loved the Christian strongmen. That actually threw me back to my childhood where a group of these guys would tour my church once a year or so. I actually have a SIGNED bandana from these dudes. I wish I could remember what they were called!
The ending of the story was also interesting. The answer wasn't religion, but instead friendship. I think the author did a good enough job setting up Gretchen and Abby to the point where I found their friendship really sweet and believable, and the way they ended up was really heart-warming.
I'll give it to Hendrix, his writing is good! It's gross and horrifying, but I wouldn't say I was scared at any point. The worm thing was basically the worst of it. Oh also, dog death. Sorry. I usually don't enjoy animal death, and I thought this one was really unnecessary. It was done to shock the reader, and I wasn't particularly impressed by it.
I just wouldn't recommend this one. Maybe if you have some nostalgia around the original 1980s Exorcist movie, but I wasn't even alive when that movie came out so...
The cover absolutely slaps, though. Whoever designed this cover to look like a VHS cover, I love you and I think you deserve a massive raise!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal death
degroovy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
The first thing that grabbed my attention about this book was the cover. The VHS throwback aesthetic on the front, back, and spine immediately jumped out from all the rest on the table at Barnes & Noble and reeled me in. Not only that but it also really set the stage for the rest of the story.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is a fun, exciting, scary romp through a classic '80s ghost/demon story that pays homage to its roots without overindulging in nostalgia, a balance that's difficult to strike. All throughout, the prose is snappy, utilizing very palpable, very effective descriptors, metaphors, and similes. It wastes no time in enjoying the familiar tropes of its genre without burning paragraphs; the 1980s setting and linguistics were in top form and the way in which high school life was described was so accurate that it gave me flashbacks, which was the TRUE horror of this story (for me).
The characters are very well written and are easily the best part of the story throughout. I wouldn't say they grow and evolve and have a grandiose character arc but you're seeing them all in a very specific slice of time and the way in which everyone acts and reacts is consistent with how they're presented. The book immediately starts strong by introducing the two main girls and expands on their relationship as the book goes on. They feel alive as real world things that would be of concern to teenagers in the 80s are seeded in. Things like difficult home lives, acne, the drudgery of homework, the disbelief and social isolation surrounding r*pe accusations, all while struggling to grow up in picture perfect neighborhoods where appearance matters more than fact.
On that topic, I really enjoyed the way in which demonic possession and the way it's handled by the characters in the story mirrors the real life public denial toward survivors of r*pe as well as survivors of sexual or religious trauma. It was a clear parallel and a very effective one at that.
Even though I enjoyed the characters a lot, that's not at the expense of the book's plot, there were plenty of moments that had me gagging. Scenes like throwing up feathers, the expulsion of enormous tapeworms from a character, and the murder of a family dog are all described so well and yet are so fleet in word, each moment not taking up more time than it needs to all while enhancing the horror of the moment. And thanks to how quickly the book pulls you into its characters, even the quieter moments are enjoyable and even relatable, such as when Abby gets isolated from Gretchen and the rest of her friends as she starts to realize what's going on or when Abby, in a fit of rage, destroys her momentos of Gretchen, not just standing in as a metaphor for her friendship, but her relationship to the past as well. It was quite sad to me.
All these wonderful ingredients coalesce into a climax that it's equal parts scary, gross, powerful, and sad...but also a little familiar. If you've seen a movie involving an exorcism, I'm afraid you've seen the climax to My Best Friend's Exorcism, unfortunately. Abby links up with a naive preacher who's looking to make Gretchen his first big religious score and treats her condition more like an event than the horror it really is. And in the climax, his flaws are exposed. From there Abby takes over the exorcism but instead of calling to a God she doesn't believe in like the preacher, she prays to all the past, most tender moments of their friendship, believing in the strength of their bond. So, while it is a climax that is commonly trod ground in so many exorcism stories, the thorough character work steps in to give a nice little wrinkle to the formula. In the end, though, the preacher faces a redemption all his own, sacrificing himself in an unexpected way for Abby.
As for the demon itself, I'm not going to spoil too much but I would say Grady Hendrix has done his homework, especially with the vomiting of feathers and the presence of owls.
The ending was wonderful and bittersweet and had me thinking off all my dear friends, the ones I frequently contact, and the ones who could use a bit of warming up so to speak. I greatly enjoyed the final chapter. But I'm also not entirely sure if that was how the story should've ended. It's fairly realistic and believable...but in a book that lovingly plays into tropes and knows what it is, I can't help but wonder if there's a slightly more fitting ending somewhere out there in the ether.
