Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

50 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

briannasam's review

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Blood, Vomit, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Car accident

peachmasen's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Moderate: Drug use and Eating disorder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent

kirsty_irwin's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape and Mass/school shootings

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

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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

elindseyr190's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Medical content, Dementia, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

shaun_dh's review

dark funny tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This was good, but it was way too long. It’s hard for me to believe horrors need to be longer than 280-300 pages. The 80s vibes were immaculate, but, reading this in 2024, it’s hard to read the slurs used and the misinformation around the AIDS epidemic—even if it’s accurate to how ppl acted in the 80s

The horror was really good and gross and I enjoyed reading this, even if I don’t love that it’s a slow burn

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement and Medical content

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

willybee's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide attempt

whatsgoingonrnhelp's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Pregnancy

dobbyssocks421's review

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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Cultural appropriation