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

3.5✨

This felt like Mean Girls mixed with Stranger Things and the Exorcist. It was fun, gross, happy and sad all over. The friendship between Gretchen and Abby was really admirable and the final chapter was so bittersweet. It truly felt like an 80s film in novel format.

I wasn’t too keen on some of the additions (without giving to much away - wasn’t happy about the Max situation in the end) and I feel that the ending wrapped up a bit too suddenly and without enough explanation in places. The owls while subtly mentioned weren’t mentioned enough, and the same with the old stories/ place in the woods. It would’ve been nice to have a bit more context in the ending to tie everything together but generally I feel Hendrix did a great job!

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its_jess_m's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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elonn's review

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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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nutmegandpumpkin's review

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dark medium-paced

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

3.0

***major MAJOR emetophobia warning
**as well as those grossed out or who have a fear of bugs, worms, and parasites
*there is also vivid descriptions of cadavers opened up & dead fetuses

Not my kind of horror. It went more the gross route than scary/spooky route.

The cover and how I’ve heard people talk about this made me have much different expectations. I thought it was going to be Stranger Things meets The Conjuring. But it was more just 80s pop culture references meets The Exorcist with some high school girl drama.

I was disappointed to say the least.

None of the characters were likable apart from Abby (well most of the time anyways) and her mother. All the adults apart from Abby’s mother are infuriating. And actually, this book infuriated me many MANY times, and left me feeling extremely grossed out & ill even more times than that.

I will give credit where credit is due, the last two pages were very sweet and lovely.

I think he was going for 80s campy horror movie but it just fell flat and like he didn’t fully commit either.

Don’t hate me but, dare I say, this was way overhyped

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readwithdrb's review

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3.0

I enjoyed the plot overall, but felt like some things fell flat (like how Abby helped with Gretchen's exorcism). Trigger warning for animal cruelty and death of a dog.

There were some things that rubbed me the wrong way (and they should, especially in 2025) - the Slave Day part of spirit week, "love you dearly, but not queerly," and "looking [skinny] like an Ethopian." I had to take a step back and realize that these were things that were more commonly used during 1982 (and the reason it rubs me the wrong way is because I am aware of how harmful these things are in 2025).

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sjcravensmith's review against another edition

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dark funny tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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briannasam's review

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4.25

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peachmasen's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Grady Hendrix’s books never disappoint. I was so captured from the start that I finished this book in a day. It’s fun and easy to read, the plot is quirky and fun while still being dark and spooky, the 80s vibes and references add an extra element of nostalgia, and the tense, climactic, final fight passages are delightfully freaky.

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