All in all it was a really entertaining read. Only once or twice did I feel myself directly called back to the pages to figure out what would happen next. But when I did make the time for it, it kept me in my seat.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is a fun, exciting, scary romp through a classic '80s ghost/demon story that pays homage to its roots without overindulging in nostalgia, a balance that's difficult to strike. All throughout, the prose is snappy, utilizing very palpable, very effective descriptors, metaphors, and similes. It wastes no time in enjoying the familiar tropes of its genre without burning paragraphs; the 1980s setting and linguistics were in top form and the way in which high school life was described was so accurate that it gave me flashbacks, which was the TRUE horror of this story (for me).
The characters are very well written and are easily the best part of the story throughout. I wouldn't say they grow and evolve and have a grandiose character arc but you're seeing them all in a very specific slice of time and the way in which everyone acts and reacts is consistent with how they're presented. The book immediately starts strong by introducing the two main girls and expands on their relationship as the book goes on. They feel alive as real world things that would be of concern to teenagers in the 80s are seeded in. Things like difficult home lives, acne, the drudgery of homework, the disbelief and social isolation surrounding r*pe accusations, all while struggling to grow up in picture perfect neighborhoods where appearance matters more than fact.
On that topic, I really enjoyed the way in which demonic possession and the way it's handled by the characters in the story mirrors the real life public denial toward survivors of r*pe as well as survivors of sexual or religious trauma. It was a clear parallel and a very effective one at that.
Even though I enjoyed the characters a lot, that's not at the expense of the book's plot, there were plenty of moments that had me gagging. Scenes like throwing up feathers, the expulsion of enormous tapeworms from a character, and the murder of a family dog are all described so well and yet are so fleet in word, each moment not taking up more time than it needs to all while enhancing the horror of the moment. And thanks to how quickly the book pulls you into its characters, even the quieter moments are enjoyable and even relatable, such as when Abby gets isolated from Gretchen and the rest of her friends as she starts to realize what's going on or when Abby, in a fit of rage, destroys her momentos of Gretchen, not just standing in as a metaphor for her friendship, but her relationship to the past as well. It was quite sad to me.
All these wonderful ingredients coalesce into a climax that it's equal parts scary, gross, powerful, and sad...but also a little familiar. If you've seen a movie involving an exorcism, I'm afraid you've seen the climax to My Best Friend's Exorcism, unfortunately. Abby links up with a naive preacher who's looking to make Gretchen his first big religious score and treats her condition more like an event than the horror it really is. And in the climax, his flaws are exposed. From there Abby takes over the exorcism but instead of calling to a God she doesn't believe in like the preacher, she prays to all the past, most tender moments of their friendship, believing in the strength of their bond. So, while it is a climax that is commonly trod ground in so many exorcism stories, the thorough character work steps in to give a nice little wrinkle to the formula. In the end, though, the preacher faces a redemption all his own, sacrificing himself in an unexpected way for Abby.
As for the demon itself, I'm not going to spoil too much but I would say Grady Hendrix has done his homework, especially with the vomiting of feathers and the presence of owls.
The ending was wonderful and bittersweet and had me thinking off all my dear friends, the ones I frequently contact, and the ones who could use a bit of warming up so to speak. I greatly enjoyed the final chapter. But I'm also not entirely sure if that was how the story should've ended. It's fairly realistic and believable...but in a book that lovingly plays into tropes and knows what it is, I can't help but wonder if there's a slightly more fitting ending somewhere out there in the ether.
All in all it was a really entertaining read. Only once or twice did I feel myself directly called back to the pages to figure out what would happen next. But when I did make the time for it, it kept me in my seat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry
girlybootzzz's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
slow-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
Watched the movie first and so glad I decided to read the book. The movie doesn’t do the book justice in the slightest. Parts of the book that were supposed to funny came across cringeworthy, but the main characters being teenage girls kind of excuses it. Took a while to get into but once I was there, it had me. Ended more somberly than I was expecting, but not quite sad. Overall fun read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Sexual assault
haileyhardcover's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Not my favorite Hendrix, but a really good read nonetheless. The middle of this one kind of lagged for me. Things really ramp up in the final third, though, and I really enjoyed it from that point on. It’s gruesome and sad and yet also heartwarming? I may or may not have teared up while reading the last few paragraphs (I did).
Very happy to give this book a permanent home on my shelves! Also can we talk about the cover?! Stunning. It makes me think of IT, probably because of the balloons. I love it.
Very happy to give this book a permanent home on my shelves! Also can we talk about the cover?! Stunning. It makes me think of IT, probably because of the balloons. I love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment