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fanboyriot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Spice Level: n/a
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
elleyena_rose's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
But some of the language and jokes at the beginning, while likely accurate for the time, weren't necessary to the plot and could/probably should have been cut. Thankfully that either dropped off quickly (or I just stopped noticing it when the descriptions got more graphic and I got ill while reading).
Just as some reviewers don't understand a rating less than five stars, I don't understand how anyone could rate it at a 4 or 5. This book ultimately wasn't for me.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
CW because animal death was not clear enoughjj_whatsherface's review
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Rape, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Religious bigotry, and Car accident
veganmermaidsera's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
If you’re looking for a perfect spooky read that is scary and slightly gory, but also silly and campy, and is a true testament to friendship (and don’t forget all the 80’s song references), then you must read this!!!
I teared up at the end.
My first Grady Hendrix read and I shall be reading more!
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
arthomas's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
chinomi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Vomit and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
elindseyr190's review
- 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
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
degroovy's review
- 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
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.
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry
librosdeunamestiza's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
La historia se ubica en la década de los 80s en un pueblito estadounidense bastante conservador e hipócrita, del tipo que esconde los desastres debajo de la alfombra y nunca más los menciona.
Las pistas de patinaje, los peinados y maquillajes, la música y el pánico religioso/satánico ochentero no faltaron.
Cada capítulo tiene el nombre de una canción famosa de la década y me pareció una excelente idea, muy bien pensados. No son ni largos ni cortos, pero se leen volando, al igual que todo el libro.
La narración en primera persona de Abby es muy atrapante y adictiva.
Me gustó como protagonista. Empaticé un montón con ella y sentí que realmente llevó la trama sobre su espalda con sus decisiones y acciones.
La representación de las amistades y de transitar la adolescencia en el colegio secundario me pareció acertada en muchas cosas.
Los eventos que ocurren son muy perturbadores, repulsivos y traumáticos, me pusieron nerviosa y asqueada, pero nunca me sentí con miedo, así que diría que es un terror ligero.
El terror se va desarrollando de a poco, una cosa horrible a la vez. La trama me sorprendió constantemente, dando giros inesperados y desesperantes.
Realmente lo recomendaría.
Trigger warnings: violencia, abuso sexual, trastornos alimenticios, consumo de drogas, violaciones, muerte, asesinatos, tortura, muerte de animales, descripciones gráficas, racismo y homofobia.
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
themichellegray's review
- 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
5.0
Grady Hendrix's writing gripped me from the first page and each multi-faceted character intrigued me until the very end. While I was waiting for a big twist for the majority of this story, I appreciated the ending so much more than anything my imagination could conjure up.
At the end of the day, this was a story about the strength of genuine friendship and how it can stand the test of time. If you can tolerate the trigger warnings I highly recommend picking this up during the spooky season!
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship