Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

54 reviews

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual violence, and Alcohol

writewithapendragon's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

I love Grady Hendrix’s writing and stories but I wish he could complete a book without including sexual assault. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Mass/school shootings, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Genre-typical content for a horror book, hits a lot of 80s slasher tropes and some gore.

izypup's review

emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

kimberlina82's review

dark funny hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kellygracejackson's review

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

jerbarger's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

3.75

At first, MY BEST FRIENDS EXORCISM really annoyed me because it felt like a man writing about teenage girls (which it is, obviously, but there often comes this sort of tone and misunderstanding of what it is to be a teenage girl—and sometimes even this underlying dislike). 

I also didn’t appreciate all the casual racism and references to sexual assault. I see what Hendrix was trying to do and set the picture of the South, but it wasn’t ever really indicted? Like it seemed he did not approve from the tone of the main character when she mentioned these things but it was totally glossed over and also THERE WERE ONLY WHITE PEOPLE, so tell me how this improves the conversation? It doesn’t. And it almost made me stop reading the book. 

With all of that being said, it is a rather interesting and unique coming-of-age story. Her best friend is possessed by a demon, but who’s the real monster? The adults who don’t believe children? Society? Classism? The way Abby goes from feeling like a child to having the understanding that we are all truly alone in this world is devastating. And that’s what MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM did best. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

katiebella_reads's review

challenging dark hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

5⭐️

Tigger Warning ⚠️ 
* dead abused animals
* rape talk
* Demon Possession 


Summery 

Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since they were 10yrs old. It's the summer of 1988, and as teens, they are coming into their own. Growing up and doing all the things they have always been told not to. They are young. They are honor students. They are invincible. Until they aren't. 

Gretchen is from the right part of town. Her parents belong to the right social clubs. They go to the right church. These kind of things don't happen to people like them.

Something is definitely wrong with Gretchen, but only Abby seems to understand that it's so much more than teenage angst. Gretchen is changing. Acting strangely. This isn't Gretchen.

My Thoughts 

Wow!!!! I loved it. The 80's child in me couldn't get enough. It is written exactly like the old style horror movies before the world was all AI and CGI. When movies were gritty and you could feel the fear of the actors. When you could relate to the bumps of an old car on a dirt road because it was really being driven, not special effects. This book is corny and cheesy in all the best ways!

Abby is the perfect example of a true high school teenager. Imperfect skin, worrying about her grades, and just trying to fit in. She is real and authentic. She shows true friendship to the extent she is willing to go to to save the people she cares about, even when it seems they no longer care for her. The author wrote her with such clarity that I could picture her walking down the school halls, hanging with friends, and bopping along to the soundtrack of life. It was easy to empathize with her. She is likable. She grows as the book goes along.

There is no doubt that Hendrix can write! This is the second book in a week that I have read by him, and as soon as I finished, I jumped online to order another. He protays horror in the way it should be done. The way I remember it growing up. Hitchcock and The Omen sprinkled in with some vibes of the movie The Craft. All the nostalgic feels with this read while keeping me turning pages and a breakneck speed. Goosebumps all grown up.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

riyaah's review

dark reflective medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug use and Homophobia

_readerfromtheblacklagoon_'s review

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

aseel_reads'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

3.75

This was a wild ride. It definitely felt authentic to the 80s, which was such an interesting (and not as great) time. I find it hard to rate the book any higher because of the subject matter but I did like the ending about friendship. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism